Starting home testing

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LizzieInTexas

LizzieInTexas

Member Since 2016
I am starting home testing. I was successful in getting blood and testing the sample before his feeding tonight.

I am kind of confused on the spreadsheet (can't get it to "publish") but will work on that shortly but wanted to get this down for moral support and advise as we go along.

I guess tonight is going to be a mini curve. Tomorrow I will attempt a full day.

Here is background info.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...ly-diag-and-now-diabetes.161957/#post-1734140

So before anyone yells at me for feeding the k/d (Hills) - I know it is not the best food for diabetes, but I am battling many fronts right now and am just trying to get through this.

The pancreatitis seems to be in remission right now. (yay! good news).

Current weight is 10#'s

How often should I test? Every hour?

10/07/16

4:30 am 1 can Hills K/D 1 can Hills K/D (included digestive enzymes, Joint Purr-Fection Liquid Health Liquid and RenaPlus potassium gel).

4:40 am 3U Lantus

^^no testing this morning


4:54pm Test result 93

1 can Hills K/D (included digestive enzymes, Joint Purr-Fection Liquid Health Liquid and RenaPlus potassium gel).

5:07pm 3U Lantus

I am using a meter that the vet loaned me (it is one made for pets) - Alpha Trak

One question I have had since I started the Insulin - how soon after he eats should I administer the insulin? Currently I am doing it within 5 min or so.

I really hope that I can get some help on this :)

Thanks
 
Welcome to Lantus & Lev Land!

Congrats on getting started with home testing. If there is anything that will allow you to feel more in control of your kitty's diabetes, it's home testing! It's also the best way to keep you cat safe.

Most of us test, feed, and shoot (in that order) within a very few minutes. I would give Gabby her shot while her head was in her bowl.

You do not need to test every hour. A regular curve is testing every 2 hours; a mini-curve is testing every 3 hours. The only time you test very frequently is if your cat is in low numbers and you are closely monitoring or if you know that your cat has a particular pattern (e.g., is prone to have fast drops early in the cycle) and it is safest to test frequently. If you look at my cat's spreadsheet (SS) you'll see I would test every hour or more often early in the cycle because her numbers would drop fast and she had an early nadir.

At this point, you want to test enough to be able to get a feel for when Lantus onset and nadir occur. If you look in the New to the Group sticky, you'll see what a typical curve looks like. Just keep in mind that every cat is different (ECID) and sometimes, they refuse to follow the rules. Well, that and nadirs can and do change.

I looked at your cat's labs. The spec fPL (the outside lab) and snap fPL are the tests for pancreatitis. Your kitty was within normal range. The labs may have been run as your cat was recovering. I'm wondering why the vet diagnosed pancreatitis when your cat's levels were within normal range.

The SDMA results do suggest you need to be attentive to kidney issues. Likewise, there are some other elevated values that are associated with kidney disease. Did your vet check your cat's blood pressure? Often elevated BP can cause an increase in kidney values that then can return to normal once the hypertension is treated. If no one has told you about Tanya's site, it is one of the best resources for cats with kidney issues. There are other foods which are lower in carbs and not quite as low in phosphorus as K/D. (I'm hoping you know that K/D is for kidney issues not pancreatitis.) The good news is that your cat's phosphorus levels are normal so you could use a lower carb food. It may be worth discussing this with your vet in order to understand his rationale for the K/D.

I saw that you asked about a raw diet. There are any number of people here who feed their kitties raw food.

(BTW, I have a non-diabetic Gizmo, too. He's a very big Norwegian Forest Cat who's a character!)
 
Good job on working on doing home testing. It keeps the cat safer, gives you more data and costs less then taking them in to the vet. I'm sure my cat appreciates me minimizing vet visits too!

Testing is a moving target. For doing a curve at home, every 2 hours for 12 hours. You might see the numbers rise a bit after feeding and shooting in the morning, then after a few hours start falling, then hit a low point and start rising again towards dinnertime. Once you get a feel for how your cat responds to insulin, you can test less often. I shoot for about every 4 hours following the tight regulation. If I get an unusual test, or low numbers I test more frequently, sometimes as often as every 30 minutes when he is under 100 on a human meter.

