Dosing advice

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'Evening, all. I didn't monitor Squallie quite as closely today, figured he needed a little break from the ear sticks, but still got a couple of tests in. His numbers are higher today, with him back at 6 units :-(. He hasn't wanted to eat much today, right now he won't have anything to do with dinner, but it seems none of my other three will eat tonight, either, so it seems to be a household problem and not just Squallie, think maybe they've all decided they don't like Fancy Feast any more *sigh*. Should I still go ahead with his full evening dose even if he doesn't eat? If I wait for him to eat I could be waiting a very long time!
 
That could be affecting their appetites. Got any parmesan cheese? Try grating some finely and sprinkling it on top. Some water from a tin of tuna is another idea.

Don't know what to suggest about dosing other than if I were in a similar situation and Saoirse wasn't eating I'd either give a much-reduced BCS token dose or skip. I wouldn't give the full dose.
 
Critter Mom said:
That could be affecting their appetites. Got any parmesan cheese? Try grating some finely and sprinkling it on top. Some water from a tin of tuna is another idea.

Don't know what to suggest about dosing other than if I were in a similar situation and Saoirse wasn't eating I'd either give a much-reduced BCS token dose or skip. I wouldn't give the full dose.
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Thanks. Sadly I don't have either tuna or Parmesan at the moment, I usually have both. Didn't know about the trick with the Parmesan, thanks, I will remember that! Trying to convince him to eat some dry food, we'll see how that goes (he prefers it to canned).
 
Critter Mom said:
Hope he eats for you soon. :)
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I did get him to eat a small amount of dry food, went to give him his shot and pretty much did a through-and-through, so he probably won't be getting too much insulin tonight, if any *disgusted*. What a roller coaster! Hope he'll be okay tonight, I can't do much testing tonight either as I am almost out of test strips.
 
I'm feeling very discouraged today. Last night Squallie wouldn't eat the way he should before his shot, which turned out to be okay, I guess, since I seem to have gone through-and-through with the needle :-(, but hoped maybe a little bit actually found it's way into his system. Now this am he ate like a champ (the weather is much cooler today, my kitties are eating again except for my way-too-skinny rescue who desperately needs the calories) but when I gave him his shot apparently the needle bent and once again, no insulin for Squallie. I know I can't dose him again and I'm really concerned about his BG getting high. It was 355 this morning. Also, he seems to have discovered that he can tighten up his muscles and thwart the shot, little stinker!
 
As you'll often read here, Lucy, the sugar dance is a marathon and not a sprint. Setbacks are a bummer but as long as we're getting our kitties some help we can do better next time.

Does Squallie like to be brushed? When I was giving Saoirse her insulin we used to have a little fuss fest first. I'd brush her gently and speak soothingly to help her body relax, then I'd give her lots of praise and a treat afterwards. It made injection time a lot less stressful for both of us. There are some good videos on YouTube with ideas on how to make injection time better. Worth checking out.
 
Thanks for the ideas, Aine. I will also check out the videos. Shot time hasn't seemed to be as much of an issue as test time, until now. He never fights me about his shot, and I don't have to hold on to him, he sits there quietly and lets me administer it with no problem. He loves to get a body massage so we usually do that after his shot, maybe we'll try a quick massage before the shot, as well.
 
Well, he's at 359 tonight, pre-shot, high, I know, but not so far out of range, so I guess the day went better than expected. I'll settle for that, and consider it added to the "win" column, lol! And he ate "wet dins" with no fuss so if I can manage to actually get his insulin IN him tonight maybe I can de-stress for a couple of hours! Well, it sounded like a plan until I remembered my problems with Squall's spreadsheet :-( *sigh*.
 
Critter Mom said:
That's not a bad PMPS at all, Lucy, all things considered. :)
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No, it's not, amazingly! AND I did actually manage to get all 6 units of insulin in him tonight, hooray! We did a little massage before-hand, so he was nice and loose for the shot. We sure are finishing the day better than we started, lol!

It's always good to see your responses to my posts, you are so very encouraging! But do you ever sleep, lol? I know it's after 3:oo a.m. in the U.K. right now! I have terrible insomnia so I don't sleep much, myself. Helps on those nights when I need to stay up with Squallie.
 
So sorry to hear you suffer from insomnia, Lucy. I have chronic, severe PTSD. My sleeping has been a mess for 9 years. :(

I'm glad that I've been able to help you a little bit. Things can be so overwhelming in the early days after Dx.
 
Lucy, Shiloh has been a little high for her, and someone suggested she might be a little constipated. I actually managed to catch her in the LB, and was checking to see if the poop was hard or soft. Not really fun!
 
Critter Mom said:
So sorry to hear you suffer from insomnia, Lucy. I have chronic, severe PTSD. My sleeping has been a mess for 9 years. :(

I'm glad that I've been able to help you a little bit. Things can be so overwhelming in the early days after Dx.
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Yes, very overwhelming! PTSD must be terrible to live with, I am so sorry. I have a couple of acquaintances who suffer the torments of the damned because of PTSD. I am disabled with severe lung disease and a lot of my meds have side effects that cause insomnia.
 
