Hey afternoon guys! I know this has been asked a million times, but I need to ask again. I know the Relion will read a bit lower than the Alphatrak. I also know there can be up to 20% variance 1% of the time. I am making the switch from Alphatrak to Relion and just test the same blob of blood. Alphatrak was 398 and the Relion was 283. That is greater then 20% variance. I know with higher numbers right now it won't be a huge deal breaker, but my concern is that when he is in better numbers and also on or journey to get the right dose, that the Relion just isn't accurate. Can someone please talk me off the ledge?
You can't compare numbers on alphatrak to a human meter because they are calibrated to read the sample differently. This is not the same as the 20%variance that any meter can have at any time on any reading. A forum search for "alphatrak" will help you find more info. This question is indeed asked often (by myself included). Check this thread and look for posts from Idjit's mom. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...rak-and-freestyle-meters.216968/#post-2408499 "Human meters do read lower than pet meters, and BG range in the dosing protocols are adjusted accordingly. For example, a normal range on a human meter is 50-120, while on a pet meter it is 68-150. 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, (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. You can’t translate numbers from a human meter to what they would be on a pet meter. Then are no studies which provide a correlation between the two. However, it’s equally important to note that 50 on a human meter does not equal 68 on a pet meter. Those are the numbers which have been determined to provide a safety net."
You tickle me Sean, come down off the ledge so you will be safe and not make an old woman nervous! Seriously, I would have posted the same information that @Figaro's Liz posted above. I have read that the testing numbers can vary more widely when the numbers are higher but vary much less when the numbers are lower. It's not really a matter of accuracy, you really can't compare the two types of meters. If you decide to use the ReliOn meter, your BG numbers are going to reflect lower values, and of course that's going to lift your spirits. The important thing is, as you test with the new meter and enter that information (after you or someone else adjusts the spreadsheet to reflect that you have changed to the human meter to get the right color coding) you are going to see the patterns that develop. The pet meters are relatively new, and the protocols here were written for human meters, which is what people had to work with then. You can get very reliable information from a human meter, it's all a matter of preference and what you can afford. Many of us, myself included, start out with the pet meter, only to find we just can't keep up with the cost of strips. If you wish to continue using the AlphaTrak2, you can look into getting Freestyle strips on EBay, or possibly other sources, for less cost. @JanetNJ has done this, and has made a comparison of the two kinds of strips, which are very close.
Thank you @Figaro's Liz and @Idjit's mom. I did forget to equate in the fact that it is a human meter vs pet meter. Oops. But either way, that's a huge diference. Like I said, it's not such a big deal with him right now in higher numbers, but it does worry me when he gets (will get) in the blues and greens. Last time when he was diabetic his BG fell do fast after a dental and luckily i was able to be and test and bring him into remission. I just worry that the human meters are giving a false sense of better numbers. I actually have been using the freestyle lite strips since Feb/MArch of 2018. I purchased a lot of them of ebay and then when he went in to remission i sold them at a lose. Oh well. I have a few Alphatrak strips left and I guess will be moving to the Relion. A LOT of people seem to have confidence in it. I just worry
We use the ReliOn for both DH and Idjit, although I am working now to use up the AlphaTrak2 strips I had in reserve before exp date. Sean, it's just different numbers, you are going to tell if Rufus is going too low using a human meter, 50 is take action on a human meter to intervene with food and/or karo if it's very low. It will seem like the human meter is giving a false sense of better numbers at first, but you will be able to gauge using the normal non-diabetic number of 50 to 120, compared to the higher numbers you are used to on the pet meter. It will just take a bit to get used to. When you change to human meter, be sure to change your spreadsheet to reflect that, so the color coding works correctly. When you plug in the numbers, that color is going to tell you what range he is in. You are a great cat parent to worry and care so much.
Thank you, I would do anything for Rufus, I just don't want to jeopardize anything about getting him back in to remission!
You have gotten good input already, but thought I would chime in as I had the same concerns you do. I have been using AT for 6 months. I finally tried a human meter and found the same thing, in higher numbers there was about 100 point difference. I knew there would be a difference, but I was like “whoa, this is way too much, this is crazy.” I continued to try is for a couple of days and my kitty finally got a lower number on human meter of 78, so I did a backup test with my AT and it was 107, so now I feel better and saw for myself it really does get closer the lower they get. My plan is to keep my AT meter to double check a very low number for my own peace of mind, otherwise most of the time I plan to use human meter, only reason being the cost. And yes, your numbers will look better with a human meter because the human meter reads lower, the important thing is the take action number when they get too low, on either meter. Here are some examples AT vs human meter recently. Again, variances can be from meter to meter and strip to strip, this is just an example to show the spreads I got, all using same drop each time. I am not using Relion, using a different human meter, but I think the differences would be similar no matter what human meter it is. AT 381, human 279 AT 405, human 261 AT 297, human 187 AT 190, human 132 AT 163, human 120 AT 169, human 117 AT 178, human 112 AT 107, human 78
I kind of figured that as we get in to blue and greens numbers, the difference won't be as much. I guess I am just going to run out of my AT strips and I'll start using the ReliOn.
Sean, I too had (have, lol) the same panic and concerns. I continue to use my AT meter with FS InsulinX strips that I can definitely find affordable on eBay. Whichever you choose, try not to drive yourself crazy comparing the two, and think of the human meter as starting over with a new instrument on a different "scale" so to speak -- don't compare the numbers on the human meter to the numbers you were getting on the pet meter, and you can hopefully avoid that "false sense" of him doing better. I really don't mean to high-jack your post, but I'm often a lurker and learn a lot of info in these threads. I wanted to ask a question to @Idjit's mom about this -- IS there a different SS template with different colors for human meters vs. pet meters? I think I believed they were all the same, with just a note up top indicating the type of meter. Am I using the write SS?? Thanks! (And again, sorry if it seems like I'm high jacking your thread!)
Yes, I think there is a different template. If you look at Phoebe Squeak's SS it's for AT2, if you look at Idjit's SS it's for human meter. Maybe it can be adjusted if you switch meters. I'm not sure.
OH, okay, that does help. Looks like the only thing that's different is the ranges of numbers for dark and lime green. I am using the right one, then, haha. I wish the other ranges of numbers were shifted accordingly, too.
When I switched to a human meter, @Marje and Gracie did something to the ss so the correct color codes were reflected. I think there is a template for each type of meter.
Spreadsheets are very similar except the dark green and light green reflect 50 on human meter sheet and 68 on AT sheet as the “take action” numbers, otherwise the same.
I always thought it was better to use human meter because both TR and SLGL were written for it - less confusion for me, anyway. Not to mention $.
Two things: —-there are two separate templates but when you see witch meters, I leave the same SS in place and just reformat it after you switch so we can see the history. Those of us who have been around a while are good at looking at SSs with pet and human meters and understanding the patterns even when you switch. Just send me a PM and I’ll get editing rights from you when you are ready to switch and fix it. (To send a PM, click on “Marje and Gracie” to the left and then click “start a conversation”. —If you look at my Gracie’s SS in my signature block, there is a tab for AT/Micro comparisons. I did this for the board members so they can see the variation and why you can’t make direct correlations between the two meters.