I test, feed, and shoot all within about the same 5 minutes.

For your spreadsheet, did you click on the blue share button at the top right and copy the "anyone with the link can view" You may need to click on it to choose the anyone with the link can view. Let us know if you are still having trouble, many google gurus around here and the spreadsheet helps track how your kitty is doing.

If you switch meters make sure to mark it on the sheet, the numbers are different between the alphatrack and human meters.
 
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Just knowing someone is here for moral support is reassuring.

Gizmo had his first Panc attack in 2015 (March). Had another in March 2016. After the 03/16 attack he had many other problems along with the crf diagnosis. He quit eating at this time and we were force feeding with syringe . Then he started losing weight fast. Had a UTI, etc., etc. I am not sure when the test results fall into all this (I should have been keeping a journal).

Right now he is the healthiest he has been in over a year. One reason I don't want to mess with his food right now. I am not opposed to switching, but just need to gain some normalcy before changing yet another factor. He loves the chicken and veg stew k/d.

We started out 1U (for about 1 month), then upped to 2U - took him in for glucose curve with the vet about a month ago and his numbers were still in the 600's. Increased to 3U and vet put him on antibiotic for UTI (but frutosamine test indicated that it was not necessarily an infection as it showed 500-600#'s). Took him in yesterday for another curve and the hospital had numerous emergencies and they couldn't get all the testing done and asked me to bring him back next Tuesday and to attempt home testing.

That is where we are at now.

When I first posted I was freaking out a little at his 93 # (pre night feed). Am a bit calmer now.

Can someone check and see if they can see my spreadsheet? It is showing up for me but I don't know if it is visible to others.

Also, because he lost so much weight vet said to feed him 3 cans of food/day. So he gets one early a.m. (usually 4:30 am) one @ 4:30pm and another around 8:00pm. Is it ok to give him food w/o insulin?

I really need to get a diabetes for dummies book. If I better understood how all of this worked together I think I would do better. It is just how my brain works.

Thanks again.
 
Hi and welcome! From my experience you can skip the cost of the book..every question you could ever have and anything you could ever want to know can be found right here with the folks who have a combined wealth of experience no book could ever hope to come close to! They are an incredible resource!
Congratulations for finding the most amazing resource!
 
Vet did test his blood pressure and it was "normal" - I think it was 175 and his heart rate was 80 (but that is from memory). I could have it wrong.

I will pull out his file tomorrow and have better a more exact timeline.

Understand that all numbers are going to be higher when he is at the vets - he absolutely hates that place. He took a big chunk out of my hand and one out of the vet tech's last night when she was teaching me how to prick his ear to get the blood.

At home - no problems (haha).

At his prime (appx 8 years old) he weighed almost 18#'s and was NOT fat. His lowest weight (in July 2016) was 8.1#'s. I really thought I was going to lose him.
 
Hello and welcome.

I'm a little confused, in your previous link that you posted, it says he's not diabetic. When did he become diabetic?
 
Woodsywife said:
Hello and welcome.

I'm a little confused, in your previous link that you posted, it says he's not diabetic. When did he become diabetic?
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I think he was headed that way when I posted that. I thought so at the time. It was really when he started losing the weight and muscle shortly there after. He was put on insulin in August 2016.

These dates are from memory. I will get more exact from his file if needed.
 
LizzieInTexas said:
I think he was headed that way when I posted that. I thought so at the time. It was really when he started losing the weight and muscle shortly there after. He was put on insulin in August 2016.

These dates are from memory. I will get more exact from his file if needed.
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It's okay, exact not necessary for me. I just didn't see where it changed.
 
LizzieInTexas said:
Can someone check and see if they can see my spreadsheet? It is showing up for me but I don't know if it is visible to others.
Click to expand...

No, it's not visible to us....You need to go to the top right and click on the blue "Share" button...a new box will pop up. Go to the very bottom right side and click on "advanced" and then choose "anyone with the link can view".

