? Leaving for the week and getting odd numbers today

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Heather & Ducote

Heather & Ducote

Member Since 2020
Ducote's numbers stay high most of the time. Pretty much every AMPS is "HI". He had one previous lower AMPS reading on 5/31 and the second one today. The problem is that tomorrow I am leaving for a week and I am bringing him to my sister (who has no experience with diabetes at all). I am bringing him tonight and I am going to show her everything and make sure that she understands how to test and shoot. This morning his number scared me and I just tested him at +5 and he is 59!!!!!!! This is VERY OUT OF THE ORDINARY for him! For example, yesterday he didn't come out of "HI" all day long :banghead: I just gave him a can of Friskies shreds and I will check him again in an hour. I am now even more nervous to leave him for the week :nailbiting: My sister will only be testing him before his shots (she works during the day). I was not anxious at all about his dosing while I would be gone because he is NEVER low. Now I am beyond stressed!! Should I go ahead and tell her to give 4 units instead of the 4.5 this week (or even 3.5)? And should I tell her to hold the shot at 250 instead of 200 since it dropped him so low today and she won't be there to monitor (he was 258 this morning and 59 at +5). She will be going to work right after giving him his morning shot so there is no option to feed and stall, it is either give it or hold. What would be a good number to hold the shot? What would be a safe dose while I am gone? I am super stressed with the very strange low numbers today (of all days :arghh:)!!
 
SMH I wish I knew. I think though, you might want to let the vet and your sister know he could be taken to them, in case something like this happens while you are gone. She can always come here for advice.

Lets see what others have to say.
Its going to be ok.
j
 
It's like he planned this, to see if he could get you to cancel your trip and stay with him :).

I think you have no choice but to go conservative under the circumstances. He's earned a reduction anyway, but yes, I'd reduce a bit more for a vacation dose. I think it's a great idea to arm your sister with options for help-- coming here, taking Ducote to the vet, etc.
 
Another "insurance policy" is to have your sister leave food out for him while she's at work. A timed feeder is ideal if he's a vacuum cleaner kinda guy around food, but another option is for her to just go completely "safety first" and feed him some of his old favorite carb-filled foods from yesteryear whenever there's even a question of him going low during the day.
 
Normally we change by 0.25U at a time, but sometimes that gets adjusted to 0.5U when the doses get higher. If it were me, I'd probably go to 4.0U as the regular dose, and adjust by 0.25U going forward.

I think 3.5U sounds like a reasonable vacation dose, but hopefully some Vetsulin folks can weigh in on both these questions.
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
Another "insurance policy" is to have your sister leave food out for him while she's at work. A timed feeder is ideal if he's a vacuum cleaner kinda guy around food, but another option is for her to just go completely "safety first" and feed him some of his old favorite carb-filled foods from yesteryear whenever there's even a question of him going low during the day.
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My sister lives about 5 minutes from her job and she gets a 1 hour lunch break at 12:00. His doses are at 7am & 7pm. She said that she will eat at home this week so that she can put him out a can of Fancy Feast mid-day. I also her told that if he is having a low day (staying out of the 500's or a PMPS below 400) to leave him a can in his kennel overnight. I think that it will be safe to tell her to hold the morning shot at a reading of 250 and hold the night shot at a reading 0f 300. I also am instructing a lower dose of 3 units for a AMPS of 250-300. Does this sound about right? I am attaching the instructions that I am sending.....

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11mBoukYuW7sD8IxEj6f15DVVZpxtU3v-VSvxc3lARNI/edit?usp=sharing
 
:arghh: :banghead: I'm afraid that Ducote will never get regulated because it is impossible to make any sense from his numbers :arghh: :banghead:

I fed him the gravy food when he got down to 59 at +5 and he slowly went up to 118 at +6 and then 161 at +7. I was very happy with these results so I waited two hours before checking him again. I just checked him at +9 and he is 510!! :eek: Is it normal to jump around 400 points in 2 hours?!?!?
 
jt and trouble (GA) said:
That is rather shocking. He must be sensitive to that gravy food :eek: wth?
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His numbers make no logical sense on any given day :arghh: I fed him the Friskies Shreds whitefish and tuna. I think that next time he is low I might just try a full feeding of his regular Fancy Feast and see what it does in an hour before jumping to the higher calorie food. It just scared me because this is SUPER LOW for him and SOOOO out of the ordinary (not to mention I am leaving him at my sister's tonight).
 
Heather, did you test again after you got that 59 to make sure that wasn't a bad strip? Not saying he didn't pull that number but any time something seems off you want to retest.

Edit: I'm looking at his spreadsheet and the next test dose indicate that was an accurate test this time. Very impressive :smuggrin: Looks like he bounced shortly after, as expected. He's not used to those low numbers!
 
