Discrepancy with ReliOn Meter readings at +2

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MClarke087

MClarke087

Member Since 2016
I expected Den's BG to be low but I'm getting one reading of 460 followed immediately by 558. I'm wondering if anyone else gets such a vast difference in the reading while using the ReliOn meter? Here's a little background from tonight:


- Dennis's BG was at 211 at +10 so I fed him at +10 to keep him from being too low at +12 (he's on 5.5U).

- At +12 I gave Dennis a little snack so that he was distracted while I shot. I decided to only gave 3u.

- At +2 I thought I saw him walking funny so I checked his BG and that is when I got the two readings of 460 and 558. I'm very concerned by the very high numbers and the fact that they are so far apart (I got both readings from the same blood source). He did eat a little wet DM 2 hours ago so maybe that's why the numbers are high?? I wouldn't think so though....
 
Usually we shouldn't test before 2 hours after eating, but every cat is different. Perhaps Dennis just needs some more time to process his food. I would test again in an hour.
 
donnalea said:
Usually we shouldn't test before 2 hours after eating, but every cat is different. Perhaps Dennis just needs some more time to process his food. I would test again in an hour.
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Thank you! I definitely will test again shortly (it's been almost an hour). Hopefully that's the reason!
 
MClarke087 said:
I got the two readings of 460 and 558.
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Since meters are allowed to have a 20% +/- variance the 2 numbers could be very similar. A 20% variance on 460 is +/- 90 points.

With the higher doses and high numbers you are getting fairly consistently I would wonder if there may not be some other health issues going on. Have you had a full bloodwork/urinalysis and check for any dental problems done lately?
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
Since meters are allowed to have a 20% +/- variance the 2 numbers could be very similar. A 20% variance on 460 is +/- 90 points.

With the higher doses and high numbers you are getting fairly consistently I would wonder if there may not be some other health issues going on. Have you had a full bloodwork/urinalysis and check for any dental problems done lately?
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His numbers were down substantially for a couple weeks but have begun to rise again.

He was seen about 4 weeks ago due to dark poop which was attributed to his recent change in diet. We went back to his old diet combined with pumpkin and that helped. I took him off the pumpkin last week and the poop has become dark again. I'm starting to think that he may have something else going on.

He has not had dental problems but his breath is very bad and he does have tarter.....but the vet said the cleaning can wait until I can afford it. He has not had a full blood panel done recently but his urine was checked at his last visit.
 
The usual reasons for high preshot numbers are either a bounce from hitting low/lower numbers...not enough insulin....or other health issues.

Since there are not a lot of tests every day and tests in between shots lately, it is hard to say if Dennis is going low during the cycle and bouncing up by preshot. If you could get tests done daily..at a minimum before each shot and if possible a test around +2 or +3 after shot, that would give a clearer picture on how well the dose is working. Since there are several weeks with no data it is impossible to tell if the dose is too high and causing bounces or too low and need more insulin.

With a previous history of DKA it would be a good idea to test the urine for ketones each day, especially with the high numbers Dennis has been getting. Ketodistix or another comparable brand should be used:

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With more data it would be easier to make suggestions as to what direction you should take.
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
The usual reasons for high preshot numbers are either a bounce from hitting low/lower numbers...not enough insulin....or other health issues.

Since there are not a lot of tests every day and tests in between shots lately, it is hard to say if Dennis is going low during the cycle and bouncing up by preshot. If you could get tests done daily..at a minimum before each shot and if possible a test around +2 or +3 after shot, that would give a clearer picture on how well the dose is working. Since there are several weeks with no data it is impossible to tell if the dose is too high and causing bounces or too low and need more insulin.

With a previous history of DKA it would be a good idea to test the urine for ketones each day, especially with the high numbers Dennis has been getting. Ketodistix or another comparable brand should be used:

37667.jpg


With more data it would be easier to make suggestions as to what direction you should take.
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Thank you- I'll update his SS shortly. I work full time and go to school full time so I'm weekedays I shoot and leave for the day and don't return until he's due for his next dose. Unfortunately that means I can't test during the day. I have the keto stix but I haven't been able to catch him going for about a week. I'm staying up all night tonight just to try and catch him going.
I definitely think the insulin is dropping him too quickly and causing a spike so I've had people come by to give him a snack around +4 because I heard somewhere that a snack will prevent his body from getting nervous about the quick drop and it's supposed to prevent the spike. :/
 
It is really tough to do testing when you have such a busy schedule. If possible maybe you could do a curve...test every 2 hours for 12 hours..when you have a day when you are not at school or working...if that ever happens ;). With Vetsulin, it tends to bring the numbers down much quicker, early in the cycle, usually around +2-+4 hours after the shot. It Dennis is dropping low at this time, then he would most likely show high numbers at the next shot time. It is a matter of trying to see if this is what is happening or if other issues are at play. Having a snack is a good idea, if he is dropping a lot, but it is so hard to say without more tests in between shots. That is a fairly high dose, so whether it is too high or if he needs more is very hard to say. When you get the spreadsheet updated it may show more then.
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
It is really tough to do testing when you have such a busy schedule. If possible maybe you could do a curve...test every 2 hours for 12 hours..when you have a day when you are not at school or working...if that ever happens ;). With Vetsulin, it tends to bring the numbers down much quicker, early in the cycle, usually around +2-+4 hours after the shot. It Dennis is dropping low at this time, then he would most likely show high numbers at the next shot time. It is a matter of trying to see if this is what is happening or if other issues are at play. Having a snack is a good idea, if he is dropping a lot, but it is so hard to say without more tests in between shots. That is a fairly high dose, so whether it is too high or if he needs more is very hard to say. When you get the spreadsheet updated it may show more then.
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I updated his SS :)
I'm seeing the insulin take effect around the 4-5 hour mark. A few weeks ago the vet wanted him to go from 6u to 7u but I thought he needed a decreased dose because he seemed to be dropping and spiking so much (I had a better overall picture when I wasn't in school). So I took him down by .5 and he seemed to do better however, now it seems his BG is back up to really poor numbers.....but then again sometimes he's in the 200-300 range and 5.5u is far too much so I give him a decreased dose but that throws him WAY off for days.
 
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