? 12/01 Snickers +2 89, +3 82, +4 93, +6 114

Snickers and Chrissy

Snickers and Chrissy

Member Since 2019
Hi, just FYI, I purchased the Relion Prime yesterday night and will be switching over today, but my SS is still with the AT2. Also yesterday, I ordered that caliper people here recommend. Should be coming this week. :)

As of yesterday, I've officially selected the TR protocol. Yesterday was Day 1 with it.

Yesterday evening, Snickers PMPS +2 dropped to 58 with my AT2. Instead of panicking, I retested her 5 minutes later (without food or anything) and got 70. I know there's a margin of error with even the best meters, and I'm thinking the 58 was inaccurate based on the following.

Snickers was acting totally normal. We spent a half hour playing, and just as a precaution I gave her a little extra of her normal food, and she gobbled it up. Then she wanted to play some more. She was running all over the place and her energy was super good. I checked her again at +3 and +4 and it was 79 and 82.

That being said, I have a few questions I'm hoping more experienced users can chime in to help me with.

1. Am I right in thinking the 58 was probably inaccurate and 70 was more accurate?

2. How do I do this on the SS? 58 is neon green, 70 is dark green. So which color does it get? Should I not even note the 58? Split the difference and call it 65?

3. I know I'm still using my AT2 right at the moment, but I think with the TR protocol that would necessitate a drop. However, since I believe that number was false, I should just hold steady, right? I'm dosing at .1 right now.

Thanks to any and all help. :)
 
Hi Chrissy!

1. I'm not so much a more experienced member, but I do agree with your thought that the first reading was a false one. Sometimes if there isn't enough blood or if the strip is faulty you can get a reading that is completely false, it is really important to check these numbers so good job keeping your cool and re-testing :)

2. In this case you wouldn't record the 58, instead you put in the value you believe to be real. I think it would be a good idea to mention in your comment section that you got a 58 and re-tested.

3. The reduction point on TR for the AT2 is 68 so if you believe that the 70 reading is the accurate reading then I would say that it isn't time for a reduction yet.

Snickers spreadsheet is looking really great! I hope she is one of the kitties that goes into a quick remission! (*knocks on wood**anit-jinx*)
 
AmandaE said:
Hi Chrissy!

1. I'm not so much a more experienced member, but I do agree with your thought that the first reading was a false one. Sometimes if there isn't enough blood or if the strip is faulty you can get a reading that is completely false, it is really important to check these numbers so good job keeping your cool and re-testing :)

2. In this case you wouldn't record the 58, instead you put in the value you believe to be real. I think it would be a good idea to mention in your comment section that you got a 58 and re-tested.

3. The reduction point on TR for the AT2 is 68 so if you believe that the 70 reading is the accurate reading then I would say that it isn't time for a reduction yet.

Snickers spreadsheet is looking really great! I hope she is one of the kitties that goes into a quick remission! (*knocks on wood**anit-jinx*)
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Thanks so much for your input! I'm still so new to this but learning more every day. I appreciate your help :)
 
I just tested Mimi at 9:15 (this is AMPS) 248, while waiting to see if I should increase dose, read this post, and tested again at 9:30, got 198, and 210 seconds after. but do these differences in numbers matter at this high of readings or does it matter more in the lower numbers (let’s say below 100)
 
Mimis mom said:
I just tested Mimi at 9:15 (this is AMPS) 248, while waiting to see if I should increase dose, read this post, and tested again at 9:30, got 198, and 210 right after. but do these differences in numbers matter at this high of readings or does it matter more in the lower numbers (let’s say below 100)
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Interesting that Mimi's numbers are coming down, I think this is another piece of information which might say you should wait to increase dose until tonight. I wonder in your case, Rosa, if the 248 could have been false reading? 198 and 210 are basically the same reading so I would say that they are accurate.
 
You're raising a really good question.

Whenever I questioned a reading, I retested immediately. To complicate things, there were times when the second reading was radically different from the first so I got a third reading! There can always be measurement error due to either the meter or the strip.

I would not gauge whether the number of your lower reading was correct based on your kitty's behavior. Gabby could drop into the 30s and her behavior was totally normal. If you're catching the drop early, your cat hasn't been sitting in low numbers long enough to become symptomatic which is why we encourage home testing.

