Questions about coding on AlphaTrak strips

[eileen]

Re: Buying Alpha Track..need advice before!

Pat,

Whenever I need to order anything online I will first do a search for any coupon codes that may apply to that particular company...I simply google, coupon codes for XXX

Here are some for americandiabeteswholesale,

http://coupons.thefind.com/coupons/s...eteswholesale/

[abbeyroad]

Cleaning internal port of alpha trak

Hi Folks and fellow Alphatrakers As previously posted I was having a terrible time with wasting strips when i first purchased my Alpha Trak inspite of more than adequate sample. After speaking directly with one of the veterinarians at Abbot he had me go through a couple of steps to be sure it was not my meter. One of the steps was to "buff" as he called it the internal parts to free up any microscopic debris.

Procedure: You will have to sacrifice 1 alpha test strip, but I put the strip away in a separate plastic bag to be used again for cleaning purposes.

anyway, simply insert the strip into the machine as you would for a test and take it out and put it back in several tims. Then remove the strip and very gently tap the meter on the counter, etc. so that any debris might fall out of the port.

Now, take the same strip and put it in backwards into the port, It will go in harder becase this end is larger, but put it in and take itout several times and then tap.

He told me that even microscopic specs can get trapped and this "buffing" will take care of it.

Also, I read a tip that soe people use petroleum jelly on the test area so the blood sample beads up and does not go into the hair. This is not the best thing to do with "sipping strips" he told me as the vaselin can plug the tiny little areas on the strip where the blood goes in.

So 2 tips, no vaseline if possible and buff your meter to clean on occasion.
Good luck
Mary Jo

[jjefferjo]

Re: Buying Alpha Track..need advice before!

OMG
I can't wait to share this with my vet, with all of those meters round there= you have to wonder

[jesse girl]

Re: Buying Alpha Track..need advice before!

what a concept the meters need to be cleaned I know when a computer is cleaned it runs allot better . Ive noticed overtime my meter would get some crazy readings I blamed it on the strips maybe its just dirty.

[CarolW]

Re: Buying Alpha Track..need advice before!

about cleaning - one time, I applied a test strip to a kind of flood of blood - using my OneTouch Ultra2 meter. Not only did I not get a useful reading; the blood dripped down inside the port. Yikes!

Just instinctively, I took a fresh test strip and inserted it several times, kind of "wiping" the blood out of the port - might have used a second strip as well.

I reported to Customer Care; they said if the meter was reading right with Control Solution, all was well. Indeed, it seemed to be, as I went on using that meter for a long time afterwards (till Kumbi died).

Your description of the cleaning method for the AlphaTrak really interested me! Sounds like a great idea!

Tue, 8 Feb 2011 21:48:32 (PST)

[pat3332]

Re: Buying Alpha Track..need advice before!

Thanks Eileen, I appreciate the link.

Mary Jo, that was some great information. There have been several times in the last 5 months that the meter just would not read no matter how much blood I got and I would waste 2-3 strips trying to get something other than an error code. I just assumed the glucose level was too low to register since that's what the manual says, but at least a couple of times I could tell he wasn't low because he was acting too much like he had a high glucose level for it to be low.

I need to go. I can't wait to go clean and buff my AlphaTrak!

Thanks

Pat

[silkiegal]

Re: Buying Alpha Track..need advice before!

Thanks for the coupon site, it saved us $20 off our total order, we really appreciate it. We got the meter and 50 strips delivered for $123.98 total

Pat,

Whenever I need to order anything online I will first do a search for any coupon codes that may apply to that particular company...I simply google, coupon codes for XXX

Here are some for americandiabeteswholesale,

http://coupons.thefind.com/coupons/s...eteswholesale/

[eileen]

Re: Buying Alpha Track..need advice before!

Thanks for the coupon site, it saved us $20 off our total order, we really appreciate it. We got the meter and 50 strips delivered for $123.98 total

You're welcome...don't forget the control solution.

Pat, thanks for the cleaning tip...I was impressed with the customer care at Abbott when I called to talk to a veterinarian when I had a slight problem with my meter.
FYI, use name brand batteries as 'off' brands often cause problems with the meter.

[Bichonluver3]

Re: Buying Alpha Track..need advice before!

