Alpha Trak 2 reading as "Hi"

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Kate & Toby

Kate & Toby

Member Since 2019
Hi all, I'm using my new alpha Trak 2 tester and I was trying to do a curve today, things were going well, amps 28.2, +3 24.2 then all of a sudden I cant get a reading and just get "hi" which according to the instructions means over 47.7! I have recalibrated using the control solution and it's in perfect range. Do we really think my poor Toby is over 47.7?
Dont know what to do. He isn't showing any signs if being crazy high, hes back to his old self following the DKA.

Edit, just tested my non sweet cat Oscar, and it read 5.7. So perfectly normal, this makes me very very worried, his insulin is due in 60 mins.

Thanks in advance x
 
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HI readings are not unusual if bg is too high for a meter to register a number, but as high as 47.7 would certainly be very high indeed. I'm not familiar with the meter but maybe it reads HI if bg is over 30-something, which would be more likely?

What have readings been like the past few days? Is Toby responding to the dose you're giving as you expect?

Definitely test again and see what you get and if in any doubt call the vet (I think you said they were 24/7?)'and ask their advice.

Sorry can't offer more help... keep us informed.
 
bad strips do occur -- I've had a few -- occasionally the strip will not "sip" the blood properly and it will read as HI when it really isn't
 
Looks like Toby dropped a huge amount very quickly today (by +3) which makes me think what you are seeing is a bounce. They are normal and very frustrating but everyone deals with them to some degree or another. While you definitely don't want HI coming up over the long haul, Toby is in no immediate danger.

Any time you get a drop of 5.5mmol or more in the first 3 hours, you need to check BG again at +4 to make sure kitty doesn't drop too low and with that bounce, I have to wonder just how low he might have gone today. Anytime kitty is dropping that fast, giving them some food will slow them down.

Because we don't know how low he went and lows can sometimes make kitty a little more insulin sensitive, please make sure to get a test at +2 tonight and if he is dropping fast again, give him some food and post for more help.

ETA it has been pointed out to me that the SS is not updated which I didn't notice so please disregard this post.
 
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MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Looks like Toby dropped a huge amount very quickly today (by +3) which makes me think what you are seeing is a bounce. They are normal and very frustrating but everyone deals with them to some degree or another. While you definitely don't want HI coming up over the long haul, Toby is in no immediate danger.

Any time you get a drop of 5.5mmol or more in the first 3 hours, you need to check BG again at +4 to make sure kitty doesn't drop too low and with that bounce, I have to wonder just how low he might have gone today. Anytime kitty is dropping that fast, giving them some food will slow them down.

Because we don't know how low he went and lows can sometimes make kitty a little more insulin sensitive, please make sure to get a test at +2 tonight and if he is dropping fast again, give him some food and post for more help.
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Linda I don't think the ss has been added to recently - the last day's numbers I can see is 1 Sept???
 
Thank you Diana. My bad!:blackeye: I've been thinking today was the 7th of some reason and obviously saw what I thought I should see. That then begs the question of what has been happening between 01Sept and today.
@Kate & Toby can you please update the spreadsheet so we can see if we can figure out what's going on with Toby? Thanks.
 
Diana&Tom said:
HI readings are not unusual if bg is too high for a meter to register a number, but as high as 47.7 would certainly be very high indeed. I'm not familiar with the meter but maybe it reads HI if bg is over 30-something, which would be more likely?

What have readings been like the past few days? Is Toby responding to the dose you're giving as you expect?

Definitely test again and see what you get and if in any doubt call the vet (I think you said they were 24/7?)'and ask their advice.

Sorry can't offer more help... keep us informed.
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Toby has only been at home since yesterday and I dont have the hospital readings, I've just input what I've done over the last 2 days. I just feel frustrated because the specialist wanted me to do a curve today, as its 7 days since last dose change, and then she was going to look at dose again tomorrow, I feel like I must have messed up somewhere and I'm not at home for the whole day until next weekend now so cant do a curve again soon, and I rely didn't want him to have to go back to the hospital. Sorry, I'm just upset not to have been able to provide her with good data.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Thank you Diana. My bad!:blackeye: I've been thinking today was the 7th of some reason and obviously saw what I thought I should see. That then begs the question of what has been happening between 01Sept and today.
@Kate & Toby can you please update the spreadsheet so we can see if we can figure out what's going on with Toby? Thanks.
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He was at the vet hospital from 1st to 7th and I don't have that data unfortunately x
 
Looking at your spreadsheet, all I can think is that the instruction manual is wrong, and that the meter goes to "HI" a lot lower than they say.

I think you have enough data from today to be able to tell the vet that Toby is in consistently high BGs. That will be useful information for them to have.

Do you have any recent ketones tests? Especially with the recent DKAs, it would be good to put any results you have on the spreadsheet, too.
 
Thank you for updating the SS. It would be nice to know what numbers they were getting at the vet clinic in the last week but they don't usually offer them unless you specifically ask.
Looks to me like Toby is indeed bouncing from the lower BG of 16.2 (possibly a bit lower even) last night. As mentioned before, bounces are annoying but normal and there is nothing you can do but ride them out. Short term readings of HI are not desired but also not dangerous and Toby seems to be coming back down again now.

One caution......test at PMPS and don't rely on a test at +10 to determine if it's safe to give insulin. A lot can change in 2 hours in some instances although I don't think that was the case tonight.

The vet may suggest upping dosage based on these numbers. While a dose increase may be needed, I would caution about upping the dose too much too quickly as that may just cause more bouncing and right now you don't know how low Toby went last night on the 2u dose. Dosing decisions have to take into consideration how low a dose is taking BG rather than a knee jerk decision based on a day of high numbers. If an increase is recommended, I'd suggest raising no more than 0.25u until you see how low BG is going.

I agree with Nan that it would be a good idea to test for ketones if you can given the recent DKA.
 
Thank you both for your replies, it's good to know. I'll ask for his readings, as it would be good to have a ful set of data. I am testing for ketones and it remains at a trace. He is eating and drinking really well and very chipper in himself, I am watching him closely. I have installed 3 cameras for when I'm out and my mum is going to be coming to check on him a couple of times a day when I'm at work. I'm going to do a +6 and a +8 as I have a feeling this is where his nadir is and I'd like to be sure. Thanks again. X
 
Great report on the ketones and how Toby is feeling and behaving. Sounds like you are turning into a super sleuth. Between the cameras and your Mom, Toby won't be able to get away with any mischief! :D
 
Kate & Toby said:
Toby has only been at home since yesterday and I dont have the hospital readings, I've just input what I've done over the last 2 days. I just feel frustrated because the specialist wanted me to do a curve today, as its 7 days since last dose change, and then she was going to look at dose again tomorrow, I feel like I must have messed up somewhere and I'm not at home for the whole day until next weekend now so cant do a curve again soon, and I rely didn't want him to have to go back to the hospital. Sorry, I'm just upset not to have been able to provide her with good data.
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Don't be upset, Kate, you haven't messed up at all! As we said, the HI reading was most probably just that - high - and not up in the late 40s. Meters and strips can be baffling sometimes. If you get a weird reading, test again with a new strip, and if it's still weird, test again half an hour or so later. Some things that we're not fully aware of can cause sudden temporary bg spikes.

If Toby only came out of hospital on Saturday (sorry, I thought it was Wednesday), a curve yesterday may be a bit early to compare data v the previous dose... bg in unfamiliar surroundings is usually higher ("vet stress"), however placid a cat. If you can get AM and PM readings this week, and do any other spot checks when you're at home, you can try a curve next weekend.
 
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