7/30 Taishi AMPS 421, +3 379, PMPS 343 (Day 10)

Taishi_Ci

Taishi_Ci

Member Since 2021
Yesterday: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...-263-2-282-7-384-pmps-428-2-400-day-9.250569/

Last night's dose was a possible partial fur shot, so not 100% sure he got the full 1.5. The syringe was definitely in his skin and I injected, but my husband did smell insulin on him after, so I have no idea. Very frustrating, because this would have been my 2nd fur shot in 10 days. I feel like I am failing this little guy so hard. Never doing enough.

BG super high again this morning. Increased to 1.75 (this is very tricky, since I've had a hard enough time seeing/filling on the .5s). Hoping we see some lower numbers with the increased dose.
 
Hi Jessie! Have you thought of using calipers for the dosing? They saved my life! I am not reliable with drawing up doses, and I can get really neurotic about trying to make sure each dose is exact (of course, which is impossible with the syringes). With the calipers and using a consistent technique to measure the dose, I have so much more confidence knowing I am dosing just the way I want!
 
Margaret (and Pearl) said:
Hi Jessie! Have you thought of using calipers for the dosing? They saved my life! I am not reliable with drawing up doses, and I can get really neurotic about trying to make sure each dose is exact (of course, which is impossible with the syringes). With the calipers and using a consistent technique to measure the dose, I have so much more confidence knowing I am dosing just the way I want!
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We will probably need to look into this. I see that some folks are giving their cat .25 or even .1 units and I can't imagine trying to eyeball it!
 
Taishi's spreadsheet looks a little sad today because, after my husband did a +3 poke, we realized we were very low on test strips. We have 2 left at this point, so for sure one for AMPS and a midday test. I ordered the FreeStyle Lite test strips from Amazon (we are using the AlphaTrak and have heard they are the same test strips) and they are supposed to arrive tomorrow. I didn't realize the strips were so thick... I thought maybe they were all doubled up, but no, we really were that low!

Taishi has been pretty lethargic today. In addition to his high BG, we are experiencing a heat wave here, so I know he's not feeling great :-( His mom (me) also had a super tough day.
 
Taishi_Ci said:
I ordered the FreeStyle Lite test strips from Amazon (we are using the AlphaTrak and have heard they are the same test strips)
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I am not sure you can use the same strips on the AT. I think others here have tried and gotten wonky readings. Why not switch to a human meter? Much cheaper. Most of us here use a human meter since we are testaholics. Walmart's ReliOn is only $9 with strips at $18 for 100.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
I am not sure you can use the same strips on the AT. I think others here have tried and gotten wonky readings. Why not switch to a human meter? Much cheaper. Most of us here use a human meter since we are testaholics. Walmart's ReliOn is only $9 with strips at $18 for 100.
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I recently saw a side by side comparison of using the AlphaTrak strips vs the Freestyle Lite strips and the numbers the person got were the same, which is why we decided to give them a go. The Freestyle strips appear to be identical to the AlphaTrak ones. My guess is they *are* identical but they repackage some as "pet" strips to milk more money out of folks. Fingers crossed they work. If not, we may switch to a human meter.

We like using the AlphaTrak because it puts us on the same page as the vet and all research done on feline diabetes uses a monitor calibrated for cats. My understanding is there is no easy conversion between the numbers on the AlphaTrak and a human monitor. We've already sunk the money into it (we've had pretty extreme unexpected expenses over the past month - both for the supplies needed for Taishi and unanticipated medical expenses for the human family members, to the tune of thousands of dollars), so we'll see how it goes. It does look like most people use a human monitor here for cost reasons, so we may eventually pick one up or switch in the interest of cost. We're new to this and just trying to do our best.

If we did switch to a human monitor, how would it effect our spreadsheet? I don't want to lose the data we already have.
 
Pet calibrated glucose monitors are a relatively new invention. Most vets used human meters before. The difference between the two can be wide at higher numbers and small at lower ones. All of the information on this board is based on human meter numbers and the tight regulation method as published here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...1/?temp_hash=7aac404c75c755c88025d68c0135c63a

I have given my vets Ruby's spreadsheet and they can understand the numbers well. The only significant difference is the "take action" number changes--it's 68 on an Alphatrak and 50 on a human meter. Right now Taishi's numbers are high, regardless of the meter. Any vet would be able to see that even if you switched to a human meter.

You would not lose the data from the Alphatrak if you switched to a human meter. I started on an Alphatrak as well and kept the data on Ruby's SS. @Bandit's Mom can help you with setting that up on your SS if you need it once you make the switch.
 
Taishi_Ci said:
I recently saw a side by side comparison of using the AlphaTrak strips vs the Freestyle Lite strips and the numbers the person got were the same, which is why we decided to give them a go. The Freestyle strips appear to be identical to the AlphaTrak ones. My guess is they *are* identical but they repackage some as "pet" strips to milk more money out of folks. Fingers crossed they work. If not, we may switch to a human meter.

