Glucometer questions

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ChloesMama

ChloesMama

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Morning all,

The BF successfully gave Chloe an insulin shot this morning. His first successful shot!!! He said he came at it from a clinical stance, said he had to do this, wasn't too mushy with her, and just did it. Great!! He was so thrilled he dropped to the floor and did push ups.

We are going out to get Wellness or EVO canned food and a glucometer (God help us). We were going to get the CVS brand TrueTrack, but it calls for 1 microliter of blood. I'm seeing lots of the others call for less, but the strips and meter are more expensive.

My question is, is 1 microliter really THAT much? I know some are saying .6 and .3, but will I still be able to do this every day if it calls for that certain amount of blood?

I'm such a newbie, please forgive me. confused_cat


Thanks again for everything,
Jess, Peter and Chloe too
 
I find 1 ul not at all heard to obtain. Five of my meters need 1 ul and the other 1.2 ul and U have no problem getting enough blood. I used to use a meter that needed 3 ul and very seldom had problems getting enough blood.
 
No need for forgiveness. Please understand that all of us asked lots of questions when we first started, and others answered. This is a steep learning curve and we want to help you succeed.

Congrats on the shot! First step down!

Lots of people here use the ReliOn from Walmart. It uses a tiny bit of blood and the meter and strips are inexpensive. You can sometimes get a free meter from the store that will work fine. The strips tend to be the expensive part. We got a Precision Extra free and then bought much cheaper strips on ebay.

You can also get a free Newbie kit with meter and strips from Cindy and Mousie. (See the stickie at the top of the page) It will probably take a few days to get to you since she is on the west coast. The meter will more than likely need the more expensive strips however.

Glad you are feeling better about this today. Every step you take to gain control over the diabetes will make your feel better (and your Chloe too!)
 
Believe it or not, there is no Walmart in my area. And the bf is not really a fan of Walmart, because of their non-unionized status. We were going to go to either CVS or Walgreens pharmacy. If the 1 microliter really isn't that much, I'll get the TrueTrack. I saw 50 test strips at overstockdrugstore.com for $16. We can stock up and get free shipping if we order over $50 worth.

Thanks again for the advice. I've become such a fan of this place. I wake up in the morning, turn on the computer, feed the kitties, then check the forum while they eat. Good routine, to me :) :smile:
 
I liked the True Track when I used to use it. Switched to Aviva Accu Check simply because it sips the blood droplet faster. The TT does not take much blood at all, you should not have any problems if you get that one.
 
My vet told me not to buy a glucometer for humans, only to get one specifically for pets or the reading will not be acurate.
 
not true. I think about 99% on the board use a human meter. the alpha track is expensive and strips are outrageous AND you can only get strips from vets
I am sure others will pipe in
 
Here is a discussion about blood and meters that you all may find useful and interesting and why using a human meter is perfectly acceptable:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... ?8,1840808

I started with the true track or true result or whatever it was called and HATED it. I got the One touch ultra and mini meters and love them and never looked back. (Just my opinion) - if you look at Maui's ss, you will see at the beginning the huge variance between the TT and otu meters. Where I only saw a 2 point difference betweeen the otu and mini.
 
Gingers Mommy said:
My vet told me not to buy a glucometer for humans, only to get one specifically for pets or the reading will not be acurate.
Click to expand...

Your vet gets a commission for selling you these meters.
 
HI, I just went through all this too. I got a True2Go meter, same strips as TrueResults, then saw some reports as to low readings and got worrried. I got another meter (Maxima AST) and compared. Sure enough, about 20 points lower on low readings (making you think you've got a hypo on your hands) and progressively further apart as the readings went up.

I have the same feelings about Walmart, plus they aren't really close. I got some good recommendations for the Maxima AST and the strips are about the same as the Walmart brand's strips, about $17 for 50. The problem is that I can't find them in any retail stores if I run out and need some fast.

Lots of people recommended the One touch Ultra Mini as a good meter, including Consumer Reports highest rating. The strips are expensive, but I found them on Amazon for the same price as the True Test strips were at Hocks, about $25 for 50. Added benefit is that you can get them just about anywhere if you run low.

So, I'm using the Maxima, have a OTUmini as a backup and the True test is headed to the trash. Buying on line is cheaper and if you use the link to Hocks on the top of the page they make an 8% donation to help keep this site running.
 
It's a shame you don't have a WalMart you could go to. We've been using the Relion and I love it. The test strips are sooooo much cheaper than anything else. I hate WalMart. We only go there for diabetes stuff (syringes are cheap there, too, AND they'll sell it to us without a prescription. Walgreens wouldn't do it.)

Right now we're using a FreeStyle Flash because someone gave it to us along with a huge bag of test strips. It's okay but I like the Relion much better.
 
One caution. Whether you buy the strips at overstock or on ebay, be sure to check the expiration dates (particularly if you buy a large amount) and that they are for your specific meter (not some variation of it)
 
I had a hard time getting a glucose reading off of spicey with the 1 microliter glucosemeter and, was getting stressed out trying to get a reading because it wasn't enough blood to read. And spicey's ears were torn up.
Went out the next night to Walmart and bought the relion micro glucose meter for $9 us dollars and it only requires .3 microliters and wow what a difference it made for both of us. Have had no problems since and the test strips only cost $22 us dollars for 50 strips.

That is my experience.

David
 
On the human vs. cat meter question I wouldn't say technically that the human meters are known to be accurate, what I would say is that the protocols take that into account. If you look at the U. Queensland stuff and Tilly, both give the #s for using a human meter. U.Q. adds that if you have a cat meter, adjust by 30 pts at the low end; I'm not sure if Tilly comments on cat meters.

Just throwing that in to say that yes, human meter is perfectly acceptable to use, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is accurate. Nor is the cat one necessarily accurate either - there is an accepted margin of error with all of them.

Many people like the Relion Micro. I have the Relion Ultima which requires a bigger sample (0.6) and it sips a little slow, so sometimes I find that frustrating when Bixie wiggles before it's sipped up enough.

Ultimately though, I have found cost of test strips to be the driver. I have a cat meter (not the AlphaTrak, much cheaper) sitting in the closet. I love it, but as long as $$$ are tight, it stays in the closet. :-D
 
Ann & Tess said:
the True test is headed to the trash
Click to expand...

If you still have it, maybe drop a line to Cindy & Mousie and see if she can use if for a newbie kit? Even if it's not the ideal meter, there's probably someone out there who would be happy to have one. Some can't afford any meter at all, especially in this economy!

Just a thought :)
 
My cats-only vet uses a human glucometer in her practice

I started with the True Track, and ended up switching to Maxima AST, which I buy from www.hocks.com

The Maxima AST requires 0.5 microliter of blood and test strips cost $15 per 50 when you buy 6 packs. (or $17 if you only buy one or two)

They have an introductory deal - buy 2 50ct packs of strips and get a free meter kit (about $34).
http://hocks.com/hocks-healthcare/hocks ... FM-14.html
http://hocks.com/hocks-healthcare/hocks ... MAX50.html

I also buy my syringes and lancets from hocks so my total order qualifies for free shipping:
http://hocks.com/hocks-healthcare/hocks ... 40030.html
http://hocks.com/hocks-healthcare/hocks ... 10030.html
needle clipper for safe disposal of used syringes:
http://hocks.com/hocks-healthcare/hocks ... 83796.html
 
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