1 hr. before evening shot, a 174, should I shoot?

Pet sitter arrived to demonstrate/teach her BG testing techniques. She got a 174 reading about 45 minutes before normal shot, and Oren is due for his 2 units at 7:15. BG probably still going up? Is it safe to shoot tonight?

 

It's great that you're learning the tricks of testing as you risk hypo by shooting blind. It's not an unsafe number to shoot but if you do shoot tonight you will want to monitor with further tests throughout the evening so you will need to have strips on hand and you also want to have some high carb wet food and/or syrup on hand just in case you need to push him back up a bit. How confident are you about testing now?

 

not super confident, I watched her method but she actually did it. A few nights ago she got a 132 and did NOT shoot. I have Friskies pate for my other non diabetic, which has some rice, so i assume it's probably higher carb than the Fancy feast; also have the Purina DM kibble, definitely higher carb.., and molasses and honey.... how soon after shoot would i test again? +2, +3?

 

Dry food is not so good for steering low numbers because it takes longer to kick in and stays in the system longer. Usually people use a gravy food for their HC but you can also add a couple of drops of syrup to regular food for similar effect. You want to get another test before you shoot to make sure the BG is going up, I assume you haven't fed since +10 (as a newbie you don't really want to shoot a falling number at this stage) I would then get a +2, with lantus this can often be a really good indicator of where the cycle is going. If it's much lower than your preshot this can indicate an active cycle.

 

well, no one responded till now, which is +1 for his regular time and I went ahead and fed and shot him w/o another test. no tests done yesterday, but the last 3 PSPM readings were in the 200's. I'll try and test in another hour which will be +2. This is EXTREMELY stressful as I don't feel I know what I'm doing exactly and while folks are kind and helpful here, I don't always get timely responses, which just makes me more nervous. No finger pointing meant by that statement; I know people are busy... I just am so new at this that I don't always understand the jargon and all the subtleties ... will just watch him carefully and try again in an hour...

 

Don't panic I will keep an eye on you today just off to do a test be back shortly.

 

dont feel bad i am a nurse and have a hard time with all the numbers, acronyms etc. i am so proud i conquered the spread sheet today! its only been 4-5 weeks since diagnosis and i feel like its been forever!

 

A couple of tips:

If you want someone to come back you can tag them like this @Vyktors Mum they will then get an alert that they have been tagged and come back - assuming they're still on the board, they will get the alert when they log back in if they're not.

Since you're giving lantus you may also find you get faster, better targeted responses to questions like this by posting in the lantus/levemir insulin support forum. That is a very busy forum where all the lantus experts hang out. Keep posting here with any general health or advice questions.

A lot of people using lantus or levemir post a daily 'condo'/thread in the lantus/levemir forum to report on their cat generally and particularly the numbers. This allows all the regular users to get to know you and your cat well and therefore be able to provide the best tailored advice for you as well as give general moral support, (and hassle you about doing the testing ) we are like family over there

I see there's about 20 mins to go until your +2 test so I'll be back then to see what's happening.

 

Still waiting for your update - any problems testing?

 

hi; Sorry, I got a phone call at 9:00, and thought I'd try at +2.5, 9:45. He is sound asleep right now though?! Maybe that works in my favor. I'm so nervous I won't get a successful test. For the first time ever tonight, he squeaked a little when i gave the PM shot too.. it hurt for some reason?

I wondered if I should be on the other thread, it just seemed that everyone there was way ahead of me at this point, but you're right, I probably should post there.

so I should wake him up now and try a test? THANKS SO MUCH for the help!!

 

See if you can do it while he sleeps, Vyktor would sleep right through his in the end

 

Some times you might touch a nerve or something with the needle, also I believe that colder insulin can sting a little so it's good to draw the dose up first, then test, feed and shoot so it's had a chance to warm up a little - that assumes you are drawing with a syringe rather than using the pen to dose, which I wonder about since I see from your signature that your vet had you jump up from 1 to 2 units - not something we'd recommend here. We usually increase in 0.25 unit increments so you don't miss the right dose.

The people in the l/l forum are generally way ahead of you - that's why you post there you will learn so much so fast

 

ok, well I am so pathetic. 3 solid jabs, no blood. looked like it almost wanted to start after one, but I couldn't milk it out. He started to get very impatient and squirmy, i gave him some freeze dried chicken treats and let him go. WHY CAN'T I DO THIS???? I am beyond frustrated. I thought I went right through the ear as my tech did. He didn't bleed immediately for her, but w/ a little squeezing she got it going. I couldn't replicate it. Ugh. Not sure how I'm going to get through this.

