Ugh! Forgot if I gave him insulin or not! how can I tell?

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by LadyGrey, Feb 9, 2020.

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  1. LadyGrey

    LadyGrey New Member

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    Oct 13, 2019
    UGH! Cannot remember if I gave him his shot this morning or not. Is there a way to tell?
    I write EVERYTHING Down but extra tired this morning and Totally Forgot OR did not give him his shot??
    I remember was about to do it then wanted to wait a little bit to get his timing back in sync with the roughly 12hr cycle.
    I'll test & see if numbers are down. I've never tested After meal & shot, do they drop considerably?
    Thanks for any advice!
     
  2. Nan & Amber (GA)

    Nan & Amber (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2016
    Well, not much else you can do at this point! Can't give the shot now-- even when you know for sure you did a furshot (missed), you shouldn't re-shoot in case some insulin got in. Since you might have given a full shot this morning, no way! So just some BG tests sounds like the right plan.

    As to when... they sometimes get a "food bump" an hour after the meal, then drop back down, but the lantus should start to take effect 2-3 hours in. It's a good idea to get a test a few hours after "shot" time-- in fact, it's a really good idea to be doing that anyway, on each cycle if you can. Dosing decisions on Lantus are made by the nadir (how low the insulin is taking them), not the pre-shot number, so getting those between-shot tests is essential for assessing a dose.

    To prevent future mixups, one thing you can do is to keep a little cup to hold the two (empty) syringes for the day, and load it up in the evening before going to bed. That way, the next day you'll always be able to tell if you gave one or both shots by the number of syringes remaining.
     
  3. LadyGrey

    LadyGrey New Member

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    Oct 13, 2019
    Thanks for the info! LOVE the SyringeCup tip, I poke him so often I can't remember one poke from the rest. Will set that up TODAY :cat:
     
  4. Deb & Wink

    Deb & Wink Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2013
    Link to your first post, back from October 2019. For history and reference value.
    Can Diabetes or Insulin cause appetite loss?

    Glad your little lion loves the sunshine in the state where you live but we have recently been telling people to leave out any kind of identifying information like country, state, time zone, city in the signature. Ok to put it in your profile. Not as visible to scammers.

    I know it's tempting to skip rows on your spreadsheet, but that gets confusing to those of us looking at the SS and trying to help you. Would you please insert a row for each day, especially from the beginning of 2020? Even for those days where you did not test William, you may have given him a shot of insulin. But there is no way for us to tell that if you skip rows. Thanks.

    Not sure why you called William a "borderline diabetic". With him getting 1.5u of Lantus, he is no where near going into remission or being diet controlled. "Once a diabetic, always a diabetic."

    Maybe it is simply that the info in your signature needs a more recent update?
     
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  5. Diane Tyler's Mom

    Diane Tyler's Mom Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2018
    I see you are not testing William at all other than pre shots, it's very important to get at least 2 or 3 tests in after his insulin for both 12 hour cycles in order to keep him safe and to see if his insulin may have to be decreased or increased
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2020
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  6. Deb & Wink

    Deb & Wink Well-Known Member

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    Jan 31, 2013
    Diane Tyler's Mom, I wanted to thank you for all the help you have been in Feline Health. Great to have another "voice" here helping out.
     
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  7. LadyGrey

    LadyGrey New Member

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    Oct 13, 2019
    Thank you for the info Deb&Wink, I will update the signature and remove the ID info as well as the "Borderline" status, that has changed. Originally, the Diabetes was caused by Steroids prescribed for a tumor and the Vet called it Borderline because she thought it would go into remission if we stopped the steroids. Unfortunately, he needs the steroids to slow the tumor and it helps keep up the appetite. He's been in Comfort Mode for awhile now. Every once in awhile he stops or slows eating and I think "Is this IT? Do I make The Call now?" Then he starts eating again & all is well.

    I think I misunderstood the spreadsheet and thought it was to only keep track of testing numbers or changes. He's been pretty steady and the vet said it's okay to test only 2-3 times a week. I'll update it this week to post daily insulin. I'll be home next week & will try a midday shot.
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2020
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  8. LadyGrey

    LadyGrey New Member

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    Oct 13, 2019
    Also forgot to update: He tested at 149mgdl, 3 Hours past meal. I think it's a good number for him and I MUST have given him the shot. He was well enough to playwrestle his buddy, Charlie for BedSpace. I'm keeping an extra eye on him today anyway, appetite had some extreme fluctuations pst few days, that's what threw me off. Thanks again for your help!
     
  9. Diane Tyler's Mom

    Diane Tyler's Mom Well-Known Member

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    Sep 21, 2018
    Hey Deb you are so welcome, I try to help out when I can with everything else except dosing, I am no way experienced when it comes to that like all of the members that have been here for so long. Everyone here has helped me with Tyler so I try to help when it's something I am sure about or suggestions about supplies, and trying to tell new members how important it is for them to be testing at home, their signatures and setting up spreadsheets and keeping them up to date, Thank you again Deb
     
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  10. Diane Tyler's Mom

    Diane Tyler's Mom Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2018
    Don't agree with your vet telling you it's ok to only test 2-3 times per week.
    I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but you should test him every morning and every night to see what his BG is in order to see if it's safe to give him the insulin and put it
    On the spreadsheet if you are not sure you can always post that you need advice. And if you are home during the day you should be testing him about 2 or 3 times maybe @+3, 5 and 7 and the same at night time. Other times you could do maybe a+4, +6 and +9 to fill the blanks. Don't want to sound mean at all, we just want to make sure William is safe
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2020
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  11. Callie & Patches

    Callie & Patches Well-Known Member

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    Jun 18, 2016
    I found it helped me to keep the insulin vile or pen in a cup to help protect from falls while transporting from fridg to counter. I learned to tuck the syringes into that cup after I forgot to give Callie her insulin. It's convenient early in the morning to have them together.
     
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