He probably bounces from the low numbers. His body is not used to these numbers and reacted accordingly.
Definition of a bounce: Bouncing is simply a natural reaction to what the cat's system perceives as a BG value that is "too low". "Too low" is relative. If a cat is used to BGs in the 200's, 300's, or higher for a long time, then even a BG that drops to 150 can trigger a "bounce". Bouncing can also be triggered if the blood glucose drops too low and/or too fast.The pancreas, then the liver, release glucogon, glycogen and counter-regulatory hormones. The end result is a dumping of "sugar" into the bloodstream to save the cat from going hypoglycemic from a perceived low. The action is often referred to as "liver panic" or "panicky liver". *Usually*, a bounce will clear kitty's system within 3 days (6 cycles).

Some people freeze the wet food in ice cube trays. That way, it lasts for a good part of the day in the cat's bowl. Your sister could leave out some cold but not frozen food and some frozen food on another plate beside the first one.
 
About the "no shoot" number....consider still keeping it at 200 for your sister...skipping a dose doesn't seem like a good idea for him given his #s and tendency to go high. But if he's 250 or less, I'd consider stalling or adjusting the dose.
When Mr kitty started dropping near 200 pre shot, I went with 1/3 his usual dose to be safe...but I also have data on how he reacts, and you unfortunately have a lot of HIs :(
 
I just dropped him off at my sister's and it went worse than expected :( He hissed, howled, growled, and even tried to bite her several times. My sister was a trooper and was insistent on doing it herself because I won't be here to help after tomorrow so she kept going. She ended up throwing a towel over him to pick him up and put him on a table in front of his food. She was able to test him and give him his shot while he was eating but he was growling the whole time he was chewing his food. She put him in a large dog kennel (with a litter box and a nice comfy bed) for the night thinking that it would make him feel better than the wide open unfamiliar space. He crawled right into the litter box, made himself comfortable, and fell asleep (until anyone comes close then he wakes up enough to growl and hiss at the person passing by) o_O I googled why a cat would sleep in the litter box and it said that when they are overly stressed in an unfamiliar situation they find comfort in the familiar smell of the litter. My poor sister is going to have a very rough week :confused:
 
Oh no!!!!! The little stinker! Your sister is such a trooper!

The crate is a good idea. Did she cover it with a towel or blanket to make it more cave-like?

He will settle down after a while. He may not be happy, but it will be a much less stressful environment than the vet for him.

Enjoy your trip!
 
Lalkabee said:
i would try a different meter. Poor baby, can you bring him back to your place and have your sister go there?
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I thought about getting a different meter just to see how accurate this one is. I did test my other cat and my husband with the current meter and both came out normal (one in the 80's and the other in the 90's). My sister is unable to come to my house because she lives about 1 hr from me and she works close to her home.
 
I called my sister this morning to see how it went and it was nothing short of a disaster :confused: She said that he fought her tooth and nail! She forgot how to use the lancet pen and pulled the top cap off (where you change the lancet) and when she put it back on she said that she could not remember which number to dial it to so just put it at 10 :eek: She said that she stuck him a good 7-8 times and there was blood everywhere but he would scream and shake the droplets away. She also said that she wasted about 15 strips trying to get blood into the meter o_O. The reading said "HI" so she gave him his dose but she said that he howled and turned quickly to snap at her when she gave him the shot. He never noticed a shot before, not even a flinch. I am wondering if she did something wrong or if he was just so upset over the glucose testing by that point. When all is said and done, he got tested and dosed so that is that. I am waiting to hear how it goes tonight :nailbiting: After this I will never be able to repay my sister!
 
She just sent me this text "I think your cat hates me! It took FOREVER to give him his shot and he tried to bite me 10,000 times!" I called her and she said that she got the testing on the first try this time but he would turn to bite her every time she lifted his skin to give the shot. She ended up having to get a friend to wrap him in a towel to give him the shot :blackeye:. She put him in the large kennel in her outdoor kitchen so he is away from the commotion of the house (she has a small dog and a cat as well). She said that all she has to do is crack the door of the outdoor kitchen and he starts growling and getting upset so it is just almost impossible to handle him :confused: She is also watching my 11 year old dachshund. My dachshund (Chia) and Ducote have been together since they were both babies. I told my sister to put Chia in the outdoor kitchen with Ducote tomorrow and maybe that will calm him down.

Ducote is the sweetest cat at home but is SUPER nervous around strangers (he doesn't even like my hubby that much lol). At home when he hears me unzip his meter, he comes running and jumps on the counter to test. He purrs and lets me do his testing and shots and runs to the fridge to get his treat when we are done. His testing at home has never bothered him (and I test him a lot). I hate that both he and my sister are going through this right now. I wonder what the vet would have done with him....? :eek:
 
Heather & Ducote said:
She just sent me this text "I think your cat hates me! It took FOREVER to give him his shot and he tried to bite me 10,000 times!" I called her and she said that she got the testing on the first try this time but he would turn to bite her every time she lifted his skin to give the shot. She ended up having to get a friend to wrap him in a towel to give him the shot :blackeye:. She put him in the large kennel in her outdoor kitchen so he is away from the commotion of the house (she has a small dog and a cat as well). She said that all she has to do is crack the door of the outdoor kitchen and he starts growling and getting upset so it is just almost impossible to handle him :confused: She is also watching my 11 year old dachshund. My dachshund (Chia) and Ducote have been together since they were both babies. I told my sister to put Chia in the outdoor kitchen with Ducote tomorrow and maybe that will calm him down.