I hope you are testing tonight....Shooting 3U into a 93 is usually only for people who've been testing awhile and have a lot of data to know how their cat reacts to both food and insulin....especially considering you're using the AlphaTrak
 
Chris & China said:
No, it's not visible to us....You need to go to the top right and click on the blue "Share" button...a new box will pop up. Go to the very bottom right side and click on "advanced" and then choose "anyone with the link can view".

I hope you are testing tonight....Shooting 3U into a 93 is usually only for people who've been testing awhile and have a lot of data to know how their cat reacts to both food and insulin....especially considering you're using the AlphaTrak
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Thank you for your help on the ss. I followed the instructions. Is is working now?

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nuQRbszKtFjMcocOKKRC2Fj771jrf4Z8SNQvaBYPMzA/edit?usp=sharing
 
Welcome!

Doodles & I are new to home testing too. (10/5). I have received valuable information from the sticky notes and individuals responding to my posts. My respect & admiration for them cannot be measured. They have encouraged me, calmed me through the initial storm and give sound information.
 
Lizzie:

With an Alpha Track meter, when numbers drop below 68 (or 50 on a human meter), it's an indication that you need to reduce your kitty's dose. Actually, the cutting point is higher (90 on a human meter) since you would need to follow the Start Low Go Slow (SLGS) approach since you're giving Gizmo high carb (HC) food. With either method for dosing, you would want to reduce the dose to 2.75u.

You may want to review the instructions for SLGS. We generally do not increase doses in as large of an increment as your vet has been doing. The concern is that if you increase by too much, you can miss what might be an effective dose for your cat. We also decrease in small increments so that the dose reduction has the best chance of holding.

 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Lizzie:

With an Alpha Track meter, when numbers drop below 68 (or 50 on a human meter), it's an indication that you need to reduce your kitty's dose. Actually, the cutting point is higher (90 on a human meter) since you would need to follow the Start Low Go Slow (SLGS) approach since you're giving Gizmo high carb (HC) food. With either method for dosing, you would want to reduce the dose to 2.75u.

You may want to review the instructions for SLGS. We generally do not increase doses in as large of an increment as your vet has been doing. The concern is that if you increase by too much, you can miss what might be an effective dose for your cat. We also decrease in small increments so that the dose reduction has the best chance of holding.
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Thank you. I am not sure if you saw above where he was still in the 500-600 range @ 2U just a little less than a month ago - I think that is why the vet increased 1 whole unit.

I am bumping this up as the 12 hour curve is completed and the spreadsheet has been updated.

I think I will reduce to 2.75 tonight - especially based on tonight's PMPS #. He is eating now so will dose shortly.

Can someone take a look at the spreadsheet and give me their opinion?

Keep in mind he will get another can of k/d @ 8:00p tonight (or +3) from insulin.

I really appreciate everyone's advise and input.

Liz
 
Tina & Doodles said:
Welcome!

Doodles & I are new to home testing too. (10/5). I have received valuable information from the sticky notes and individuals responding to my posts. My respect & admiration for them cannot be measured. They have encouraged me, calmed me through the initial storm and give sound information.
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Is doodles newly diagnosed? Or are you just new to home testing?

I am so proud of my Gizmo. He tolerated me learning on him very well today! I may do one more test tonight if I stay awake that long. I will post tomorrow AMPS.
 
He is newly diagnosed 9/2016. We suspect it is from a recent steroid shot for allergies. If I didn't find this wonderful forum, he would be dead from overdosing of insulin.

I am now monitoring, going slow...switching/transitioning to a low carb diet.

Everyone here has been supportive & presented suggestion based on logical, scientific data. I am a science nerd, so it helps me tremendously.

I am happy you & Gizmo found this resource too!

Hang in there...everyone is here to support you & your fur baby!
 
LizzieInTexas said:
I am not sure if you saw above where he was still in the 500-600 range @ 2U just a little less than a month ago -
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Hi - Welcome to the group!

