? Thank you /helped: extreme low pmps #, checked & feedback given

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

apple

Member Since 2017
I'm still shaking. He's never been so low, ever. Double digits and I started shaking and panicked. I was ready to smear corn syrup on his gums, fly out to the Er, wearing my jammies.....yes, I panic, easily.

I need feedback to my steps in a process and thinking so I can get better, more comfortable and hopefully less panicking.

Gotta say, when a cat is dx w/dm vet should have the power to script xanax or valium for the human.

Pmps # 71 he's never been so low. I panicked and started to shake. Tried to retest 4 times, couldn't get blood.

Today's recap:
Amps 364
1.25 u given 15 min early to get back on schedule, trying to return to 1.5u needing to return to regularly scheduled time 1.25 hours earlier in the day.
+2
214
+4.75
174

Pmps
71

I panicked ....HERE ON IS WHERE I NEED FEEDBACK to cement things in my brain so the "go to" move isn't going to the vet Er in my jammies.

Thought process:
Alpha track # is 68: given % of variance he could actually be 68
More panic comes
2. Study cat- he seems big eyes, not chipper and not as animated, he purred while testing and he seemed to be aware of the world around him
3. Test again.....shaking so much, 4 tries and couldn't get enough blood, had bad aim, etc.....
4. Wait.....see if it rises and feed snack .....mentally go over supplies, got 100 strips today and have hypo foods
5. Offer snack, wait.....and shake.....and think oh, crud......panic winds up again
6. Cat shows some unusual behavior. ....put snout to carpet pull fibers, grab blanket with teeth and pull
7. Debate syrup vs ff gravy
****how do you decide which is better and when which one to use****
8. Retest after stall and feed.....and get BIG drop of blood; same blood drop for next 3 readings
7.09 pm 200
7.10 pm 219
7.10 pm 252

wait...new test
7.13 pm 222

Another snack offered gerbers beef baby food.

Will retest and give shot staying with 1.25 u since we are late with injection time and still trying to move injection time to regularly scheduled time.

After feeding, he seems more animated , walking about, jumped in his scratcher and washing face.

Please check my steps and thought process. I have to learn not to panic. It doesn't help him and it's really got good for me.

Did I miss any thing? Am I off in my thinking?

Was this the 'active +2' I read about?

Just how much of a change in the +2# means it will be active, 10 point drop, 20 point drop, 50, 100, what spread will tell me it's going to be active?

Thanks for the feedback. If I ever hope to wish for remission, I need feedback so I don't panic at low #s. Anyone else panic or is it just me.

Btw.....he's having a full bath after all this. I'm still shaking and to help my bg I've had Pepsi, Swiss cheese, yogurt and baby butter finger.....going to add food for the human to his go bag and hypo kit.....

What did I miss?

He will retest in 5 min and if holding about 200 will get injection.

If you have read this far Thankyou very much. If there are parts that are unclear, sorry, still a little (ok alot) shaky.

Also need to lay out a clothing go bag for me.

What do you have in your go bag for your cat?
 
apple said:
Was this the 'active +2' I read about?
Click to expand...
Yes, it was. The +2 reading was 150 points lower than AMPS. Generally anything in and around a 100 point drop is a strong signal that an active cycle will follow - ie., a cycle where more frequent testing is needed and possibly using small amounts of food at regular intervals to "steer" the BG.

apple said:
Debate syrup vs ff gravy
****how do you decide which is better and when which one to use****
8. Retest after stall and feed.....and get BIG drop of blood; same blood drop for next 3 readings
Click to expand...
Unclear: did you use syrup or gravy? Did you use these before stalling? How long did you stall? How much did you feed and was it low carb or high carb?

apple said:
What do you have in your go bag for your cat?
Click to expand...
Do you mean the hypo supplies kit? Most hypo situations unless severe and symptomatic can be treated at home. You need some cans of high carb gravy style wet food, honey or some other sugary syrup, a plentiful supply of test strips and - most of all - as much calmness and presence of mind as you can muster. Post here with the red 911 icon and ask for help. People on the forum will coach you through it.

