10/10 Ginger PMPS 383/311, +5 291, Gingers Labs

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Lori in Ohio

Lori in Ohio

Member Since 2010
Yesterdays Condo

My ReliON ACCURACY Question is below at the 14th message

Recently I have had a hard time getting blood for a reading.
I rarely had a problem before, except once.

Is this because I have had to do it so often or could it be something else?

I usually do a bedtime reading so I know how much it went up overnight, but after 5 trys gave up because she got pretty upset.

This morning - same thing at AMPS and +2 and +3. Even tried at her foot.

Its not beading up at all, I even tried putting neosporin on her ear first, because I heard that helps to bead the blood up.
What could be wrong?
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger - I cannot get any BG readings anymore

Just a few thoughts...

Often, one ear bleeds better than the other. Have you tried both?
It can help if you warm the ear before poking.
The illumavein that is being offered (see announcements) would appear to help get blood because it clamps onto the ear, which would make the blood pool.
Have you tried shining a flashlight on one side of the ear so you can see the vein to poke? Generally, you don't actually want to hit the vein, but if you are having trouble, you might try it.
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger - I cannot get any BG readings anymore

What size lancet are you using? Are you warming her ear up with a rice sock or rubbing it? I use 31 gauge lancets, but if you are having trouble getting blood, I would go to a 28 or 29 gauge lancet, many people have better luck with a lower gauge (bigger hole). Usually, it gets easier to get blood the more testing you do....the ear "learns" to bleed.

It is getting cooler here, and Tinkles' ear isn't bleeding as easily, so it could be temperature related...I can't use a rice sock, he hates it, but I do rub his ear vigorously before testing and that helps me.
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger - I cannot get any BG readings anymore

I use to just rub it, but since this problem I have been using the warm rice sock.
I use ACCU-CHEK Softclix 28-gauge lancets which as far as I know are the only ones available for the lancing device.

One ear (right) was always easier than the other. Been trying on both.
This is crazy, from day one I had no problem now all of a sudden I cant do it.....
After 5 or 6 trys, she's not happy.
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger - I cannot get any BG readings anymore

Try different settings on the soft clix

I agree with trying the other ear-I can only get blood from Korbel's right ear.... Do you go up and down the whole ear-that usually will give time to heal.
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger - I cannot get any BG readings anymore

Hmmm...maybe you could try freehand? I've never done it that way, but others say it's easier. Be sure to poke at a 45 degree angle if you try that, not straight on.

The other thing you might try is a different lancet device....I did have one that stopped working for me, it wouldn't go out far enough to poke, but I couldn't tell that because it's so fast. When I used a different one, the problem went away.
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger - I cannot get any BG readings anymore

I put a folded tissue behind the ear...and "feel" the device with my finger. If you have something firm like that behind the ear, you will have something to poke into. Are you using something like that? I tried the cotton balls at first, but they were so soft that the ear would just bounce away from the lancet. So, if you aren't using a tissue, try it that way next time.
And I agree that you should double check the setting on the device....
I sometimes have the device too far over and then I totally miss the ear completely....
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger - I cannot get any BG readings anymore

I use a small piece of folded paper towel behind her ear.
I will try freehand in an hour.
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger - I cannot get any BG readings anymore

Good luck. I've always done it free hand, on a 45 degree angle. It's just easier for me to see what is going on. agreed too on moving up and down the ear. I have found too that with Mannie the the outer edge of the top of the ear, inner side, bleeds very well, with minimum effort. I used to use the lower portion of the inner ear, until I started having the problems you are experiencing... top works so much better. I am sorry that you are having such problems.
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger AM +6 446 (Finally got a reading)

Finally got it doing free hand. It seemed to hurt her more that way. Probably because my fingers dont work as fast as the lancet pen.
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger AM +6 446

I had a period of time, too, when suddenly started having trouble getting blood. I found that poking at the 45 degree angle worked wonders, and I've done it that way ever since.
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger AM +6 446

If I'm having trouble, I go to the inside edge of Sooty's ear, I just fold the ear over my finger and hold it there with my thumb... Much easier to see what I am doing too (no fur in the way!)
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger AM +6 446, PMPS 383/311 & ReliON Question

I bought the ReliON Confirm meter today.
I was shocked at how big the spot is to put the blood on the test strips.
It is not sucking the blood onto the strip at all and it needs a much bigger sample of blood than the Accu-Check meter.

