amps 387 +1 379 pmps 441

we have been at it trying for amps for 30 mins. larry has had treats and some canned food. the times we made contact his ear isnt bleeding. its nice and warm. most evrytime he jumps the second the click sounds. i am not coordinated enuf this early to do freestyle i dont want to stab his eye, or evn my hand or another part of him, or anything. i am exhausted and in a lot of pain this early in the morning. he wont be still. not sure what the answer is. i am giving 100 percent to this. i have tried all 3 devices this morning and diff. lancets. whats left to do? hes hungry and jumpy, and i am so discouraged.
i know this is required here, and i dont want to go back to just dosing twice a day blindly, not testing or using the board. i wish i knew how to make mornings work.
we finished our box of 50 strips yest. down 50 in abt 10 days.

 

Re: frazzled

You have 3 choices here if you absolutely can not get that AM pre shot test.

1. Skip the shot. Larry's BG's will run high all day, but it will keep him safe.
2. Give a reduced shot. Maybe only 1U. Probably less than he needs, but better some insulin than nothing. Should be ok if he is eating.
3. Give 1.5U. He's had this before, and not dropped too low. You'll probably want to test more later, around +2 and +3 hours. If you can not test more later today, because you have other things you need to do, then I would not advise you to give the 1.5U dose, but go with either option 1 or option 2.

Sorry, can't stay, got to go to work today and no computer access.

 

Re: frazzled

Deb gave you great choices, Pam. I'd think I'd go with the 1.5 because he did okay on that yesterday and you are able to test later in the am. If he is in the double digits later, you can use food to bring him up.

I hope CD can help you figure out some ways to do the test with squirmy Larry and your limitations. And didn't she have another lancet she thought might be easier for you to use ?

 

Re: frazzled

Instead of using the lancet device, have you tried using the lancet free hand? My cats never liked the pen and I also found that I have better control when using the lancet without it.

 

Re: frazzled

he will not be still hes hyper and almost frantic. hes shaken off the tiny blood drops i got. hes high, hes hungry, he does not feel well. we r way behind schedule now. been at this ovr an hr.
im not sure if CD sent the lancet or not?? i sure hope so!!! the tiny one is perfect but larry is not feeling well and wont hold still, so in this case, nothing works. mornings r very hard on him too. days r easy. he feels btr and will hold still.
we hv used almost all the tuna.
i can try one more time, but hes really wild today. he needs his insulin. i hate seeing him like this.
the new strips keep giving me an E6 too. hope theyre going to work ok. therye all i have.

 

Re: frazzled

Try one of the strips on yourself first to make sure they are working right.

 

Re: frazzled

hes 387 so i guess it was the hunger. hes never been that hyper, altho hes hyper every morning. at 387 do we do 2U? altho i will not be able to monitor today?

 

Re: frazzled

too late sue. but evry single 1 said error 6 whn i put it in at first. i threw away 2 already.
can sum1 tell me what that means? i dont have much reading comprehension skills. i will look it up later. now i am super late for my day. a million things to do and he hasnt evn had his shot.
if any of u pray, plz pray.
i am trying to find a home for one of the civvies. i simply cant care for 7 anymore, physically or financially, and larry is one of the 4 main animal priorities

 

Re: frazzled

sorry lisa, so many comments today, which is good, ") cant respond to them all...but yes, if u read my above post, right b4 urs, i cant freehand.
my typing looks ok today for a bandaged finger. it still hurts. ouch!

 

Re: frazzled

uncat related. caregiver related. i guess i need a tetanus shot now too? my hands were dirty and i sliced it on a cat food can. if i can find a ride, guess i shd do that today. if i got sick there would be no1 to care for larry. hvnt had 1 in abt 8 yrs.

 

Re: frazzled

You might call the doctor first and ask. The can probably wouldn't be rusty? Be sure to wash your finger carefully and put on some neosporin.

