Going to bite the bullet and start home testing...suggestions?

[Emily'smom]

Hey Everyone,
Can't seem to get our little 6.5 lb Emily regulated. She was on Lantus (for about 2.5 weeks). I changed her diet (low-carb wet, and DM dry), went to the vet for her day long glucose testing and at one point her levels dipped to 60. Vet suggested she go off the insulin, continue the diet. Brought her back for a one-time mid-day test after another two weeks, and her levels were in the mid 200s. Vet suggested to keep her on the diet only and come back in a month. That didn't sit well with us, so we put her back on a very low dose (less than .5 unit 2x per day). Seemed to be doing ok, but she is a picky eater, and she started going off her food. Didn't want to give the insulin if I didn't feel she was eating properly, so we took her off again. Been off for about a week now, as her eating has been up and down. Peeing more in the box, still not quite eating right (trying different wet foods to entice), so I feel we really need to home test to find out what is going on. I am confused about purchasing a pet meter or human meter??? I need to be concerned about cost. Went to CVS today and left without anything as the test strips alone were over $100.00. Seems the Walmart ReliOn system is more in our budget, as suggested on this site, but is a human meter the way to go? Also, in SIMPLE terms, (because a lot of this is becoming overwhelming) when do we test??? She is fed in the morning, and when we get home from work and she grazes on both the wet and dry all day..she is not a cat that inhales her food when fed. Appreciate any input. This is mentally exhausting me right now.

 

[Tanya and Ducia]

Hi Emily and her mom, good to know you plan on home testing !!- the ONLY way to keep her from Hypo and your best tool over the diabetes. I'll try to answer to the best of my abilities and hope that you will get more feedback later on from others.

Seems the Walmart ReliOn system is more in our budget, as suggested on this site, but is a human meter the way to go?

Most members of this Board use human meters with Walmart's Relion Micro or Confirm being the most popular. The cheapest Relion meter is Prime: strips are $19.00/100 strips but it requires larger blood amount to sample.The protocol for dosing used here is written for human meters so I think it sensible to get one. Your vet may insist on pet specific meter but it not necessary at all.

She is fed in the morning, and when we get home from work and she grazes on both the wet and dry all day..she is not a cat that inhales her food when fed.

The best way for diabetic kitties are smaller portions throughout a day. Many use auto-feders for the time they are not home. Most dry food elevates BG.

I changed her diet (low-carb wet, and DM dry), went to the vet for her day long glucose testing and at one point her levels dipped to 60.

Sometimes taking the dry and high carbs foods away lower the BG levels as significantly as some lucky kitties go off the insulin. Please note that if you feed lower carbs (below 10%) the need for the insulin will change.

when do we test???

Right before each injection is the MUST DO test. If the BG is too low - do not give the injection, post for help. Lantus dosage is based on how low the kitty goes - not on the pretest values. For this reason it is recommended to take additional tests - mid day at various times thru both cycles. If setting an alarm for the nightly testing is not possible then a before bed test is a good thing. The pre-shot tests (called he AM or PMPS) should be free of food influence - at least 2 hours after the last meal. E.g: you injection time is 7 am/7pm - no food after 5am and 5 pm. Test at 6:45-6:50, feed and if numbers are safe to shoot - give the injection. I try to take the +2 test - two hours after the injection as it is very informative and serves as an early warning to the nature of the upcoming cycle. It is about the time when Lantus onsets. It reaches its peak at around +5 - +7 but every cat is different. Once you have collected enough tests done you will spot the typical for your cat patters that will help you to decide on the dose, whether or not it is safe to inject, etc.

I hope this helps. Ask any question here or on the Lantus Forum.

Would you consider setting up a spread sheet to track the BG numbers? We can help with it if needed. In addition to the home testing it is your best control tool.

 

[JeffJ]

Welcome aboard the sugar train. Glad to see you are treating your kitteh. It can be tough getting started. But longterm success means saving your pet. Leo just celebrated 2 years "on the juice", as he has been getting insulin for 2 years.

