Suggestions for human meters?

Hi everyone! I'm going to double my arsenal by adding a human BG meter to the Alphatrak I already have.

I know a lot of people here use the ReliOn Prime as it's quite economical, but I'm also considering a Freestyle Lite because of the smaller blood drop required (0.3 microlitre, same as my AlphaTrak2). The ReliOn wants 0.5 microlitre.

Does anyone who uses the ReliOn Prime have problems with getting enough blood? I'm still getting the hang of testing with the AlphaTrak (getting better...). I sometimes have issues getting the blood to bead up, and I really have no idea if when I have been successful, whether the .5 vs .3 microlitre threshold would make any difference. And of course, the cost savings of the ReliOn strips would be significant.

Weighing my options.. appreciate thoughts! Thanks!

ETA: A while after my OP I noticed this parallel post with advice for UK folks: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/suggestions-for-human-meters-uk-please.217929/

 

I use the relion prime and have no problem getting enough blood for the strip to register. I have been testing for quite a while but have never used any other type.

 

I was able to score one of the last ReliOn Confirms that Walmart had on closeout -- they're still available at some distributors online, as are the Arkray Glucocard01's which is identical, Walmart just rebranded them, and the Arkray strips for those meters are still available, some in bulk ! though I suspect their expiration is still 03/20 ... I stocked up on them, at the moment the Confirm/Micro strips are still available online at Walmart and "rolled back" to $14.99/50 ... still about twice the price of the Prime strips -- I still occasionally get too small a blood drop even for the Confirm which takes a .3 microliter ...

 

I considered the freestyle light as well because I too was used to the 0.3uL sample size for the AlphaTrak. But the test strips are a whole lot more expensive for the freestyle; they're I think $30 for 50 strips on Amazon or like $80 if you try to buy them at Walmart, whereas the ReliOn Prime is only $9 for 50 strips at Walmart. The amount of blood hasn't really made that much of a difference in my experience

 

I have been very successful with the ReliOn Prime.

 

I recently switched to the Diathrive and it works really well for me, I have never had a failed reading and the test strips are reasonably priced. You can either buy them on amazon or from the diathrive website in quarterly shipments.

 

I did some research and found the Presto meter to have good reviews. Got from ADW for starter kit with meter and 200 strips, lancets pen, etc for under $50! There is a Presto regular and a fancier model, but the regular model seemed adequate. Link below, they have other package deals with more strips. This uses .5 blood, same as Relion, but slightly more than AT meter which is .3. I have not tried it yet, another member has this meter and has been happy with it. I rarely go to Walmart anymore and when I do they are out of stock on a lot of items, so that is why I do not want to use Relion. I was also impressed with the accuracy tests the company shows on their site for Presto.

https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/8179/agamatrix-presto-blood-glucose-meter-kit-and-strips

https://agamatrix.com/innovative-technology/accuracy/

 

Thank you so much everyone for your thoughts. I went over to Walmart today to have a gander, and they had the Relion prime for $9. So I bought one and 50 strips. Not too big of an investment to try it out.
Funny, they had the freestyle lite meter but no strips for it!
@Julie and Honey I appreciate your suggestion of the Presto. I'm lucky to have a pretty well-stocked Walmart very close by, but that looks like a great option too.
And @Cyberlizard I see the Diathrive has a slightly smaller sample size too! That looks like a great affordable option for the long haul, once I start to get Fig regulated..

 

They keep the strips behind the pharmacy counter at my local Walmart, which is how I found out they were $80, yikes!

 

Ouch! Even more than the AT!

 

I've seen them for far less from online vendors -- I have a FS Lite that I inherited along with all this other stuff, if I ever run out of the ReliOn strips

 

I really love my freestyle lite but it was donated to me, as have my strips been. I honestly don’t often need the small sample size aspect of it anymore.
What tips and tricks have you tried to help the blood bead up? What helped me the absolute most was to hold my finger beneath the poke spot. The blood flows downward so this makes it flow out more instead! Warming the ears always makes a difference, too. Alice bleeds better when her ears are warmer, and this also means you can try to cause less tissue damage because you don’t have to poke very hard at all if they are very warmed!

I would be interested to hear how your cheaper meter works out for you!