 

Re: frazzled

yea the dr. said yes. they always do bc they want money. was trying to get a more unbiased suggestion its already sealed. nothing can get in but its red as fire and hurts

 

Re: amps 387 +1 379

i did 1 test while i could to be safe, bc now larrys sleeping like a baby i was a little concerned but he jst feels btr i guess? if he wa s always this calm, life would be a dream.
hes still a 379?? i thot this N worked fast. its been abt 45 mins. since his shot.
hope thats all ok. he had 2 U.
these strips still say E6 evry time i put in a new one. wish i cd remember what that means.

 

Re: amps 387 +1 379

Nice job getting the AMPS and +1 today! And you say Larry seems to be feeling better already, that's a nice thing to hear. His numbers will come down in a little while I bet.
I've never used the meter you have so I can't tell you what the error message means. Maybe someone who has used that type will know.

Sorry you hurt your hand. :sad: Hope you feel better soon too.

 

Re: amps 387 +1 379

Good afternoon Pam!

Looks like Larry is bouncing today - go back and read my post last night about bouncing. This is his body's way of protecting itself. His good numbers yesterday scared his body because it's gotten used to the higher numbers.

The E6 error = test strip problem. The side that is supposed to face up is the colored side with the square end going in the meter. When you put it in and get that E6 error, you probably put the strip in facing down. I know with your eyesight issues, you may have a bit of trouble seeing it until you find a way that works for you.

Blood on TOP of the strip - the 'sipping' part is not on TOP of the strip, it is a little hole in the end EDGE of the strip. If the blood drop is on top, it won't work. When that happens, see if you can scoop the drop onto your fingernail then try the strip's end.

Next time you cut yourself with anything metal, clean it well with hydrogen peroxide when you first do it. That will help it not get so nasty.

You can change your shot schedule to fit your sleep schedule as long as you can find the right hours. You can shoot late night and mid-day if that is better.

LINK TO LARRY'S YESTERDAY

BIG HUGS!

 

Re: amps 387 +1 379

yea i know how to put them in laresa. we went thru a whole box. this new box is odd tho...each strip has said error 6. threw away 2.
thanks to u both, laresa, and CD.

 

Re: amps 387 +1 379

Hummmm....makes me think that box is bad. Can you take the box and the meter to the place you got them and have them check? Maybe they gave you the wrong ones. I sometimes put strips in wrong which is why I knew about this error

 

Re: amps 387 +1 379

no i didnt purchase them myself.
i have done 3 tests now, 2 on larry and one on me, and it seems that they r working.
maybe its bc of the new code? idk. i have hard time understanding the glucometer instructions. just know how to test and read it.

 

pmps 441.
hard day, headache progressed but not quite to migraine. praying its all gone by morn so tmrw is btr!
had an angel human intervene and make our bad day btr.
guessing i will stick with 2U? would like to give it a chance to regulate b4 making another change. there have been so many.

can sum1 tell me on the relion meter, what do u do with new strips? evry insertion gvs me an E6 then i take it out and hv to reinsert twice to get it to take the nw code. i am awful with reading instructions. any1 know a simple way to change it ovr?

 

well i guess no1 is available. head busting, and larry is prob super high now. night all

 

I did reply , but it got lost! :?

Yes, I'd go ahead and give Larry 2U with that high 441 you got.

We need to know which specific Relion or Arkray meter you have, and specifically which test strips you have. Not all the test strips are interchangeable in the meters.

 

arkray glucoguard. yes theyre correct strips jst wondering what u do whn u strt using new box.
on my 2nd box of them. i forgot their name.
wow this is complicated. ohmygod_smile ohmygod_smile

 

You should not have to do anything special when you get a new batch of strips.

The Arkray and Relion meters automatically read the test strip code.
When you first power up the meter, it displays a F-x code like F-4 or F-3
That code should match the code on the back of the test vial.

It's very possible you got a bad batch of strips.

Sleep tight and be well rested for tomorrow.