Good suggestions already. I'll add:
- be ready for a hypo (50 or below), read up on hypos - the following seems to be the shortest with good info:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/jojo-and-bunnys-hypo-tool-box.2354/

- establish a no-dose value. For Leo, I do not dose him if he is below 200. That way I avoid creating a hypo situation.

I use an AlphaTrak meter, and use FreeStyle Lite strips that I get off ebay. In quantities they are $0.40 each.

 

[Emily'smom]

Hi Emily and her mom, good to know you plan on home testing !!- the ONLY way to keep her from Hypo and your best tool over the diabetes. I'll try to answer to the best of my abilities and hope that you will get more feedback later on from others.

Most members of this Board use human meters with Walmart's Relion Micro or Confirm being the most popular. The cheapest Relion meter is Prime: strips are $19.00/100 strips but it requires larger blood amount to sample.The protocol for dosing used here is written for human meters so I think it sensible to get one. Your vet may insist on pet specific meter but it not necessary at all.

The best way for diabetic kitties are smaller portions throughout a day. Many use auto-feders for the time they are not home. Most dry food elevates BG.

Sometimes taking the dry and high carbs foods away lower the BG levels as significantly as some lucky kitties go off the insulin. Please note that if you feed lower carbs (below 10%) the need for the insulin will change.

Right before each injection is the MUST DO test. If the BG is too low - do not give the injection, post for help. Lantus dosage is based on how low the kitty goes - not on the pretest values. For this reason it is recommended to take additional tests - mid day at various times thru both cycles. If setting an alarm for the nightly testing is not possible then a before bed test is a good thing. The pre-shot tests (called he AM or PMPS) should be free of food influence - at least 2 hours after the last meal. E.g: you injection time is 7 am/7pm - no food after 5am and 5 pm. Test at 6:45-6:50, feed and if numbers are safe to shoot - give the injection. I try to take the +2 test - two hours after the injection as it is very informative and serves as an early warning to the nature of the upcoming cycle. It is about the time when Lantus onsets. It reaches its peak at around +5 - +7 but every cat is different. Once you have collected enough tests done you will spot the typical for your cat patters that will help you to decide on the dose, whether or not it is safe to inject, etc.

I hope this helps. Ask any question here or on the Lantus Forum.

Would you consider setting up a spread sheet to track the BG numbers? We can help with it if needed. In addition to the home testing it is your best control tool.

Hi Tanya...thank you for the detailed, simple reply. I love these boards, but sometimes the information seems overwhelming. Maybe I am just tired! LOL! I am going to order the supplies from Walmart today, going with the Relion. Regarding the food portions, since Emily is a grazer, she is eating small portions throughout the day and night, so I feel that is working out ok for her and for us. I am feeding her low carb wet (some 0%- others no higher than 6%) and the DM dry. Vet started her on 1 unit 2x per day. After a few days of that, we could clearly see it was too much, so on our own, we lowered it to .5 units 2x per day. But then that all day test showed she got to 60 at one point during mid-afternoon. Surprising to me, because although I am not home all day "staring" at Emily, she never appeared to be having an adverse effect on that .5 2x per day dose. I don't have a lot of confidence in the vet....could that number not be accurate for some reason???? Also, WHAT IS CONSIDERED A "NORMAL" READING (RANGE) ??? Believe it or not, the vet never gave us this information. I apologize, but I am confused about how/when to test. Based on your example, if we typically FEED Emily at 7:00 am and 7:00 pm, when would we do the pre-test? Would the testing be done around 5:00 a.m. and 5:00 pm?? I don't see how this will work for us. I am amazed that a schedule that seems so regimented can work for the average person. We both work full time (somewhat different schedules...with me working every Saturday), and we are just not home consistently EVERY day ... weekends especially. And if I am understanding your example above, you take another test two hours after the injection? My assumption is that most people that are effectively testing multiple times a day are either working from home/stay at home moms/retired, etc. and that is just not the case with us. Quite honestly, the schedule is what seems so overwhelming to me (not the testing itself) ....maybe I am making a bigger deal out of it than necessary??