Ducote is the sweetest cat at home but is SUPER nervous around strangers (he doesn't even like my hubby that much lol). At home when he hears me unzip his meter, he comes running and jumps on the counter to test. He purrs and lets me do his testing and shots and runs to the fridge to get his treat when we are done. His testing at home has never bothered him (and I test him a lot). I hate that both he and my sister are going through this right now. I wonder what the vet would have done with him....? :eek:
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Props to your sister for perseverance!

I know it's traumatizing for both of them, but in my head I just keep picturing a video of them sped up Ike 5x with Yakety Sax as the soundtrack :joyful:
 
Heather & Ducote said:
I called my sister this morning to see how it went and it was nothing short of a disaster :confused: She said that he fought her tooth and nail! She forgot how to use the lancet pen and pulled the top cap off (where you change the lancet) and when she put it back on she said that she could not remember which number to dial it to so just put it at 10 :eek: She said that she stuck him a good 7-8 times and there was blood everywhere but he would scream and shake the droplets away. She also said that she wasted about 15 strips trying to get blood into the meter o_O. The reading said "HI" so she gave him his dose but she said that he howled and turned quickly to snap at her when she gave him the shot. He never noticed a shot before, not even a flinch. I am wondering if she did something wrong or if he was just so upset over the glucose testing by that point. When all is said and done, he got tested and dosed so that is that. I am waiting to hear how it goes tonight :nailbiting: After this I will never be able to repay my sister!
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Oh my. Yeah this is why we just board her when we go away. Lol. Poor sister. Poor cat.
 
My sister just texted me and sent a picture of Ducote letting her feed him with a spoon. She said that he is warming up to her and didn’t fight when she tested him and gave him his shot tonight! His PMPS came out to 476 (it’s been HI ever since I dropped him off). I cried in the restaurant when I got the message!
 

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JanetNJ said:
I might ask her to do 4 as long as the preshot is red or black. 3.5 if the preshot is yellow.
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Now that Ducote is kind of calmer I am noticing that his numbers are looking better on the 3.5 than the 4.5 that I was giving at home. My sister got a PMPS in the red last night and a red again this morning. His pre shot numbers are almost always black at home. I would love to be home and see what he is dropping to in between! I am wondering if I should start the new Prozinc at 3.5 when I get home since the pre shot numbers are looking better on 3.5 of Vetsulin than the 4.5.
 
Heather & Ducote said:
Now that Ducote is kind of calmer I am noticing that his numbers are looking better on the 3.5 than the 4.5 that I was giving at home. My sister got a PMPS in the red last night and a red again this morning. His pre shot numbers are almost always black at home. I would love to be home and see what he is dropping to in between! I am wondering if I should start the new Prozinc at 3.5 when I get home since the pre shot numbers are looking better on 3.5 of Vetsulin than the 4.5.
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ok go with your gut. I just suggested that because red numbers are also VERY high. ask if she can get a +5 readings.
 
Heather & Ducote said:
Now that Ducote is kind of calmer I am noticing that his numbers are looking better on the 3.5 than the 4.5 that I was giving at home. My sister got a PMPS in the red last night and a red again this morning. His pre shot numbers are almost always black at home. I would love to be home and see what he is dropping to in between! I am wondering if I should start the new Prozinc at 3.5 when I get home since the pre shot numbers are looking better on 3.5 of Vetsulin than the 4.5.
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Sounds like a plan as long as you are testing for keytones. ;)
 
My sister got a PMPS of 375. Normally I would be very happy but I was a little nervous since I am not home. I asked her to attempt another test at +2. She just sent me the new number of 284. I love this number but once again, I am not home and it makes me nervous. Knowing that his insulin drops him the lowest in between 4-6 hours after administering, and knowing that she was going to bed, I told her to give him a can of Fancy Feast with one spoon of his gravy food. I feel like every time he gets a decent number I get nervous and sabotage him but I don't know what else to do :( And even with the extra food I can't help but be nervous tonight wondering how low he will go.
 
Heather & Ducote said:
My sister got a PMPS of 375. Normally I would be very happy but I was a little nervous since I am not home. I asked her to attempt another test at +2. She just sent me the new number of 284. I love this number but once again, I am not home and it makes me nervous. Knowing that his insulin drops him the lowest in between 4-6 hours after administering, and knowing that she was going to bed, I told her to give him a can of Fancy Feast with one spoon of his gravy food. I feel like every time he gets a decent number I get nervous and sabotage him but I don't know what else to do :( And even with the extra food I can't help but be nervous tonight wondering how low he will go.
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Breathe! You'll be home soon, and starting new insulin - it'll be a fresh start, no more sabotaging lol He's nowhere near hypo right now, but I'm sure you left instructions for that too (if not, just link her here). She sounds tenacious, he's in good hands!
 
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