There are tons of resources here. It basically is a FD for Dummies all compiled here. The resources in this group in the yellow boxed stickies are the most up to date that you'll find anywhere online, pretty much. Just go slowly through them. Here is a thread that may be helpful in finding your way to information that you are interested in finding: Where Can I Find? There is also a thread on Glucose Toxicity that will give you a good idea of what is going on in a cat's body when they are diabetic.

I wanted to speak to your comment above about the high blood sugar causing the need for a 1u increase. Just fyi, there are a couple of circumstances where high blood sugar does NOT mean that a cat needs more insulin.

New Dose Wonkiness and Bouncing both are high numbers that are transitory and will come down on their own. This is why we hometest - to be able to identify what's going on with the blood sugar overall and what needs to happen with the dose, as well as to help keep a cat safe. Take a look at the link I've provided there to read about each of those.

Your spreadsheet is visible - great job getting going on testing. It can be hard to get a blood sample when you're just starting out. It typically takes a couple of weeks for capillaries to grow in the ears and then you'll get blood every time.

Regarding the AT that the vet loaned you - the strips for AT meters cost about $1 each. You can see after a day like today that it will cost a lot in a very short amount of time to use that meter. Most people buy human meters because the strips are available widely and cost a fraction as much as the AT strips. Many buy a Relion meter - I used a Confirm and liked it. There is a generic Arkray that seems to be pretty accurate that you can buy from www.americandiabeteswholesale.com. I bought all my strips, syringes and supplies from them, unless I'd run out and then I bought locally. Human meters do test slightly lower than pet meters like the Alpha Trak, but all of our dosing documents are based upon using a human meter. By far most people use them. Even if the vet likes the AT meters better, unless you have an unlimited budget I'd encourage you to get a human meter. AT strips can only be purchased from vets, which is pretty inconvenient when you run out late on a Saturday night.

It does look like this dose is about right, probably because he's eating the slightly higher carb food. Following the Start Low Go Slow dosing method (as Sienne mentioned) would mean that each time you catch a test under 90 you would reduce his dose by 0.25u. His green cycle today dipped below 90, so going to 2.75u tonight was just right. He may very well bounce from hitting greens today, so you may see some higher numbers next. Bounces can last as long as 3 days - they resolve on their own without you doing anything. Bounce highs don't mean that he needs more insulin, however. With Lantus the dosing is based upon answering the question "how low can this dose cause my cat's blood sugar to go?" Now you know that 3u can get him into the 60's on the AT, so you don't want to give that dose again at this point.

Hope I haven't overwhelmed you with information. Glad to have you here. Keep asking questions and people will be happy to teach you how to see what's going on with Gizmo's body.
 
julie & punkin (ga) said:
Hi - Welcome to the group!

There are tons of resources here. It basically is a FD for Dummies all compiled here. The resources in this group in the yellow boxed stickies are the most up to date that you'll find anywhere online, pretty much. Just go slowly through them. Here is a thread that may be helpful in finding your way to information that you are interested in finding: Where Can I Find? There is also a thread on Glucose Toxicity that will give you a good idea of what is going on in a cat's body when they are diabetic.

Hope I haven't overwhelmed you with information. Glad to have you here. Keep asking questions and people will be happy to teach you how to see what's going on with Gizmo's body.
Click to expand...

Thank you! Very helpful. On my way to read the Toxicity thread. :).

Vet discourages home testing. At least wasn't interested in discussing when we were there a month ago. When I picked him up from the failed glucose curve - it was the tech that asked me about it, offered to teach me and loaned me the the AT.

The way I look at it - if that is what they will accept - I will do it for Gizmo. I was thrilled.

I actually found the AT2 meter on Amazon (as well as the strips). Monitor is about $50 (comes with 25 strips) and a box of 50 strips for $59. I am going to see what the cost is through my vet for the strips - they may get a bit of a discount.

I have posted today's AMPS in a separate thread and updated his ss.
 
LizzieInTexas said:
I actually found the AT2 meter on Amazon (as well as the strips). Monitor is about $50 (comes with 25 strips) and a box of 50 strips for $59. I am going to see what the cost is through my vet for the strips - they may get a bit of a discount.
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I saw Julie gave you some advice on the meter. As a comparison, I have 2 walmart meters. Both were under $20. 100 test strips for 1 is $40, 100 test strips for the other is $17. I use the relion brand pokers, 100 for about $2.
Home testing is great, less stress on the cat(no all day vet visits), cheaper and most importantly, keeps your cat safer.

