06/04/23, Mouse, AMPS 355

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Phoenix R.

Phoenix R.

Member Since 2023
Last night Mouse's PMPS was 394, at +1 391 and at +2 329 so her numbers came down a little slower than they had been so I was able to go to sleep last night. Hopefully that will be the case tonight. I greatly appreciate the guidance that I've received so far! @Suzanne & Darcy should I be doing a +2 and +3 in the morning and at night? It will be harder to do the night time +3 because I already had difficulty staying up for the +2.
I do leave food out at night, I feed her right before I go to bed and also leave ¾ of a can worth of frozen food (ff pate) in the room she usually hangs out in. Only her and 1 of our other cats can get through the child gate to get to that room but I'm pretty certain mouse is the one eating it.
 
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Tonight she was at 368 ps, gave the 1.25 units and hoping for a nice slow drop so I can get some sleep tonight, I'm exhausted (might have to put tooth picks in my eye lids to make it to +2). How do today's numbers look... Are we doing any better?
 
Just get the +2 check if at all possible. I hope you sleep well tonight! Hopefully she will settle down a bit. Those yellows will give her a chance to get used to somewhat lower numbers.
 
Phoenix R. said:
Last night Mouse's PMPS was 394, at +1 391 and at +2 329 so her numbers came down a little slower than they had been so I was able to go to sleep last night. Hopefully that will be the case tonight. I greatly appreciate the guidance that I've received so far! @Suzanne & Darcy should I be doing a +2 and +3 in the morning and at night? It will be harder to do the night time +3 because I already had difficulty staying up for the +2.
I do leave food out at night, I feed her right before I go to bed and also leave ¾ of a can worth of frozen food (ff pate) in the room she usually hangs out in. Only her and 1 of our other cats can get through the child gate to get to that room but I'm pretty certain mouse is the one eating it.
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Just do the +2 tonight and hopefully it will be similar to last night. I feel good about her having that food at night.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Just do the +2 tonight and hopefully it will be similar to last night. I feel good about her having that food at night.
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Ok :) ... So I decided to do a +1 a couple of minutes ago (to make sure she's not dropping too fast) and my meter actually read higher (384) than her PMPS (368). So I tested again a couple minutes after and got 352. Should I put the 352 on her spreadsheet since that number makes more sense?
I will be doing the +2 as well, then hopefully I can get some sleep.
 
Got more of a drop at +2 than I was hoping for ... PMPS was 368 and +2 is 274... It's just under a 100 drop so I think it'll be ok but not positive. If anybody can let me know if this is an ok # to be able to feed her as well as leaving frozen pate for her to eat through the night and then go to sleep.
 
I made the mistake of going for a +3 and she's down to 214... No I'm extra nervous about her numbers dropping so much, she's never been in the blue so I hope that's not where this is heading tonight unless it would be a good thing. I don't know. I'm so tired but afraid to go to bed... Guess I'll be staying up for a +4 since that's usually been her lowest readings.
 
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Phoenix R. said:
Got more of a drop at +2 than I was hoping for ... PMPS was 368 and +2 is 274... It's just under a 100 drop so I think it'll be ok but not positive. If anybody can let me know if this is an ok # to be able to feed her as well as leaving frozen pate for her to eat through the night and then go to sleep.
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I don’t think that, for Vetsulin, that drop from PMPS to +2 was too bad — because it took 2 hours to get there. Does that make sense? So in the next hour she went from 274 to 214 (a drop of 60 in the next hour, so also not bad.) I really do understand your anxiety though because we don’t yet have a lot of data on her. Did you leave out the pate and go to sleep? I don’t see any more tests after the 214. I hope you rested peacefully.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I don’t think that, for Vetsulin, that drop from PMPS to +2 was too bad — because it took 2 hours to get there. Does that make sense? So in the next hour she went from 274 to 214 (a drop of 60 in the next hour, so also not bad.) I really do understand your anxiety though because we don’t yet have a lot of data on her. Did you leave out the pate and go to sleep? I don’t see any more tests after the 214. I hope you rested peacefully.
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I ended up staying up til the +4 (2am), I guess I didn't put that on there before I went to bed. I gave her a couple of snacks and left her frozen pate to eat the rest of the night. I ended up waking up around 7am so I made sure I collected the food dishes, all were mostly empty.
Hoping for a better night tonight with less anxiety and more sleep. Thank you so much for all of your help and patience with me I really appreciate it!
 