My new Alpha Trak seems to be working fine - will do our first curve tomorrow. However, I did all the settings and everything was okay. Then I kind of played around with it looking for averages etc. The next time I tested sparky, there was no "beep" but the meter worked fine. I went into the settings again to reset the "beeper" but it no longer brings up that screen. Help, my beep is gone
Carrol

[HarrysMom]

Re: Buying Alpha Track..need advice before!

My Alpha Trak does not seem all that consistent.
This morning when Harry usually reads low (2 hours after the injection), I tested him - 354. This was done inside lips. I noticed that Harry bit his outside lips and saw blood - so I decided to repeat the test using this outside blood - 250. This was done about 30 seconds apart.
What could this be? Could the first reading be faulty due to saliva, etc.? Outside lip reading was done on fresh blood.
I am so glad that I ordered OneTouch Ultra 2 - coming any day now. I could use a back up reading device.

Yunhee

[pat3332]

Re: Buying Alpha Track..need advice before!

Carol, I'm not sure where your beep went, but on mine, it's the first setting that comes up when the SET first comes up and there's a little bell in the bottom left corner, then each time I press the C button, it changes from a bell with a line through it for no beep, the next is just a bell for low and the third has 3-4 waves coming off of it for high.

I'm sure you already know all of that, but I'm just repeating it in case you missed something. If you're unable to get it back, I'd call Abbott since if I had a problem with one thing, I'd worry about something else being wrong with it.

Yunhee, I could be wrong, but I would think that the spot where he bit himself would have more saliva mixed with it from being driven into the wound when he bit himself and how long it had been since he bit himself. You didn't say, but if you didn't notice it right when he did it, it could have been bleeding for a little while. He may have drank some water since he did it, or been licking something else. It's really hard to say.

I've said before that my AT will vary if I check the same site with two different test strips one after the other, but usually only by about 10-40, not as big of a variance as you saw. For a better test, I'd do like I did and check the same site with 2 different test strips, one after the other. You might call Abbott, but with it being 2 different sites and not being sure how long since he bit himself, it might vary quite a bit.

Pat

[silkiegal]

Re: Buying Alpha Track..need advice before!

What exactly is the control sloution??

You're welcome...don't forget the control solution.

Pat, thanks for the cleaning tip...I was impressed with the customer care at Abbott when I called to talk to a veterinarian when I had a slight problem with my meter.
FYI, use name brand batteries as 'off' brands often cause problems with the meter.

[HarrysMom]

Re: Buying Alpha Track..need advice before!

I am hating my Alpha Trak.
This morning, one reading read 350, and the second reading after 30 seconds read 250 - different sites, so OK.
Just now, my husband did a reading (inside lips) - 500. Same site on a different strip read 345 (not the same blood drop - a different puncture site). WTF (excuse the language)?!?
A new batch of the strip -the test control solution read 185 vs. the top range of 185.
How the hell am I supposed to know what is right?
I got online to get Abbott's customer service phone number - just can't fine the darn phone number.

Yunhee

[abbeyroad]

My alphatrak also going crazy

Hi Yunhee: Okay something is also wrong with my meter and or the test strips. I believe it is the test strips. I was using a vial of strips coded 6 for dog. The readings seemed rather consistent. I used the last one in that vial and I had to open a brand new vial of strips. This time the vial was coded 7 for dogs so I promptly changed the code on my meter to correspond. Well Abbey does have an anal sac infection but she has been running consistently in the high 300's. With the vial coded 7 and the first test strip from that vial she was just now 574. I quickly grabbed ANOTHER brand new box of test strips and zipped it open. This time the vial was coded 6 for dogs so I quickly changed the meter setting and tested her. She was 394. I grabbed another test strip from that brand new vial coded 6 and this time she was 407 which is a reasonable difference. There is no way in a 5 second time span she was 574 then 394. A 200 point difference.

I called Abbott and left a message. Here is the phone number and you should probably also call them since our complaint is the same. I am hopeful they are going to make this right by us especially if both of us are having the same problem and I am sure it does not end with us. Here is their number
1-888-299-7416.

Feel free to private message me anytime to let me know how you made out. I am hopeful they call me first thing tomorrow morning.
Regards
Mary Jo and Abbey

[HarrysMom]

Re: Buying Alpha Track..need advice before!

Mary Jo,
That is exactly how mine happend. The previous batch was coded 6 and tested well within the range.
The new batch is coded 7, and things have been erratic. I have another unopened batch, and I will test with both and see how things fare. This is so annoying.
I had a batch a few weeks ago that was weird. The first strip tested out of bounds. The second one tested normal.