 

No problem deep breaths. three strikes and you're out is about right. We'll try again in a little bit. They do start to bleed easier after a short time, something about capillaries building up or some such I don't remember precisely.

Did you rub or otherwise warm the ear first?

 

Don't be down on yourself, no one here became an expert overnight You are so far from pathetic because here you are trying, you are awesome very awesome you will get there

 

Sometimes, when you're really desperate to get blood, you might aim for the vein. Just be aware that it may bleed profusely, so you'll want to blot quickly after getting the test.

It can help to practice on yourself and on a piece of fruit.

 

Thes testing was the hardest part for me as well. Scary and frustrating. Be as gentle with yourself as you would with Oren. You will get it. I remember reading several people's posts that their cats got so used to the testing (and treats after! essential, even if you don't get sample) that their cats would get into position and wait. I thought that was the most ridiculous thing I ever read. Sure enough after less than a week of testing, Fredo was doing the same. He still flinches when I prick, and sometimes we have to try a few times, but they really do get used to it.

 

Luckily my cat just thinks its more attention and hes very good but the heated baby sock with rice held on the inside of the ear while pressing the lancet on the outside edge really produces a nice size drop.

 

previously, i have tried the heated sock, and still no luck. My tech did 5 days of 2-3x a day testing, no warming or anything. She just put him on a chair w/ him wedged against her body, using herself and the back of chair to keep him from backing out, held his ear and JAB. One prick and got a blood drop, although it wasn't immediate. She waited till she sees a little red, then starts to 'milk' it. I did see what I thought was the start of something, but it was almost like it was under the skin, a blood blister or something. Couldn't get it to come out. And he just gets fussy after a while of me holding/messing w/ his ear. I was hoping her tests would have made him start to develop those capillaries everyone talks about and thus make it easier for me. But perhaps I'm just not poking hard enough?

 

are you using a lancing device or going freehand?

I rub the edge of the ear where I want to test for about 30-60 seconds before doing the poke to get the blood flowing there

 

I'm trying free hand, the lancet device doesn't seem to work right? the very first time i tried this several weeks ago now, I got blood, i think because just by dumb luck, I hit the vein. Many tries later, haven't gotten 1 single sample again. Yes, I've tried rubbing the ear first, the warming sock, even cuddling him close and breathing on the ear to warm it. It's just a mystery why I can't seem to get blood again. I must be being too tentative or something?

 

Also what size is your pricker (it will be measured in 'gauge') it may be that you need a thicker one (which is a lower number gauge) to start with.
If you're using a lancing device you can turn it up to go deeper.

 

using ultra thin 30 gauge. the lancet device doesn't seem to eject correctly, no matter how i dial the depth. It seems to only protrude past the 'cone' tip on the first try, then subsequent resets, it doesn't seen like it gets past the opening of the cone, even when set to the deepest setting. I don't think he'd like the click either.

 

maybe you need a thicker gauge , maybe you're not getting quite the right spot (are you able to see the vein in Oren's ears or is it guess work), or maybe you are a little too tentative. With the lancet device I use I think it generally goes all the way through with the piece of ear being so thin, I often prick my finger that's holding the other side of the ear. There's a thought too, do you have something firm on the back of the ear when you prick?

Just saw that you're using a 30 gauge, that could very well be a part of your problem, I use a 28 (which is larger) on cats that are used to being poked. I think 30 may be a bit too thin for newbie ears.

If the lancet device doesn't seem to be working you should take it back to where you bought it so they can replace it or show you where you're going wrong. My mum was convinced the one she had was broken but when she took it back in she found that it was just that she hadn't been resetting it correctly. You can acclimatise them to the clicking by clicking a pen near their ear.


ETA - have you tried the lancing device on yourself? Maybe it is working but just doesn't look like it to you.

.

 

well, i am almost out of test strips (thanks to vet tech!) so i need to get more, maybe I'll pick up 28 gauge lancets too. I bought a 100 count of the 30's so it's kind of a waste I guess, unless he 'grows' into them one day! thankfully, they're cheap. The meter and all supplies came from Walmart, so I doubt I'd get much in the way of help! the supplies aren't in the pharmacy, just on the shelves. tho i guess I could ask a pharmacist for a demo?

