ReliOn Micro Issues(?): lots of E-7 and then low readings (do I shoot?)

[C & Winnie & Lily]

Hi everyone! Told you it wouldn't be long before I had a problem... Long post incoming!

So, I tried getting a reading today at +9 or so. I got her to bleed a little but got two E-7s in a row before she was totally done cooperating. The instruction manual gives a few reasons for that error code (why not create an error code for each?? but I digress...): "Additional blood was applied to test strip after test started. Test strip was moved during test. Insufficient blood sample." The latter two seem probable, but I'm super frustrated burning 4 or 5 strips total today on them. There was cussing involved. Feels like lighting money on fire
Has anyone else had this problem and what did you do to make it happen less often?
I'm thinking about getting a Confirm as a back up meter.

Ok, so gonna be more determined for PMPS, right? She's super antsy in the mornings because she knows mom getting up=breakfast, so we're struggling to get AMPS, but I'm really trying and she's getting better. (I'm home all day and she's a clinger, so no concern about hypo with no one home.) After a few E-7s, I finally get a fat drop. 113?? So I try again. 106! I don't have any control solution on hand unfortunately, so that's now on the grocery list...

I *cannot* figure out what's going on with her numbers. Being a newbie and struggling with testing isn't helping. I'm planning on not shooting tonight, but would welcome contrary advice. I'm a dingus and fed her before thinking about waiting 20 mins and testing again. ugh, I hate messing up and letting her down

She had 3 oz FF chicken classic and wolfed it down. I just tested 30 mins after I set the food down and she's at 172. Doubt that means much but figured every data point helps.

Between the errors and the low readings tonight, I'm wondering whether the meter issues are user error or something more. I would love to hear from anyone who might have dealt with this.

Unrelated, but I was planning on doing a curve tomorrow. New vet wants to see her Vetsulin numbers before we discuss switching to ProZinc (her preference) or Lantus. Will the data be useful even without insulin tonight?

tl;dr: getting tons of E-7 errors on relion micro. Anyone else deal with this? Do I shoot with 113/106 PMPS and 172 30 mins after dinner?

Thank y'all so much for your time.

 

[Erica & Carter]

I am not experienced enough to give dose or shooting advise but regarding the "E-7" readings I got a lot of those with my Relion Confirm the first few times I used it. It "sucks" up the blood differently than I was used to with the AlphaTrak 2. So, even though I had more than sufficient blood sample as the Micro and Confirm both require very little blood, I was pushing the strip down to hard into the sample, and leaving it for too long, instead of lightly touching it to the edge blood drop, letting the strip suck it up, and pulling away.

On the opposite spectrum, if you look at your strip after you touch it to the blood, and you can only see the blood go about half way up the strip, you could be touching it to the blood too quickly and pulling away too fast before the strip can suck up the required amount.

 

[C & Winnie & Lily]

I am not experienced enough to give dose or shooting advise but regarding the "E-7" readings I got a lot of those with my Relion Confirm the first few times I used it. It "sucks" up the blood differently than I was used to with the AlphaTrak 2. So, even though I had more than sufficient blood sample as the Micro and Confirm both require very little blood, I was pushing the strip down to hard into the sample, and leaving it for too long, instead of lightly touching it to the edge blood drop, letting the strip suck it up, and pulling away.

On the opposite spectrum, if you look at your strip after you touch it to the blood, and you can only see the blood go about half way up the strip, you could be touching it to the blood too quickly and pulling away too fast before the strip can suck up the required amount.

This is super helpful information, Erica. Thank you so much! I think I'm so excited when I actually get a drop of blood, I try too soon and there's not enough there, or I let it soak for fear of getting too little. This explains a lot!

For whatever it's worth to anyone reading, she's at 252 an hour after she would've gotten her shot.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

It's important to remember that ALL meters are allowed to have up to a 20% variance.....even if you're using the same meter on the same drop of blood at the same time! So your 113 and 106 are basically the same number

There is NO way I'd shoot (especially Vetsulin) with her that low and it makes me even more concerned that 4 units is too much for her. That is a HUGE dose!!

It's also totally normal for the blood glucose to go up about 30 minutes after feeding....Even low carb food is going to raise the blood glucose some

Here's something I wrote up for others that needed help with testing...maybe it'll help you too! (substitute "her" for "him"...LOL)

It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you. Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!