Phoenix R. said:
I ended up staying up til the +4 (2am), I guess I didn't put that on there before I went to bed. I gave her a couple of snacks and left her frozen pate to eat the rest of the night. I ended up waking up around 7am so I made sure I collected the food dishes, all were mostly empty.
Hoping for a better night tonight with less anxiety and more sleep. Thank you so much for all of your help and patience with me I really appreciate it!
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You are welcome! Let's hope she will have some yellows today at least. If we get her gradually into better numbers then your anxiety will be less, I think. Also, her body will have more chance to adjust and hopefully she won't show outward signs of feeling unwell. Did you say it was when she was in the higher numbers that she didn't seem right to you? As for last night, those three yellows together were quite stable -- no signs of diving down, so you definitely made the right choice to feed and go to sleep. I am sorry that you had to stay up that late though.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
You are welcome! Let's hope she will have some yellows today at least. If we get her gradually into better numbers then your anxiety will be less, I think. Also, her body will have more chance to adjust and hopefully she won't show outward signs of feeling unwell. Did you say it was when she was in the higher numbers that she didn't seem right to you? As for last night, those three yellows together were quite stable -- no signs of diving down, so you definitely made the right choice to feed and go to sleep. I am sorry that you had to stay up that late though.
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Thank you... I'm hoping for more sleep tonight :)
Im not sure if there's an issue with my meter...
Her BG was 407 at AMPS
When I took her +2 446 came up on the meter I've been using so I got out my new back up meter and set it and it read 388.
I tried again with both my og meter came up 421 a d new meter said 399.
A couple minutes later I used both meters to test at the same exact time and the og meter read 411 and the new one read 394 so I'm not sure which meter I should be using now or what number to chart for +2.
 
Phoenix R. said:
Thank you... I'm hoping for more sleep tonight :)
Im not sure if there's an issue with my meter...
Her BG was 407 at AMPS
When I took her +2 446 came up on the meter I've been using so I got out my new back up meter and set it and it read 388.
I tried again with both my og meter came up 421 a d new meter said 399.
A couple minutes later I used both meters to test at the same exact time and the og meter read 411 and the new one read 394 so I'm not sure which meter I should be using now or what number to chart for +2.
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Edited to add: The meter variance actually is allowed to be up to 20% and I was using ten percent as an example. Sorry if this is confusing. It's even worse than ten percent!

Hi there. Sorry for the meter confusion. We need to talk about "meter variance." This is a kind of frustrating thing, but once you get used to it, it's okay. With any of these glucose meters, there can be approximately a ten percent meter variance (can go as high as 20 percent) -- which means that, even if you test the same blood droplet with the same meter, one time you may get a 200 and the next a 220 (ten percent more) or even a 180 (ten percent less.) This is why a lot of times, we will say that the numbers are essentially flat -- because they're all within the allowable meter variance. My understanding is that the manufacturers only have to be but so accurate. Obviously, then the numbers are higher the ten percent (or 20%) seems a lot more. In your case, for example, the 446 could also be a 491 (ten percent more) on the same meter, or it could be a 401. It may not be exactly ten percent, of course, and can go as high as 20 percent according to manufacturer standards -- but just to illustrate, I've been using the exact ten percent more and ten percent less numbers. So see how the meter variance "seems" a lot larger in the higher numbers. Of course, when you switch meters to compare you will also see that a certain meter reads a little bit differently than another one.

Having said all that, it's always a good idea if you get a number that you think is really off the wall (either too high or too low) to recheck (using the same meter) because you may have just had a bad test strip.

Also, a few times when you've checked a +1, I think the increased number is either just what we call a "food bump" from breakfast or a snack -- or is what we would consider a flat number given meter variance.

I've just said a lot of stuff. I hope it's not too confusing. When you've had time to digest it, be sure to ask questions if it doesn't make sense.
 
So just remember that (1) while it’s good to have a backup meter, you can drive yourself crazy comparing meters (I had both a ReliOn Prime and a Premier and noticed a small difference between them - the Prime usually read a little lower, but not a lot), and (2) what we really are looking at on the spreadsheet is trends as opposed to just each individual number. Of course, when the numbers are in low greens we pretty much have to take them at face value for safety sake. If my meter gives me a 50, I am going to take action (feed cat.) make sense?
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Edited to add: The meter variance actually is allowed to be up to 20% and I was using ten percent as an example. Sorry if this is confusing. It's even worse than ten percent!