My biggest concern with your not taking the reduction is whether you will be home tomorrow. If you're out of the house and won't know if sticking with the dose means you're giving too much insulin, that could be a problem. On the other hand, I don't think Snickers is ready for an OTJ trial. (There is a way to give less insulin than 0.1u.)

Your signature notes you're feeding "lowish" carb food. What percent carb are you feeding Snickers/
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
You're raising a really good question.

Whenever I questioned a reading, I retested immediately. To complicate things, there were times when the second reading was radically different from the first so I got a third reading! There can always be measurement error due to either the meter or the strip.

I would not gauge whether the number of your lower reading was correct based on your kitty's behavior. Gabby could drop into the 30s and her behavior was totally normal. If you're catching the drop early, your cat hasn't been sitting in low numbers long enough to become symptomatic which is why we encourage home testing.

My biggest concern with your not taking the reduction is whether you will be home tomorrow. If you're out of the house and won't know if sticking with the dose means you're giving too much insulin, that could be a problem. On the other hand, I don't think Snickers is ready for an OTJ trial. (There is a way to give less insulin than 0.1u.)

Your signature notes you're feeding "lowish" carb food. What percent carb are you feeding Snickers/
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My husband or I will be home all day with Snickers today. He's testing her in another 15 minutes to see how she's doing, that will be at +2.

Regarding the "Low-ish" carb food: I thought it was low carb but another member linked me to the food list and pointed out it was 13% which is higher than recommended. Same member pointed out another similar food by the same company that's only 6% carbs, so I'm planning to switch over but want to test it out first as Snickers has food allergies that preclude her from eating a lot of other foods. She's eating rabbit right now and doing well on it. The food I want to try at 6% is also rabbit.

I was also worried about switching her food right now when I'm still trying to sort out her dosing. I was gonna pick up a few cans today as a trial.
 
AmandaE said:
Interesting that Mimi's numbers are coming down, I think this is another piece of information which might say you should wait to increase dose until tonight. I wonder in your case, Rosa, if the 248 could have been false reading? 198 and 210 are basically the same reading so I would say that they are accurate.[/QUOTE
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I thought this response and any conversation after was on my thread not this one- oops... I’m on my phone :banghead:
Having said that I am glad to see your little one is swimming and surfing this early on! I hope he gets OTJ soon!!!! :bighug:
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
You're raising a really good question.

Whenever I questioned a reading, I retested immediately. To complicate things, there were times when the second reading was radically different from the first so I got a third reading! There can always be measurement error due to either the meter or the strip.

I would not gauge whether the number of your lower reading was correct based on your kitty's behavior. Gabby could drop into the 30s and her behavior was totally normal. If you're catching the drop early, your cat hasn't been sitting in low numbers long enough to become symptomatic which is why we encourage home testing.

My biggest concern with your not taking the reduction is whether you will be home tomorrow. If you're out of the house and won't know if sticking with the dose means you're giving too much insulin, that could be a problem. On the other hand, I don't think Snickers is ready for an OTJ trial. (There is a way to give less insulin than 0.1u.)

Your signature notes you're feeding "lowish" carb food. What percent carb are you feeding Snickers/
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Okay, we just tested at +2 and Snickers is at 89. Will retest at +3 to make sure nothing changes. I suspect Snickers gets an early nadir at +2/+3 but don't yet have enough data to back that up totally. Will update later.

That's good to know about a cat acting normal if your catch the hypo early. Next time I suspect a false reading I'll test 3 times instead of just 2.
 
Snickers and Chrissy said:
My husband or I will be home all day with Snickers today. He's testing her in another 15 minutes to see how she's doing, that will be at +2.

Regarding the "Low-ish" carb food: I thought it was low carb but another member linked me to the food list and pointed out it was 13% which is higher than recommended. Same member pointed out another similar food by the same company that's only 6% carbs, so I'm planning to switch over but want to test it out first as Snickers has food allergies that preclude her from eating a lot of other formulas. She's eating rabbit right now and doing well on it. The food I want to try at 6% is also rabbit.

I was also worried about switching her food right now when I'm still trying to sort out her dosing. I was gonna pick up a few cans today as a trial.
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I fed them natures variety canned for YEARS and I was astounded to learn the cans were that high in carbs- and I had them frequently on the turkey limited ingredient. However Snickers numbers seem to be doing pretty good so, I’m not sure if this is valid advice but maybe he’s not so carb sensitive and the limited ingredient might be ok still weighing the fact he’s sensitive to other formulas? I mean try the 6 % because that does seem better but don’t beat yourself up I guess is what I’m trying to say :)

Have you ever thought about raw?
 