They are all Arkray Glucocard somethings. Is it the Glucocard 01?

 

sorry it's been so rough for you! I never had to do anything when I got new strips for my relion. Just put them in and all was well. Maybe try a different box of strips to see if you got a bad batch?

I know it's frustrating but keep at it. :smile:

 

glucogard 01
on the 3rd insertion they work

 

thanks rachel! they still do it, weird

 

The following meters all use the same strips:

Arkray USA Glucocard 01
WalMart ReliOn Confirm
Arkray USA Glucocard 01 Mini
WalMart ReliOn Confirm Micro

All of these are made by Arkray USA.

When I test, I put the strip halfway in, do the prick, then while waiting for the droplet to well up, push the strip the rest or the way in.
I hold Gracie's ear with my left hand while massaging a bit and my arm snugs here up to me to reduce squirming. I maneuver the strip with my right hand. Both are on a shelf just above waist height for me.

 

ty bj. still get the same error 6 every time. take it out and reinsert twice, then it works. weird.

 

You may have already answered this but... Is the strip timing out? Does the E6 show right away when you insert it?

When I first learned testing I would take too long after inserting the strip before getting blood and my meter would show an error. Then someone suggested I do what BJ said, insert the strip in the meter partially until the blood drop is ready to be touched.

With that kind of intermittent performance maybe the meter is faulty ? :?

 

its immediate. its always worked perfectly. its the new strips. was hoping sum1 would know, but thanks guys.

 

asking here bc i am hoping more ppl comment on todays post and dont wna confuse them.
if u get a bg at say plus 3 and 45 minutes, do u round up to 4? or put under 3?
sum1 was nice enuf to make the SS so i do not know how to add 30 min. increments.

 

I would round up to 4. If you do 3.5, for example, you can use the line below and put 3.5 below that number in the cell on the next line. Then the next day, start a new line for the new date below. Does that make any sense?

If you can, try to get +6 and +8 today. That'll help me see if we can raise the dose on a pink 300 or if it should stay the same. I think we can also raise the dose a little on 400s ( though hope you don't see many). Can you see or estimate a 1.25 on your needles (if it is too hard to see, one option is to use a magnifying glass to see where those doses would be. Either fill a needles with colored water or mark on the needle with a permanent marker and see this syringe as a guide when you want to give that dose.)

 

Sue answered first… :lol:

But this is what I did when that happened:

At +3:45, I would round up to +4.

If I tested at +3:30 minutes I might put it in the earlier box at +3 and make a note of it in the comments.

Sometimes I had to test every 15 minutes due to low BG numbers. In those cases I listed all the numbers in one box. You lose the color formatting when you do that, I think. (I didn't use the template available on the board. I made my own SS.)

I'll look for an example if /when that ever becomes a problem for you.

 

okie dokie
plz either take off that burger or bring me one. :mrgreen: i am sooo hungry. fixing food is a thing of the past as a cat caregiver. if only i ate catfood...

 

sue its maybe 10 mins shy of plus 6. larry is 273. my head is throbbing and larry was sleeping so i did it while i could.
wish we cd tag ppl on here like on FB, wd be helpful.
also i am using gauze right now to staunch. hope its ok. going to use up some i have.
i also noticed how weird it is u get certain #s, evn identical #s repeated, and other numbers u nvr see. like....this is like the 5th time larry has been in the 270s, nvr the 250s, or 260s. same with the 300 #s and so on. just struck me as odd.
hope u r all well.

 

A +6 will help. I'd agree that he is not very consistent. 2 units has brought him down 50% when he was in the 400s. It brings him down less when he is in the 300s. But every number is influenced by how much and what food he ate earlier, whether he is mellow or stressed or maybe which way the wind is blowing. :mrgreen: So this is not an exact science.

What I am thinking is to give you a general range. If the preshot is between x and x and you can monitor, this would be a good dose. If you can't monitor, this might be a good dose.