Hi there. Sorry for the meter confusion. We need to talk about "meter variance." This is a kind of frustrating thing, but once you get used to it, it's okay. With any of these glucose meters, there can be approximately a ten percent meter variance (can go as high as 20 percent) -- which means that, even if you test the same blood droplet with the same meter, one time you may get a 200 and the next a 220 (ten percent more) or even a 180 (ten percent less.) This is why a lot of times, we will say that the numbers are essentially flat -- because they're all within the allowable meter variance. My understanding is that the manufacturers only have to be but so accurate. Obviously, then the numbers are higher the ten percent (or 20%) seems a lot more. In your case, for example, the 446 could also be a 491 (ten percent more) on the same meter, or it could be a 401. It may not be exactly ten percent, of course, and can go as high as 20 percent according to manufacturer standards -- but just to illustrate, I've been using the exact ten percent more and ten percent less numbers. So see how the meter variance "seems" a lot larger in the higher numbers. Of course, when you switch meters to compare you will also see that a certain meter reads a little bit differently than another one.

Having said all that, it's always a good idea if you get a number that you think is really off the wall (either too high or too low) to recheck (using the same meter) because you may have just had a bad test strip.

Also, a few times when you've checked a +1, I think the increased number is either just what we call a "food bump" from breakfast or a snack -- or is what we would consider a flat number given meter variance.

I've just said a lot of stuff. I hope it's not too confusing. When you've had time to digest it, be sure to ask questions if it doesn't make sense.
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I think get it but I've misunderstood things before. :( I'm definitely feeling very discouraged today. I just did her + 2 and it's at 410, I don't understand why it's so high at +2. I also don't know what number to put for her +1. Should I still give her a snack since her BG is high for +2? She keeps going in my wife's office to sleep... I don't know if there's something bothering her or if she just prefers to sit in the cooler , quieter, dark room she's also been pooping and possibly peeing on the floor in my wife's office, that's usually in the late evening or night time. This is what happens when I don't know what I'm doing, I get paranoid about every little thing and I since I don't know when to worry I just worry all the time. I swear I'm going to end up with an ulcer or a nervous breakdown if things don't start going in a positive direction. Sorry for bugging you so much, I just don't know what to do anymore.
 
Hi! I had to go out and take a cat to the vet this afternoon (I am on Eastern time— what time are you on?) I am so sorry for how confusing and frustrating this is. You really are doing fine. Hang in there, please. It is very overwhelming, I know. Just the information! And then there’s the anxiety of seeing the high numbers and worrying about what that’s doing to them. Mouse didn’t become diabetic overnight and things won’t be resolved instantly. But we are working on it!
 
Is the confusion about what to put in the +1 cell die to the meter differences? I thought you didn’t check until +2. Just pick the one that makes sense for you and don’t stress.
 
As for the “inappropriate elimination” problem, I think it may be related to the unregulated diabetes problem. Of course, there may be a lot of other things going on that I don’t know about — other animals in the house, other stressors, etc.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Hi! I had to go out and take a cat to the vet this afternoon (I am on Eastern time— what time are you on?) I am so sorry for how confusing and frustrating this is. You really are doing fine. Hang in there, please. It is very overwhelming, I know. Just the information! And then there’s the anxiety of seeing the high numbers and worrying about what that’s doing to them. Mouse didn’t become diabetic overnight and things won’t be resolved instantly. But we are working on it!
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I'll be writing my reply soon after I get home .
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Hi! I had to go out and take a cat to the vet this afternoon (I am on Eastern time— what time are you on?) I am so sorry for how confusing and frustrating this is. You really are doing fine. Hang in there, please. It is very overwhelming, I know. Just the information! And then there’s the anxiety of seeing the high numbers and worrying about what that’s doing to them. Mouse didn’t become diabetic overnight and things won’t be resolved instantly. But we are working on it!
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Hello... I hope the cat that you took to the vet is ok and no worries I know you all have a life beyond this forum. I'm on central time. Today was very difficult, I thought she was heading in the right direction. Do you think she'd be better off switching to one of the other insulins sooner? Mouse has a follow up vet appointment on Wednesday, I could ask for a prescription then.
We have other cats and a couple of dogs but no new ones. It's just weird she was peeing on the floor before because of her UTI but the pooping thing has been happening for the past few days. She's still on the antibiotics for the UTI because the vet said to keep her on them til her follow up.
I was nervous about having changed the dose , that's why I have been testing more often to see how much she's dropping after her shot.
 
