? BG measurement

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MélanieW

MélanieW

Member Since 2017
I'm doing a curve for Noah today and I'm noticing that his BG readings are always higher in one ear (if I test both at the same times). Anyone else having this problem? I don't want to always poke the same ear...

ALso, my glucose meter needs only a small drop of blood but sometimes tell me to add more. Would this influence the reading at all? Does too much blood influence the reading as well?
 
MélanieW said:
I'm doing a curve for Noah today and I'm noticing that his BG readings are always higher in one ear (if I test both at the same times). Anyone else having this problem? I don't want to always poke the same ear...

ALso, my glucose meter needs only a small drop of blood but sometimes tell me to add more. Would this influence the reading at all? Does too much blood influence the reading as well?
Click to expand...
I test smokys paw pads but have had different readings when I get a drop of blood from different pads.
I'm not sure if BG numbers are influenced by adding more blood. I just get an error message on my relion meter when I have done that.
 
Do you get a big difference between the two paws?

I got 274 in one ear and 324 in the other. This is quite a big difference and it might explain the early yellows I got and haven't got since.
 
I don't get that much of a difference in BG between the two paw pads. Maybe 25 points between the two, 250 vs 275.
What size lancets are you using? You can get a bit of difference when using different blood drops. I have tested Smoky in one paw and then another 5 minutes later and get different numbers.
 
I'm using the Bayer Microlet colored lancets. I could not find the gauge size on the box, but after a quick search on the Web it seems it's 28. The vet only a small blood drop when he showed me how to do it so maybe I'm using blood drops that are too big.
 
I read on here somewhere that if you saturate the test strip with blood it can cause an error message on the meter.
Maybe your meter is giving a higher reading with too much blood on test strip? I use 26 gauge lancets for smokys paw pads but don't know if that will work on ears. I'm pretty new to testing too, my cat was just diagnosed on 9/1/16. @Kris & Teasel has helped me out tremendously with all my concerns and questions. She is my guardian angel. :bighug: I hope she doesn't mind if I tag her for you.
 
Your quite welcome. Your Noah is a handsome boy. He looks a bit like my moms cat Lillie. I hope that you are both having a wonderful day:bighug:
Glad I could help you help out a little bit.
 

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This is interesting, never thought too much blood on the strip may cause an incorrect reading on a Relion meter. Figured it would say "error" if there was a problem with the sample. I am using an Accu-Chek FastClix 6 cartridge lancing device that does make a pretty large drop of blood.
 
I get different reading from each ear, but never more than 20-25 points apart and usually less than that.

My meter (Relion Confirm) doesn't seem to have a problem with an overabundance of blood, it only gives me an error message if there is not enough.

Does your meter require coding?
 
I have never tried taking blood from one ear and comparing the test result with the other ear. I tend to do all tests one day on one ear and switch ear for the next day. I have occasionally gotten an "error" reading when there wasn't enough blood but I've never had a problem if the drop was big because I hit the little vein in the ear.

I use an AlphaTrak pet meter with Freestyle Lite human test strips.
 
I use ReliOn prime. I get an error if there's not enough blood but never have had a problem with too much blood. It sucks up what it needs and the rest is left on the ear or on top of the strip. I have gotten a false low and high from not enough blood. I can look at the strip and see that there was barely enough blood for a reading because it's very light and the blood barely reaches the business end of the strip.
I have noticed a slight difference in his two ears but I test mainly in one of them because he had two hematoma surgeries in his right ear so it's less sensitive and bleeds well. If I poke his left ear he gets mad.
 
Larry and Kitties said:
Yes, however, that applies to accuracy to the "real" BG value.
However, with the same meter and same lot of test trips the reproducibility/error is much smaller.
Click to expand...

Did some research with humans having the same issue, 20% applies from one reading to the other, not "real BG value:
"It is not unusual to see a difference of plus or minus 15 to 20 percent from one reading to another, and this is generally considered the industry standard for blood glucose meters." Christy Parkin, MSN, RN, CDE

http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2009/apr/why-does-my-bg-vary-from-one-hand-to-the-other.html
 
Bronx's dad said:
Did some research with humans having the same issue, 20% applies from one reading to the other, not "real BG value:
"It is not unusual to see a difference of plus or minus 15 to 20 percent from one reading to another, and this is generally considered the industry standard for blood glucose meters." Christy Parkin, MSN, RN, CDE

http://www.diabetesforecast.org/2009/apr/why-does-my-bg-vary-from-one-hand-to-the-other.html
Click to expand...
Blood glucose meters are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) using guidelines issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15197:2003, “Requirements for bloodglucose monitoring systems for self-testing in managing diabetes mellitus”. The ISO standard requires that 95% of results within range or slightly elevated be within +/- 20% of the true value.

From:
https://www.diabeteseducator.org/do.../pdf/research/Practice_Advisory_BGM_FINAL.pdf
 
Actually, both statements are correct

The 20% variance is acceptable to the FDA when comparing "test to test" and "test to lab value"

If you’ve ever taken your blood sugar twice or three times in a row without any delay in between tests, you’ve probably noticed that you don’t get the same exact number each time. That doesn’t mean your meter isn’t operating correctly. It does, though, reflect the variance that is built into each meter. ("test to test" comparison)

Within the medical community, home blood glucose meters are considered clinically accurate if the result is within 20% of what a lab test would indicate. ("test to lab value") For example, if your glucose meter result was 100 mg/dL, it could vary on the downside to 80 mg/dL or on the up side to 120 mg/dL and still be considered clinically accurate

Whether your glucose meter is calibrated for whole blood or plasma you must still factor in the 20% variance. For example, if your lab result is 140 mg/dL, a clinically accurate reading would range from 112 on the low side and up to 168 on the high side.
 
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