PMPS 105

New thread for my Little

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/pmps-dropping-126-11-5.237954/

 

Stalling again I see.

 

Yes ma’am. Very low for his PMPS!

 

I will also add that we started a new vial of insulin last night. I was wondering if it may be a bit more potent.

 

115 20 minutes later. Keep stalling or feed since he increased? @Deb & Wink @JanetNJ
Also, how much insulin do I need to give him tonight?

 

121 now

 

He has eaten, but I’m not sure how much insulin to give him.

 

I'd say a token dose. So that would be 10% to 25% of his normal dose.
25% would be just under 1U
10 % would be closer to 0.3U,so halfway between the zero mark and the 0.5U mark on your syringe.

Or skip if you can't monitor tonight.

 

Thank you! I can monitor, so should I go with the higher end at 1U?
*just under 1U

 

It's up to you Olivia. As long as you have plenty of test strips, have your hypo toolkit ready to go, can stay up and monitor or set an alarm to take a later test, than closer to the 1U would be ok.

"Shoot low to stay low." Which says to give insulin when you get lower than expected numbers.
A +2 would be helpful to you.

 

Yes ma’am. I loaded the syringe with about .75U.

 

Thank you!

 

+2 is 254

 

A +2 that is higher than the pre-shot BG usually indicates the cat will stay in safer, higher numbers for the rest of the cycle.
Hope you went to bed after that test last night.

 

I did! Even fell asleep on the couch before I got up to test. I was wiped out yesterday. Thank you! <3

 

PMPS is 266 tonight. Not terrible.

 

I am having the most trouble getting a sample from him lately! His ears are bruised and I know it hurts each time I poke—which results in my heart being crushed and tears forming in my eyes. I use a warm sock with rice and 30 gauge lancets. I typically poke in the “sweet spot” and down a bit. Can anyone give me some tips to make this easier on both of us? I am so discouraged! I want to test more, but it is not working for us lately. It is not for lack of trying, I promise.

 

Are you using neosporin after each test? rub some on then apply a little pressure. You might even try the thin film of it so the blood pools and sips better.

 

I am using the neosporin with pain relief each time. There’s normally a bit leftover after each test for the next time, but I’ll start applying more beforehand. Another issue I’m running into is that this is causing him to over-groom, resulting in fur loss on his front legs. I was hoping that would subside, but it hasn’t. my poor sweet boy

 

Not too much "neo" before his test. Wipe on thin film then run your finger over it to remove the excess. As for the over grooming...
Ive never encountered this issue but know some here have Lets see what others have to say.

 

I think his ears are bothering him and he uses his little front legs to groom them.

 

awww ((((Lil Bit))) Let me tool around and see if I cant find more info...biab

 

Thank you I need to check him again but I hate to hurt him!

 

I know but remember ferals ears are all torn up thats their fave place to bite and swipe because it doesnt hurt as bad as just about anywhere else.. You MAY try a larger lancet like 30-33 size. Might not have to poke so many times with a larger blade.

 

Wait... or would that be a smaller blade...ugh I can never remember.

 

That makes me feel a bit better. He did whimper a little this morning and it tore my heart in two. He got extra chicken treats and the heating pad pulled out for him. Not spoiled! I will run by Walgreens to get some larger lancets. Perhaps 28 gauge? Or maybe I should get 26 as well. I tried to use the smaller ones in hopes it would hurt less. Guess that has backfired.

 

Awwww whimpers = heart melt.

From what I understand the bigger the blade the better. I cant remember what gauge we used it was far too many years ago. I tried using that stupid device and threw it in the trash after the first few clicks produced nothing. It was WAY easier for me to hand hold the lancet.
Youve probably already read this but I cant figure out where else to look.
Hometesting Links and Tips

 

Hhahaha I just copied this from a new members post

And we use 28 gauge lancets. Originally we got “ultra thin” 30 gauge and it wasn’t yielding enough blood for the strip, switched and it made ALL the difference!

So I DID have it backwards

 

Haha thank you! CVS was out of 28, so I bought 26. :/ I hope they aren’t too big. I do it by hand as well. Those devices belong in the trash.

 

GOOD LUCK!

 

BTW I got so frustrated with that device I literally threw it across the room and it landed in the trash. hahaha I said "GOOD thats where you belong." lol

 

Thank you! Praying it goes smoother tonight. Somehow he still seems to love me.

 

Hilarious and accurate!

 

He DOES love you. Somehow they know we are helping them. They may not like it in the moment...but...They know.

 

I think they do too! They are so patient and understanding. And he gets a double whammy with his inhaler!

 

Waldo had his own Aerokcat ?? Is that the name? Been so long sigh

 

Oh yes! We use an aerokat!

 

Concur with what Jeanne said. The smaller the number, the larger the poking bit is on the lancet. 26 or 28 gauge is perfect.
Just like with wiring for electricians, the smaller gauge wires have the larger number.

With the colder weather, a cat's ears can be colder than normal. You may need to hold the rice sock on the ear longer. Or wrap it around the ear, so you are warming both sides of the ear. See if that helps.

You can also try a quick "double poke", with the 2 pokes right next to each other. That can help a larger blood drop form.
Cats don't have many nerve endings in the edge of their ears, the "sweet spot". It's not like our fingers, that have a ton of nerve endings and hurts when we poke our finger.

 

Thank you! His left ear is so bruised right now. I’ll have to skip it for awhile. That’s a great idea to warm up both sides of the ear! Hopefully these 26 gauge lancets will do the trick.

 

Successful poke tonight with the 26 gauge lancet and warming both sides of his ear! Yay! Thank y’all I also saw in another thread that someone gives their kitty about 7 pieces of dr elseys clean protein kibble as a treat. Thoughts on this? I had a sample bag and LB LOVED the few I gave him after his poke.

 

Yaaaay Olivia! I think using the Dr E's as a treat is a fine idea. IF number start to rise you can always switch to something else.

 

Freeze-dried protein treats are another option. All the kittehs gotta haz their pokey treetz!


Mogs
.

 

He choked on a pure bites liver treat and won’t touch the shrimp—even when I reconstitute them in water. He does like the Orijen treats, but he vomited them up one day and they were almost like plastic. I couldn’t pull them apart while trying to figure out what they were. :/ I typically give him a piece of FF chicken and he gobbles it up!

 

PMPS 118

 

129 @ 30 minutes

 

157 @ 45 minutes

 

Holy crap

Have you entered these numbers on spreadsheet? Lil is lookin good

 

I did

 

Good luck today! Will try to keep up but doing chores so... things get a little hectic on sundays here.

 

Thank you! Just tested him @ +3.5 and he’s come down some to 285. Have fun with your chores — I’ll be doing some of the same. Sunday is the day for preparation.

 

Yep...DAY OF REST riiiight.

 

New thread please, for Little Bit? We ask people to do that when the number of replies hits 50.

Good for you on shooing the 3.25U dose, when you saw the BG levels rising at last night's PMPS. GOOD JOB Olivia! ( I feel like I'm channeling Lil Bub by saying that.)

 

Thank you! You all have taught me so much. Yes ma’am, I will start a new thread now.

 

New thread:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-lb-thread.238629/