Postmortem: The PMPS of 71 was low but not dangerously so. It was very close to a "take action" number:
  1. Stall about 20 minutes without feeding and retest. If BG has risen give the regular dose.
  2. If BG is still dropping post here for advice right away.
  3. Advice given might be no shot or a reduced dose.
 
Great job! Remember to breathe, that always helps. You did very well handling a low number. It's freaky at first, and now you know you can do it. Next time will be easier.

For the go bag, we live in a fire prone area so we would have everything (food, bowls, litter, litter box, and everything else) that Zener and Tillie needed that didn't need refrigerating, like the Lantus. We had a plan for what we would do with that too. It's fire season now, we should have a go bag but don't. Thanks for the reminder to get that together.
Liz
 
apple said:
I'm still shaking. He's never been so low, ever. Double digits and I started shaking and panicked. I was ready to smear corn syrup on his gums, fly out to the Er, wearing my jammies.....yes, I panic, easily.

I need feedback to my steps in a process and thinking so I can get better, more comfortable and hopefully less panicking.

Gotta say, when a cat is dx w/dm vet should have the power to script xanax or valium for the human.

Pmps # 71 he's never been so low. I panicked and started to shake. Tried to retest 4 times, couldn't get blood.

Today's recap:
Amps 364
1.25 u given 15 min early to get back on schedule, trying to return to 1.5u needing to return to regularly scheduled time 1.25 hours earlier in the day.
+2
214
+4.75
174

Pmps
71

I panicked ....HERE ON IS WHERE I NEED FEEDBACK to cement things in my brain so the "go to" move isn't going to the vet Er in my jammies.

Thought process:
Alpha track # is 68: given % of variance he could actually be 68
More panic comes
2. Study cat- he seems big eyes, not chipper and not as animated, he purred while testing and he seemed to be aware of the world around him
3. Test again.....shaking so much, 4 tries and couldn't get enough blood, had bad aim, etc.....
4. Wait.....see if it rises and feed snack .....mentally go over supplies, got 100 strips today and have hypo foods
5. Offer snack, wait.....and shake.....and think oh, crud......panic winds up again
6. Cat shows some unusual behavior. ....put snout to carpet pull fibers, grab blanket with teeth and pull
7. Debate syrup vs ff gravy
****how do you decide which is better and when which one to use****
8. Retest after stall and feed.....and get BIG drop of blood; same blood drop for next 3 readings
7.09 pm 200
7.10 pm 219
7.10 pm 252

wait...new test
7.13 pm 222

Another snack offered gerbers beef baby food.

Will retest and give shot staying with 1.25 u since we are late with injection time and still trying to move injection time to regularly scheduled time.

After feeding, he seems more animated , walking about, jumped in his scratcher and washing face.

Please check my steps and thought process. I have to learn not to panic. It doesn't help him and it's really got good for me.

Did I miss any thing? Am I off in my thinking?

Was this the 'active +2' I read about?

Just how much of a change in the +2# means it will be active, 10 point drop, 20 point drop, 50, 100, what spread will tell me it's going to be active?

Thanks for the feedback. If I ever hope to wish for remission, I need feedback so I don't panic at low #s. Anyone else panic or is it just me.

Btw.....he's having a full bath after all this. I'm still shaking and to help my bg I've had Pepsi, Swiss cheese, yogurt and baby butter finger.....going to add food for the human to his go bag and hypo kit.....

What did I miss?

He will retest in 5 min and if holding about 200 will get injection.

If you have read this far Thankyou very much. If there are parts that are unclear, sorry, still a little (ok alot) shaky.

Also need to lay out a clothing go bag for me.

What do you have in your go bag for your cat?
Click to expand...
Do you need help getting a spreadsheet up and running?
 
Kris & Teasel said:
Unclear: did you use syrup or gravy?


Do you mean the hypo supplies kit
Click to expand...

I used ff instead if corn syrup. I'm wondering when you use the ff and when you use the corn syrup.

I know syrup goes on the gums and ff can be self fed by cat or syringe fed into the cat. I don't know when to use one over the other. Are they interchangeable?