 

[Beenie (GA)]

Hi Emily's Mom
Others will chime in but I wanted to address some of your concerns in the meantime. There are plenty of folks that work full time and are able to test and keep their kitties safe. Home testing is the best thing you can do for Emily. If you are shooting at 7am/7pm you would be testing around 6:40am/6:40pm...roughly. The idea is to make sure your not giving Emily insulin if her BG is already low and this prevents a HYPO situation.

It is also important at some point during the week to get some mid cycle testing in to see what Emily's nadir is. This is the low point in the cycle and is what determines dosing. If your schedule fluctuates that's ok. Perhaps your partner can get some mid day numbers on Saturdays while you'r at work and you can get them on Sundays. During the week a test before you go to bed is good. If you go to bed at or after 11pm I would get in a test at 9pm and 11pm..if you can.

I'm not familiar with DM dry food so I'm not sure of its carb content. I only feed wet but there are plenty of dry food addicts out there and there is a product that is a low carb dry which is YA (Young Again). https://www.youngagainpetfood.com/zero-formula.html

Take a deep breath You've already made the best decision to home test. I would move on over to the Lantus forum to get help there on dosing etc. You're going to be asked to set up a spreadsheet (SS). This is where you will log in your test numbers and others will be able to see it and give advise. First time I looked at it it all looked Greek. Its a wonderful tool especially because its color coded and its easier to see "patterns".

Check out the stickies on how to get started and set up your SS. If you need help there are plenty here that are tech wizards and can walk you through it.

I promise it will get easier and less stressful. Read a little at a time as it is a ton of information to take in.

We're all here to help

 

[Squeakycats]

Hi, Emily's mom--don't worry, it gets easier! You can do home testing even though you both work full time. I do pretty much all of the testing for my kitty, and I'm gone for 9-10 hours every weekday and sometimes on the weekend days as well. It's great that you work different schedules; you can take turns with the testing and get a lot more info than if you were both always gone at exactly the same time.

I generally get up about 2 hours before I have to leave for work. I test my kitty right then, feed him, and give him his shot. Then I test him again right before leaving.

In the evening, I test right before feeding, then again after 3 hours; if his numbers seem low, I set an alarm and get up again during the night for a quick test.

When I have a day off, I test more often--maybe every 3 hours--so I can get some data about what's happening with him during the middle of the cycle (when I'm usually not home). This is enough information to be able to make decisions about his dosing. My husband knows how to test, too, so if he's home and I'm not, he does it--again, to get some data.

There was one time when he did have worrisomely low numbers when I tested him right before leaving for work. I fed him some high-carb food to "abort the cycle" (that's the phrase I've seen people use here--it's like "ok, we give up on lowering your blood glucose for today--here's some food to get you back to normal"). That way I was able to leave and feel safe that he wasn't crashing while I was gone. So that's why I do the 2-hour test even though I know I won't be around afterwards.

So--the test right before feeding is to help you determine whether it's safe to give a shot. The other tests are to help you (1) see if you need to intervene by offering more food, in order to prevent hypoglycemia, and (2) get information about what is happening with your cat throughout the day, so you can see whether you're at the right dose, whether she's probably staying safe during the day, etc.

We keep all this data in the spreadsheet everyone is mentioning. It's very helpful--and it will help you get an idea of what a "normal" range is! Your ultimate goal will be to get your kitty to stay mostly in the "green" zone on that sheet, but that is a process that will take time. The most important thing is to keep her safe while you treat her, and that's what you will be able to do, thanks to home testing!