Regarding the "Low-ish" carb food: I thought it was low carb but another member linked me to the food list and pointed out it was 13% which is higher than recommended. Same member pointed out another similar food by the same company that's only 6% carbs, so I'm planning to switch over but want to test it out first as Snickers has food allergies that preclude her from eating a lot of other foods. She's eating rabbit right now and doing well on it. The food I want to try at 6% is also rabbit.
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That complicates things even more!! Snicker's numbers are quite good despite your using medium carb food. Ordinarily, when a kitty is on such a tiny dose of insulin but not quite ready for an OTJ trial, we would suggest using a slightly higher carb food to offset the effect of the insulin and not drop numbers. To be safe, you will need to monitor very carefully if you're reducing the carbs in Snicker's diet. It may be that by using a lower carb food, some of those blue pre-shot numbers will turn green. FWIW, it's often the pre-shot numbers that are the last to turn green.

We consider a "hypo" to be symptomatic hypoglycemia only if there are actual symptoms present. Otherwise, your cat is in low numbers. We don't want the kitty to stay in low numbers but there is a difference that's worth considering.

Would you be able to get a curve today so you have a better idea where Snicker's nadir falls? If you are correct, it can help to "feed the curve." This means you use low carb food when you see lower numbers to keep the numbers propped up. Right now, you want to see Snickers in normal numbers for as long as possible and you want to avoid reductions.
 
Mimis mom said:
I fed them natures variety canned for YEARS and I was astounded to learn the cans were that high in carbs- and I had them frequently on the turkey limited ingredient. However Snickers numbers seem to be doing pretty good so, I’m not sure if this is valid advice but maybe he’s not so carb sensitive and the limited ingredient might be ok still weighing the fact he’s sensitive to other formulas? I mean try the 6 % because that does seem better but don’t beat yourself up I guess is what I’m trying to say :)

Have you ever thought about raw?
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Hi, thanks for the reply. Nature's Variety is exactly what we feed her, the LID Rabbit. I have thought about raw, but it took us 4-5 months to find this food and she had diarrhea the whole time, so I'm reluctant to change things too much I guess. Still, if it can help, I'm willing to consider. I'd just go super slow probably.
 
It sounds like Snickers may have IBD. Raw can be very helpful providing you're using novel proteins. Take a look at this site -- Raw Feeding for IBD Cats. They also have great information in Meds & Supplements section and Health section on managing diarrhea. (I have an IBD cat and use S. boulardii -- a probiotic -- if he has diarrhea.)
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
That complicates things even more!! Snicker's numbers are quite good despite your using medium carb food. Ordinarily, when a kitty is on such a tiny dose of insulin but not quite ready for an OTJ trial, we would suggest using a slightly higher carb food to offset the effect of the insulin and not drop numbers. To be safe, you will need to monitor very carefully if you're reducing the carbs in Snicker's diet. It may be that by using a lower carb food, some of those blue pre-shot numbers will turn green. FWIW, it's often the pre-shot numbers that are the last to turn green.

We consider a "hypo" to be symptomatic hypoglycemia only if there are actual symptoms present. Otherwise, your cat is in low numbers. We don't want the kitty to stay in low numbers but there is a difference that's worth considering.

Would you be able to get a curve today so you have a better idea where Snicker's nadir falls? If you are correct, it can help to "feed the curve." This means you use low carb food when you see lower numbers to keep the numbers propped up. Right now, you want to see Snickers in normal numbers for as long as possible and you want to avoid reductions.
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That's a good distinction to note regarding the low numbers vs hypo. Thanks for clarifying that for me :)

Yes, we can do a curve today. I'll keep my SS and everything updated as we go.

Do you think I should wait on switching Snickers food then? So 13% is considered medium carb? I'll change that on my signature. So what's considered low carb then? I think I read 6% or less, is that correct?