Shiloh & Rhonda said:
Lucy, Shiloh has been a little high for her, and someone suggested she might be a little constipated. I actually managed to catch her in the LB, and was checking to see if the poop was hard or soft. Not really fun!
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Shiloh & Rhonda said:
Lucy, Shiloh has been a little high for her, and someone suggested she might be a little constipated. I actually managed to catch her in the LB, and was checking to see if the poop was hard or soft. Not really fun!
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Sorry, I was being facetious about it sounding like fun, of course it isn't. I tend to go for dark humor in bad situations, I didn't mean to offend. I hope Shiloh is okay. And I know how hard it can be sometimes to actually catch them in the litterbox!
 
On a non-feline bent - have you heard of and/or experienced EMD therapy? (eye movement desensitization). It is supposed to be helpful for PTSD.

And an interesting book - Brain Lock - discusses how certain types of exposure therapy may actually help reprogram OCD patients; they have PET scans showing the brain function changing.

Another concept you might find interesting to explore is neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). One book is Frogs Into Princes; another is Change Your Mind; Keep The Change.

Ideas, not mandates. If they are helpful, great.
 
BJM said:
On a non-feline bent - have you heard of and/or experienced EMD therapy? (eye movement desensitization). It is supposed to be helpful for PTSD.

And an interesting book - Brain Lock - discusses how certain types of exposure therapy may actually help reprogram OCD patients; they have PET scans showing the brain function changing.

Another concept you might find interesting to explore is neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). One book is Frogs Into Princes; another is Change Your Mind; Keep The Change.

Ideas, not mandates. If they are helpful, great.
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They all sound interesting to me, I do have some OCD issues. I especially like the idea of Change Your Mind; Keep The Change!
 
I'm really sorry to hear about the lung disease, Lucy, and the OCD. :( :bighug:

I'm crippled with OCD - Howard Hughes level of severity (developed as a result of the PTSD being so bad). Wish I had shares in Carex, kitchen paper and disposable gloves. :(

Here's a link to a site associated with BJ's book recommendation.

Brain Lock - Four Steps
 
Critter Mom said:
I'm really sorry to hear about the lung disease, Lucy, and the OCD. :( :bighug:

I'm crippled with OCD - Howard Hughes level of severity (developed as a result of the PTSD being so bad). Wish I had shares in Carex, kitchen paper and disposable gloves. :(

Here's a link to a site associated with BJ's book recommendation.

Brain Lock - Four Steps
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Thank you for the link! Sorry to hear about your OCD, yours sounds a lot worse than mine. I just got the "all-clear" from a scary PET scan - negative for suspected cancer - so I'm pretty chuffed right now! The OCD is weird-silly-things to most people-and complicates life (Guess I'm preaching to the choir, you probably know this better than me!) but thankfully is mostly manageable. Although sometimes I feel like I'm locked in a death-match struggle with the coffee maker-grrr! I have always had OCD, but it didn't get really bad until I lost my husband. Not sure what Carex is, but I know both Lysol and bleach will make your hands bleed without the disposable gloves :-(.
 
Squallie's BG continues to climb, 404 AMPS this morning :-(. I will monitor throughout the day. Seems like 7 units was going to push him too low, but 6 units isn't controlling it. He hasn't had numbers in the 400s in a week or more.
 
Lucy, it's great that you got the all-clear. I'm very sad to read that you lost your hubby. You have really been through so much. :bighug::bighug:

I'd suggest sticking with the 6 units tonight. You only gave 5 the previous two doses. You may find that this morning's 6 unit dose might have some carryover into tonight's cycle. Maybe try to get a PM+3 reading to see where the cycle's going.
 
Squalliesmom said:
Sorry, I was being facetious about it sounding like fun, of course it isn't. I tend to go for dark humor in bad situations, I didn't mean to offend. I hope Shiloh is okay. And I know how hard it can be sometimes to actually catch them in the litterbox!
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No offense taken at all, Lucy! I knew you were joking.
 
Critter Mom said:
Lucy, it's great that you got the all-clear. I'm very sad to read that you lost your hubby. You have really been through so much. :bighug::bighug:

I'd suggest sticking with the 6 units tonight. You only gave 5 the previous two doses. You may find that this morning's 6 unit dose might have some carryover into tonight's cycle. Maybe try to get a PM+3 reading to see where the cycle's going.
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Thank you :-).
I gave him 6 units last night and again this a.m. The numbers seemed high to me this a.m. but at +3 and +8 hours they're still coming down. I just tested him with the Alphatrak (so I can report to the vet) and his BG was 172; since he started the day at over 400 that 172 looks pretty good to me!
 
Critter Mom said:
I've just noticed your dates are gone wonky in the spreadsheet. That's where I was getting the 5's from.:rolleyes:
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Yes, I don't know how that happened to the spreadsheet, or how to fix it.

