Switching blood sugar meter?

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lenistar

Member Since 2012
Hi everyone,

As some of you read in my previous post, I'm having concerns about continuing to use the Free Style Freedom Lite meter, as I've heard it's often inaccurate. After doing a comparison (with two different drops of blood) btwn. the Free Style Freedom Lite and the Accu-Chek Compact Plus (with the Free Style, blood sugar measured 85 and with the Accu Chek it measured 123), I'm thinking of switching meters.

It looks like some people like the One Touch (is this the Ultra 2?), but it's rather expensive. I've called the pharmacy here in Germany (where I'm living until next week), and they actually could give me an Ascendia Contour or Accu-Chek Mobile for free (since these companies gave several to the pharmacy).

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Also, since I was having concerns, I had Moritz's fructosamine tested yesterday (he's been OTJ since the end of March). His fructosamine is now at 320 (with up to 340 listed as normal). Does he still sound OTJ? His fructosamine at the end of March before he had several teeth removed, was 276.6, and at that point he had still been getting insulin (typically a Minitouch, 2x a day).
I've been pretty stressed lately with the upcoming move, so perhaps that's affecting his fructosamine.

Thank you all for your help/support!
Elena
 
I really like the Wavesense Presto. It uses very little blood and since it corrects for hematocrit levels (which are different for cats and humans), ou have that advantage. The strips are available at Amazon. My only issue with it is if the little window is not filled, it does not always give you an error message. Instead, it seems to sometimes give a reading, which when retested with a full window, is too high.
 
Because OP is in Germany, meter brand selection is different.

The Ascensia Contour is the Bayer Contour I believe. That meter is good. The AccuChek Mobile does not use standard strips so I would avoid it in case it is inaccurate on cats.

I do not know much about Fructosamine results. I don't think they are reliable enough to determine whether a cat is OTJ. I would definitely get a second meter just to be sure.
 
In the US, the Ascensia Contour was renamed the Bayer Contour a couple of years ago. It's the meter I've been using since my cat was diagnosed. The strips can be expensive in the pharmacies here but are much better priced if you purchase on-line.

At least with the info on fructosamine and it's relationship to blood glucose, the 320 fructosamine would be around 180 mg/dL (or 10 mmol/l) blood glucose. Above 120 is considered in the diabetic range. I don't know if the ranges for the fructosamine are the same in Germany as here.

FWIW, there is a counterpart to this site in Germany.
 
Hi Sienne,

Is there a website you're referencing with the fructosamine to glucose conversion? I'm not sure why up to 340 would be listed as normal if 320 fructosamine is equivalent to approximately 180 blood sugar...I'm confused...

Thanks!
Elena
 
Thanks! I'm having some trouble opening that link at the moment...

For the time being, I wanted to say that I purchased a Bayer Contour meter and have tested Moritz's blood sugar twice with it so far. Yesterday I tested about 5 hours after I gave him food (but I leave his food out the whole day/night after feeding him, so he can eat at his own pace -- only wet food, no dry), and it was 4.7/85. I tested his blood sugar this morning before giving him new food, and it was 5.3/95. I think I heard that the Bayer Contour can read a bit low at the lower end, but even so, those measurements sound ok, right?

Thanks again and sorry for all of my questions!
 
I just opened the link and it says:

Fructosamine Average BG
250 120
300 150
325 180
350 210
400 240
450 270
475 300
500 330
If the normal range on the fructosamine is between 200 and 350

Fructosamine Average BG
200 90
250 120
288 150
325 180
363 210
400 240
438 270
475 300
513 330
 
Thanks, Larry!

Can I ask for your thoughts about the blood sugar measurements I took with the Bayer Contour?

"Yesterday I tested about 5 hours after I gave him food (but I leave his food out the whole day/night after feeding him, so he can eat at his own pace -- only wet food, no dry), and it was 4.7/85. I tested his blood sugar this morning before giving him new food, and it was 5.3/95. I think I heard that the Bayer Contour can read a bit low at the lower end, but even so, those measurements sound ok, right?"

Those numbers are in line with an OTJ cat, right?

Thanks again!
Elena
 
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