Thanks so much for your advice!
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
It sounds like Snickers may have IBD. Raw can be very helpful providing you're using novel proteins. Take a look at this site -- Raw Feeding for IBD Cats. They also have great information in Meds & Supplements section and Health section on managing diarrhea. (I have an IBD cat and use S. boulardii -- a probiotic -- if he has diarrhea.)
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Thanks, I'll check out the link. Our vet did an abdominal ultrasound and it did not show signs of IBD or anything else. Of course that doesn't mean she doesn't have it, I'm sure. I have found a probiotic and some supplements I think have helped her from a company called Vitality Science. So far so good with their probiotic, but I'm open to new ideas.
 
The ranges for carbs are:
  • less than 10% = low carb
  • 10 - 15% = medium carb
  • over 15% = high carb
To be honest, I don't know. What I would suggest is that if. you do try switching to a different food that you do a slow transition. In part, I'd hate to see Snickers end up with diarrhea again. By slowly transitioning from his current food to a lower carb food, you will be shifting the carbs to a lower range gradually, as well. I asked a couple of experienced members to stop by and take a look at Snicker's SS.

If the gut problem wasn't going on for a while, it may not have shown problems -- you caught it early. Or, it may be a sensitivity. Either way, that's great that the ultrasound was normal.
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
The ranges for carbs are:
  • less than 10% = low carb
  • 10 - 15% = medium carb
  • over 15% = high carb
To be honest, I don't know. What I would suggest is that if. you do try switching to a different food that you do a slow transition. In part, I'd hate to see Snickers end up with diarrhea again. By slowly transitioning from his current food to a lower carb food, you will be shifting the carbs to a lower range gradually, as well. I asked a couple of experienced members to stop by and take a look at Snicker's SS.

If the gut problem wasn't going on for a while, it may not have shown problems -- you caught it early. Or, it may be a sensitivity. Either way, that's great that the ultrasound was normal.
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Thanks for the clarification on the carbs. I would also hate for Snickers to end up with diarrhea again. My vet didn't even try to get me to switch foods after the diabetes diagnosis because she knew Snickers' stomach history. We talked about food but agreed to keep her on the stuff that's been working. I'll try a little of the lower carb stuff and see how it goes. Very, very slowly though. Mixed in with her normal food.
 
Snickers and Chrissy said:
Hi, just FYI, I purchased the Relion Prime yesterday night and will be switching over today, but my SS is still with the AT2. Also yesterday, I ordered that caliper people here recommend. Should be coming this week. :)

As of yesterday, I've officially selected the TR protocol. Yesterday was Day 1 with it.

Yesterday evening, Snickers PMPS +2 dropped to 58 with my AT2. Instead of panicking, I retested her 5 minutes later (without food or anything) and got 70. I know there's a margin of error with even the best meters, and I'm thinking the 58 was inaccurate based on the following.

Snickers was acting totally normal. We spent a half hour playing, and just as a precaution I gave her a little extra of her normal food, and she gobbled it up. Then she wanted to play some more. She was running all over the place and her energy was super good. I checked her again at +3 and +4 and it was 79 and 82.

That being said, I have a few questions I'm hoping more experienced users can chime in to help me with.

1. Am I right in thinking the 58 was probably inaccurate and 70 was more accurate?

2. How do I do this on the SS? 58 is neon green, 70 is dark green. So which color does it get? Should I not even note the 58? Split the difference and call it 65?

3. I know I'm still using my AT2 right at the moment, but I think with the TR protocol that would necessitate a drop. However, since I believe that number was false, I should just hold steady, right? I'm dosing at .1 right now.

Thanks to any and all help. :)
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I’m still reading through everything but I can fix the SS so the coloration matches what a human meter should be. I just need editing rights. If you can send me a PM, pls, I can give you the info to give me editing rights and I can fix the SS.

I’ll BRB regarding other questions.
 
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Marje and Gracie said:
I’m still reading through everything but I can fix the SS so the coloration matches what a human meter should do. I just need editing rights. If you can send me a PM, pls, I can give you the info to give me editing rights and I can fix the SS.

I’ll BRB regarding other questions.
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Hi, thanks! You mean you can switch my SS around so I don't need to start a new one for the Relion? I haven't started using it yet. I will today, I guess I'm being a little paranoid to make the switch since I'm used to the AT2. I'll definitely start today. All her numbers for today so far we're done with the AT2.

My husband is home with Snickers now. When I get back I'll make the switch I guess and PM you. I'm still gonna use the AT2 for a while though till I'm comfortable with the Relion. I'll use both for like 2-3 weeks, but I guess that'll be more for me than the forum.
 
