Glucose test--before or after feeding?

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FranklinsMom

FranklinsMom

Member Since 2017
I called the vet today with the reading of my first test. She told me she wanted me to test Franklin in the morning and evening before I give him the insulin for the next week. After I hung up and after the office closed, I had another question.

Do I want to test him before or after he eats?

And good news that she is okay with me feeding him Fancy Feast.

Thanks.
 
Hello FranklinsMom! You'll want to test his BG before eating, and make sure he doesn't eat for 2 hours prior to testing to ensure an accurate result. :)
 
We had a 336 this morning but I got blood on both sides of the test strip, which I think is a no-no. How inaccurate is it if I get blood on both sides of the strip? Thanks.
 
Usually with the AT2 meter if you get blood on both sides of the strip and the meter registers it there will be an error message. If you are unsure you could always do another test.
 
Well, I'm new at all this and I'm trying to be conservative of my strips because of the price. Since the meter didn't give me an error message perhaps it was a good reading. I'm doing tests twice a day so will know more this evening. Thanks.
 
FranklinsMom said:
Well, I'm new at all this and I'm trying to be conservative of my strips because of the price. Since the meter didn't give me an error message perhaps it was a good reading. I'm doing tests twice a day so will know more this evening. Thanks.
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I know the AT2 strips are expensive. Doing prehot testing is definitely necessary to make sure it is safe to shoot. However if you could get a midcycle test...around +6 it would show how well the dose is working. Glucose numbers can drop a fair bit during the cycle and it is good to know just how much a certain dose will drop the numbers.
 
FranklinsMom said:
Well, I'm new at all this and I'm trying to be conservative of my strips because of the price. Since the meter didn't give me an error message perhaps it was a good reading. I'm doing tests twice a day so will know more this evening. Thanks.
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Most of us switch to a human meter eventually because of the $$$$ cost of the AT strips. The amount of testing you need to do can fluctuate and it would be awful to miss a dangerously low BG because strip cost held you back from testing. Many in the US buy one of Walmart's ReliOn meters (Micro or Confirm I think) because the strips are a lot cheaper. Human meters read lower but we all understand their ranges and how to advise. Something to think about ...
 
Yes, I'm planning to switch to a ReliOn at some point, probably soon, after I figure this out a little more. With more confidence, I'll be able to deal better with a vet who wants me to stick with the Alphatrak 2. (I mentioned the ReliOn to her.) And while I am hearing the Freestyle Lite strips are cheaper, I just priced them on Amazon vs the AT strips. If I am looking at the right thing, I see $49.95 for 50 Freestyle Lite strips and $52.70 for 50 AT 2 test strips. At that price, I may stick with the AT 2 strips. I know my vet mentioned that she is going to want me to do a curve at some point and I feel like I should use AT 2 strips for that.

Give me a month or so of doing this, and paying for it, and I'll be on this forum convincing newbies like me to go to the ReliOn from the start. :)

And thanks @Tuxedo Mom I just figured out what the +1, +2 means in the spreadsheet template...the number of hours after the insulin. (I was planning to go back and read more about the spreadsheet today.)
 
IMO, the vets are going to want you to use a pet meter vs a human meter, all the time. My doctor got a bit of an attitude with me when I showed her the meter. And explain how much it was off, and I told her that I already know and I figured out what is low and what is high from talking with my friends at the crazy cat colony.

Just kidding. LOL I didn't say all that. I just told her I know about it.

Just stick with us, and you will become very knowledgeable within weeks. I have learned so much, that I am amazed. I started with the ReliOn Prime, but after I couldn't get enough blood to test, I immediately bought the ReliOn Micro. The meter is like $14, strips are $19 and some change for like 50 of them.
 
I'm not recommending to stay or to not stay with AlphaTrak2. If you stick with it, then you can use FreeStyle Lite strips using code=38. They work just fine. I've been using them for a year. On ebay you can get them for $0.40/each in quantities of 100-300.
 
JeffJ said:
I'm not recommending to stay or to not stay with AlphaTrak2. If you stick with it, then you can use FreeStyle Lite strips using code=38. They work just fine. I've been using them for a year. On ebay you can get them for $0.40/each in quantities of 100-300.
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Jeff, I was always told to use the last AT2 test strip code so that is what mine has been on, which is not code 38. Did something change? Just checking :)
FranklinsMom said:
I know my vet mentioned that she is going to want me to do a curve at some point and I feel like I should use AT 2 strips for that.
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I use my AT2 with FSL strips for curves but I have done multiple comparisons between AT2 strips and FSL strips to see how the two types vary :). After like 2 weeks of using the AT2, even with FSL strips, and realizing how many I was going through I switched to the ReliOn Confirm for daily testing :smuggrin:.
 
Hi Yong, I don't think anything changed. I left it on 38 when I switched, and it has been giving me the same readings. I probably need to switch over to ReliOn Confirm too.
 
JeffJ said:
Hi Yong, I don't think anything changed. I left it on 38 when I switched, and it has been giving me the same readings. I probably need to switch over to ReliOn Confirm too.
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Phew :woot:. I was only planning on changing my code next time I opened a new bottle of AT2 strips. Try to keep one bottle on hand to compare new FSL strips :D
 
FranklinsMom said:
Yes, I'm planning to switch to a ReliOn at some point, probably soon, after I figure this out a little more. With more confidence, I'll be able to deal better with a vet who wants me to stick with the Alphatrak 2. (I mentioned the ReliOn to her.) And while I am hearing the Freestyle Lite strips are cheaper, I just priced them on Amazon vs the AT strips. If I am looking at the right thing, I see $49.95 for 50 Freestyle Lite strips and $52.70 for 50 AT 2 test strips. At that price, I may stick with the AT 2 strips. I know my vet mentioned that she is going to want me to do a curve at some point and I feel like I should use AT 2 strips for that.

Give me a month or so of doing this, and paying for it, and I'll be on this forum convincing newbies like me to go to the ReliOn from the start. :)

And thanks @Tuxedo Mom I just figured out what the +1, +2 means in the spreadsheet template...the number of hours after the insulin. (I was planning to go back and read more about the spreadsheet today.)
Click to expand...
I use the at2 meter and love it. But before remission I was spending $150/month on test strips. Once I was testing no longer was bringing cc to the vet for curves so I considered it a wash. If your vet prefers the Alphatrak but the cost is a problem you could daily test with Relion but do a weekly curve (test every 2 hours for 12 hours) with alphatrak.
 
Okay. Thanks very much. Franklin scored a 444 this morning. Was hoping for a lower score but we are all new at this. With the help of everyone here, we'll get his numbers down!
 
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