My understanding is that a normal BG range for a non-diabetic cat is about 50-80. The reason we get worried here when we see numbers as low as 50 is that we know the insulin will potentially drop them even lower, into a dangerous range--but cats who aren't on insulin aren't in danger. Some diabetic kitties will never get into that range for long; my understanding is that the goal with them is to keep them pretty consistently below 200. Above 200 is the level where the diabetes is doing gradual damage to their organs. BUT! what counts as "normal" and safe for Emily during the period where you are working to get her numbers down is going to vary--for example, if a cat starts out with 400+ and drops to the 100 range right away, my understanding is that that's sort of a calamity, even though ultimately that will be a good range to be in--you don't want huge, sudden drops! (I keep saying "my understanding is..." because that's really all it is--this is my takeaway from what I've read here and elsewhere on the web and experienced with my own cat. I don't have any kind of medical background or other expertise...)

About food: most people here are pretty anti-dry food, for good reason--but I have needed to use it at times, and the Young Again food that was mentioned has worked very well. You have to order it on the web. It's quite expensive, but a bag lasts a very long time--the food is pretty calorie-dense, so they only need to eat a tiny bit. But you could also just do low-carb canned food; it's generally ok to leave some out during the day for grazing.

Vets are typically going to recommend the "prescription" foods like the DM, but if you look at the ingredients in those, they're no better than (and are sometimes worse than) a lot of non-prescription options. I was working with an actual veterinary nutritionist at one point (because of my kitty's food allergies), and she was recommending Royal Canin's diabetic line of food; when I told her that I was not going to use that and wanted other ideas, she was happy to discuss alternatives. Normally I'm not one of those "don't trust the doctors, they're all in league with the food companies to make money off of us" people--I respect their expertise and know that my vet cares very much about my kitty's wellbeing. But I have spent a lot of time trying to learn about the food options and ultimately have come to agree with folks here that most dry foods, even the prescription ones, aren't the best option.

I hope this helps! You are doing a great thing for your Emily, and I hope she will soon be feeling great! I guarantee that you will soon be feeling less overwhelmed

 

[vbc2000]

Hi There,
I was told that getting them off dry food is important and also that prescription foods are too high in carbs. Young Again as suggested above, seems like a good one if they absolutely won't give up dry. I switched to wet overnight with my prescription diet dry addict. I think it worked because of the diabetes, he was ravenous. We have had food challenges but I just didn't give in and give him his dry back and he is eating his Fancy Feast better.

I learned here that pre-shot testing is good. I do it literally right before I feed. It's important to know their pre-meal/shot number so you can determine if they are too low to shoot. I have had to do home curves since starting to test at home on my day off, but when I'm working I just do the before meals. If I'm home and not doing a curve, I do it about midway thru the 12 hours just to get an idea of where he is, but always again right before he eats. I felt so much more in control when I started testing at home...it kind of empowered me and I learned a lot quickly that way.

I'm at the beginning of our diabetes journey. Another important and expensive lesson I learned is that as their BG gets more controlled, they will naturally be less ravenous. I took that to mean something was wrong...it was not. We get so hyper-focused on observing and looking out for truly concerning changes, I looked too hard and jumped to a worrisome conclusion. My boy eats most of a can of Fancy Feast morning and evening and if he dips too low, he is hungry again during the day.

It is very overwhelming at first but you have the desire to do what is best for your baby and that's more than half the battle in my opinion. Good luck!
Stephanie

 

[Tanya and Ducia]

Hi Emily's mom, what should we call you?

sometimes the information seems overwhelming. Maybe I am just tired!

Of course you are tired with worries and it is natural to feel overwhelmed by tons of new info! ALL of us felt like that, honestly, but it will get better once your diabetes dealing routine is set and you are familiar with terms, slang, etc. The best way to settle in this new realm is to post daily and to communicate with your fellow diabetic cats parents. For the sake of fairness: it took me about 2 - 2.5 months to begin to understanding what I was up against but most people do better/faster. I am still learning every day. My cat was diagnosed late February and before that I had no clue that cats could have diabetes and I thought Lancet was the name of a fancy medical magazine . Oh, that sweet age of innocence. Do not rush yourself, take one step at a time, it's A LOT to learn for anyone. Post any question you have, any concern - nothing is too small or trivial. The Lantus & Levemir sub-forum CLICK HERE TO SEE WHERE TO POST is the busy one with members from all over the world so, in most cases, someone is online 24/7 (except holiday and such, rarely).

