Goodbye to My Murphy

[eileen]

Originally Posted by harleychik66

I am contemplating already getting an alphatrack system and using that for the all days curves when I take them but then the Confirm for just random testing.

So very glad you are home blood testing!

With americandiabeteswholesale the Alpha Trak 2 meter/kit is about $60.00 when using the code, alpha2...a great savings.
They do however require a script from your Vet for the first order. They will fax your Vet for a signature.
If you go this route you may want to call your Vet to give him the heads up.

[harleychik66]

Originally Posted by eileen

So very glad you are home blood testing!

With americandiabeteswholesale the Alpha Trak 2 meter/kit is about $60.00 when using the code, alpha2...a great savings.
They do however require a script from your Vet for the first order. They will fax your Vet for a signature.
If you go this route you may want to call your Vet to give him the heads up.

When I was in Monday for Lou's curve test there I asked/ mentioned that down the road I may need him to write a prescription because I saw it showed you needed one. Because we'd already kinda verbally duked it out about home testing....guess who won...he said no problem. If/when I decided to order one he would gladly write a prescription for it.

[abdamurph]

Has anyone had problems with bladder infections and having trouble regulating the glucose because of this? Murphy was diagnosed with diabetes in June 2013 and we still cannot regulate him, he started at 15 units and he is now up to 23 and still not working. It seems he may be having bladder problems and possibly an infection and from what I read this can contribute to regulation problems. Just was wondering if anyone had experience in this area and if once the infection was cleared the glucose was able to be regulated. Thx

[abdamurph]

Is it true you can use these strips instead of AlphaTrak 2 strips which are much more expensive and if so how accurate and realiable are they? I hear they aren't good over a 300 reading and Murphy tests over 300 on a regular basis since he isn't regulated yet. Also where can you buy these strips and how much less expensive are they? Thx!

[CraigM]

Originally Posted by abdamurph

Is it true you can use these strips instead of AlphaTrak 2 strips which are much more expensive and if so how accurate and realiable are they? I hear they aren't good over a 300 reading and Murphy tests over 300 on a regular basis since he isn't regulated yet. Also where can you buy these strips and how much less expensive are they? Thx!

Several of us use FreeStyle Lite test strips in our AlphaTrak2 meters. My theory is that these strips are identical (no proof, just my theory). I've compared several vials of FSL test strips and they generally have read within 10 points of the true AlphaTrak strips. I figure 10 points is "nothing", just normal variance between different batches.

The trick is what code do you plug into the AlphaTrak? What I do is to IGNORE the code printed on the FSL vial and use the code from the AlphaTrak vial. So far I think all my vials of FSL strips have been marked "code 16" which, I guess, auto-codes the real FreeStyle Lite meter to human blood. We don't want to code to human blood, so I have used the latest code marked on an AlphaTrak vial (currently 35).

Best if you want to try FSL strips is to make a few tests with both FSL & AlphaTrak strips and see if they work for you.

I order FSL strips from Amazon, whatever site that gives the best price.

Here is a screenshot of the strips I'm using: https://www.dropbox.com/s/sqpa5h8z4c...-26_121134.png I think the boxes that state FreeStyle Freedom Lite (see the orange arrow on the screenshot.

Craig

Just looked in Annie's logbook. On 1-5-14 I tested using both AlphaTrak strips & FSL strips. The AlphaTrak = 105, FSL = 112 (left the AlphaTrak meter set at 35 per the AlphaTrak strip vial). Your results may vary. :-)

[k9diabetes]

The infections are common because of all the sugar in the urine and usually mostly go away once the regulation is better.

How much does Murphy weigh?

That would give me an idea of whether his insulin dose is relatively high for his weight.

The infection can upset blood sugar levels, making them higher and/or erratic. So getting rid of an infection gives you a better idea of how well the insulin and diet are working for him and whether he just needs more insulin or whether something else is the problem.

Do you test blood sugar at home?

Has he had curves done?

What were his blood sugar levels on any curves done?

Natalie

[abdamurph]

Hi, thanks for replying. Murphy weighs 60 lbs, I have been doing curves about once a month since he was first diagnosed in June of last year with the AlphaTrak 2. He has not been regulated at all since diagnosis. His last test was a week ago and his glucose starts off in the morning at around 350 before feeding and insulin the lowest it goes down to is 150 and it gets as high as 650 right after dinner before 2nd insulin injection.

[abdamurph]

Thanks for the info. I actually have a couple of AlphaTrak Vials one is coded 5 and the other is coded 36 does it matter which one I use when using the Freestyle Strips? Also do you know where is the least expensive place to purchase AlphaTrak2 strips, the lowest I have seen is $50 for 50 strips. I am unemployed for a year now and all of this is getting really expensive for me. Thanks again!

[amydunn19]

The problem is the high blood sugar contributes to the infections which in turn can cause high blood sugar - vicious cycle. Is he being treated with antibiotics for the infections? Has the vet cultured these samples to see if the infections are resistant to antibiotics?

Can you post a curve you have done recently? Also, what are you feeding and how much? Since he did get down to 150, the insulin works. I am wondering if it is a food issue or something in the routine that could be tweaked to change his fasting numbers? What type of insulin do you use? Do you inject immediately after his meal or wait? Are his meals twelve hours apart?

[CraigM]

http://www.amazon.com/FreeStyle-Lite...se+test+strips $61.45 for 100 strips sounds OK? This was found in about 5 seconds, there might be less expensive sources if you hunted.

As I said, I'd test with your normal AlphaTrak test strip (whatever code) and then quickly replace with a FreeStyle Lite strip and see how they compare. You will have to do your own comparisons. I keep AlphaTrak strips in "stock" to compare with other meters/strips.

Craig