home testing

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Caren and Creamsickle

Caren and Creamsickle

Member Since 2017
Hi all,
My cat was diagnosed about a month ago. We do home testing. Starting with Relion confirm but when we went to the vet, our numbers were way off from theirs. They suggested Alphatrak2 which we bought and the numbers are just about what the vet gets. How do we know if our numbers are correct? Since the Relion is a human glucometer, is there someway to correlate to feline glucose? I know a lot of people on here use Relion and I would like to switch again since the Alphatrak strips are costly. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
There really is no correlation between the two meters's readings, it's like trying to compare apples and oranges. The important numbers to know are the "take action now" numbers, 50 on a human meter and 68 on an AlphaTrak. Most of our protocols here are actually geared toward using a human meter.
 
I don't use alphatrak but I don't think they're that far off. If you consistently use one meter you will see the trends in your cats numbers. You just use different numbers that are considered "hypoglycemia". 50 on human meters and 68 on alphatrak. In lower numbers I don't think they have a big difference in numbers compared to higher numbers. Every meter has a 20% allowed variance within the meter.
In the beginning of our FD journey I was told to pick a meter and stick with it for daily testing because the numbers will tell the story of how much the insulin is working either way. Some vets won't accept Human meter readings so some members use the alphatrak for the at home curves instead of taking them in to have it done in office.
 
Caren and Creamsickle said:
oh ok, but how do you know which numbers are correct?
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They're both correct once you understand the reference ranges for too high, OK and too low on each type of meter. It's somewhat like using either Fahrenheit or Celsius for temperature. You learn what's too hot, OK and too cold on either scale. However, unlike temperature scales you can't convert from human glucose meter readings to pet meter readings. The really important numbers to know are the warning levels for dangerously low - 50 on a human meter and 68 on a pet meter.
 
StephG said:
I don't use alphatrak but I don't think they're that far off. If you consistently use one meter you will see the trends in your cats numbers. You just use different numbers that are considered "hypoglycemia". 50 on human meters and 68 on alphatrak. In lower numbers I don't think they have a big difference in numbers compared to higher numbers. Every meter has a 20% allowed variance within the meter.
In the beginning of our FD journey I was told to pick a meter and stick with it for daily testing because the numbers will tell the story of how much the insulin is working either way. Some vets won't accept Human meter readings so some members use the alphatrak for the at home curves instead of taking them in to have it done in office.
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That makes total sense. Thanks
 
With lantus it's recommended to stick with the same dose each cycle. The sticky (yellow tagged) threads at the top of the Lantus/Levemir group can explain more about how long to stick with a dose, when to increase or decrease.
We just started lantus on 4/3 we are trying our best to follow the right regulation method.
 
Caren and Creamsickle said:
I understand that. What about the higher numbers? How does it affect dosing then?
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With Lantus you judge the effectiveness of a dose by how low the blood glucose goes. I suggest you post on the Lantus forum to get advice about using this insulin. There are very good informational Stickies listed at the top of that forum's page that are recommended reading.
 
Amazon has alphatrak strips for $44 right now. Alpha is more correct but both meters will tell you if the cat is high or low. They are further apart at higher numbers, and less difference at lower. I personally love my alphatrak because I life having the same readings as the vet.
 
StephG said:
Some people use the alphatrak for curves to send to their vet and the human meter the rest of the time.
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I bought AT2 in the beginning for same reason Janet still uses it but I have no income right now and became a data junkie :p, so I use my ReliOn Confirm for daily tests and if the Vet needs a curve, I'll use the AT2 with FreeStyle Lite test strips. It's not advocated to use FSL strips but they're a little less than AT2. You must do your own comparisons between FSL test strips and AT2 test strips. While the FSL work in AT2, they still have their own variation. You'd keep the AT2 code if using FSL strips. Like everyone else has said, don't try to compare the two meters, just know those take action numbers on each one ;)
 
JanetNJ said:
Amazon has alphatrak strips for $44 right now. Alpha is more correct but both meters will tell you if the cat is high or low. They are further apart at higher numbers, and less difference at lower. I personally love my alphatrak because I life having the same readings as the vet.
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Yes that's why we did it too.
 
I was looking to save $$ by purchasing the FreeStyle Lite test strips (50 count) but right now the difference in the price on Amazon is not great because cost of AlphaTRAK strips just came down again (was $47 when I first bought my meter, then shot up 15% to $53, then dropped to $50, and today they are $43 ... all within a month). Will continue with the AlphaTRAK for curves until we get Fearless regulated then buy Relion meter and strips ($9 each at Walmart) for occasional check (every 4-5 days, correct?) Does this plan appear sound?
 
Did you mean 4-5 times/day? If so, then yes....but it does matter which 4-5 times/day. You need to test right before each of the two shot times, and then try to get a couple of mid-cycle tests for both the AM and PM cycles, since for many/most cats, the AM cycle and the PM cycle are a bit different.
 
Djamila, I meant once every 4 to 5 days for the occasional test AFTER a cat is regulated (thought I read it somewhere on this message board). Fearless has only been on insulin for a little over 3 weeks and we are still doing curves (see SS) using AlphaTRAK meter and strips, per vet. We test 5x/day, every 3 hrs.
 
Before we totally hijack Caren's thread...it might be good to post about testing over on the Lantus forum with folks who know your insulin well. There are also some great stickies at the top of that forum that can explain about proper testing for cats on Lantus.
 
StephG said:
If you consistently use one meter you will see the trends in your cats numbers.
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Squalliesmom said:
The important numbers to know are the "take action now" numbers,.
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There's the two big things. Using one meter consistently will give you readings you can compare to your own numbers for previous days.
"Take action now" will be most important when numbers fall too low. We all try for "not too high, not too low" but too low right now is an emergency.
 
Sieden said:
Are you pooping me?
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No - it's true. They're only a little less expensive than AT strips but every bit counts. If you want to try this you have to do several same blood drop comparisons every time you start a new vial of FS strips. The % difference (usually well under 10%) is small but can vary vial to vial. You leave the AT meter set at the cat code of the most recent vial of AT strips.
 
Kris & Teasel said:
No - it's true. They're only a little less expensive than AT strips but every bit counts. If you want to try this you have to do several same blood drop comparisons every time you start a new vial of FS strips. The % difference (usually well under 10%) is small but can vary vial to vial. You leave the AT meter set at the cat code of the most recent vial of AT strips.
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The last time that I used unexpired AT strips was 2 years ago and then I used 2 expired strips a day ago, would that still be okay?
 
JanetNJ said:
Do you have control fluid to test them?
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no but I was going to call them and ask for some, I accidently threw my old bottle out. Someone here in the forum said that I can get a bottle sent to me if I ask for it.
 
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