Any Advice? AlphaTrak2 vs Confirm Micro Numbers (Merlin)

Hello. My name is Cindi. Merlin is 16 and was diagnosed with diabetes in October 2013. It wasn't till recently that I found this forum (all my postings are in the Prozinc forum). Merlin is fully on low carb, wet food as of March 27, 2014. He is currently on Prozinc and I have been using the AlphaTrak2 meter. I have been dealing with his very extreme numbers, deep dives, insulin sensitivity, etc. on a daily basis. I have received fantastic help here in trying to help understand his swings, numbers and doses, hence, I test him quite a bit throughout the day. I want to transition to a less expensive strip so I can continue to test him often.

I bought the Confirm Micro a few days ago and thought I better start using it so I can get use to it. I thought a good transition would be to use both my AlphTrak2 (AT) and Confirm Micro (CM). I started yesterday and found huge variances. Here are the numbers that show the difference so far:

AT vs CM
473 341
232 158
215 116
167 94
346 182
302 194 (interesting with this number the Micro went up from AMPS and the AT went down from AMPS) see 3/13 SS entry.

I am trying to set up a sliding scale that I can refer to. So far, I have used this for the AT:

AT
505+ - 1 Unit
422+ - .8
350+ - .6
250+ - .4
200 skinny .4

If my CM is so different, I am having a very hard time trying to create a sliding scale based on the CM numbers. I am still working on it, but so far, I have this:

CM
370+ - 1 Unit
290+ - .8
190+ - .6
175+ - .4
100+ skinny .4

So which meter is more correct? I understand that there is basically a 30 + point difference between the AT & human meters. Then you also add a 20% variance and if you do that to both of my meters (AT going down and the CM going up), the numbers are pretty close...but that is still a huge difference!

I would love to see more blue and green and my MC will show me that, but I am afraid that it is false...or worse yet, my AT may has been giving me the wrong numbers all this time. Maybe a fructosamine is in order but I was hoping that I could start my new MC tomorrow since I am running low on the AT test strips. Any help on my dilemma is very much appreciative.

So to summarize my questions:

Has anyone else seen this difference between the two meters?
How do you transition to a meter that has such a huge difference?
How do I transition my AT sliding scale to a CM sliding scale?
Which meter is more correct?
Should I get another Relion meter?
Should I get a fructosamine test?

Cindi

 

This chart by member BJM may be helpful to you in adjusting your sliding scale between the pet meter and the human meter. BJM has also collected some test data with meter comparisons between the Alphatrak and various human meters. For example, you could look at my Wink's SS and see about 2 weeks worth of parallel test data. I was testing on the exact same drop of blood too.

Reference ranges for decision making

I'll also PM BJM to have her stop in on your post and make some comments. She has some useful graphs that showed the 20% variance, that may be of use to you, but I'm not sure where they are anymore.

 

When Max was first diagnosed I bought the Micro meter as well. I took it to my vet's office and got very different results just like you. People were telling me that my vet's meter must be off because the differences should only be about 30 points. I got the company to send me a second meter and returned the original one. They sent me a liquid to test the meter which I did and it was accurate. I only took it to the vet's a couple of times so I don't know how it calibrates. With all the testing I do and the expenses I can't see paying $1 per test strip to use the micro. I figure I am using the same meter each day so I can see trends. It does scare me a little that Max's BG might be much higher, I won't lie about that. However, I don't know what I would do any differently if I used the Alpha so I keep on trucking.

Elise

 

Short version: just pick one of the meters and always use it. If you stick with the AlphaTrak? Put it in your signature in a large font, and a different color, so we notice it.

The chart Deb has posted notes that numbers for the AlphaTrak are estimates. The human meter ranges were given in the Lantus Tight Regulation protocol based on the work of Roomp & Rand and have been used here.

The relationship of numbers between human vs pet-specific meters is not 1:1, so you cannot just add 30 points and be done with it. At low numbers, about 30 mg/dL is the difference; at higher numbers, there is a bigger increase. We're most concerned about reference numbers at the low end due to hypoglycemia, which can kill quickly.

Another important note: ALL meters are allowed by the FDA to read within 20% of what a lab would get. This means that no matter what meter you are using, the test value really represents a range from 20% lower that the test to 20% higher than the test.
Ex
A test of 50 means the glucose level is between 40 to 60
A test of 100 means the glucose level is between 80 to 120
A test of 500 means the glucose level is between 400 to 600

Notice how the higher the number, the wider the range where the glucose level could be. Onc you are over 300 or so, it really doesn't matter. High is high and you want to take action to reduce the glucose levels according to your insulin's protocol.
We're most concerned with lower numbers, where the range is tighter, and where safety can become an issue due to the risk of hypoglycemia.

 

I found those graphs I mentioned that BJM had put together! These visuals might give you a better idea of the variance in the ranges of the 20% variance as the BG levels increase. See here for those charts.