Need a Blood Glucose monitor. Can anyone recommend a good one that syncs with iPhone

Hi All,
My Lucky was diagnosed today. Have the ProZinc and syringes ordered but still haven’t gotten a BG monitor.
Need recommendations for one that syncs to iPhone so it will keep track of numbers.
Also can someone explain the 45 degree angle because although I was watching the vet in my brain I was shutting down.
I’ve done this back in 2008 but I’m just stressed out and blocking.
Thank you much!
Barbara-Ann

 

Apple has one - what phone do you have? iOS or Android, etc? There's also the One Touch, Freestyle, etc. God help me, this is part of what I do for a living (cell phone customer service) - believe it or not there's not alot of apps for phones via devices that're "good" - not yet anyway. They're out there don't get me wrong but TRUST ME you're better off getting a regular human meter and using THEIR memory capabilities. Give it maybe 5 years and it'll be much better, but honestly - I wouldn't recommend it for starting out.

If anyone has questions by all means message me, but USE THE ACTUAL METER. Use a log book, paper and pen - do NOT use your smart phone for this just yet (if you're new). There's nothing "wrong" with it per say but the data CAN get scrambled, lost, the charts don't ALWAYS align properly, etc. Not to mention with "updates" it can totally screw your BG fiiles. The apps just aren't stable enough, fool-proof for me enough. Again doesn't mean they don't work, but it can be dicey depending.

If it was me, I'd go for the iPhone Glucose, Accu-Chek Aviva, Relion Confirm or the Contour Net EZ for smart phone reporting but again, beware.

This is just MY opinion mind you, everyone can of course do what they want - but.. *shakes head* I wouldn't. Desktops, laptops, tablets.. good. Smartphones? Noot just yet.

For the 45 I assume you mean the angle the stick was done? I'd think it was due to helping the blood be tapped better, come out better, etc. as blood rushes through in a straight line so if you do a 45 the "push" or BP behind it will yield a better result. If you go from the "top" not so much so you have to "milk" it more, use your hands to get the drop to come up and present.

I might be wrong though on the stick, still learning!

 

Thanks, @Candy&Company! I learned something here. I've been doing the straight down stick, going through the other side more times than not and having a bad time of it. Not to mention what Bama is going through. I'll try the 45 next time. I was going straight down because that's what the vet tech recommended. She uses a needle type device to prick his ear whereas I freehand the tiny pointed lancet. I, too, have been in tears over Bama's ears and gushing blood.

 

@Barbara-Ann

Are you talking about the 45 degree angle when you test the BG or are you talking about the angle for shooting the insulin? When shooting the insulin, you are aiming for just under the skin, not going into muscle, so you turn the syringe a bit so you aren't poking straight down. Here's a YouTube video I found helpful in learning to inject my cat.

 

Barbara-ann, we have a spreadsheet that we use here on the board to track the BG and insulin data. It's through Google account, then Drive and Sheets. I got help setting up the spreadsheet here, and found that I could not access it on my Kindle which is what I was using to log on before I dusted off the laptop. But since I already had an account I was able to load Sheets on my phone and I use it most of the time to enter Idjit's test data. I don't know if I explained that very well, but this may be the way you can use your phone and the spreadsheet here. You use the BG meter to test, then record in the spreadsheet. I hope I haven't confused you. Here is a link to the spreadsheet. When you create your signature and then your spreadsheet, other members will have the pertinent current information to help you.
SIGNATURE
SPREADSHEET

 

This is mostly what I do to update the spreadsheet we keep here. And occasionally I edit it on my computer to make changes bigger than just recording the current date's info.

 

When Fabby was diagnosed I just couldn't believe this did not exist in a functional form yet for smart phones and apps.
I resisted the spreadsheet used here for days before giving in. Lol. Seriously, there is nothing out there better.

The bonus is, if you need help in an instant there's a whole forum of people that read the same spreadsheet and can offer good advice through experience.
My vet was even easily able to receive the spreadsheet and read it when I emailed the updated link to them right before every appointment. It made things so easy.
I used the ReLion Confirm/micro because it used the smallest blood sample, and the strips for it are cheap. I would test and then open up Fabalous' sheet (which was a shortcut on my smart phone) and enter it in the spreadsheet with my phone while Fabby enjoyed her treat.

 

Yeah I read about the 45 on here!! If you do it at that angle, or, close enough, you don't necessarily have to "milk" so much or so hard - you use the natural beat of the heart and the flow of blood to help you with that! It's what I've been trying and, granted, failing at.. well, capturing the drop anyway, LOL.

My pokes, I don't know if I'm doing them wrong - I might be.. but with capillaries in the ears, the heart pumps the blood UP - then it gets sucked back down, so I've been trying a 45 angle from the "top angle" and the "bottom angle" of the sweet spot (aka 45 degree angle from the parallel of the ear edge) - I haven't tried from the side yet. That's my project for tonight and tomorrow.

The time Fena threw the blood drop (in another post of mine) it was straight down, which made the drop SO PERFECT TO GET - but she shook and it flew and... ugh. Great size, but trying to milk another one up just wasn't happening.

Ooh you too? I thought I was prepared for ANYTHING but I just lost it that time... hate myself for that, sigh. I mean, I could've gotten the sample AND stopped the bleeding but I just reacted and then fell apart. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen again.

No for the shot itself, I feel around and "tent" the skin - then feel for the "pocket" and adjust the angle as needed, depending on where I'm pulling up - sometimes it's a straight parallel entry, other times a btt of an angle to make sure I don't shoot into the fur, skin, fat, muscle, etc. Fena loves it though, despite it taking me sometimes upwards of 1+ min. to find/get it right, LOL. Thank you so much for the link though, I learned a thing or two from it which I hope will help!!

With her eating better and getting more water, and moving around more, it's not as easy to tent the various places on her body as it used to be.

 

This is one of the meters I use. It send reading via bluetooth to your phone. Strips are $12.50 for 50 strips
https://ihealthlabs.com/glucometer/wireless-smart-gluco-monitoring-system/

 

I like this. Only drawback is the .7 ml size reqiured for the blood sample. I wish someone would post a picture of these various blood drop sizes. Must be some pics somewhere given the vastness of the interwebs.

 

Found this site. Lots of info including a blood drop sample size chart @Bama Kitty Mom (AL)
http://main.diabetes.org/dforg/pdfs/2017/2017-cg-blood-glucose-meters.pdf

 

Thanks @Sharon14

This is great! Maybe one of the mods could create a sticky or something.

 

It’s a great list of all available meters including costs of strips and blood drop size too. Pretty neat site!