I would be lying if I said she never gets carbs though. We have a 13 year old angry kitty who needs (according to her) her Temptations cat treats. My mom found Cricket on the counter one night on her back with the plastic container opened and treats flowing out around her. There is a fine line between humor and horror lol. Oh, I also got her some ZeroCarb Tru Carnivore treats. Grain free, no veggies, no plant proteins, no digestible carbs.
This could be a big player right there. Some cats are so sensitive to carbs that we've seen a cat's blood sugar go up by hundreds of points from 3 teeny pieces of dry crunchies, and stay there for another day. Just depends on the cats. I've seen people here use Temptations to bring up blood sugar when their cat got low. Your pure meat treats will be great, though.
I think what I'd do for your angry kitty (lol, we know the queen needs what she needs) is to keep the food in a screw-type container instead, and when you give it to her, either put her in a separate room to eat or stand there to supervise and make sure she is actually the one that gets it.
I see that 282 - comparing it to the 307 2 hours before tells me that she's not dropping very fast. So I wouldn't rush to get another test in, but if you could get a test 2 hours after the 282, that would let you know if she's continuing on down or if that is the bottom of the nadir for this cycle. If you are short on strips, it can probably wait til pmps.
Great job catching the 2 midcycle tests today! That helps a ton!
You can only do what you can do - there are some expenses that are hard to reduce, but we have a lot of suggestions on keeping costs down. I don't know that particular glucometer. The cheapest that is accurate that I know of is the Arkray glucometer and strips through
www.americandiabeteswholesale.com Those strips were identical to the brand name ones (same manufacturer) that were available for my Relion Confirm. Punkin's been gone for several years so I don't know what the most recent info is on these. I could buy 250 strips in a bundle - it was a deal that you bought 200 and got 50 free. When I last bought them I think it was about $65 for the 250 strips. The initial cost of the meter is almost unimportant - it's all about the strips because we use so many of them.
If you want to buy from American Diabetes Wholesale, you might want to register first with
www.mrrebates.com. Then you get a percentage back on every purchase through ADW.
Some people buy strips off of ebay, or even craigslist. Be careful about the expiration date - buying through these is a case of buyer beware. I bought multiple boxes of insulin pens for about $50 each from craigslist - but I talked first to the seller. Her diabetic dad had passed away - her story seemed legitimate and the insulin worked fine for us.
Some people also buy insulin from Mark's Marine Pharmacy in Canada. I don't have experience with that. Since you have insulin currently, you probably have a little time to figure out what to do about insulin.
@Chris & China can tell you how to buy from Mark's if you want that info.
Friskies canned food is probably the least expensive low carb that is widely available. Yes, it's lower quality than some canned, but the saying here is that the cheapest canned food is better than the most expensive dry food. Do whatever works for your budget.
If you want more tips, put something like "help with saving costs" in your subject line. Lots of people have tips that they use to make a budget work.
Don't think you are failing! This isn't easy, but you are in good company. Many people here are single and work full-time, and everyone understands a budget. It's not uncommon for our members to include elderly women who are on tight budgets. See where you can pare away some of the costs to make it a little more doable.
Hang in there!
......with my Relion Confirm or Micro (I have both) I watch Ebay for deals on the strips.....I got 500 for $70 not long ago. The best deal ADW offers now is 2 boxes of 50 for $36.10 (which isn't any cheaper than the Relion strips at WalMart @ $35.88/100)....but if you register for the rebate site, that helps