What do you think - could you measure a 2.25 or not?

 

i gave u the plus6 on todays post.
and yes i see patterns....like his ears r so warm during the day that helps to get blood, plus hes so sleepy and relaxed in afternoon usually. on the other hand, the days i do/did it evry 2 hrs or so, i believe the stress prob. made it higher. it had to drive him batty, it had me batty!

 

oops no the plus 6 is here right above ur last response, sue. my head hurts, cant be on right now.

 

well we got a prick but then an E7, not enuf blood. i thot it was enuf
will try again in 1 hr.
hes either high, as usual or something, bc he is vry restless and uncooperative right now.
still having trouble with the strips/meter. now whn i first insert, then meter shuts off. i reininsert, and it comes on and works fine.
any1 else evr have issues with relion/arkray glucocard 01? all was well til we opened the new pk of strips.

 

high already plus9 is 414. in case i fall asleep i guess the plan is to try 2.25 tonight. thanks all.

 

i guess evry1 went to bed or something. i think i am tlking to myself... @-)
anyway, larry bear was happy to get that bit of food at pmps tonight. his bg had gone down a tiny bit. now, oddly, he doesnt want anymore food. thats nvr hpnd. hes jst not hungry much anymore, besides mornings. i hope 2U is still ok. its almost shot time.
pray for us, if u pray. we need it, in general.

 

With that high BG over 400, the 2U should be safe to give to Larry tonight.

Lot's of folks watching the Superbowl tonight. Plus it's the weekend, and folks trying to get things done that couldn't get done during the week.

Pleasant dreams.

I'm headed off to bed myself.

 

ty deb. he dropped a few points in 2 hrs. which i thot was odd? but maybe a bounce? hoping its ok.
another thot....bad storms here, if i lose internet connection at any time...i will be flying solo.....so i sure hope if so, that i do ok. if i disappear tmrw or something....u know why.
night night

 

Good thoughts on staying with the 2u's Pam - you need to change to 2.25u's during the daytime when you can test. That number difference is fine, they will always vary some.

I like the way you're now looking at the data you have on your spreadsheet. You're thinking about and understanding this a lot better now!

GOODNIGHT!

 

ty lyresa
ur kind words, and enouragement mean a lot. we r doing our vry best, and i want all the best for larry and all the furbabies.
we keep on keeping on.

 

So I think I have figured out a gentle scale that shouldn't get Larry into any dangerously low numbers but gives you a guide to shooting when you can't get advice. I am not thinking we are working toward great lower numbers and remission with this scale. It's just until you can get some better insulin.

How about

380+ 2.25 (can you measure this using the ideas I gave you? If not, I'd try 2.5 at this range when you are definitely going to monitor and make sure he stays in safe numbers)
280-380 2 units
250- 280 1.5
200-250 1 unit
Under 200 Wait 20 minutes, retest to make sure he is rising and over 200. If he just rises a little bit. maybe a token dose of .5

These numbers assume you will be around to monitor. If not, I would be more conservative. And always plan to get an early test in case he decides to drop right away, like N can do sometimes.

Also, if his numbers start to drop from these past weeks, we'd revise the scale downward.

Comments/suggestions from others?

 

Sue! That looks like a good scale for sweet Larry!!

Pam - how about starting a new condo for your posts today. Let's also copy Sue's wonderful scale into this new condo AND include it in the title. That will let you find it easier. How about the title (add your correct number):

2/3 LARRY AMPS # Sliding Scale Post

HUGS!

 

ty sue. looks great
when u say if i am around to monitor...many days i wont be and have already been using the 2U when he is over 380, which is most days! so....i hope that is still ok?

 

I'd try the 2.25/ 2.5 for the 380+'on a day when you will be around. If it is fine, then you'd feel comfortable with that dose even if you won't be home?

Or go with the lower dose if you want. I don't want you to dose anything you are uncomfortable with.