Snickers and Chrissy said:
Hi, thanks! You mean you can switch my SS around so I don't need to start a new one for the Relion? I haven't started using it yet. I will today, I guess I'm being a little paranoid to make the switch since I'm used to the AT2. I'll definitely start today. All her numbers for today so far we're done with the AT2.

My husband is home with Snickers now. When I get back I'll make the switch I guess and PM you. I'm still gonna use the AT2 for a while though till I'm comfortable with the Relion. I'll use both for like 2-3 weeks, but I guess that'll be more for me than the forum.
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Yes, I can change the formatting and you keep the same SS. I do it all the time :) Don’t use both meters, though. There is no need. They do not equate. Pick one. Save yourself money and also save her the poke whether it be an extra one or a harder one to get two drops. Please trust us on this....we’ve been through it hundreds of times with members switching meters (I also had an AT2 and a ReliOn).

I’m one of the other members Sienne asked to drop in.

Meter variance is 20% so 58 and 70 are within meter variance as you noted you are aware. On the SS, I would put “RT” in between the two numbers so we know you immediately retested.

As Sienne has said, when we get down to lower doses but the SS just doesn’t look like the kitty is ready for remission, we typically suggest feeding 10% food. I don’t know that there is that much difference between 10% and 13% on what they do for her BG....that’s a totally ECID issue. But you are talking a 6% food and that could make a big difference.

I would agree with Sienne that it’s up to you, considering Snickers’ food issues but if you do switch, go very slow, as Sienne suggested. By that I mean, replace 1/8 tsp of the existing food with 1/8 tsp of the new for a few days and then try 1/4 tsp for a few days, then 1/2 tsp, etc.

If she had an ultrasound and they didn’t note intestinal thickening, it is very likely a food sensitivity. You might want to check into Nutriscan. With a simple saliva test that is easy to do, they can tell you what her food sensitivities are.

Here’s the thing about switching meters, which is fine but you should be aware of, you are most likely going to see a lot more green. She might earn a reduction quickly. Just another reason to go slow with the food. Take a look at Tina’s SS when Jan switched meters. And testing is your friend so also keep that in mind as you make changes. It might seem like you need to test a bit more but safety first.
 
Marje and Gracie said:
Yes, I can change the formatting and you keep the same SS. I do it all the time :) Don’t use both meters, though. There is no need. They do not equate. Pick one. Save yourself money and also save her the poke whether it be an extra one or a harder one to get two drops. Please trust us on this....we’ve been through it hundreds of times with members switching meters (I also had an AT2 and a ReliOn).

I’m one of the other members Sienne asked to drop in.

Meter variance is 20% so 58 and 70 are within meter variance as you noted you are aware. On the SS, I would put “RT” in between the two numbers so we know you immediately retested.

As Sienne has said, when we get down to lower doses but the SS just doesn’t look like the kitty is ready for remission, we typically suggest feeding 10% food. I don’t know that there is that much difference between 10% and 13% on what they do for her BG....that’s a totally ECID issue. But you are talking a 6% food and that could make a big difference.

I would agree with Sienne that it’s up to you, considering Snickers’ food issues but if you do switch, go very slow, as Sienne suggested. By that I mean, replace 1/8 tsp of the existing food with 1/8 tsp of the new for a few days and then try 1/4 tsp for a few days, then 1/2 tsp, etc.

If she had an ultrasound and they didn’t note intestinal thickening, it is very likely a food sensitivity. You might want to check into Nutriscan. With a simple saliva test that is easy to do, they can tell you what her food sensitivities are.

Here’s the thing about switching meters, which is fine but you should be aware of, you are most likely going to see a lot more green. She might earn a reduction quickly. Just another reason to go slow with the food. Take a look at Tina’s SS when Jan switched meters. And testing is your friend so also keep that in mind as you make changes. It might seem like you need to test a bit more but safety first.
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Thanks for the advice. :). I'm still uncertain regarding Snickers food. I guess I thought if we switched to lower carbs now maybe she could go off the insulin altogether, but I definitely don't want her numbers to go too low.

Maybe what I'll do, unless there's some objection, is continue with Snickers regular medium carb food and give her a snack twice a day that's mostly her normal food with a teensy bit of the new lower carb food mixed in.

