Newbie - trying to hometest

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Melissa and Bailey

Melissa and Bailey

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Hello all,
My cat Bailey is 11 years old and was diagnosed with FD back in late August (glucose 386, no ketones - we were lucky). My vet had us try diet control with Purina DM dry food, which did not work at all, and we started Lantus about a month ago. We started at 1 unit once daily, and I brought her in weekly for glucose checks. Her #s at the vet have always been well over 300, and at our last visit he wanted to increase her to 2 units twice daily (!). I had recently found this website and learned a LOT and was nervous about this increase, so I have been giving her 1 unit twice daily and am feeding her Fancy Feast classics (however, she still has access to dry food, I am working on transitioning all the cats to wet food). I also finally worked up the courage to start hometesting. For the last week I have been testing her before every injection. I will work on putting together a spreadsheet to share, but my numbers at home have generally been in the 160s-180s pre-shot AM & PM. We went in for a vet visit today and he was surprised but pleased about the hometesting, I don't think he's ever encountered it before! However, her glucose level at the vet was 300. I tested her about an hour after we got home... and I got 151. This seems like a BIG difference even considering stress hyperglycemia from being at the vet. What do you guys think? I am using a True2go meter that I had around the house with newly purchased strips. Is it possible that I am doing something wrong when I am testing? Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Melissa & Bailey
 
Apparently the True to go meter has given other bad readings. Here is a thread about it: viewtopic.php?p=128698

If you decide to change, it looks like maybe you can return it. The most popular meter here is the ReliOn from Walmart. Easy to use, cheap meter and strips.

Congrats on home testing! As far as the dose, have you seen the Lantus forum? The starred topics are full of info on how to use it in cats. viewforum.php?f=9
 
Wanted to say welcome aboard! Sooo glad you home test, way to go!!
Keep us posted :smile:
 
Personally, I don't like the tru meters. So that could be part of the problem.

The other problem is that a reading at home and at the vet will typically differ due to vet stress. When you take the cat out of their home and comfortable environment, they get stressed which can raise the bg levels more than normal.

So, I wouldn't put too much into the reading at the vet and rather concentrate on your home readings.

Additionally, don't put too much into just one reading either, as again there can be all sorts of reasons why one reading is wacky.

If it were me, I'd return the tru meter (I actually returned mine when I had issues) and buy the relion from walmart or the bayer contour or a one touch. You won't go wrong with any of those meters.

and if you tell us where you are located there may be a member close by who can provide in person assistance.
 
Sounds like I need a new meter.. I am going to try and pick up a Relion from Walmart. I will post again when I have it and try it out.
Sue, thanks for the links. I am a little intimidated by the Lantus forum.. I am sure it will make more sense once I get the hang of this. It seems like a lot of people who post there test 4 or 5 times a day - I feel like 2 is hard enough! Bailey has been pretty tolerant but I still get stressed about it.
Thanks for the welcome and the advice!
 
The forum is very busy but the posters will be really eager to help you and your kitty. Many of them work full time and manage a diabetic cat, sometimes doing their testing on the weekend. They do want you to test 3 times daily so you can not only get preshot numbers but also the nadir, or lowest point in the cycle. Some of them set an alarm and test in the night because they are gone during the day. The protocol they use is based on nadir numbers.

Just reading the stickies can be a great help in managing the doses and numbers.

Testing is hard at first, for the cat and for you. Be sure you both get a treat afterwards, successful or not. :mrgreen:
 
I use the Relion meter also and took it with me on one of the vet appointments and used my meter to test right when the vet tested. That way you get the test at the same time for an accurate comparison. I was happy to find that mine read as accurate as the vets.
 
OK, the results are in. I just tested Bailey with both meters before her PM dinnertime & shot. The True2go meter reads 112 versus the ReliOn at 155. It uses a smaller blood sample too which is wonderful. I will definitely be switching, thanks everyone!
Darlene, that is a great idea about bringing your own meter to a vet appointment. I think I will do that next time.
I am going to try to test at least 3 times tomorrow while I am off work, and post over in the Lantus forum.
Thanks again!
 
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