Meters

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Lizzysdad

Lizzysdad

Member Since 2012
Long story, but here is the short version...

I have 2 meters. One is the Alphtrak2 and the other is a Relion Comfort. AlphaTrak2 is from the vet and Relion I bought before I ended up with the AlphaTrak2. I have been taking readings with both of them the last 2 days. The difference in readings was about 40 yesterday, but today it is 60-70. Any ideas on why there is such a difference?

I would rather use the Relion since the test strips are so much less expensive.

Thanks!
 
The alpha trak runs about 30 higher than a human glucometer.
So the bg range for the alpha trak should ideally be between 80=150
The relion target range is 50-120.

Now someone else who has 2 meters would test the same droplet and get some oddly different readings.
That one I don't know the answer. I know that with higher numbers the variance can start differing greatly.
 
Every meter has a =/- 20% variance. That's as "close" as they are required to be. So a reading of 100 for instance, on any meter, could be anywhere from 80 to 120.

The key is to pick one meter, and stick with it. The Relion is fine to use, many of us (including me) use one. The specific numbers are not as important as the trends that you will see in the data. If one meter reads 300, and the other reads 350, you're still going to be shooting the same dose of insulin.

Carl
 
I agree with Carl. It's not accuracy you're looking for in a meter, but consistency. Both meters are good, consistent meters, but the Alphatrak is going to read higher than the Relion meter because it's calibrated for cat blood, so you have to change your range. 80-150 is the normal range on an Alphatrak, where 50-120 is normal on the Relion. The higher the numbers, the bigger the difference will there will be because of the +/- 20% variance. As Carl mentioned, you're looking for trends and patterns and ranges, not exact, precise numbers. So human meters work just fine.

You just need to pick one of those meters and stick with it so that you're getting consistent numbers. I would stick with the Relion, because the strips are FAR cheaper than the Alphatrak. The most important factor in choosing a meter is being able to afford to test consistently and frequently. The dosing protocol for Lantus is written for human meters anyway (although there is an Alphatrak section), so to me the Alphatrak is a waste of money. My two cents.
 
I started with the OneTouch Ultra and switched to the Relion Prime to save money on the strips. They differed by only 6-12 on myself, but had differences of 75-100 on our kitty. I am still testing them both occasionally and they're still differing by about 50. I went with the Relion full time due to expenses - plus, the numbers were lower. I would rather think the numbers were low and have them actually be a little higher, than the other way around. It's frustrating that a tool that's so important is so lackadaisical about the numbers (yes, I had to look up how to spell that!). Don't they know we require consistency in LL?

Pick one, go with it and don't look back!
 
Tara & Buster said:
... It's frustrating that a tool that's so important is so lackadaisical about the numbers (yes, I had to look up how to spell that!). ...
Click to expand...

Since the FDA set the plus or minus 20% standard, thats who needs to be addressed to change it, maybe via legisature representatives. I'll note that the expensive Alphatrack has research which suggests that their variability is plus or minus 10%. I've got the PDf somewhere, or you can write them.
 
Thank you for the replies!

Can you tell me at what level, if I use the Relion, that I should not give a shot? My vet said no shots below 150 with the AlphaTrak2, but I have no idea on the Relion Comfort.
 
The "no insulin" number this board recommends is anything under 200 mg/dl regardless of brand of blood glucose meter used.
 
The "Do Not Shoot below" number can change as you learn your kitty over time.

I've been treating Tiggy for 3.5 years and he rarely ever goes over 200 any more, but if we skip a shot, he goes up to 300, so we know he still needs insulin.

He gets a 0.5u BID dose of Levemir and his "safe to shoot" number is 100. If he is between 80 and 100, we give a half dose.

Again -- this is based on treating him for 3 1/2 YEARS.

To learn your kitty's responses -- one day when you will be around to observe/test, and she is, say, 175 at shot time --- go ahead and give your full regular dose, and test at +4 +6 etc to see how she does.
 
Thanks for all of the help!

I am going with the Relion as of today. I took the data from 14 tests where I used both meters and the average difference was 60 points. This AM Lizzy tested at 138, which is really close to the normal range for the Relion, but above a level where my vet says to give insulin for the AlphaTrak2. I decided to not to give the shot and am not sure this is okay, but I guess we'll see.
 
Better safe than in a hypo.

Given a couple of "no shot" times in the past week, you may want to aim for a "skinny" 0.5 units, or even 0.25 units, both of which you have to eyeball consistently on syringes. It helps to take one and fill with colored water to use as a reference.
 
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