WHAT IS CONSIDERED A "NORMAL" READING (RANGE) ??? Believe it or not, the vet never gave us this information.

the normal non diabetic cat ranges 50-120 on human meters. Some cats go naturally lower then that but every cat is different (ECID). My poor vet thinks it is ok for my cat being just below 200, a bit clueless re: feline diabetes. You see, most vets receive very little FD training @vet schools for whatever the reason.

I apologize, but I am confused about how/when to test.

If you shoot at 7am/7pm then make sure Emily eats nothing after 5am/5 pm and test 5-15 min roughly prior to the injection - at about 6:45 am and at 6:45 pm (let's call these tests AMPS and PMPS, the most important ones). If the numbers are high enough to safely administer insulin then Feed her and then give the injection after she 's done eating. Some members here give injection while their cats are still eating. I prefer to wait until my cat finishes her meal. So, the schedule is Test-Feed-Shoot (TFS). Most of us get it done in 10-15 min prior to the scheduled shoot time. Does it make sense? Ask anything as often as you want.
The additional tests are necessary to establish Emily's NADIR - the lowest point in each cycle.The test results you collect at mid cycle help you to assess the current dose - does it have to be kept unchanged or do you decrease/increase? Often the lowest point is around mid-cycle - 5 to 7 hours after the injection, but ECID. If you are unable to take the mid-cycles every day try to get it over the weekends - you work Saturdays, right?, but you can do it on Sundays. Is there anyone else at home to cover Saturdays?
As to the weekdays mid cycle testing - I like what Vicki posted above:

I generally get up about 2 hours before I have to leave for work. I test my kitty right then, feed him, and give him his shot. Then I test him again right before leaving.

My assumption is that most people that are effectively testing multiple times a day are either working from home/stay at home moms/retired, etc. and that is just not the case with us. Quite honestly, the schedule is what seems so overwhelming to me

Your assumption is correct in my case - I stay at home. But majority of people here are full time employees, parents to human children and have busy social lives. Somehow many of them manage. Unfortunately I cannot be of any better help other then to suggest to post separately on the Health sub forum asking how people w/full time jobs managing it - put your question on the subject line. I promise you' ll hear many good tips/shared stories. Another thing you might find helpful is to read this sticky note
IS TIGHT REGULATION POSSIBLE WITH A FULL TIME JOB? YES!

Here are the links to two dosing guidelines we use - one is called Start Low Go Low (SLGL) method and another one is called Tight Regulation Protocol (TR). Have a look at the SLGL - it might fit your busy schedule better.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/lantus-levemir-tight-regulation-protocol-tr.1581/

maybe I am making a bigger deal out of it than necessary??

With regards to our fur babies nothing is too much or unnecessary. Of course you making a deal out of it - we all do! And so we should, me thinks.

It is natural to feel overwhelmed but I promise it is only because you are just starting. Let us help you with helping Emily - EVERYONE here is willing to help and to share. People here have lives and they do have diabetic cats - it is all manageable. Please think about starting spread sheet, keep posting - all of us learn by communicating and asking questions.
The important thing is that you found us - we all in the same boat.

 

[Beth 73]

An FYI from a former reluctant home tester .... home testing is the best for your kitty and empowering for you ! An alert tho... it can become addictive

 

[Emily'smom]

Hi, Emily's mom--don't worry, it gets easier! You can do home testing even though you both work full time. I do pretty much all of the testing for my kitty, and I'm gone for 9-10 hours every weekday and sometimes on the weekend days as well. It's great that you work different schedules; you can take turns with the testing and get a lot more info than if you were both always gone at exactly the same time.