 

I chose one based on reviews on Amazon. It takes a droplet of 0.4 to run a test, it has the style of strip I prefer, and I can get refills of 50 test strips for just under $10, delivered free with Prime.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NOKWUYW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use a size 30 lancet free hand, press a cotton makeup round behind the area I am poking, and I get a drop the right size about 95% of the time. If I think it might be too small, I do another quick poke nearby before trying to do the reading, because if it looks too small it probably is, and I don't want to waste time and strips.

 

Omg! I used this today and it was the best trick I have learned so far!! Thank you for mentioning this. Game changer.

 

I felt the same way!!!!!!!!! I’m so glad for you both!

When Alice’s ear gets sore (she only has one good test ear) and she tries to wriggle away while I am trying to test, I also do this weird complicated thing where I hold her ear, the cotton ball behind it, and the scruff of her neck, all with one hand, poke and then meter with the other. But the scruff holdingvlart keeps her in place and calmer. Not in a rough manner, but rather, a firm one.

 

Wait how does it work without poking yourself? Are you still using a cotton ball?

 

I'm so intrigued! But I just can't picture what you're saying...Do you hold your finger under the poke point while you're poking, or right after? Does it then flow downward because of the pressure from your finger?

@Figaro's Liz I use the relion prime also, and I've never had a problem. I'm glad that you found a way to make it easier, using the tip from Cassandra! For me, the game changer was scooping the blood onto my thumb nail, and then using the strip to sip it off my nail. Also, the warmer his ear, the better the drop!

 

After I have poked, then the little drop starts to bead but maybe it is not enough or her ears are a bit cold, then I press my finger beneath the spot of blood and more will bead up.

The cotton ball is behind the ear when I poke. That is usually held with my fingers, my thumb moves to press the spot on her ear to bead the blood, then as soon as the meter sips it up I tear the cotton ball in half and press her ear from both sides......

 

@Daddy Jack's Mommy , after I poke. I’ll see if I can get human to take a video of a test.

This is a mock photo of me testing while holding her scruff though. Cotton ball is behind her ear with fingers, scruff lightly held with other fingers, right hand to poke.....

 

That's an awesome idea! Isn't it wonderful when we find a way to get that blood? I've said it before and it's worth repeating - I never could have known that getting my cat to bleed would be so rewarding!

 

This looks challenging!

 

Not a perfect representation, as they are mock versions and I am holding the phone in my mouth with the camera on a timer!

But here, imagine you’re just holding the ear with one or both fingers until it beads up enough. Careful, if you hit a goldmine vein, be ready to also stop the bleeding.

 

OH! I gotcha! Thanks, I'm going to try that next time! There's nothing more annoying than drawing blood but not getting quite enough!

 

Let’s see....the scruff is grabbed first, then secured between ring and middle fingers, then index finger holds cotton ball to back of ear, and thumb usually helps hold the front of the ear. Yeah....... it’s a little weird though. It’s one of many methods because ECID, but it helps me tell her sorry we have to do this hold still! If she wiggles, she makes it more stressful for everyone. :\ The scruff thing calms her a bit. If you have extra sets of hands, someone else can hold the scruff!

 

And with my meter at least (have not tried many others), if I try for using the amount of blood I have already but it isn’t enough, as long as I can quickly get a little more to come up, then I can manage to not error out on the strip.

 

if you need a third hand to hold scruff -- I found that the hair clips used to pull hair back into a sort of ponytail at the back of the head or nape, can be used, one or two of them, to clamp onto the scruff -- check them out for comfort and pressure by clipping onto your finger, some are too strong, some are too weak, some have sharper teeth than others -- Catcat looks a bit silly with a peacock-green one and a purple-fuchsia one attached -- but it sure slows him down -- on days when he feels like swatting and biting at me ...

 

I'm lucky that Figaro is not a major squirmer most of the time, so I haven't had a problem getting the drop right off his ear. The fingernail trick is a good one to keep in my back pocket if he changes his mind, though!
Warming the ear has definitely been important too. He tolerates me rubbing them, even though I know he can see through my disguising them as pets . He has always loved to have his face, neck, and head rubbed, so I had a head start with that.

 

My sugar baby loves his ears rubbed too! But I found that filling an empty pill bottle with hot water (not hot enough to burn though) works great! I just wrap his little ear around the bottle for a bit, and it warms up beautifully. And Jack really enjoys the warmth. I talk sweetly and hold that bottle to his ear, and it's become our "special" time. Now that he's in remission, he's confused why he's not being poked so much. He stands by the bathroom door (our testing spot) and looks at me. It's really cute. I never thought he'd grow so fond of it!

