Problems with Insulinx strips for AlphaTrak meter

[Ramon's mom]

I have started using the Insulinx strips with the Alphatrak meter but I am getting erratic results when I compare them. Sometimes the Insulinx are 15 points higher and sometimes its severely lower (63 points yesterday and today). Anyone else having this problem? Its making me retest a lot before being willing to shoot. I've been using the 38 code that works for the Alphatrak strips

 

[JanetNJ]

I have started using the Insulinx strips with the Alphatrak meter but I am getting erratic results when I compare them. Sometimes the Insulinx are 15 points higher and sometimes its severely lower (63 points yesterday and today). Anyone else having this problem? Its making me retest a lot before being willing to shoot. I've been using the 38 code that works for the Alphatrak strips

15 points is nothing. Even if you took two readings both with the same kind of strip you could get minor differences. When it's 63 points different what are the numbers? Because if it's like 400 vrs 463 it's different from say 100 and 163. You are using code 38 for the insulinx strips... Is that the code you are also using for the Alphatrak strips? Is that the code on the bottle?

 

[Lisa and little]

I have been using them for about a month and my results are pretty consistent. I use code 37 as that was the code for my current Alpha track vial. If you look at my SS you can see some of my comparison readings

 

[Ramon's mom]

I have been using them for about a month and my results are pretty consistent. I use code 37 as that was the code for my current Alpha track vial. If you look at my SS you can see some of my comparison readings

Thank you Lisa. My comparisons continue to swing widely, sometimes being higher, sometimes being lower. Today I am doing a curve just with Freestyle strips. I haven't figured out Ramon's nadir yet and am hoping to. After looking at your SS I have a question for you: why do you give insulin after getting readings in the normal range?

 

[Lisa and little]

The normal range meaning the blues? It’s my understanding that we want her green but I am no expert. Maybe someone else can chime in?

 

[Rachel]

After looking at your SS I have a question for you: why do you give insulin after getting readings in the normal range?

By normal range, do you mean the blues? I checked out Lisa's SS and yes, she has given a dose in the blues several times. However, Little doesn't stay consistently in blues for preshot, and when she does hit a blue, it's often very close to a yellow (those 190s). She's had a few times in the 130s where she stalled and then gave a shot later when the BG went higher. Basically, you do want blues and greens...cats in normal levels are about 60-150 on an AT meter I think (40-120 on a human meter). Since Little does tend to still get pretty high numbers, Lisa doesn't want to lose any momentum by not giving her insulin...that could and probably would cause Little to bounce SKY high at the next preshot time!

As for Ramon's nadir...why not run a curve sometime soon? If you could do every 2 hours, that might help you figure out better when Ramon's nadir is.

 

[Lisa and little]

Thanks Rachel, couldn’t explain that myself and since I’m still new I always question if I’m doing the right thing.

 

[Ramon's mom]

I ended up doing a curve today because this morning out of the blue Ramon had what I consider a reading too low to shoot- 166. I retested an hour later and it went down to 134. So I started testing every 3 hours and it stayed in the blues until an hour ago where it went back up to 253. He hasn't had any insulin since yesterday when I was trying to do a tiny increase as advised in another thread. Generally he has been in the yellows except for sometimes up into the 300's or down into the 200's. I guess I thought under 200 to 250 is the no shoot point. So I get confused about what to do when his AMPS or PMPS are in the mid-blues. Which is also why I am concerned about the difference in numbers between the Insulinx and Alpha Trak strips. I did today completely on the Insulinx strips just to have consistency. But they often run higher, including the 63 points. So if they are incorrect then he could actually be getting numbers lower than noted. And then I really don;t want to risk shooting. Trying to decide whether to shoot insulin or not is disturbing me because it doesn't seem like an exact science. And when I look at other people's spreadsheets I don't see what rules other people are operating on. Thanks for any advice!

 

[Kris & Teasel]

Trying to decide whether to shoot insulin or not is disturbing me because it doesn't seem like an exact science. And when I look at other people's spreadsheets I don't see what rules other people are operating on. Thanks for any advice!

You're right. It's partly science but a lot is art based on your knowledge of your own kitty's responses, more so with ProZinc than with Lantus. There are very clear dosing rules for Lantus depending on the method you choose to use, TR or SLGS. Many people like that set of guidelines. That's why we're such strong advocates of the testing routine combined with the spreadsheet. It takes time to develop a "feel" for what to do.

It's very stressful to worry all the time whether the BG numbers a particular meter or meter/strip combination are "true" numbers. Most of us here use a human meter and those are definitely going to read lower than a pet meter. However, all the guidelines for dosing and the advice we give is based on human meter numbers. We look at patterns and don't worry about whether these are true BG numbers or not. The only time that the actual number is focused on is when it's at or near the "take action" level of 50 on a human meter or 68 on a pet meter. That's when BG is veering into being too low and some feeding intervention is in order.

Ultimately, you need to learn what readings are too high, OK or too low on the meter you use and leave it at that. For example, I use a human Freestyle Lite meter. Great meter, works really well but tends to read a bit on the low side. I have that in mind when I assess my guy's numbers. I still don't like to see a lime green but in the back of my mind I know his "true" BG number might not be dangerously low. I still intervene with food and adjust his dose downward after a lime green though.