Phoenix R. said:
Hello... I hope the cat that you took to the vet is ok and no worries I know you all have a life beyond this forum. I'm on central time. Today was very difficult, I thought she was heading in the right direction. Do you think she'd be better off switching to one of the other insulins sooner? Mouse has a follow up vet appointment on Wednesday, I could ask for a prescription then.
We have other cats and a couple of dogs but no new ones. It's just weird she was peeing on the floor before because of her UTI but the pooping thing has been happening for the past few days. She's still on the antibiotics for the UTI because the vet said to keep her on them til her follow up.
I was nervous about having changed the dose , that's why I have been testing more often to see how much she's dropping after her shot.
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Sorry, I just saw this. I do definitely recommend that you either get your vet to write you a prescription for either ProZinc or Lantus (glargine insulin) when Mouse goes for her check up. Are you saying that you are worried that the vet will be mad that you changed the dose? If the vet is interested in doing Lantus, then get him/her to write it for a generic glargine insulin, which is less expensive than the name brand Lantus. I'm glad you brought this up because I was going to ask you if your vet would be receptive to an insulin switch. Most cats don't do really well on vetsulin.
 
What kind of antibiotics was she given for the UTI? How many days has she been on the antibiotics? The pooping may just be due to finally being in lower numbers and she feels just "weird" or it could be related to the antibiotics -- although it sounds like she's not having diarrhea?
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Sorry, I just saw this. I do definitely recommend that you either get your vet to write you a prescription for either ProZinc or Lantus (glargine insulin) when Mouse goes for her check up. Are you saying that you are worried that the vet will be mad that you changed the dose? If the vet is interested in doing Lantus, then get him/her to write it for a generic glargine insulin, which is less expensive than the name brand Lantus. I'm glad you brought this up because I was going to ask you if your vet would be receptive to an insulin switch. Most cats don't do really well on vetsulin.
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Which do you think would be better for her Prozinc or Lantus, do they work differently? I get that they're better than vetsulin... The vet showed us a list of different insulins, we chose vetsulin because she said it was the most affordable and they had it at the clinic, I don't think she ever said any differences between them other than cost... I wasn't prepared for a diabetes diagnosis and didn't realize at the time that the vets don't really know much about FD treatment. I'm not at all worried that she would be mad that I changed the dose (if it was my old vet I would have been worried) and I believe she would be willing to write a script for whatever insulin I wanted to go with, I just don't know which one would be better for Mouse and I can't afford to keep buying the wrong insulin, I already paid $50 for the vetsulin and have about 3/4 of a bottle worth of it left that I don't know what to do with, that's why I was going to finish the vetsulin before switching but am thinking more and more that I need to switch her to something that is better for her and I'll just have to come up with the money for it. I finally got to order her an automatic feeder and I should be getting it tomorrow, I never thought I would be this excited to get an Amazon package but I'm really looking forward to it and really hope it works well.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
What kind of antibiotics was she given for the UTI? How many days has she been on the antibiotics? The pooping may just be due to finally being in lower numbers and she feels just "weird" or it could be related to the antibiotics -- although it sounds like she's not having diarrhea?
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She is on Orbax and has been since May 17th, it seemed like a long time for her to be on antibiotics but when I called and ask they got back to me and said the vet said to keep her on it til her next appointment which thankfully is tomorrow. I'm guessing she is planning to do another urinalysis to be sure that the infection is gone. She's not having diarrhea its just regular poop.
Sorry about my little melt down yesterday, I think i still haven't really gotten to process or grieve the loss of our little old dog and we had to humanely euthanize one of my favorite chickens yesterday that we had rescued a few years back. She was such a sweet girl but she was having crop issues that I was trying to treat, unsuccessfully, and could only possibly be fixed with surgery that was just not feasible. This is all on top of the stuff with Mouse and a few other major things as well. I'm sure most if not all people with a cat with FD can relate. I can't thank you enough for all of your help!
If you and /or others could weigh in on which insulin we should ask the vet for a script for and why, I would greatly appreciate it!
 