 

That is so sweet! What a good boy.

 

I just want a picture of his silly self all clipped up!

 

must find a digital camera that works, mine won't turn on for some reason, even with fresh batteries

 

Borrow someone’s smart phone? Then have them email it to you?

 

@AliceMeowliss&Cassandra I tried your little trick this evening - it worked like a charm!!

 

Whoohoo!!!!! It’s been a lifesaver for me!!!! I wish I could remember who recommended it where and thank them again. But I guess it’s like thanks by spreading the good knowledge here!

 

So I have a question. I bought the Relion Prime meter and have been using it along with the spreadsheet. It appears as if the spreadsheet for the human meters and the Alphatraks are set up identically (number range and color coded). During my last vet visit we tested my meter against the Alphatrak and there was almost 140 point difference between my ReliOn and the Alphatrak!! Has anyone else testing their meter against the Alphatrak to see if there was a difference in #s??

 

I had a very similar experience!! I started up the Relion when doing my normal test, figuring that if I could get a good blood drop I would use it for the regular AT2 test and any remainder for the RP, just to see. Well I got a huge blood drop, so tried both, and got 402 on the AT, 290 on the Relion Prime. Over in the Lantus forum, @Idjit's mom shared this with me:

This from my file collection of information:
You cannot compare numbers from a human to a pet meter because you're using a different point of reference for them. It's more important that a meter be consistent, than accurate (we are generally looking for trends in data to adjust the dose, not single, exact numbers). There is also a +/- 20% variable allowed in any glucose meter, including pet meters.

So, don't worry, choose one to use and record the data. Then you are going to see the trends and patterns and be able to determine if a dose is working, or an increase or a decrease is indicated. The veteran members will be able to advise you on that issue.

If you have your spreadsheet set up for AT2 and decide to use the ReliOn Prime for testing, you can ask for help to configure the ss to accurately reflect the human meter readings.
​

As for the numbers in the SSs, I thought the same too, but the green threshold numbers are actually different, with the ATs slightly higher.

 

you can set up separate spreadsheets if you like -- the SS for human meters and pet meters ARE different, and then there are options to use World numbers recording each type of meter .. generally the numerical values from an AT will be higher than those for human, BUT NOT ALWAYS, it's not apples and oranges, more like oranges and tangelos ... the newer hybrid has its "genes" messed with ... but they're both good

each should draw a curve and the curves will be roughly parallel even if the numbers on the meters aren't

 

Mmmm, tangelos.....
(So OT )

 

Interesting reading the testing methods. Our Sophie comes to our bathroom counter when called to check her blood (because she knows she gets one treat after each test). I put her under my left arm with her head facing right. She crouches down. Then I prep my meter with strip in, rub her left ear and bend the tip of the ear back over my left thumbnail and poke the inside of the ear with the lancet - no need for a cotton ball and I never poke myself because her ear is against my thumbnail. I also free-poke - I don't use the lancet device because the click startles her and we know what happens when cats get startled! Once I get the blood drop (and I find the closer to the tip of her ear the better the drop for some reason), I collect the blood sample on the test strip. I use a Relion Prime meter right now and usually I have enough blood to fill that strip AND scrape a little bubble of extra blood onto the end of the strip so that if I need to double-check the reading with the AlphaTrak meter, I can grab that droplet from the Relion strip with the AT meter/strip and avoid having to poke or squeeze Sophie's ear again. It helps that she has become a really cooperative cat for all of this. After, I do put pressure on her ear with a cotton pad, then she goes on her merry way to the kitchen for a snack or shot or whatever comes next.

 

The only thing to check out is they say squeezing or milking for blood can affect the accuracy of the reading. Apparently you end up getting a mix of blood & whats called interstitial fluid (fluid that surrounds the cells of your skin). I now just wait & it usually beads up on its own or I will do a small additional poke to get a nice bead instead of squeezing the ear.

 

In what way would the reading be affected? Just off, or off in a particular direction?

 

I just purchased the Freestyle Lite and bought the test strips on Ebay. Got 100 strips for the cost of 50 for the Alphatrak. I use the AT2 and have the Relion Prime. I admit the test strips for the Relion are cheaper so it's a matter of choice. Since I am so use to hearing the beep on the AT2 to let me know it's testing, the Freestyle does that as well. I also like the test strips that suck the blood up VS the smear or drop on Relion. I sometimes only get that tiny drop so the AT2 and Freestyle are my choice.