I generally get up about 2 hours before I have to leave for work. I test my kitty right then, feed him, and give him his shot. Then I test him again right before leaving.

In the evening, I test right before feeding, then again after 3 hours; if his numbers seem low, I set an alarm and get up again during the night for a quick test.

When I have a day off, I test more often--maybe every 3 hours--so I can get some data about what's happening with him during the middle of the cycle (when I'm usually not home). This is enough information to be able to make decisions about his dosing. My husband knows how to test, too, so if he's home and I'm not, he does it--again, to get some data.

There was one time when he did have worrisomely low numbers when I tested him right before leaving for work. I fed him some high-carb food to "abort the cycle" (that's the phrase I've seen people use here--it's like "ok, we give up on lowering your blood glucose for today--here's some food to get you back to normal"). That way I was able to leave and feel safe that he wasn't crashing while I was gone. So that's why I do the 2-hour test even though I know I won't be around afterwards.

So--the test right before feeding is to help you determine whether it's safe to give a shot. The other tests are to help you (1) see if you need to intervene by offering more food, in order to prevent hypoglycemia, and (2) get information about what is happening with your cat throughout the day, so you can see whether you're at the right dose, whether she's probably staying safe during the day, etc.

We keep all this data in the spreadsheet everyone is mentioning. It's very helpful--and it will help you get an idea of what a "normal" range is! Your ultimate goal will be to get your kitty to stay mostly in the "green" zone on that sheet, but that is a process that will take time. The most important thing is to keep her safe while you treat her, and that's what you will be able to do, thanks to home testing!

My understanding is that a normal BG range for a non-diabetic cat is about 50-80. The reason we get worried here when we see numbers as low as 50 is that we know the insulin will potentially drop them even lower, into a dangerous range--but cats who aren't on insulin aren't in danger. Some diabetic kitties will never get into that range for long; my understanding is that the goal with them is to keep them pretty consistently below 200. Above 200 is the level where the diabetes is doing gradual damage to their organs. BUT! what counts as "normal" and safe for Emily during the period where you are working to get her numbers down is going to vary--for example, if a cat starts out with 400+ and drops to the 100 range right away, my understanding is that that's sort of a calamity, even though ultimately that will be a good range to be in--you don't want huge, sudden drops! (I keep saying "my understanding is..." because that's really all it is--this is my takeaway from what I've read here and elsewhere on the web and experienced with my own cat. I don't have any kind of medical background or other expertise...)

About food: most people here are pretty anti-dry food, for good reason--but I have needed to use it at times, and the Young Again food that was mentioned has worked very well. You have to order it on the web. It's quite expensive, but a bag lasts a very long time--the food is pretty calorie-dense, so they only need to eat a tiny bit. But you could also just do low-carb canned food; it's generally ok to leave some out during the day for grazing.

Vets are typically going to recommend the "prescription" foods like the DM, but if you look at the ingredients in those, they're no better than (and are sometimes worse than) a lot of non-prescription options. I was working with an actual veterinary nutritionist at one point (because of my kitty's food allergies), and she was recommending Royal Canin's diabetic line of food; when I told her that I was not going to use that and wanted other ideas, she was happy to discuss alternatives. Normally I'm not one of those "don't trust the doctors, they're all in league with the food companies to make money off of us" people--I respect their expertise and know that my vet cares very much about my kitty's wellbeing. But I have spent a lot of time trying to learn about the food options and ultimately have come to agree with folks here that most dry foods, even the prescription ones, aren't the best option.