We like using the AlphaTrak because it puts us on the same page as the vet and all research done on feline diabetes uses a monitor calibrated for cats. My understanding is there is no easy conversion between the numbers on the AlphaTrak and a human monitor. We've already sunk the money into it (we've had pretty extreme unexpected expenses over the past month - both for the supplies needed for Taishi and unanticipated medical expenses for the human family members, to the tune of thousands of dollars), so we'll see how it goes. It does look like most people use a human monitor here for cost reasons, so we may eventually pick one up or switch in the interest of cost. We're new to this and just trying to do our best.
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I will tag @Marje and Gracie , @Sienne and Gabby (GA) and @Wendy&Neko who will be able to best explain why a human meter is as good for home testing purposes as pet meters.



Taishi_Ci said:
If we did switch to a human monitor, how would it effect our spreadsheet? I don't want to lose the data we already have.
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You would not lose any data. You would just continue in the same SS. I will help you make the format changes for the conversion.

Here's one who recently switched from AT to ReliOn:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...RjZKA8-zVu8p9Ed4itJ5vweQw/edit#gid=1182885903
 
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Taishi_Ci said:
I recently saw a side by side comparison of using the AlphaTrak strips vs the Freestyle Lite strips and the numbers the person got were the same, which is why we decided to give them a go. The Freestyle strips appear to be identical to the AlphaTrak ones. My guess is they *are* identical but they repackage some as "pet" strips to milk more money out of folks. Fingers crossed they work. If not, we may switch to a human meter.

We like using the AlphaTrak because it puts us on the same page as the vet and all research done on feline diabetes uses a monitor calibrated for cats. My understanding is there is no easy conversion between the numbers on the AlphaTrak and a human monitor. We've already sunk the money into it (we've had pretty extreme unexpected expenses over the past month - both for the supplies needed for Taishi and unanticipated medical expenses for the human family members, to the tune of thousands of dollars), so we'll see how it goes. It does look like most people use a human monitor here for cost reasons, so we may eventually pick one up or switch in the interest of cost. We're new to this and just trying to do our best.

If we did switch to a human monitor, how would it effect our spreadsheet? I don't want to lose the data we already have.
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Hi Jessie, if you look at Dolly’s SS from 2020, I switched without losing any data. Someone here will do it for you. I used both for awhile because of my vet then decided it’s was way too much work and didn’t make sense to spend all that extra time and money. It was costing us a fortune to use our pet meter. Bottom line, it is so much cheaper and you will get used to it in no time. I bought the ReliOn Prime from Walmart for $9.00, the strips are just under $18.00 for 100. Good luck.
 
This is a link to a discussion in the Think Tank forum on using FS strips in the AT meter. It's not recommended.

One of the main reasons those of us who have been around for a while lean toward a human meter is that all of the dosing methods we use are based on a human meter. The AT meter has only recently gained greater popularity. Prior to the AT, pretty much the only game in town that everyone, including vets would do tests with a human meter. The strips for the AT meter were (and are) expensive and you can't walk into a drug store to buy them if you're running low. What. usually happens is that people have an AT meter and a human meter as a back up and going between the two meters is a bit of a pain. Practically speaking, if I was using an AT meter, I'd have been broke. I tested Gabby a lot. The strips I used (Bayer Contour) were a fraction of the cost of AT strips.
 
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Hi Jessie, wanted to check on you and Taishi. I know you must be feeling overwhelmed with everything. The feline diabetic journey can be hard in the beginning but so worth it as you begin to see Taishi improve. As for the meters, I was very resistant to changing to a human meter. I was getting comfortable with testing and I understood the numbers on my pet meter. Dolly’s vet only used that as well and a tech from the office trained me. You can choose whatever you want, the advice you were given is just that, advice. People here only want to help you and I hope you continue to stay here. The stress can be overwhelming and the costs as well. Having others to answer questions, there is a wealth of knowledge, support you, be there at 3 in the morning when you panic over something with Taishi and don’t know what to do.

I just wanted to make sure you are okay. I didn’t see a post for today or yesterday. Take care, I hope to hear from you. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Our Dolly Girl said:
Hi Jessie, wanted to check on you and Taishi. I know you must be feeling overwhelmed with everything. The feline diabetic journey can be hard in the beginning but so worth it as you begin to see Taishi improve. As for the meters, I was very resistant to changing to a human meter. I was getting comfortable with testing and I understood the numbers on my pet meter. Dolly’s vet only used that as well and a tech from the office trained me. You can choose whatever you want, the advice you were given is just that, advice. People here only want to help you and I hope you continue to stay here. The stress can be overwhelming and the costs as well. Having others to answer questions, there is a wealth of knowledge, support you, be there at 3 in the morning when you panic over something with Taishi and don’t know what to do.

I just wanted to make sure you are okay. I didn’t see a post for today or yesterday. Take care, I hope to hear from you. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
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. Sorry Jessie, saw the post for yesterday, somehow missed it. Also, I apologize for suggesting you look at Dolly’s SS for the meter change Dolly was still in remission and it confused me looking at it. :bookworm: Also, I was using both meters at the same time. I’m sure the others that gave you links to SS’s made more sense. Have a good night. :bighug::bighug:
 
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