 

I purchased the $9 ReliOn Prime meter plus ReliOn Prime test strips (they are made by Arkray which is printed on them) and they suck the blood up from the end. They are pretty nice, or at least work well IMHO. The meter does not beep when it has enough blood, but if you watch the screen, a horizontal dash on the screen starts flashing when it is thinking. It completes in a couple of seconds. I have no complaints in the brief time I've used it.

 

So I recently realized with humans when they prick your finger and test things like blood sugar, they wipe off the first drop. Is this also a thing we should be concerned with doing with cats? Have I been missing something this whole time?

Yes, curious, same question? This is interesting info but I would like to understand more about it!

 

Based on the info out there it lowers the #. As far as wiping off the 1st drop, only if they are unable to wash their hands is this recommended. I'm attaching a published journal article that will address some of the questions:

https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/34/3/556.full

 

It would lower the #.

Here is a great link from Medtronic that describes the difference between interstitial fluid vs blood glucose (the sensors out there now are using interstitial but you still have to check BG every so often & they explain why.

https://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/c...y-sensor-glucose-does-not-equal-blood-glucose

 

Just curious, do you have a recent model of the Relion prime? I ended up purchasing one and although I still primarily use my AT, I thought the Relion strips were pretty good at sipping the blood up--although, I love that the AT strips pull from the sides rather than the end. I was pleasantly surprised, given the Relion Prime's low cost. In practice I personally have not had issues getting enough blood for either meter, of course that is just my experience

 

I haven't had the issue either...& I do love my AT ! In the beginning I don't think I realized how little of a drop I needed!

 

This is interesting, but relates to embedded sensors rather than the BG meters most of us use to measure capillary blood, right?
Do you recall where you heard about the interstitial fluid mixing with blood because of squeezing/pressuring the skin? I hadn't heard that before, but would like to learn more, as others have mentioned!
ETA sorry Amy, I missed the other article you linked. I wonder how much this translates to cat ears. https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/34/3/556.full

 

https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/34/3/556.full

I also linked the medtronic because it explains interstitial fluid vs blood glucose, so the info is relevant & helps you understand how interstitial fluid differs & how it can effect BG readings using meters when you mix the two (can happen when squeezing for blood) that it effects the #s. The link I just added talks about 1st drop vs 2nd drop, squeezing etc.

 

Crazy? yes..I have now FIVE alphatrak 2 meters which is fine..but every once in awhile I wonder WHY IF we are using freestyle lite or Insulinx in the Alphatrak meter, do we change the code to match the Alphatrak strips? Unless you believe they are really the same exact strips, it makes no sense to me why we change the codes of the freestyle strips since the Freestyle manufacturing has nothing to do with the claim that Alphatrak 2 strips may jump from 5 to 37 based on the environment they are made in. I use Alphatrak 2 strips for safety sake for at least 4 BG tests/day and use the Freestyle or Petsure for the other 4 tests. Zoetis will not give a straight answer and am starting to wonder if our dependence of Alphatrak2 strips is questionable. I have had very good results with Petsure using code #2. I am thinking of asking ADW to send me only #36-37 strips but also buy them off Ebay. If I sound confused it's because I am after 3 years of trial and error. Again, My biggest confusion is still WHY we change the code of freestyle strips simply because Akphatrak strips require a specific code. When receiving my new #5 Alphatrak meter that came with strips #36-37 code, I compared results from Alphatrak meter #3 with AlphaTrak strips # 5-6 and the difference ..AT code #36=365 AT code #5=420. My last call to Zoetis who claimed conditions at the factory and testing determines the code..I asked. "Are you telling me that there is cat or dog that some "person" is testing their BG relative to the atmospheric conditions and then, determining what the code should be?" The tech did not know the answer. I think I will keep my freestyle code the same regardless of the AT code. If anyone can tell me why m thinking is wrong, please do...I cannot figure this out..hope to try Libre next??? Thanks for reading

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...AN6D_M3AYT6_kgqbHE7JWo6kSM/edit#gid=811447094

 

I'm not sure. Personally I wouldn't feel comfortable using strips "off label" in a different device. But I know many people on the board do that... they may or may not see your post on this thread, so if this is a pressing question for you, you may want to create a separate post to draw attention