 

For starting out I've been using a 26 gauge - for ReliOn meters from Walmart, it's the alternate site use lancets. Listed as THIN Lancets on the box and the lancets themselves are a kind of beige color. A box of 100 runs about $4. The smaller gauge now work fine on Rosa's ears - I can even get away with the 31 gauge for her ears now after only a few weeks. I also thought the device wasn't working when I first tried with the ultra-fine lancets - it was, it just wasn't getting any blood because her ears hadn't learned to bleed. But if you ever find you need to do paw pad testing to give his ears a break, the 26 work much better for those. You might find testing a paw pad easier while you're learning - you don't have to hit an exact spot like you do with the ears. And it doesn't really bother then that much - if I could get video on my own of Rosa having her paw pad tested I would do - unless she's feeling really wriggly from frequent testing, she just lays in my arms...doesn't even try to move when I'm done testing.

 

One thing you never want to run low on is strips. When a cat is having low numbers you can really tear through them. Strips, high carb food and syrup of some variety are essentials in the diabetic cat house!

He could very well grow into them once he starts bleeding a bit better so hopefully not wasted.

Have you tried pricking yourself with the lancet to make sure there really is a problem? Maybe it just looks to you like the needles coming out but it really is?

I have to duck out to the shops for some supplies I will check on you when I get back. In the meantime are you all calm and collected and ready to try for another test?

Some special rules for you - don't convince yourself it won't work before you try, don't be disappointed if you don't get the blood this time, do relax yourself or Oren will feed off your stress Three deep breaths, shake out your body a little and off you go...

Remember - you are not a failure if you don't get the blood right now, you are already a success because you're trying and you will get there.

 

thanks all, especially Vyktor's mum , for your encouragement and patience! Normally, I'm off on Fridays, but have to go to a most of the day training tomorrow. Not out till 3.30, then maybe can run to store for new lancets and some fancy feast gravy cans "just in case". By syrup, what I have on hand currently is molasses, honey and maple syrup. Everyone suggests Karo, but is that necessary if I have the other 3 alternatives? I may just try one more now, which would be +5 but then i must off to bed.

 

I use honey for Rosa and it works just fine. I prefer it because it's something we always have in the house anyway so there's no risk of running low. You shouldn't need to buy anything other than what you already have for that. I would definitely go with some fancy feast in gravy though - that's often enough without adding sugar if they're just heading a little lower than you'd like but not at any risk.

If you can take one more try at a test before bed, that would be good - it's all practice even if you don't manage to get any blood. A few deep breaths, take it calmly as Vyktor's Mum says. And don't worry if you don't manage to get enough blood for a test this time.

 

gave it one last try. Singing to him and 'happy voice' the whole time. definitely saw a red spot, but couldn't get enough to flow through; milking and encouraging it. But, it seemed more promising. Will try again tomorrow. More treats, a little dab of Neosporin w/ pain relief on the poor wee ear and now off to bed. As Scarlett O'Hara says, tomorrow IS another day!

 

I think you'll find in much easier when you get the larger lances and in the meantime both you and Oren have got some practice in and you sound much more positive do you leave food out?

 

If you got a red spot with the extra small lancet, you're doing better than I did with that size to begin with! I'm sure you'll have very little problem getting a big enough drop to test once you have a better gauge lancet to try with.

 

This morning, 2 more fails in the ear, then FINALLY success on the footpad, after 2 jabs. unfortunately the reading was 493, considerably higher than the last 3 AMPS. perhaps because i stressed him a bit? anyway, at least I got something. Perhaps the footpad is the better way for me?

 

Whoo hoo congratulations. Whatever works for the pair of you is good

Chances are the red number is Oren bouncing from being in blue numbers, his liver has got used to very high numbers and thinks those are normal so it's had a little panic and sent the BG flying up again. Bounces can clear quickly or can last up to 6 cycles.

 

so 6 cycles is 3 days? meaning, i might expect this at PSAM and PSPM for possibly 3 days? Unfortunately, i have to be away all day for a training today, so can't do mid-day testing. Will hopefully get another PSPM at least. Next Fri I was to take him in to vet for a +5 test and then a fructosamine, I'm wondering if I should do the +5 at home, then let the vet do the fructosamine? Save a tad of money and stress on him... If I can consistently get numbers b/n now and then, that seems a decent strategy?

 

Yes, 6 cycles is 3 full days.
While you're at WalMart, pick up some KetoDiaStix to test the urine for ketones. These form as a byproduct of fat breakdown. Too many may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious complication of unregulated diabetes.