Seizure last night (hypo?) and BG high this morning

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redsjohn

redsjohn

Member Since 2016
Hi!
(Preface: we were on vacation last week and I'm now not at all confident that Henry was getting his two doses a day while we were gone-- likely only once a day)

Got home late last night to find my Henry crying low, laying on his side, panting and drooling, pupils dilated, and he had peed a bit. At first we weren't sure what was going on with him, but knew he was late for his insulin dose so I gave him his usual 2.5 units. Then, we suddenly realized it was likely a seizure, and that he was likely hypo, and got him some sugar-water right away. Within 20 minutes, he was sitting more upright, responsive, leaning in for pet and recognizing his name. Within an hour, walking around, drinking water and tasted some food, but not hungry.

This morning I remembered that I have a glucose meter from when I had gestational diabetes, so I tested him. Before I gave him anything, he was at 359mg/dl. Gave him his insulin and a tiny bit of food. Retested one hour later and 349 mg/dl.

Advice please? Thank you!
 
redsjohn said:
Hi!
(Preface: we were on vacation last week and I'm now not at all confident that Henry was getting his two doses a day while we were gone-- likely only once a day)

Got home late last night to find my Henry crying low, laying on his side, panting and drooling, pupils dilated, and he had peed a bit. At first we weren't sure what was going on with him, but knew he was late for his insulin dose so I gave him his usual 2.5 units. Then, we suddenly realized it was likely a seizure, and that he was likely hypo, and got him some sugar-water right away. Within 20 minutes, he was sitting more upright, responsive, leaning in for pet and recognizing his name. Within an hour, walking around, drinking water and tasted some food, but not hungry.

This morning I remembered that I have a glucose meter from when I had gestational diabetes, so I tested him. Before I gave him anything, he was at 359mg/dl. Gave him his insulin and a tiny bit of food. Retested one hour later and 349 mg/dl.

Advice please? Thank you!
Click to expand...


You really need to be testing before EACH shot. That sounds like a symptomatic hypo and seizure and Henry should have been taken to the ER with all the symptoms he had. If you ever see those symptoms and you can't test, give syrup and immediately take him to the ER. DO NOT give insulin when you see those signs. A major hypo can kill or cause permanent neurological damage.

With going very low last night the body reacts by pumping out stored glucose to try to keep the glucose in a safe range. This will lead to much higher numbers, sometimes for a few days. With the potential hypo last night you should b lowering his dose even with the high numbers.

You REALLY need to be testing before EACH shot and at least once if not more during the cycle (time between shots)

If you could give more information. Type of insulin and dose...when diagnosed...how old he is...any other health problems known about it makes it much easier to give accurate advise
 
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Hello @redsjohn ,

Yes, that certainly sounds like quite a major hypo event... :(
How is Henry now? Has he fully recovered? Are there any residual symptoms? (Keeping fingers and paws crossed for full recovery...)

The hypo means that the dose is too high and needs to be reduced immediately.
As to what that dose should be, well, that would depend on Henry's current blood glucose levels (once the effects of the hypo settle out). And cats can be particularly sensitive to insulin after a hypo, so that's yet another reason to be uber cautious with the dose...

Henry's blood glucose may now be high as a result of the hypo.
When a kitty's blood glucose drops too low the liver can release stored glucose to try to raise the level. And it can also release counter-regulatory hormones, the purpose of which is to try to keep the blood glucose high for a little while. It's a protection mechanism, and it's temporary, so don't let any high numbers 'fool you' into thinking that you can continue to give the same dose of insulin...

As Tuxedo Mom says above, it will be important to test the blood glucose before every shot (it's good that you already have a glucose meter handy!) It would also be prudent to test the blood glucose during the insulin cycle, as you'll want to know how low Henry's blood glucose is dropping on the reduced dose.

Are you able to answer the questions that Tuxedo Mom asked at the end of her post above? That would help us to help you better.