Larry and Kitties said:
I prefer glargine and Lantus is the major brand name glargineIn the USA you can get generic/biosimilar glargine at very reasonable prices using GoodRx coupon.
https://www.goodrx.com/lantus?label...d-pens-of-100-units-ml&quantity=1&slug=lantus
Make sure that the Match your prescription pull down menue says generic glargine 1 carton of 5 3ml pens. Lowest price from me is $81.
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Thank you so much... Does Lantus have to be given at the exact time every 12 hours or is there a little leeway? I only ask because sometimes I'm a few minutes off of shot time. With Lantus there's no wait time between there "big meal" and shot time correct? So I can feed her at the same time I'm giving the shot?
 
Phoenix R. said:
Thank you so much... Does Lantus have to be given at the exact time every 12 hours or is there a little leeway? I only ask because sometimes I'm a few minutes off of shot time. With Lantus there's no wait time between there "big meal" and shot time correct? So I can feed her at the same time I'm giving the shot?
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I like lantus /glargine also
Yes lantus is given every 12 hours but yes you can be a few minutes late ,5 minutes
There is no wait time test, feed, give insulin
Lantus usually doesn't kick in until 2 hours after the shot
Let us know if the vet writes the script for you because you will need U-100 syringes with half unit markings , I can tell you which ones you can use
We buy the pens but use the syringes to draw out the insulin because if you use the pen you can only adjust by full units

Larry gave you the Rx coupon link
Also
The 5 pens will last about a year, we use the pens just like a vial, you would just insert the syringe it the gray rubber stopper on the pen and draw out your insulin
Its generic lantus



Or this one also

I see some members will call CVS, Rite Aid, Costco, Walgreen's, to get the price for 5 pens
Posted by another member
One members posted this
. I paid $175 for a box of 5 pens at Walmart pharmacy, but GoodRX coupon says you can get it for around $90 if you have a Rite Aid pharmacy near you.

Just call around for the best price

A member just posted this
Allie was using the Lantus and I just switched to the generic and using the GoodRX I got 5 pens for $81.30 at Walgreens. GoodRX has a 1-800 number to assist you in using their services to get your pets prescriptions filled if the pharmacy gives you any issues.

I think I found it for you
GoodRx / Customer service

1 (855) 268-2822
 
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Phoenix R. said:
Thank you so much... Does Lantus have to be given at the exact time every 12 hours or is there a little leeway? I only ask because sometimes I'm a few minutes off of shot time. With Lantus there's no wait time between there "big meal" and shot time correct? So I can feed her at the same time I'm giving the shot?
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I think Lantus/generic glargine would be an excellent insulin for Mouse and you would see much better results. It is given every 12 hours and you can test, feed and shoot all at the same time (no waiting for them to eat because the onset time of Lantus is about +2 for many cats.). If you’re a few minutes this way or that it’s okay. But try to not be more than 30 minutes late for giving a shot whenever possible - but as I said you can even give them the shot while they’re eating breakfast if that works for you.
 
And we do allow meltdowns on this Board. Lol! They happen all the time. It’s understandably stressful and most times people do have a lot going on — sometimes some really hard and sad things. We understand. :bighug:
Having said that, I am very sorry about your dog and your chicken too. That is really sad and hard.
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
I like lantus /glargine also
Yes lantus is given every 12 hours but yes you can be a few minutes late ,5 minutes
There is no wait time test, feed, give insulin
Lantus usually doesn't kick in until 2 hours after the shot
Let us know if the vet writes the script for you because you will need U-100 syringes with half unit markings , I can tell you which ones you can use
We buy the pens but use the syringes to draw out the insulin because if you use the pen you can only adjust by full units

Larry gave you the Rx coupon link
Also
The 5 pens will last about a year, we use the pens just like a vial, you would just insert the syringe it the gray rubber stopper on the pen and draw out your insulin
Its generic lantus



Or this one also

I see some members will call CVS, Rite Aid, Costco, Walgreen's, to get the price for 5 pens
Posted by another member
One members posted this
. I paid $175 for a box of 5 pens at Walmart pharmacy, but GoodRX coupon says you can get it for around $90 if you have a Rite Aid pharmacy near you.

Just call around for the best price

A member just posted this
Allie was using the Lantus and I just switched to the generic and using the GoodRX I got 5 pens for $81.30 at Walgreens. GoodRX has a 1-800 number to assist you in using their services to get your pets prescriptions filled if the pharmacy gives you any issues.