Not meaning to syringe corn syrup or put ff on gums, but can you pick and chase either when needed to raise bg? Or, you use x in situation y and you use z in situation w.

Go bag: no, I meant go bag as in bag that has cat things that you grab and run then you need to GO!

Mine has some medical records, imaging results, meds, meds list and assorted other things, university contact information. .....etc

I discovered at the last er visit, I need to tweak the bag. He needed his snack and I figured a vet would have right, wrong....
Tech walks in with a can of w/d and says that's all they have for diabetic cats. I proceed to tell here why he can't have that (carbs) and if they have a/d or baby food test would be better. They didn't have spoons, they wanted him to eat off a tongue depressor. ....

So, I must tweak his go bag and wondered what others have it their bag.
 
Anne & Zener GA said:
For the go bag, we live in a fire prone area so we would have everything (food, bowls, litter, litter box, and everything else) that Zener and Tillie needed that didn't need refrigerating, like the Lantus. We had a plan for what we would do with that too. It's fire season now, we should have a go bag but don't. Thanks for the reminder to get that together.
Liz
Click to expand...

Do you have a medical go bag? I wasn't clear and was wondering what people put in that.

I keep a potty box and litter in the car. He has other go bags with food, bowls, snacks, treats, toys, water, etc. His medical go bag is a separate bag. I'd rather take suggestions from people before being without and needing it.
;+)
 
Last edited:
We keep all of Tillie's meds together on the counter so we would be able to grab that. Her meds in the fridge are in a little container. We do need a box with food, litter, food, bowls, spoons. I think we need to do a dry run and see what we would grab.
Liz
 
I'd encourage you to get a spreadsheet done and link it in your signature. Personally, I find it difficult to give good feedback without the big picture re. how the kitty is responding to insulin. If you need help, there are people here who can assist you with getting a spreadsheet set up.

I'd also encourage you to print out the sticky on Shooting & Handling Low Numbers. While this was written for TR, the principle is the same if you're following SLGS. It would be helpful if you indicated in your signature which method for dosing you're using. Having the hard copy of these instructions means you don't have to search for the link and you can have something in your hands to look at that will walk you through the process of managing low numbers.

One step I always encourage is to repeat the test if you get an unexpected low or high number. This is especially the case since I don't know when your PMPS is in relation to the tests you took at approx. 7:10 PM. A meter or strip error can give you numbers that are off so before panicking, it's best to make sure the meter gave you an accurate reading.

For those of us who are veterans of using TR, we would shoot any number above 50 (on a human meter) providing you are data ready to do so. That means you know when your cat's onset and nadir are and you are comfortable with and prepared for managing low numbers should they occur. Your AM cycle wasn't what I would consider especially "active" -- an active cycle is one where the numbers dictate that you are very carefully/aggressively monitoring. Of course, there's no way to know if they cycle turned out to be more active since the last test was at +4.75. Again, without a spreadsheet to know when your kitty's nadir falls, the numbers could have continued to drop. You might want to consider getting additional tests in when you see a pattern similar to last evening.

We encourage you to keep chocolate in your emergency bag!! (For you -- please don't give the chocolate to your kitty!!)

 
I replied in the other thread. Count your blessings, curse the company, get a new meter. Our car is 14 years old and it works but our first and second meters don't work, the third squirts out of my hands because it's too small, now on #4 meter. Not being snippy, dinner is ready.
 
My go bag was and is for all my kitties for any trip out the door: in a shoulder computer case packed at all times-puppy pads, plastic bags (they get car sick and have accidents), paper towels, wet wipes. I found a small notepad with sections (so each kitty has a section) to jot down important info of the visit (weight, tests done etc). Bag of low carb treats. Then I add my wallet, phone, keys to the stroller pouch. Cats have their tags on at all times.

Now for my sugar cat I had the above and also included small amount of honey (never had to go because of hypo), meter, strips, lancets just in case it's needed. I used a hard copy of ss (updated ss each test though), printed out every 2 weeks, his medication record in a folder, any recent test results (always seemed to be weekend after hours) so it was usually the ER we ended up at. Sometimes a can of cat food, paper plate, utensils if I knew it would be longer than 3 hrs of being gone. The stroller frame was in my car at all times. So I just grabbed cat, put in stroller carrier (kept in spare room for easy access) and ran out the door.

