Help please!

Status
Not open for further replies.
scissorchik

scissorchik

Member
I went out and bought myself a Bayer Contour glucometer, lancet and strips. I was able to try it out on Basil a little while ago, but my meter is set in mmol/l and I don't know how to change it to mg/dl.

He wasn't too keen on the ear thing-it took a bit of cajolling to calm him down . I don't know if I will use the lancet pen, since the clicking sound is what seemed to upset him.

It was alot less complicated then I thought, but I am still lost at what all the numbers are supposed to mean.

Any help would be appreciated.

:)
 
hmmm, i think somewhere on the forum there is info on how to make that change, but i don't know how. did you look in the meter's manual to see if it tells you how to change the way the meter reads it? that would be a lot easier than having to figure it out manually every time.

however, because i just pulled this up for someone else, here is a link with ideas that people gave me on getting the drop of blood. http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=37627

one thing you can do about the lancet click, is just randomly click it near his ear without poking him so he gets desensitized to the sound of it.
 
the companies phone number should be right on the glucometer...usually a 24/7 service...so i'd call and ask about it.
 
Hi scissorchik, and, of course, you too, sweet Basil,

scissorchik said:
I went out and bought myself a Bayer Contour glucometer, lancet and strips. I was able to try it out on Basil a little while ago, but my meter is set in mmol/l and I don't know how to change it to mg/dl.
Click to expand...

Had exactly the same issue with a different meter a little over a month ago. Actually asked what does 3.1 mean in American English... If the good people with the swift responses were laughing, I wasn't aware of it...

Anyway, until you figure out your meter, just multiply whatever number you get by 18.

Hey, welcome to the Vampire Club! Bet you never ever thought you'd hear those words, did you, scissorchik...

Love and encouraging hugs for you and Basil,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, forever dancing in my heart...
 
Ok. So I was able to coax Bas out one more time to give him some lovin (hee hee) and sweet talk him into letting me attack him again.

I tried the vaseline trick, as I was having a hard time getting the blood to bead. He wasn't too freaked out, but he was nervous. Is it ok to let him have a small treat just before the click to help distract him?

I was able to get the meter to read it, and it said 3.7 mmol/L, which is only 67mg/dL. Is this number too low? What is my next move?

I feel like a fish out of water, or like I'm trying to learn Japanese. It is all so new and slips in and out of my brain a mile a minute.

Can someone explain to me the 'process' or what i should be doing as a routine? How often to test? What my readings should be around? What to do if they are high or low?

I'm not comfortable changing his insulin dose amount-because I know nothing about it and I'm scared he won't get what he needs.

A few on you told me to get needles in 1/2 " measurements. There is even a post on here showing the needle and measurements but its really hard to read the writing as it is in yellow. When bas first started he was getting .05 u twice a day. The vet tech told me it was the first line on the needle. Then on Friday the vet said to cut it in half, which would be .025u twice a day. Since the first needle line is .05, I have had to eyeball the halfway mark, and its so tiny and hard to see. I am pretty sure I already am using 1/2" needles. Any suggestions?

I am going to let Bas have a rest and go do some errands. I think while I'm home all day tomorrow, I would like to try doing my own curve to see what happens.

I also took a look and got a template for the spreadsheet, but I don't have the slightest clue what to record and where to record it.

Sorry to bombard you all with so many questions but i am lost!
 
67 is a nice low number. How long after the shot was this number? If it was before +6, I would want you to get some more tests in to make sure he doesn't go much lower.

If you want to send me a pm, I will help with the spreadsheet. (look in lower left hand corner of my post, click on pm button)

Have you seen the stickies on the Lantus site? They give you all the info on what numbers to expect, there are pictures of syringes etc. Check out all the starred topics below the grey line on this page: viewforum.php?f=9

It is a steep learning curve at first. I hope it helps to know we all felt that way.
 
On the meter, press and hold the M button still the meter turns on. Once it does numbers will start flashing like for correct time, date, etc. Use the smaller button to move numbers up or down......once you get the correct number for hour, press M which will set the hour, then it will flash for minutes, do that and so on. Eventually it will come to mg or mol so move the smaller button to get it to read in mg and then press M again. Once you have all the correct date for date, time, mg, press and hold M down until meter turns off again.
 
I looked at the manul and it seems there is no way to change the the units. Here is the Canada manual that comes preset in mmol/L. The manual says:

Your meter has been preset and locked to display results
in mmol/L (millimoles of glucose per liter). In some
countries, the meters are preset to display units in mg/dL
(milligrams of glucose per deciliter);

http://www.bayerdiabetes.ca/products/do ... 0Rev.7.pdf
 
Larry, I remember even OTU has done that......bought in CA, set in mmol/L. I have an older Contour so it can be changed. Someone else had bought a meter in CA, moved to US and couldn't change the reading.
 
there are 2 different things on the needles - one is the length of the actual needle, one is the measuring part, the plastic syringe & how the units are displayed.

the advice you're getting is about the plastic syringe part that measures the volume of insulin you have. I *think* you're saying your syringes are measured in whole units. i started with those and actually, around here i haven't been able to buy them locally any other way. What people are suggesting is that you want syringes that measure 1/2 units. it's still really, really tiny, but the whole units and the half units are both marked. to get a .25 measurement you do the best you can to get inbetween. I had to order them online to get the 1/2 unit markings. i also find it hard to be sure on my measurements of .25 - all you can do is your best.

look at the link that Sue posted for you and see if that helps explain it. If you need more help, just holler. someone's usually here.
 
Thanks to people accidentally changing their measurements without realizing it, the new meters cannot be switched between US and International numbers anymore.

They were seeing people injecting themselves with extra insulin when they tested themselves and the meter read 45 (which would be very High in International measurements/ 810 in US numbers), not knowing that they had switched to the meter to read in the US values and were actually low ... You can see where the problems arose.

So, either post in both (which I often do) or you can use the x18 to post just the US values. Those of us who are used to the International system (Canada, UK, Australia, NZ...) have gotten pretty good at converting in our heads. :-D
 
I free hand the lancet and poke at a 45 degree angle real quick. I find it easier but I also have small fingers and can hold them easily. When you feel more comfortable you may want to try this if your kitty doesn't like the clicking sound.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top