Can I use a human meter or not?

[Paula Nowak]

Hi this is Paula Nowak again with Elvis the cat. Okay, I have written down everything that my advocate PET test meter read. Now I noticed something that was extremely disturbing! I had some readings recently in the past from The advocate PET test glucometer and the readings were all over the place every minute that I took this test it was a different reading. I don't know if anyone else experienced this with a pet glucometer. Maybe it is the advocate PET test that is not a very good glucometer and that is the one that I've been using so it is very distressing! Okay so what I'm asking here is if a human meter can be used.? yes I am on my way to doing the spreadsheet but now my meter same to be all screwed up and this is a real problem since I need to test. I can't get out until Friday since that is the day that my supplemental security income comes and and I also do not have a car and I don't drive and I use a door-to-door Transportation do to my physical conditiond. I am going to have to go to Walmart on Friday and I was wondering if I can get a human glucometer over there? It would be great if I can because they are a lot less expensive but I will do whatever I can for Elvis and the best way that I can. Elvis comes before me so I do the best I can and making sure of that! When I was doing the writing down of what was on my glucometer and I got it all done and I was happy because then I could start writing the information on my spreadsheet. The only thing is I'm probably going to have to start over again because I never knew about doing the spreadsheets and didn't know about this site and I never put in how many units I was giving him! So, I know that's a big problem so I'm going to have to start all over again and this time the units I need to write down. I didn't know that I had to write down units but I did keep a lot of it in my mind though and remembered it. Any thoughts on this or info would be great. I hope this is not a big mess that I have gotten myself into and if it is well then I'm going to correct it ASAP! Thank you ! I just never experienced a cat getting seriously sick! I had many cats over the years and all of them always stayed well! I guess I was very fortunate for that. The most that ever happened was one of them I cats that I had got an upper respiratory infection but it wasn't that bad and he was at my parents house cuz that is where he was the most comfortable and my father took him to the vet and he was fine in a couple of days. Another time a few of my cats at the same time at my house had gotten worms because my ex had a stray cats in the house and that's how I figured that the regular house cats of mine got the worms but we got them treated and they were all fine within a week, wow! So besides that none of them ever got sick and they all lived to be almost 20 years old but a couple of them had gotten in a fight with a raccoon over at my parents house where they were more comfortable but that happened when they were very late in their years and almost 20 years old, wow again!

 

[Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA)]

Hi Paula and Elvis,
You most certainly should get a human meter and strips for it at Walmart. Almost everyone here uses human meters and our spreadsheet is optimized for a human meter. I know that Walmart has discontinued some of it's older meters, but they have added new ones. The Walmart brand is "ReliOn". I hope that some of our newer members who use Walmart ReliOn meters will be along to suggest which one to buy. While you are at Walmart you should also get syringes. Depending on which state you live in, you may need a vet's prescription for syringes. Check with your vet.

The most important thing for you to do now is to set up a Spreadsheet. Instructions for doing this are here. You should also create a Signature. After signing in, go up to your name on the top line of the screen and click on it. You will see a drop-down list. Scroll down to "Signature" and create one. You can look at the signatures of other members (see the information at the end of everyone's posts) to see what sort of information needs to go into the signature. Once you have set up your Spreadsheet, you will need to link it to your Signature, so please be sure to create both the Spreadsheet and the Signature.

Good luck!

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

When you retest, how much of a difference in numbers is there? There can be as much as a 20% difference in numbers due to the variability in any meter. Keep in mind, that if you get a test value of 100, the range would be from 80 - 100. If you tested ang got a 300, the range would be from 240 - 360. In other words, the higher the numbers the greater the range. There were certainly times that I re-tested my kitty. It was rare that I'd get exactly the same number.

 

[tiffmaxee]

Also keep in mind the protocols used here are based on using a human meter.

 

[Paula Nowak]

Hi Paula and Elvis,
You most certainly should get a human meter and strips for it at Walmart. Almost everyone here uses human meters and our spreadsheet is optimized for a human meter. I know that Walmart has discontinued some of it's older meters, but they have added new ones. The Walmart brand is "ReliOn". I hope that some of our newer members who use Walmart ReliOn meters will be along to suggest which one to buy. While you are at Walmart you should also get syringes. Depending on which state you live in, you may need a vet's prescription for syringes. Check with your vet.

