7/31 Michael amps 241 +5 246 pmps 231 +2 135

Good morning everyone and thank you for all your warm welcomes.
Michael seems to be getting back to his normal self slowly.
Thank you for all this info. It is a lot for me to digest.
I'm not that computer savvy. so I don't know how to post links. ex. yesterdays condo.
I will try to get a test mid cycle. (if he will let me) His ears seem to be quite tender.
Feel free to look at his SS. Will try & be back later. I'm going to a Birthday lunch for a lady that is 101 yrs young today and is still in very good health!
I'm glad I'm here! You are all wonderful!
Have a great day!
Paula & kitty Michael.

Re: 7/31 Michael amps 241 7/30 pmps +3 299

here's your post from yesterday: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=122639&p=1274637#p1274637

we start every day fresh, so you can remove last night's numbers from the subject line. People will watch for your updates in the subject line throughout the day.

i saw you decided to stick with the 1.0u. don't be discouraged by the higher numbers yesterday and this morning. As Sienne mentioned yesterday, there are a couple of situations where you might see higher numbers but it doesn't mean that Michael needs more insulin. New Dose Wonkiness & Bouncing are common - click the link and you can read about them.

Lantus dosing is based upon how low a dose will take the cat's blood sugar. So we're looking each cycle for how low it gets, to tell us what needs to be done with the dose. That also means that we don't usually change the dose based upon the preshot number, or what the high numbers in the cycle are. For now, you want to just hold the dose. Michael's blood sugar will come down on this dose - we'll give him a few days to see what it does.

Right now, the part of the protocol (from the Tight Regulation Protocoli've bolded below is what we'd apply to MIchael - he's had some nadirs under 100, and you've just changed his dose to 1.0u, so you'd now hold it for at least 10 cycles before deciding if you should increase it. If Michael goes below 50, then you'll decrease it.

It would be helpful if you could get a test about +3 this morning, if you're home. While he's high at amps, he's not going to stay that way.

Increasing the dose:
Hold the dose for 3 - 5 days (6 - 10 consecutive cycles) if nadirs are less than 200 before increasing the dose by 0.25 unit.
if your cat is new to numbers under 200, it is recommended to hold the dose for at least 8-10 cycles before increasing.
when your cat starts to see nadirs under 100, hold the dose for at least 10 cycles before increasing.
After 3 days (6 consecutive cycles)... if nadirs are greater than 200, but less than 300 increase the dose by 0.25 unit.
After 3 days (6 consecutive cycles)... if nadirs are greater than 300 increase the dose by 0.5 unit.

Click to expand...

are you putting Neosporin or Polysporin ointment with pain relief on his ears? that makes a HUGE difference in taking away the owie and letting his ears heal and tolerate the testing. i slathered it on every evening and they healed overnight. some people put it on 20 minutes before testing to numb the ears. always wipe off the excess before your next test because it will goo up the strip.
enjoy your birthday lunch!

Re: 7/31 Michael amps 241

Paula, I'm not sure if you've seen this or not, but I know you're concerned if you're poking Michael's ear right. Here's a YouTube video that does a pretty good job of demonstrating, but there are many more videos you can watch

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Since he's still new to all this, it'll help to warm his ear first using a small sock with a little rice in it (and microwaved for about 15 seconds) or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (which gives you something hard to poke against)...You should test the temperature on either like you test a baby bottle..on your wrist

Also, as you keep testing, his ears will grow more capillaries and will "learn to bleed", but for now, if you're using a lancet device, check to see what gauge the lancets are. Most devices come with 33 gauge lancets which are the tiniest ones made. If you switch to a lower gauge lancet (like 26 or 28) it'll make a bigger hole with one poke...once his ears "learn to bleed", you can go back to the tinier lancets

Re: 7/31 Michael amps 241 +5 246

Chris thank you for the info on the lancet gauges. Thought they were all the same. I have some that are 30g. Which I'm using now.
I have another box 26g which I will use later. I just bought a box that is 33g because it said needle extra thin. Didn't know about the gauges. Next time I buy I will look for the gauge size.

Julie, thank you for the dosing info. It will help a lot especially when I get confused.
Paula

Re: 7/31 Michael amps 241 +5 246

If you have the 26 gauge, you should go ahead and use them now....they'll help to make a little bigger "hole" when you poke than the 30's will...after his ears "learn to bleed" a little better, you can go back to the 30's or higher gauge lancets

Re: 7/31 Michael amps 241 +5 246

in the beginning, i know there were times i completely pierced punkin's ear and there still wasn't any blood. just know that your poking is doing some good because it is stimulating the capillaries to grow.

hang in there and in 2 weeks you'll have blood every time. in the meantime, it can be really frustrating, but give yourself plenty of chocolate and patience, and know that it isn't necessarily anything you're doing wrong. it just takes some time to get that blood every time. Many people start with a "3 strikes" plan - poke 3 times and if you can't get blood, give up for the time being, give MIchael a treat no matter what, and come back to it again later.

Re: 7/31 Michael amps 241 +5 246

Thanks Julie.
What kind of treats do you feed pumpkin? Are treats ok to leave out all night? Michael likes to nibble during the night.I know he can't have dry food and that was what he use to nibble on. I f I leave wet food out, he he eats it all right away.
Paula

Re: 7/31 Michael amps 241 +5 246

i always gave punkin small cubes of boiled chicken breasts. He loved them! i simmered a couple in water on the stove for about 10 minutes, then diced them up into 1/2" cubes. Freeze most of it and kept a couple of tablespoons out in the fridge at a time. He loved them. Michael probably doesn't need to be able to eat all night. You want him to get most of his food in the first half of the cycle (between preshot and +4 or so) so that the carbs are in his body when the insulin is strongest, and then minimize the amount of food he gets after +6 or so. I didn't give punkin anything after +4 except a 1/2" cube of chicken after tests.

Some people buy freeze-dried meats - they weren't available when punkin was alive, so i don't have any experience with them, but they are definitely popular here. Any pure meat is good for a treat because they have zero-minimal carbs. you do want the treats to be very small, though, not a meal.

A timed feeder is a huge help with diabetic cats, so if you want him to get something during the night, you could set a feeder to open then. I liked the Petsafe 5 Compartment feeder - available online or in PetCo.

Julie,thank you.
I think I will probably go with the freeze dried treats.
I'm sorry about pumkin. I didn't know. I am so new here.
Paula