You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!

It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well.

When you're first starting, it's also important to use a lower gauge lancet, like 25-28 gauge. Most of the "lancet devices" come with 33 gauge lancets and they are just too tiny to start with. The bigger lancets (that are lower numbers) make a bigger "hole". As you poke more and more, the ears will grow new capillaries and will be easier and easier to get blood from...we call it "learning to bleed"

Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!

 

[C & Winnie & Lily]

Chris, you're a saint for giving me so much info! Thank you!!! I totally agree that 4u is very high. She was on 5 when she was in foster care for several months! I got the green light to knock her down to 4 from one of the vets I consulted Monday at least (but got warned against altering her dose based on pre-shot values). Another vet I talked to seemed to really trust my gut and judgment (aka the wisdom from this forum) so I think I'm sticking with her
I wonder if being in a house full of other cats at the foster home was stressful and caused BG to go up? She's an only cat here, and I was blown away by her first PMPS number the day she came home (160-something).

We're working on the routine! She has a spot under her tree where she likes to lay in the sun, so I come over and bring her treats and pets. She's already been more cooperative but we're both learning. I got 30g lancets from walmart. I'm already seeing improvement in terms of bleeding, or maybe I'm just better at finding the good spots.

Thank y'all so much for all the help. It's such a relief that there's a group of knowledgeable and helpful people around at times like these.

 

[C & Winnie & Lily]

Just wanted to report a little success story thanks to y'all's advice! We FINALLY got an AMPS!!! Amazing what a firm "You're getting tested whether you like it or not" does, even if it's more for me than for her. 3 tests today and no E-7s And the last two tests, we got a nice bead on the first poke!

She vomited up breakfast this morning at +2, I think because I went overboard with post-poke treats (lesson learned), but otherwise we're having a good day. Was feeding her afterward the right call?
Turns out the Rocco and Roxie pet stain remover works very well as the Amazon reviews promised, lol.

 

[Critter Mom]

We FINALLY got an AMPS!!! Amazing what a firm "You're getting tested whether you like it or not" does

It certainly does make the world of difference! Congrats to you both.

Was feeding her afterward the right call?

With Vetsulin you need to test, feed, then wait 20-30 minutes before giving the injection to give the carbs a bit of time to get into the system before the dose kicks in.

Watch the vomiting at +2; that's when the Vetsulin is really kicking in. If she does that again test her BG to make sure she's not going too low. Also be sure to get more food into her ASAP. If you have trouble getting her to eat monitor her BG much more closely until she does - and make sure she doesn't go too low; Vetsulin typically produces its strongest effect between about +2.5 and +8 but some cats may get better dose duration than that. As you gather more data you'll be able to get a feel for her pattern of response.


Mogs
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[C & Winnie & Lily]

With Vetsulin you need to test, feed, then wait 20-30 minutes before giving the injection to give the carbs a bit of time to get into the system before the dose kicks in.

Watch the vomiting at +2; that's when the Vetsulin is really kicking in. If she does that again test her BG to make sure she's not going too low. Also be sure to get more food into her ASAP. If you have trouble getting her to eat monitor her BG much more closely until she does - and make sure she doesn't go too low; Vetsulin typically produces its strongest effect between about +2.5 and +8 but some cats may get better dose duration than that. As you gather more data you'll be able to get a feel for her pattern of response.

Thanks so much Mogs! That's my test, feed, shoot pattern to a T, thanks to the awesome advice on this forum!
I was planning on doing an hourly curve today at the vet's request but don't know how useful it will be after she got sick. Good to know about the food. She has no problem eating, she wails like she's never been fed before the second I grab her dish. I fed her around 20 minutes after she got sick (to make sure she was done) and she ate slower than usual but took down the full 3oz of FF. Has been snoozing ever since, no signs of any more tummy discomfort and litter box is normal. Numbers look normal so far but I'm testing hourly just in case. I really appreciate the advice and support!

 

[Critter Mom]

Hiya,

I'm relieved to hear that you got some food into Winnie before +3 in her cycle because the dose would have really been getting into full force. Well done, you!

I was planning on doing an hourly curve today at the vet's request but don't know how useful it will be after she got sick.

All data is valuable. It's no bad thing to have data when there's a glitch in the normal routine because you never know when it might be useful to refer back to.


Mogs
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