The only time all that was not taken, was his last visit. He became ill, trouble breathing and we picked up the puppy pan he was on (no shoes for me, hair a mess just out of shower) and was out the door in 5 seconds flat. Forgot to lock our door. Called ER from car to alert them we were coming in (was there 24 hrs prior). Put on hazzard flashers, ran lights and stop signs when I could (after midnight no one on road). Laid on the horn when pulling in lot, staff had him out of car and ran (i mean ran) in the building before I had car in park. He was already in oxygen chamber with IVs before I ran in the door.
 
Hi Apple!!
1st thing....:bighug::bighug::bighug:
2nd...BREATHE!!!
3rd.. I am the anxiety person too!!!
My kitty is 2 yrs diabetic, 3x at ER vet in march of last 3 yrs. This year he went 3 times with also many vet visits. Ketones 4x. So now i have been trying to regulate him with alot of help from online.
I have also had a crash course of feline diabetes 101.
My advice....print out the protocols, hypo instructions, shooting low numbers, and make sure testing is good for ya.
I had trouble with alphatrak meter so i switched to the Relion confirm from walmart, human meter. While a difference, someone has that info....
The human meter takes less blood and is cheaper so it works for me.
Feel free to take a look at his spreadsheet.
He was all over the board with bgs for all of march, and april. Now we are doing better.
The way I calmed down was to decide that TR was too stressful for me so I do SLGS.
Also got my shortened version of hypo instructions ready plus have all the cans labeled with carb count from Dr.Lisa food list on catinfo.org
I have food ready for low carb under 10%, medium carb, 11-15%, high carb, above 15%. I use fancy feast, proplan, iams, some friskies, bff, and fussie cat. My kids like variety. All pate now except the higher carbs for low bgs.
I have skipped shots 2 or 3 times.
He has gone under70 a few times.

I find if your prepared and go over it with someone helps. And to have helpers available at different times.

I used to freak out over any bg in 100s, and now i am calm. I embrace the surf now!
You will too.
Its scary when ya first drop but with preperation and help you can do it too!!
Big hugs to you!!
You can do it too!!!
 
Darnell & Sprocket said:
Hi Apple!!
1st thing....:bighug::bighug::bighug:
2nd...BREATHE!!!
3rd.. I am the anxiety person too!!!
My kitty is 2 yrs diabetic, 3x at ER vet in march of last 3 yrs. This year he went 3 times with also many vet visits. Ketones 4x. So now i have been trying to regulate him with alot of help from online.
I have also had a crash course of feline diabetes 101.
My advice....print out the protocols, hypo instructions, shooting low numbers, and make sure testing is good for ya.
I had trouble with alphatrak meter so i switched to the Relion confirm from walmart, human meter. While a difference, someone has that info....
The human meter takes less blood and is cheaper so it works for me.
Feel free to take a look at his spreadsheet.
He was all over the board with bgs for all of march, and april. Now we are doing better.
The way I calmed down was to decide that TR was too stressful for me so I do SLGS.
Also got my shortened version of hypo instructions ready plus have all the cans labeled with carb count from Dr.Lisa food list on catinfo.org
I have food ready for low carb under 10%, medium carb, 11-15%, high carb, above 15%. I use fancy feast, proplan, iams, some friskies, bff, and fussie cat. My kids like variety. All pate now except the higher carbs for low bgs.
I have skipped shots 2 or 3 times.
He has gone under70 a few times.

I find if your prepared and go over it with someone helps. And to have helpers available at different times.

I used to freak out over any bg in 100s, and now i am calm. I embrace the surf now!
You will too.
Its scary when ya first drop but with preperation and help you can do it too!!
Big hugs to you!!
You can do it too!!!
Click to expand...
Great advice, Darnell! :)
 
(Crisis is past, moved to another thread)
Doctor "All the tests came back negative, must have been a one time thing. I like your shirt".
Me "Back in a flash, need something from the car"
xanax-25.jpg
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top