I'll look into Nutriscan and PM you late about updating Snickers SS. Thanks again!
 
Snickers and Chrissy said:
Thanks for the advice. :). I'm still uncertain regarding Snickers food. I guess I thought if we switched to lower carbs now maybe she could go off the insulin altogether, but I definitely don't want her numbers to go too low.

Maybe what I'll do, unless there's some objection, is continue with Snickers regular medium carb food and give her a snack twice a day that's mostly her normal food with a teensy bit of the new lower carb food mixed in.

I'll look into Nutriscan and PM you late about updating Snickers SS. Thanks again!
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She could still go off insulin with a 13% food. Normally, I would encourage the CG to switch to an 8-10% food. However, I don’t want to be dismissive of her food issues. That’s why we leave it up to you. You are the one with the best knowledge of her food issues; we don’t want to push something on you that can result in a setback for her in terms of diarrhea.
 
Marje and Gracie said:
She could still go off insulin with a 13% food. Normally, I would encourage the CG to switch to an 8-10% food. However, I don’t want to be dismissive of her food issues. That’s why we leave it up to you. You are the one with the best knowledge of her food issues; we don’t want to push something on you that can result in a setback for her in terms of diarrhea.
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Thank you for that. I appreciate it. My vet also did not push me, which was great because I thought she would. Snickers seems to be doing good today. Just tested at +6 and was 114. My husband and I talked about it and will keep her on her current food for now without switching anything. Later, we may give it a try.
 
Snickers and Chrissy said:
Thank you for that. I appreciate it. My vet also did not push me, which was great because I thought she would. Snickers seems to be doing good today. Just tested at +6 and was 114. My husband and I talked about it and will keep her on her current food for now without switching anything. Later, we may give it a try.
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You’re welcome. I’ve dealt with IBD, even though I know she doesn’t have it, and also food sensitivities so I can completely empathize.
 
Snickers is looking good today. I am looking forward to seeing results from the human meter, likely even greener. :D

BTW, one of the requirements of using TR is low carb wet or raw food, not medium carb. Glad to hear she is doing well on the current food. I can relate to not wanting to change what works. Been there, cleaned up the vomit. :rolleyes: How has Snickers weight been doing? Steady, losing, gaining?
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Snickers is looking good today. I am looking forward to seeing results from the human meter, likely even greener. :D

BTW, one of the requirements of using TR is low carb wet or raw food, not medium carb. Glad to hear she is doing well on the current food. I can relate to not wanting to change what works. Been there, cleaned up the vomit. :rolleyes: How has Snickers weight been doing? Steady, losing, gaining?
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Thanks! Her weight has been good. She was on a diet as she was overweight when we got her, and lost some prior to the diabetes diagnosis. When the diabetes diagnosis came in, our vet had us take her off the diet to see if she was losing weight because of the diet or because of the diabetes. She's been stable since then.

Regarding the medium carb food, there's been some back and forth in this thread regarding that, and for now we're keeping her on the medium carb food. I think if you scroll back you'll see the previous comments about it and understand why :). Later we might change it, just not quite yet.

I appreciate all the help I'm getting here! Thanks so much!
 
Snickers and Chrissy said:
Thank you for that. I appreciate it. My vet also did not push me, which was great because I thought she would. Snickers seems to be doing good today. Just tested at +6 and was 114. My husband and I talked about it and will keep her on her current food for now without switching anything. Later, we may give it a try.
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ya, its that old saying "if it isn't broken.."
I used the AT2 for a while and then switched to Relion to save money (a lot too, not just a little- 100 strips are like 20$ from R and 50 strips were around 50$ for AT2)
Only problem I had with Relion was getting enough blood, so I went back to the Freestyle Lite meter I originally started with since the requirement was .3 u instead of .5 (which I didnt think was a big difference in blood but found that little bit was - at least for myself)
I get the strips for the Freestyle from a reputable source on eBay- 100 strips for 40$. I might try the Relion again someday because I think I've become better at getting enough blood, but in the beginning it seemed to be impossible. for now the way Im currently doing it seems to be good.
Anyway, I hope everything works out for Snickers, and Im glad you found this amazing group!
 