Welcome to FDMB! :bighug:

Eliz
 
Thank you!
Henry is 13 1/2. Diagnosed FD in May. Started on ProZinc 4 units 2x/day. After re-checks he was dropped to 3 units and then roughly 2.5 (hard to be precise with the syringes we have, but the vet said estimating was okay).

When he was three, he had a synovial sarcoma (cancer) in his back knee joint, and we had to take the leg, so he's my 3-legger. 10 years cancer free!

He's doing fairly well this morning. Still not much energy, but his personality has returned. I'm going to keep checking his BG numbers every couple of hours throughout the day (now that I know how and that I can!) to keep an eye on him and see what's happening. No luck with the ear, but he's fine with me testing on his paw (nary a complaint). Hopefully I can master the ear prick eventually. I can't get blood out of it at all, and he flinches horribly when I try.

My meter is a One Touch VerioIQ
 
Update: just tested again. Down to 282. I feel like that's a good sign? I'll check again in 3 or 4 hours to make sure he's not dropping too rapidly. He is eating lightly and drinking. No vomiting.
 
Thank you for the information. A starting dose of 4 units twice a day fro Prozinc is VERY high. Normally the dose is started around 1.0 units twice a day and raised slowly as the needs arises. Prozinc tends to start working about 2 or 3 hours after the shot and has the most effect or peak around 6 hours after the shot. These times can vary with each kitty. It would be good to test several times today between shots. High numbers after a low are very common and should not be used to make dose changes.

Henry has certainly been through a lot of tough times in his past and it is obvious that you love him very much. Testing is the best thing you can do right now to keep him safe. When you post the usual format everyone understands it AMPS (morning glucose test before shot) PMPS (evening glucose test before shot) and using +numbers to indicate how long after the shot a reading is done....+2 would be 2 hours after the shot...+4 would be 4 hours after the shot and so on.

There is a spreadsheet that everyone uses here that makes it very easy to see how the insulin is working. It gives colour coding to show when numbers are high or low or dangerously low. This spreadsheet can also be e-mailed to your vet for them to see exactly how the treatment plan is working.

Here is a link to setting up the spreadsheet:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

If you have any trouble just holler...there are some great "spreadsheet gurus" that can help you get it set up in no time.

Also if you have a moment could you add some of the information you gave about age, type of insulin, glucose meter type, date of diagnosis to your "signature". If you highlight your name at the top of the page on the right there will be a drop down box..just select signature. IF you have that information in your signature then other people who would be offering information/advice have it handy without having to keep asking.

Having a hypo episode can drain a kitty's energy for several days, and also make them more sensitive to insulin...ie...they would react stronger. My opinion is that until you are testing on a regular basis and have your spreadsheet up to be able to view the data, you should drop back to 1.0 unit for the sake of safety.

Please keep posting the test results you get and keep asking questions. Information is power!



@Sue and Oliver (GA) I am tagging a very experienced Prozinc user to look over your information and see what other advice she can offer. Sue has helped MANY MANY Prozinc users safely obtain good glucose control and even remission.
 
I'm wondering if your petsitter accidentally overdosed him twice a day (seeing as you estimate the dose) and if any hypos happened while you were away and he managed to eat something to start a recovery. I'm not even sure if that's even possible without a trip to the Emergency Vet, I'm just wondering. Scary stuff, but glad he seems to be recovering.
 
Update: I think I figured out the spreadsheet thing and the signature line thing (seemed too easy, so I probably got part of it wrong).
At +9 he's down to 226 and acting MUCH more like a worn out version of himself. He's getting feisty again, which while bad for blood tests, is a good sign, I'm sure.

Thank you so much everyone for your concern! It's wonderful to have advice from so many other people in the same boat!
 
Just to clarify-- I'm going to test him before I'm scheduled to dose him tonight at about 8:00. If he's below 200, I DON'T give insulin and just check him again in the morning, right?
 
200 should be your 'no shot' number but please post the number you do get as cats can be sensitive to insulin after a hypo episode and need a dose reduction. The experienced Prozinc users can guide you.
 
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