Will miss her shot time - what's my best option?

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Maria & Suzie, May 18, 2010.

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  1. Maria & Suzie

    Maria & Suzie Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2010
    This coming Sunday evening I will be away and know I will not be around for Suzie's
    10pm Lantus shot.

    What is my best option :

    a) Leave Suzie with my Dad for the evening, who, if I pre-fill the syringe for him with the correct dose (I think a syringe pre-filled about 5 hours in advance should still be ok in terms of insuline storage, he'll never be able to see those tiny lines), I think he will be fine to give her the shot itself, but I wouldn't bet on that he'll be able to successfully do a pre-shot glucose test, he'd have to "shoot blind"

    or

    b) skip the shot

    I'm just a bit concerned that if Suzie's numbers are fluctuating, my Dad (age 73) will not be able to test, handle
    any form of dose adjustment, and DEFINITELY not handle a low numbers or hypo episode. I could test her when I leave her with him around 5pm, but that's still 5 hours pre-shot....

    Is it an option to give her a slightly lower dose so that he won't risk that she goes into low numbers, or just leave her at home and skip the shot (and what would the consequences be of that in terms of throwing her off kilter). I think I will return about 4-5 hours after her usual shot time, so I'd pick her up in the middle of the night and take her home so I can do the 10am shot myself the next morning.

    I know it is a few days away, but if I am going to leave her with my Dad, I need to ask him in advance and prepare him a bit, both mentally and practically (like, he can practice giving her a shot with some saline solution that I still have from when she was dehydrated and we were giving sub-q's at home)

    What do people think? Leave her with "Grandpa" or skip it?

    Maria & Suzie
     
  2. Monique & Spooky

    Monique & Spooky Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2009
    It a no win situation, but everyone has been in it at one time or another and each has to do what he/she can. Life happens! When you know in advance that you need to be away you can try over the next few days to move the shot time earlier or later so you would be able to give it on that evening. A reduced dose is also a possibility (what we call a BCS dose, just to keep a little something in the shed) Skipping is the least prefferable, but we have all given a fur shot before so you can just call it that ohmygod_smile I guess you need to wait and see what happens between now and the weekend and plan as best you can but be prepared to have to make a decision at the last minute.

    Can you write what your schedule is usually like and at what times you will be going out on the weekend.

    Example you normally give insulin at 10AM and 10PM but on SUnday you will be leaving the house at 8PM and will be back home at 1AM.

    Plan A:
    Beginning this evening give each shot 15 minutes earlier so by Sunday evening you can be on an 8AM 8PM schedule so you give the shot and perhaps just have your dad watch her until you are home.

    Plan B: make no Schedule changes yet but skip the 10PM shot on the day you go out and shoot instead when you come home (shot would be at +17 or so) then spend the next week moving each shot by 15 minutes to get back on your old schedule.

    Plan C: Keep your schedule on the day out shoot a reduced dose earlier (assuming her numbers allow it at that time)

    Plan D: call it a fur shot skip it, go have fun and worry about "mess" when you come home. Sometimes a fur shot is a good thing and can help when you want to make a schedule change anyway or need to reset some things.
     
  3. Maria & Suzie

    Maria & Suzie Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2010
    Hi,

    Normally we shoot at 10am and 10pm.

    On Sunday I think I need to leave the house at 4:30pm. I have a 3-hour drive to Koeln - World Championship Ice Hockey, Gold Medal Game... I'm Swedish, lived in Canada, I can't help it, it's so close, we never get any good hockey in Belgium, I mean, BELGIUM & Hockey???? They show NOTHING on tv here, I HAVE to go see it and have been looking forward to it for months.

    The game starts at 8:15pm and with this high level of game, you don't know if it will go into over-time or not, so say it will be over by 11pm. That will get me back at 1am.... (could be earlier, but you never know...)

    So I leave 5.5 hour before her shot, which is quite a lot of hours to move & make-up for. (esp as I may have to go on a business trip that following week... but then DH will be home to give shots & blood test)

    Or I would have to give her a shot 4 hours late... (which is also a lot of hours to make up for...)

    Grandpa can handle administering a shot, if I pre-prep a dose, but would probably not notice anything wrong with her unless it was something very extreme like a seizure.

    I could test her before I leave, so 5.5 hours before her pm shot and prepare a BCS for Grandpa to give her? Is that better, worse, or no different than skipping a shot?

    I 've had wild thoughts about bringing her along in the car and giving her shot on time, but it's too many hours in the car for her.... about 12 total....
     
  4. Monique & Spooky

    Monique & Spooky Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2009
    Well a Gold Medal game is something special! I like hockey too (My mother is Canadian ;-) ) and i actually played in school myself, but I don't think I would travel so far for a game. The only sport I go to watch is Show Jumping (1 hour away) at the Olympia Park in Munich. Skiing I do but that is just 5 minutes away :lol: (Tegelberg, Füssener Jochle, Grän(A), Tannheimer Tal, Vorarlberg...)

    I wouldn't recommend taking her, it would be to stressful and would likely drive her BG higher than missing a shot. I think I would just play it by ear and plan on skipping it. You'll have to see what her numbers are like this week, and on the morning of that day, then decide if you feel comfortable giving a small dose and just leaving her happy cosy at home with a dish of food. She probably will enjoy the poke- free evening!
     
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