Mimis mom said:
ya, its that old saying "if it isn't broken.."
I used the AT2 for a while and then switched to Relion to save money (a lot too, not just a little- 100 strips are like 20$ from R and 50 strips were around 50$ for AT2)
Only problem I had with Relion was getting enough blood, so I went back to the Freestyle Lite meter I originally started with since the requirement was .3 u instead of .5 (which I didnt think was a big difference in blood but found that little bit was - at least for myself)
I get the strips for the Freestyle from a reputable source on eBay- 100 strips for 40$. I might try the Relion again someday because I think I've become better at getting enough blood, but in the beginning it seemed to be impossible. for now the way Im currently doing it seems to be good.
Anyway, I hope everything works out for Snickers, and Im glad you found this amazing group!
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Thanks so much! I was actually considering the Freestyle Lite but when I went down to Walmart they were out of both meters and strips. It looked like the Walmarts in our area all were, so I decided to go with the Relion. I'm worried about the additional blood but will give it a try tonight.
 
You've had quite a day today! All I'm going to add is that I'm glad you're getting your calipers! I couldn't live without mine now!

Snickers is really looking great! Keep up the good work with the testing :)
 
Snickers and Chrissy said:
Thanks so much! I was actually considering the Freestyle Lite but when I went down to Walmart they were out of both meters and strips. It looked like the Walmarts in our area all were, so I decided to go with the Relion. I'm worried about the additional blood but will give it a try tonight.
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Also, the Freestyle test strips are over 150$ for 100 unless you go through eBay- its insanity. The one guy that sells them on there said they are from the manufacturing facility in Ireland (where he lives or travels to at least?) and are for international markets which is how he gets them so discounted. Im still slightly skeptical but he does have thousands of positive reviews, not even one negative.
He is easy to find- its an Australian dude and he has tons of postings - all Fast and Free shipping and all around 40-50$ per 100 pack.
 
Sue and Luci said:
You've had quite a day today! All I'm going to add is that I'm glad you're getting your calipers! I couldn't live without mine now!

Snickers is really looking great! Keep up the good work with the testing :)
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Thanks so much. I'm a little nervous about the calipers so glad to hear they've worked for you.
 
Mimis mom said:
Also, the Freestyle test strips are over 150$ for 100 unless you go through eBay- its insanity. The one guy that sells them on there said they are from the manufacturing facility in Ireland (where he lives or travels to at least?) and are for international markets which is how he gets them so discounted. Im still slightly skeptical but he does have thousands of positive reviews, not even one negative.
He is easy to find- its an Australian dude and he has tons of postings - all Fast and Free shipping and all around 40-50$ per 100 pack.
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That's pretty awesome!
 
Snickers and Chrissy said:
That's pretty awesome!
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also Freestyle and Alphatrak are the same company. not sure how important that is in the grand scheme but its interesting to know if you were thinking of going to a human meter other than Relion. Again Relion is totally fine, I wish I had better luck with it because its SOOOOO affordable! They used to make ones that took .3 u of blood that were called the Micro and the Confirm but stopped making them.. I even called the company and asked why and the only reason they gave me was they replaced it with the Prime- but- the Prime takes .5 u of blood so WTF.
They still sell the strips for the Confirm and Micro but no longer the meter which doesn't do me any good because I don't have that. Still strange they didn't D/c those- maybe they found they weren't as accurate and the meters that require strips that are over 100$ are expensive for a reason? Its all very weird, and Im just sitting here waiting for them to come back with a smaller blood sample meter..
 
Mimis mom said:
also Freestyle and Alphatrak are the same company. not sure how important that is in the grand scheme but its interesting to know if you were thinking of going to a human meter other than Relion. Again Relion is totally fine, I wish I had better luck with it because its SOOOOO affordable! They used to make ones that took .3 u of blood that were called the Micro and the Confirm but stopped making them.. I even called the company and asked why and the only reason they gave me was they replaced it with the Prime- but- the Prime takes .5 u of blood so WTF.
They still sell the strips for the Confirm and Micro but no longer the meter which doesn't do me any good because I don't have that. Still strange they didn't D/c those- maybe they found they weren't as accurate and the meters that require strips that are over 100$ are expensive for a reason? Its all very weird, and Im just sitting here waiting for them to come back with a smaller blood sample meter..
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Omg that sounds so frustrating! I figure if I hate the Relion I can switch to the Freestyle and give that a try. I've still got my Alpha Trak if all else fails, but as you know those strips are crazy expensive.
 
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