3/7 Sasha AMPS unknown

I did 5 pokes in each ear. Ears were warm. Not enough blood for the test strip to wick. Even though there was not enough blood to get a test result, I could not re-use the strip either. Got the dreaded E-6 error. Gave up and shot anyway.

Sasha happy, hungry, energetic.

Seamist
Sasha's mom

 

Good morning


previous day:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=8258&p=82679#p82679


since there is no preshot, and no checks last nite, I would highly recommend you try for spotchecks this morning., +1 and/or +3
just keep an eye on him if u can.

do u have the checklists of signs of hypo? Hopefully you will never need it, but it is a good idea to have.
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1122

And you have your Hypo tool kit stocked up? MC (medium carb) HC (high carb) karo etc?
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2354

I know testing can be difficult, but the more practice you can get, the easier it gets. Do u try a little treat after each attempt?

 

I cannot tell you how important it is to test--Do you put down a treat to feed Sasha while you are testing to distract?
I never approach Moonie to test unless her back is to me..She ran from every attempt to test, when I came right at her..You need to feed real pieces of chicken, or halo dried chicken treats, while testing--It really helps. Moonie was urine tested for 11 months till I could test myself, and probably would have had a better recovery if I had been able to do it..
You should get ketodiastix, which measure urine glucose--It is not an up to the minute testing technique, and you need to put strips under urine stream while cat is in litter box, but it is something...It measures the urine glucose from 3-5 hrs ago, but, also measures ketones..That is important-Hope you will be able to test later today!

 

hi again

just wondering if you had a chance to see Libby's rely last nite in yesterdays thread?

Just a little housekeeping as they call it here in the Lantus forum, if you can, just before you begin your new thread for the day, take a peek at the last days thread for any replies that you may of missed, then you link that thread to the new day, like I did above.

 

You might be using lancets that are too small a gauge. See if you can find them in 26ga, 28ga or 29ga. 30 and up are pretty small and sometimes result in no blood.

 

We found our biggest helps in turning testing from a frustrating experience to a 95% successful one were:

1) Bigger gauge lancet, and setting the pen to 9, which is the deepest penetration.

2) Warming the ear and massaging a bit, THEN placing the warmed sock against Basil's chest, his back to us, and getting him (and us) to relax.

3) Really learning where that sweet spot was. The photo was SO helpful for that.

I hope it works out better for you soon. I know how frustrating it feels to have a pokefest and no test!

 

hi Sheryl! Great to see you back today! :mrgreen:

I hear your frustration. Just look at how far you have come since the first day Amy and I were over there...YOU are doing the tests and shots! Give yourself a pat on the back. :mrgreen:

I hope someone will be able to come around and better explain the dosing protocol and concept than maybe I have. I fear that changing the dose up depending on preshots (thats just what it looks like from viewing your ss,though Im not certain that is your reasoning), is going to prevent you from reaching your goal of getting Sasha off insulin. Its also a little worrisome that Sasha is capable of a preshot of 32, and then shooting days later w/o a preshot #. So, do keep an eye on him, as you always have.

I wonder if Roni can talk to you a little more about alternative testing, since i know she struggled quite a bit with testing for a very long time. Just a thought. Maybe she will jump in OR you could send a PM?

I hope you have something a little fun planned for today. enjoy it!

 

Thank you for all the input. I am reading it all. Just hard to type with a toddler pulling my arm.

Seamist
Sasha's mom

 

Also, Sasha is eating while I poke him, so he is distracted. His ears are warm and massaged. The blood is there, just not enough to wick up.

 

The reason I am giving 1 unit is because I had a few BG readings of over 300. I don't know if he ate cat chow or if the Lantus went bad. I changed to a new cartridge of Lantus, and the BG went back down.

 

Welcome back Sheryl. It's good to hear from you again.

Those are good explanations for changing up a dose. If you can't post regularly, it is helpful to put a note on Sasha's SS as to why you've made a dose change. Obviously, we'd like to see more of you but I understand how hard it can be to manage a household.

Please continue to shoot the 0.75 that Libby suggested. This should be a safe dose for Sasha. One issue with Lantus is that the dosing needs to be consistent. So unless you get a very low pre-shot number, stick with a dose until the protocol indicates the dose needs to be lowered or raised. Please consider posting here if you're not sure what to do. Usually, there is someone around that can help you think through your options.