Spike in BG need advice ASAP

Hey guys, please refer to my previous post.
Sera got diagnosed with diabetes last week. On top of that she is battling severa asthma, on Flovent and a tappered steroid orally. Antibiotic for a infection. Appetite enhancer to encourage eating. She had a feeding tube put in Monday as well. Eating AD canned food to help get her back on track twice a day 60ccs. Tonite I noticed she was a little off. More lethargic. I tested her BG at 10pm 3ish hours after her medicine and feeding. She tested 422. I called the ER Vet she said to retest her before morning feeding. I just did and shes 677! Im so concerned. My vet opens in 2 hours. Im afraid to feed her and give her medicines. I need advice
She is on Lantus 3ticks twice a day

 

Previous threads here:
Athmatic and diabetitic need advice
Hello from Alaska

Hi Heather, is there any chance that your cat's blood glucose dropped low and you missed that? What was her pre-shot number? And could there have been any low numbers in the previous cycle? Just wondering if these high numbers are a 'bounce' from an earlier low number.

Eliz

 

So she was tested Sunday evening before her meal and was 266. She wasn't test Monday (Not sure how often i should test im so new to this). Tuesday she went to the vet to get her feeding tube he said her levels looked good. Then Weds night around 10pm (last night) I noticed a decline. She was super lethargic and breathing heavier (guessing breathing due to her asthma) I gave her a puff of her rescue inhaler to help with her breathing. She test 422 at 10pm. I tested her at 5am she was 677. I just fed here 30 mins ago and gave her a dose of her lantus. I will be retesting in 30 mins. Then calling the vet when they open in 45 mins

 

she dropped from 677 to 591 a hour after meds and food. She just walked to go use the litter box for the first time since Tuesday. Noticed a limp in her back left leg. She almost got to the box but stopped to pee 5 feet before the box

 

Hi,
would you be able to take another test one hour after she had done eating?
If it lowers still from the 591 then you might have to test and to feed a little more thru the day. Often but not always lower +1 test hints that the cycle will be active meaning she will go lower towards her nadir. It is very good but you need to test to slow down her decent with a little food because fast drop might send a cat bouncing into High BG after droping a lot of point. She droppped 80 in 1 h after food. That is an early warning to pay attention.

 

I suggest you start posting on the lantus forum to get more eyes on your condos. While it could very well be an active cycle she’s starting so high that I doubt she will drop too low. That being said stranger things have happened.

What are three ticks?

It would also be good if you start a spreadsheet so we can see her numbers all in one place.

 

She means 3 units. I guess by ticks she means the lines (tick marks) on the syringe barrel.

 

Hi and take a big breath all of this seems like a lot at the beginning, specially with her other issues but you'll get the hang of it.

Maybe you have already seen this but if you haven't since you are on Lantus there's a lot of information about it in here that is going to be very useful http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...ntus-basaglar-levemir-group-start-here.18139/

I think you should also take a look at the two protocols we use here Tight regulation (http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/tight-regulation-protocol-tr.1581/) and Start Low go slow (http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/start-low-go-slow-method-slgs.129446/) to see which one suits you best that would help you also start organizing how to manage her doses.

I'm not sure if you did answered the question about the 3 ticks but are they actually 3 units of insulin?
What syringes are you using?

 

Hey guys a little update on her numbers. She was tested before her morning feeding she and insulin at 433. I wont be testing her again til tomorrow evening before her evening feeding. I want to give her ears a little bit of a break from all the tests. She seems more alert, her breathing is getting better. So it appears her flovent is helping. This morning we had what I consider a break through. She got up on her own and went to the water bowl to drink water on her own, and did that as well. Note she is on a feeding tube because she wasn't eating and drinking on her own. She appears to be recovering from the infection she had too. Shes no longer running a fever off and on as she has been over the weekend.

My question I have is I noticed incontinence. Aka having accidents in her bed in her sleep. I read this is common side effect of diabetes while numbers are a bit loopy. Has anyone else experienced this?

And Im sorry my terminology is off with the dosages. My husband read her exact dosage. She is getting 0.5 twice a day on a 31g syringe. (this is greek to me)
basically shes on the 3rd little line in the syringes we are using very very small amount. (having him confirm what the insulin prescription says)

 

Do you have syringes with half unit markings? (like the scale on the left here


The long line closest to the actual needle is the "Zero" line

 

Im at work right now but i forwarded this to my husband to clarify which one we are using

 

Ok we are using a syringe like the one on the right. She is on 2 units twice daily

 

You should try to get some with half unit markings when you can.

All these syringes have half unit markings (very important when you're doing microdosing) and are the correct syringes for U100 insulin and are available from ADW online:
UtiCare
Monoject
Carepoint
Sure Comfort
B/D

They're also available at WalMart if you have one near you. Their Relion brand 3/10ml, 31 gauge, 6mm insulin syringes all come with half unit markings and are only $12.58 for a box of 100 (although a lot of them don't realize they DO come with half unit markings!)

 

The type we are using is what the vet recommended and wrote a prescription for. We get them from the pharmacy for like 20 for a box of 100. Needles here in Alaska have to be acquired by prescription or they are expensive. Its a law here to deter drug usage since its a major issue in Alaska.

Also has anyone else here has issue with peeing accidents while their cat is sleeping? I read this is common when BG is a little wacky

 

My cat did this for a little while after he was first diagnosed. He'd pee in his sleep and not notice. ...Trouble was, he used to sleep on my pillow next to my head, so I woke up more than once with my hair soaked in cat's pee...

 

Oh my goodness bleh your heart. I was reading that amitriptyline can help with this?

 

You can buy insulin syringes online without a prescription. ADWdiabetes.com is where many FDMB members buy insulin syringes from. Even if your state requires a prescription to buy insulin syringes from a brick and mortar pharmacy, you do not need one to buy online. It's ok to use a different brand of U100 insulin syringe or a syringe with different specs (shorter needle length, different gauge, etc) than what the vet originally prescribed

 

Are you sure?
The ADW side includes this statement for syringes:
We may require the order of a physician for this item

 

Thank you for all the advice but she sadly passed away on Saturday evening due to fluid on the outside of her lungs. Thank you for all the help and advice.

 

I'm so sorry you've lost your kitty.

 

I'm very sorry for your loss

 

I'm so sorry for your loss!