My vet initially was discouraging home testing too, I would "wreck" his ears, it wasn't needed... etc. I figure I'd rather have a safe healthy cat with some beat up ears then a cat that went hypo and had to stay at the vet in cat jail. She has come around on it after seeing my sheet and the random fluctuations that can happen. I think a lot vets don't encourage it because it is a commitment that a lot of patients aren't interested in.

I like to think of a vet as a general practitioner, they see lots of different animals with lots of different diseases, they are not specialists in feline diabetes. Nothing wrong with it, your primary care doctor isn't a specialist either, they refer you out when it is beyond their training. I feel the boards here are a collective group that rival the knowledge of a lot of specialists. Sometimes a specialist is needed, but a lot of times the info here is enough to get through small issues.

While you use the AT2, it would be good to notate it on the spreadsheet so people looking know. Most people make a big notation at the top, you can right click on the row number (3 in your sheet), choose "insert 1 above" and in that row make a big bold note saying "using Alphatrack" or "meter calibrated for feline". This will help prevent any confusion when others check Gizmo's numbers.
 
@julie & punkin (ga) - She's using at AlphaTrack meter so the cut off for a dose reduction would be a bit higher.

Most of us use a human meter due to the difference in cost. I started out using a Bayer Contour meter and it's what I used throughout. Strips cost $14 for 50. I tested a lot so it would have cost me a fortune if I used an AT meter.
 
Hello and welcome.

Did you shoot tonight?
That pmps on the AT is awful low, given that the dose has been taken up quickly and you are new to this, with so little data it may not be safe to shoot. On slgs you wouldn't really be looking to shoot anything below 90 on a human meter.
 
Gill & George said:
Hello and welcome.

Did you shoot tonight?
That pmps on the AT is awful low, given that the dose has been taken up quickly and you are new to this, with so little data it may not be safe to shoot. On slgs you wouldn't really be looking to shoot anything below 90 on a human meter.
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@Gill & George , She has a new thread going and it looks like she might be shooting the 2.75 on a 69 AT number
 
Tina & Doodles said:
How is home testing going?

Been thinking about ya!
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Thanks. I have been posting amps/pmps threads. I have changed from the Alphatrak2 to ReliOn Confirm. We are both hanging in there. Cancelled the vet glucose curve that was scheduled for tomorrow and made a follow up appt for next Tuesday for a check and to review the curves. I am going to do another full 12 hrs curve Sunday and use both meters so I can present the side by side results to vet.

Have you looked at Gizmo's SS? I have reduced down to 2U and am going to hold there. I will be discussing the diet with vet on Tuesday also.

I need to understand what is so special about the k/d rx food. He did so well on the raw but don't want to damage his kidneys. The raw was also a pain to get (distance and traffic) so am going to see what she/they think of dehydrated. I know water intake is important, but he will eat very watered down food with no gripes. I am so fortunate that he is a good eater unless pancreatitis is flaring.
 
We are new to home testing & the entire diabetes 'thing'. I am learning right along with you. Hang in there.

I cancelled out vet visit tomorrow too. I cannot see a justifiable reason to put Doodles through the trauma. I am testing at home & it is more accurate than driving to the vet.

We are transitioning from a high-carb dirt to a low-carb diet. So many factors to keep in mind when looking at the numbers. I have resolved to the notion that slow us good and as long as he is not stressed...we are good!

Sending positive energy your way & look forward to hearing about your experiences.
 
I had him on low carb (ff classic turkey and giblets) and he was doing just fine on it. Maintaining his weight and and then his 2nd pancreatitis attack hit and every thing went to heck.

Hang in there. I am erroring on higher is better than too low right now since I work during the day. I can, for the most part, make the 12 hrs shots with a little variance but I can't come home during the day it is just a little to far to make in in an hour.
 
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