The most important thing for you to do now is to set up a Spreadsheet. Instructions for doing this are here. You should also create a Signature. After signing in, go up to your name on the top line of the screen and click on it. You will see a drop-down list. Scroll down to "Signature" and create one. You can look at the signatures of other members (see the information at the end of everyone's posts) to see what sort of information needs to go into the signature. Once you have set up your Spreadsheet, you will need to link it to your Signature, so please be sure to create both the Spreadsheet and the Signature.

Good luck!

Thank you, I was thinking yesterday that I should get syringes. Right now I use the Lantus solostar pen but I do know they say there's a way that you can use it like a vial and draw out of it with a syringe. I just don't know exactly how to do that but I don't think it can be that difficult. I guess I would just stick the needle in through the top without putting the pen cap needles on.

When you retest, how much of a difference in numbers is there? There can be as much as a 20% difference in numbers due to the variability in any meter. Keep in mind, that if you get a test value of 100, the range would be from 80 - 100. If you tested ang got a 300, the range would be from 240 - 360. In other words, the higher the numbers the greater the range. There were certainly times that I re-tested my kitty. It was rare that I'd get exactly the same number.

hi okay wait a minute, so in your post here to me you are saying that if a BG test reads 300 then the range is from 2:40 to 360 , so does that mean that the 300 is not a definite 300 in blood glucose but that it is anywhere true between 240 and 360?? Wow it if that is true what I just said if that's what it means oh my gosh, why is it like that?

 

[Squeaky and KT (GA)]

Hi Paula!

Human meter - many are changing to Walmart's 'Relion' brand, model 'Premier Voice'. The ones many previously used has been discontinued.

Pens - you don't need to buy those expensive pen needles. Not only do they only dose in whole units, (we change kitty's doses by .25 units), there is an allowable variance for those also - the amount dispensed isn't always the same. For humans this is no big deal but for kitties, this can mean a whole dose change. We use regular U100 syringes preferably with half unit marks - the small 30 unit ones. When you take off the cap, you see that same little rubber seal that's on a vial - just insert the syringe there and draw your dose. The end button will do nothing, you don't even need to touch it but doesn't hurt if you do.

why is it like that?

We ALL grumble about that! Until the government forces them into tighter regulation, we'll just have to put up with it.

'Glucose' numbers will never read exactly the same - it varies according to many things, stress, excitement, food, sleep, exercise. Our goal is to keep kitty safe, learn by testing whether the dose we're giving is the right one and fine tuning it if it's not according to a safe protocol.

HUGS! Yep it's all confusing at first but it WILL make sense soon - promise!

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Right now I use the Lantus solostar pen but I do know they say there's a way that you can use it like a vial and draw out of it with a syringe. I just don't know exactly how to do that but I don't think it can be that difficult. I guess I would just stick the needle in through the top without putting the pen cap needles on.

The Sticky Note on Insulin Care and Syringe Info has pictures and a video on how to withdraw insulin from a pen using a syringe.

f a BG test reads 300 then the range is from 2:40 to 360 , so does that mean that the 300 is not a definite 300 in blood glucose but that it is anywhere true between 240 and 360?? Wow it if that is true what I just said if that's what it means oh my gosh, why is it like that?

Frankly, blood sugar that reads 300 is really just "too high", doesn't matter so much if it's really 240 to 360. The range gets much smaller and numbers closer together when blood sugar gets in normal range, where it really counts. I have even tested with two identical brand meters on the same drop of blood and gotten slightly different numbers. Annoying but not dangerous.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

From a totally technical geeky side of things, every form of measurement has some inherent degree of error. If you've ever taken a statistics or measurement class, in stats, this is like the mean and standard deviation. The mean is the average score/measurement but there's some wiggle room -- the standard deviation. With measurement theory, this is referred to as the standard error of measurement. No measure is completely, truly exact. So when you're using a glucometer, there is a bit of error that is associated with the meter itself as well as the strip. Thus, there's a range. Like Wendy said, this is a more important concern when the numbers are in the lower range --- you have much less wiggle room.

If you get two exactly the same test results on a retest, I'd suggest you play that number in the lottery!

 

[Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA)]

If you get two exactly the same test results on a retest, I'd suggest you play that number in the lottery!

Did you win, Sienne?