The accu-check meter strips- sucks the blood into the strip and its a teeny tiny spot about 10 times smaller than the ReliOn.

Also, the reading on the ReliOn was much lower than the reading on the Accu-check at the PMPS reading I just took.

Normally do the ReliOn meters tend to run low readings or do the Accu-check meters tend to run high?

The ReliOn said 311, the Accu-Check said 383 (72 point difference!)
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger AM +6 446, PMPS 383/311 & ReliON Question

The Relion does tend to run low, from what others have reported...I have no experience with other meters. The blood sample required for the Confirm is very small...0.3 microliters....last I knew that is the smallest sample size on the market. I know I can get a good reading from a very tiny drop of blood...? Are you sipping from the edge of the strip? You don't put the blood drop "on" the strip, you touch the edge to the blood drop and it sips from there.

The accu-chek is a good meter, you could stick with that one if you don't like the Relion....there is also a very economical choice from Hocks, Infinity...I don't have any experience with it though, so can't tell you anything about it.
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger - ReliON ACCURACY Question

It didnt appear to be sipping the blood at all. The test strip's area for the blood is way bigger and had to be totally filled up to work, or close to it. It even shows that in the booklet.
The Accu-check needs only 1.5 microliter of blood.

There is a video here that shows it. https://www.accu-chek.com/multimedia/demos/compactplus/index.htmlGo down to the video that says "Running a blood glucose test"

My concern is that when or if the cat gets down to the normal range of greens, if it reads 20 do I assume her BG is really 90?

I bought the ReliOn because the price of the test strips and lancets being much cheaper.
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger - ReliON ACCURACY Question

The confirm needs a much smaller sample....0.3 mcl vs 1.5 mcl! I would suggest reading the manual that came with the confirm to make sure you are using it correctly...I never have trouble with it sipping blood anymore, but it can be tricky if you aren't used to it. You have to hold the strip perpendicular to the blood drop..it sips from the edge of the strip, not the top.

There are many, many people who use the Relion meters here, the advice given about how to handle low numbers is based on human meters, including the Relions. My advice is to use one meter once you get comfortable with one you like...you will drive yourself crazy trying to compare readings from different meters. The differences between the meters tends to be more at higher readings, and diminishes at the lower readings.
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger - ReliON ACCURACY Question

Gingers Mommy said:
My concern is that when or if the cat gets down to the normal range of greens, if it reads 20 do I assume her BG is really 90?
Click to expand...

meters are allowed a variance of up to 20%. That means that if you test the SAME drop of blood twice with the same meter, you can get readings 20% apart. When you're in the 300's, that can be a difference of 70+ points. When you're in low numbers, then the difference wouldn't be more than 15-20 points and usually they are actually much closer together than that. The moral of this story is to never worry about 1 or 2 meter readings (unless they are very low, then of course you need to pay attention). You're looking for trends over time, not at individual numbers.
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger - ReliON ACCURACY Question

Since the Accu-check readings matched the readings at the vets, I am going to use that one for at least awhile longer.
Maybe once I get her regulated I can go to the ReliON.
I also had tested my blood with the Accu-Check and got a 90 reading. Since I am not diabetic, it appeared to be correct.
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger PMPS 383/311, +5 291...ReliON ACCURACY Question

lot of good advice here...if you find the rice sock isnt working for you, binks made me go to the white trash head gear method...i take a small washcloth, get it slightly damp, and put it in the microwave for 14 seconds. then i fold it inside a sandwich bag so no water gets on his ear, test the temp on my lips or my belly (yes , i know)...and then fold the silly looking thing around his ear. warms right up. i cant get his to bleed if they're not warm.


if you have other furkids...don't let them see it, tho...they may collapse with laughter...
 
Re: 10/10 Ginger PMPS 383/311, +5 291...ReliON ACCURACY Question

You have been given a lot of great advice.
I had a very hard time doing it freehand.
After using a warm ice sock I would out vasleine on his ear, the neosporin afterwards
and did got a goof bead. I also used a cotten ball on the inside of the ear which kept
it steady and I was ot worried about poking through to me.
We used the Relion Ultima and were very happy with it.
 
Gingers Labs

I was told her Kidney and Liver tests were slightly elevated but everything else looked fine.
This is showing that her cholestrol is high, but the vet never mentioned it.

She also had urine tests which showed a Urinary tract infection.
 
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