Seems like it's always crisis here at my zoo, my son just told me the back door got left open and one of my Bengals (who are strictly indoor cats, all of mine are) is loose!
 
Shiloh & Rhonda said:
Oh, Lucy! How I know EXACTLY what you are saying!! Shiloh is fine. And oh no on the escapee! Hopefully he comes home soon!
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Thanks. Glad Shiloh is okay!

My escapee is very exotic-looking and I'm always terrified he will be mistaken for something other than a sweet house cat - where I live it is very rural, and lots of people have guns :-( Very scary.
 
I had a German Shepard/Sheltie mix that I had to give away a long time ago (long story.). And a farmer mistook this black dog for a fox, (really????). That was in rural Missouri, where it seems like everyone has a gun. I know the stress.
 
Shiloh & Rhonda said:
I had a German Shepard/Sheltie mix that I had to give away a long time ago (long story.). And a farmer mistook this black dog for a fox, (really????). That was in rural Missouri, where it seems like everyone has a gun. I know the stress.
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That's tragic, so sorry! I doubt anyone around here even knows what a Bengal looks like, sadly, so I'm afraid he'll be mistaken for some type of wild cat.
 
Shiloh & Rhonda said:
I could see it being mistaken for a bobcat, but Bengals have tails. So hopefully people will pay attention. Any luck?
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No luck yet. I've locked all the other cats in my bedroom and just opened up the doors to outside. In typical Bengal fashion, he doesn't like being picked up so I can't catch him, I have to wait for him to come to me.
 
Any news on your kitty? Does he like tuna? Stand at the door and bang a fork against a tin or a dish and call him.
 
YEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAH!!! Khoji's home. I'm very relieved. :D

I bet your BG was high last night, Lucy, before the prodigal returned! ;)
 
Critter Mom said:
YEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAH!!! Khoji's home. I'm very relieved. :D

I bet your BG was high last night, Lucy, before the prodigal returned! ;)
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Squall's BG was 257 PMPS last night. Is it possible to give the shot "wrong" even if it looks like you're doing it properly? I noticed both last night and this morning he jumped, drew away and shot me a look when I gave him his shot, like it really hurt. Usually he acts like he doesn't even feel it.
 
It is possible to give a 'fur shot' where the insulin doesn't go in properly, or you poke out the other side of the tent. If my own experience is anything to go by, sometimes they do feel it more than others. Saoirse used to hide when her Caninsulin injections were due because the insulin itself made her feel so lousy when it was active in her system. She wasn't as bad on Lantus but Lantus can sting and she would flinch occasionally while I was giving the injection - and sometimes I think I wasn't that skilled in giving the injection itself. Didn't arf make me feel like an out 'n' out fink. :oops:

Hopefully other members may be able to give you some more pointers. I'm not sure whether Caninsulin stings or not.
 
Critter Mom said:
It is possible to give a 'fur shot' where the insulin doesn't go in properly, or you poke out the other side of the tent. If my own experience is anything to go by, sometimes they do feel it more than others. Saoirse used to hide when her Caninsulin injections were due because the insulin itself made her feel so lousy when it was active in her system. She wasn't as bad on Lantus but Lantus can sting and she would flinch occasionally while I was giving the injection - and sometimes I think I wasn't that skilled in giving the injection itself. Didn't arf make me feel like an out 'n' out fink. :oops:

Hopefully other members may be able to give you some more pointers. I'm not sure whether Caninsulin stings or not.
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Lol!

I didn't know if it was possible to give the shot too deep, like getting into muscle rather than just SC. I just don't want to do anything potentially harmful to him!
 
It is possible to get it into muscle or somewhere it shouldn't go, but never having done so I can't tell you what to look out for. I forgot to mention in my previous post that you can usually tell if it's a fur shot because your poor moggy will smell of insulin. :rolleyes:

The trick is to pull up a good 'tent' then aim for the 'door' with the needle at about a 45 degree angle. Grab a spare syringe and practice the angle on an orange.
 
Critter Mom said:
It is possible to get it into muscle or somewhere it shouldn't go, but never having done so I can't tell you what to look out for. I forgot to mention in my previous post that you can usually tell if it's a fur shot because your poor moggy will smell of insulin. :rolleyes:

The trick is to pull up a good 'tent' then aim for the 'door' with the needle at about a 45 degree angle. Grab a spare syringe and practice the angle on an orange.
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I've done my share of fur shots, lol, that's what I call "through-and-through." "Fur shot" is much simpler to type! I wasn't really having problems giving the shots until the last couple of days; I just want to make sure I don't do something that would make him sick, or something like that.
 
You and me both, Lucy. I get on OK with the ear pricks, but I was always a bit of a wuss when it came to giving injections for fear of hurting my beloved girl.
 
Critter Mom said:
You and me both, Lucy. I get on OK with the ear pricks, but I was always a bit of a wuss when it came to giving injections for fear of hurting my beloved girl.
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Aine, you should have seen my hands shake when the vet was having me draw blood from Squallie's leg! After that, the ear pricks and the injections seemed easy-peasey, lol!
 
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