Avery
Member
OK, I continue to be baffled by the difference in my meters. I did a full curve on Friday. The Vet had said she preferred that I do the curve with the FreeStyle, as that use that meter in their practice, but ultimately I really want to use the Relion as it is more cost-effective, so I did measurements with both and presented her with the numbers. I put both numbers in my Spreadsheet.
The Relion seems to present her as very, very high. And the differences bear out the stories I've read on this board of the Freestyle reading lower at high numbers. Yet the Vet pointed out, and I agree, that her clinical signs do not reflect high 300s and 400's. She's drinking probably 2-3 oz. a day out of her bowl, plus about a tablespoon of water in each meal (she gets four a day). Urine output continues to hold steady...haven't seen any ginormous clumps in a while. She's alert, active, and pooping beautifully. Ketones continue reading negative on urine strips.
Vet said that the only way to tell for sure is to have her measured at the office and compare meters with those readings. So I will definitely do this soon. The nice thing is that Dr. is not insisting that I use AlphaTrak, or even Freestyle. I told her that ultimately I wanted the Relion to be the main meter, and she said in comparing my numbers with hers, we will figure out some kind of scale to use if necessary so that I can use the meter of my choice. Yay!
In the meantime, though it's not exactly cost-effective, I will keep measuring on both meters. Just got a great deal on the Arkray strips for the GlucoCard/Relion at ADW -- package of 200 strips included free meter, control solution, lancets, all for $65. It will be interesting to see how the GlucoCard meter compares with the Relion.
Even taking into account the readings from both meters, Dr. recommended 20% dosage increase. I feel good about this...she went low for a few days, but those were days that I had a lot of trouble getting her to finish her meals and she ended up eating only about 70% of her daily calories. Once I switched her to a different variety, her BGs went up again.
So Turtle is now on 1u BID. I will keep you updated.
Avery
The Relion seems to present her as very, very high. And the differences bear out the stories I've read on this board of the Freestyle reading lower at high numbers. Yet the Vet pointed out, and I agree, that her clinical signs do not reflect high 300s and 400's. She's drinking probably 2-3 oz. a day out of her bowl, plus about a tablespoon of water in each meal (she gets four a day). Urine output continues to hold steady...haven't seen any ginormous clumps in a while. She's alert, active, and pooping beautifully. Ketones continue reading negative on urine strips.
Vet said that the only way to tell for sure is to have her measured at the office and compare meters with those readings. So I will definitely do this soon. The nice thing is that Dr. is not insisting that I use AlphaTrak, or even Freestyle. I told her that ultimately I wanted the Relion to be the main meter, and she said in comparing my numbers with hers, we will figure out some kind of scale to use if necessary so that I can use the meter of my choice. Yay!
In the meantime, though it's not exactly cost-effective, I will keep measuring on both meters. Just got a great deal on the Arkray strips for the GlucoCard/Relion at ADW -- package of 200 strips included free meter, control solution, lancets, all for $65. It will be interesting to see how the GlucoCard meter compares with the Relion.
Even taking into account the readings from both meters, Dr. recommended 20% dosage increase. I feel good about this...she went low for a few days, but those were days that I had a lot of trouble getting her to finish her meals and she ended up eating only about 70% of her daily calories. Once I switched her to a different variety, her BGs went up again.
So Turtle is now on 1u BID. I will keep you updated.
Avery
