I had to start using an Accu-chek meter, since I lost the headphone jack when I upgraded my iphone (for free) recently.

My Dario meter, which I loved, couldn’t be guaranteed accurate with using the new Apple dongle/adapter.

They are working on a compatible replacement part but it still has to go through FDA approval so who knows how long that will take.

After seeing friends struggle with accuracy on the cheap test strips & meters (like Reli-On) & them being harder to use, I did get an Accu-Chek Aviva Connect meter.

I had a One Touch Ultra Mini the hospital issued through my transplant as I was leaving the hospital but it was awful to use & fired off too many error readings.  I’m not the only one to experience this.

It was so bad that even while I was waiting for my Dario to arrive I swore I’d never pick up another One Touch meter.

Accu-Check is also the brand my hospital uses in clinic visits & hospital stays so I know it will be accurate which is important to me. My Accu-Chek Aviva Connect works much like my Dario did – still compact too, though not as compact as the Dario was.  It easily transfers data to my phone. I appreciate how easy to use the Accu-chek app is.

I have so much data to track, the more that can be logged in my phone & pulled up at my doctor visits, the better.

I’m on more steroids now & will be for awhile so I had to go back on insulin & test at least 2 times a day.  My sugar is doing ok in spite of it. Yet this was a priority as to why I was picky about my meter, too.

This prefacing also leads me to another point.

Often in the past when friends or family have come to me with an issue of a drug not being covered or too pricy, I refer them to GoodRx.

It’s still a worthy program, but I found out about Blink Health & their app very recently.

Blink Health’s pricing is competitive (on some things better than GoodRx) so I tried it with my test strips & lancets.  It was easy to use & did save me money.

I put in a credit card to prepay on & then the app gave me the codes for the pharmacy to process through like they would an insurance card or GoodRx.

It may not work for everyone but it’s worth a try, especially if you’re searching deals on test strips & not finding much.

I also know that Accu-chek itself has a monthly box subscription deal (called Accu-chek Eassentials) that they will ship directly to you for a fixed price.

However, I know that has drawbacks or makes people nervous the same way mail order prescriptions sometimes do.

Blink Health‘s pricing is still not as cheap as scratch & dent or close expiration deals online (we all do what we have to from time-to-time to get things fast or save a few dollars)  but it IS definitely cheaper than a direct over-the-counter store purchase without a prescription.

It also won’t work with Walgreen’s as they couldn’t come to decent negotiation deals on pricing but it worked at my CVS and may also work at some other pharmacies.

I’m not certain of how many people know about Blink Health, as I only found out very recently, so that’s why I’m sharing this information today with a practical example/test run I tried out for myself.

(Feature image credit: App photo from Blink Health’s website.)

UPDATE 10/25: I just got word yesterday in an email that Blink will no longer work with CVS. Now I will have to figure out where I can transfer my test strips and lancets to that’s near by that will accept it.   Disappointing but not surprising.