I hope this helps! You are doing a great thing for your Emily, and I hope she will soon be feeling great! I guarantee that you will soon be feeling less overwhelmed

Wow! What amazing, kind, thoughtful information from everyone....can't tell you how much it means to feel part of this community, and not alone in this journey with Emily. By the way, (since some of you have asked), my name is Mary. Thanks for taking the time to break it down so simply...you actually make it sound easy. I do need to just take things one step at a time...trying to do all this reading, watching Emily like a hawk, figuring it all out, having a vet that I don't feel confident in, its become overwhelming. So, today I made some baby steps, but I feel like I made progress and I feel good about it: I ordered the home test stuff (meter, strips, lancets) from Walmart. All of it will be here on Thursday. Thank you for the detailed brand name/prices, etc. ...spent a total of $53.00, which is within our budget! I also took steps to potentially find a new vet and I have a vet coming TO THE HOUSE on Friday at 1:30, as she only has a mobile business. I would like her to do a blood test and hopefully without the stress of being in the car, waiting in a room with barking dogs, etc., we can get a more accurate reading of Emily's glucose level. I will also ask her to help me with a home test..I think I will feel more confident having the vet show me, (maybe she won't know how to do it! LOL!). So, I am just keeping things status quo until the vet visit on Friday. In the meantime, I will continue to try and educate myself, and will report back after the vet visit! Wish us luck!!

 

[JeffJ]

Stephanie is correct - that your kitteh will become less ravenous once you have regulated blood sugar better. I've noticed cycles with Leo. He still wants more food than pre-diabetes, but when he is regulated it is not his hourly priority.

 

[JeffJ]

The blood tests are easy. You'll be a pro in a week, guaranteed. I was petrified when I first started too. Now, 2 years later it is just part of our daily rituals. Plus if Emily knows a treat is right around the corner, that is helpful. I think JanetNJ made a nice video showing blood testing.

The blood testing video is here - thanks to JanetNJ.

 

[Emily'smom]

Hi There,
I was told that getting them off dry food is important and also that prescription foods are too high in carbs. Young Again as suggested above, seems like a good one if they absolutely won't give up dry. I switched to wet overnight with my prescription diet dry addict. I think it worked because of the diabetes, he was ravenous. We have had food challenges but I just didn't give in and give him his dry back and he is eating his Fancy Feast better.

I learned here that pre-shot testing is good. I do it literally right before I feed. It's important to know their pre-meal/shot number so you can determine if they are too low to shoot. I have had to do home curves since starting to test at home on my day off, but when I'm working I just do the before meals. If I'm home and not doing a curve, I do it about midway thru the 12 hours just to get an idea of where he is, but always again right before he eats. I felt so much more in control when I started testing at home...it kind of empowered me and I learned a lot quickly that way.

I'm at the beginning of our diabetes journey. Another important and expensive lesson I learned is that as their BG gets more controlled, they will naturally be less ravenous. I took that to mean something was wrong...it was not. We get so hyper-focused on observing and looking out for truly concerning changes, I looked too hard and jumped to a worrisome conclusion. My boy eats most of a can of Fancy Feast morning and evening and if he dips too low, he is hungry again during the day.

It is very overwhelming at first but you have the desire to do what is best for your baby and that's more than half the battle in my opinion. Good luck!
Stephanie

Hi Stephanie, I like your comment about "as their BG gets more controlled, they will naturally be less ravenous." I am watching Emily's eating like a hawk because she is so tiny and can't afford to lose weight. I hope Emily's BG is being somewhat controlled by diet (she is not on insulin right now until I figure out her numbers), but she is peeing a lot, so that is worrisome to me. UGH! One step forward, two steps back. Mary

 

[vbc2000]

Hi Stephanie, I like your comment about "as their BG gets more controlled, they will naturally be less ravenous." I am watching Emily's eating like a hawk because she is so tiny and can't afford to lose weight. I hope Emily's BG is being somewhat controlled by diet (she is not on insulin right now until I figure out her numbers), but she is peeing a lot, so that is worrisome to me. UGH! One step forward, two steps back. Mary

Mary,
You will notice a difference in peeing when you start the insulin. Even though his numbers were still high, as soon as I started the insulin, Tigger stopped eating and drinking so much and started gaining weight. So even though I knew we had a long way to go, I knew something good was happening and we were headed in the right direction. My boy lost 4 lbs be for getting diagnosed but he has gained almost 3 back.