I think I found it for you
GoodRx / Customer service

1 (855) 268-2822
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Just got back from Mouse's vet. appointment and we got the script for "Lantus/ Glargine U100 insulin pen (5 pack) - give 1 unit every 12 hours after a meal" that's how our vet wrote it. She said if I can't get the u100 syringes (with half unit marks) without a script at the pharmacy she will write one. I explained to her that I needed the syringes because the pen can only be set for 1unit increments. We will be driving a couple of towns over tomorrow to get the prescription at a Walgreens since according to Good Rx it's the cheapest.
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I think Lantus/generic glargine would be an excellent insulin for Mouse and you would see much better results. It is given every 12 hours and you can test, feed and shoot all at the same time (no waiting for them to eat because the onset time of Lantus is about +2 for many cats.). If you’re a few minutes this way or that it’s okay. But try to not be more than 30 minutes late for giving a shot whenever possible - but as I said you can even give them the shot while they’re eating breakfast if that works for you.
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Got the script for the generic Lantus/ Glargine. Will be picking it up tomorrow at a Walgreens also have to get the u100 syringes w/ half unit marks. Vet wrote it as giving her 1 unit but am wondering if I should give her 1.25 units since that's the dose of vetsulin she's currently on. I'll be picking up the script tomorrow afternoon... Should i switch her tomorrow night or wait til the next morning when I can keep a better eye on her? My vet also gave us an alpha trak pet BG monitor just to see if I liked that one better than the Relion human one, someone had donated it back to the vet clinic after their diabetic cat passed. I'll likely stick with the Relion but we thought it would be interesting to see the difference between them.
Also got the automatic feeder in the mail today, I'm pretty excited to start using that tonight.
They did another urinalysis today and still has sugar in the urine but no more UTI so we get to stop the Orbax!
To address the eliminating outside of the litter box we will be adding another litterbox in the place in my wife's office where mouse was pooping per the vet's advice. It was good that the vet said it so my wife wasn't against adding a litterbox in her office because I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want a litterbox in there otherwise.
Overall I think it was a good day and another step closer to getting Mouse on the right path! Thank you all so much for all your help :)
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
And we do allow meltdowns on this Board. Lol! They happen all the time. It’s understandably stressful and most times people do have a lot going on — sometimes some really hard and sad things. We understand. :bighug:
Having said that, I am very sorry about your dog and your chicken too. That is really sad and hard.
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Thank you... It's good to know you don't just think I'm a complete nutter. I appreciate you guys understanding :)
 
Phoenix R. said:
My vet also gave us an alpha trak pet BG monitor just to see if I liked that one better than the Relion human one
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The strips for the Alpha Trak are much more expensive than the ReliOn (so it's easier to do frequent testing with the ReliOn without worrying about the cost of strips.) The Alpha Trak reads higher, in general, than the human meters. All of our dosing protocols here are written for human meters so it makes it easier for people to help you. However, we can adapt if necessary. People just need to know which numbers are on your spreadsheet (which meter was used) and it's best to use one for the spreadsheet or it could get way too confusing.
 
The rest of the vet visit sound good and I'm glad that she won't have to be on the Orbax anymore. It definitely is a good idea to put a litter box in there where she's already been going. I actually thought that there was one in there but that she was just not using it. You didn't say so, it was my incorrect assumption.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
The rest of the vet visit sound good and I'm glad that she won't have to be on the Orbax anymore. It definitely is a good idea to put a litter box in there where she's already been going. I actually thought that there was one in there but that she was just not using it. You didn't say so, it was my incorrect assumption.
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No worries... My wife didn't want a litterbox in here office (understandably) so I put one in my art room which she was regularly using but since Mouse got sick, UTI, and now with her numbers changing she's stopped using the box in my art room and started going on the carpet my wife's office.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
The strips for the Alpha Trak are much more expensive than the ReliOn (so it's easier to do frequent testing with the ReliOn without worrying about the cost of strips.) The Alpha Trak reads higher, in general, than the human meters. All of our dosing protocols here are written for human meters so it makes it easier for people to help you. However, we can adapt if necessary. People just need to know which numbers are on your spreadsheet (which meter was used) and it's best to use one for the spreadsheet or it could get way too confusing.
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I guess we just figured it would be interesting to see what the alpha trak reads and it came with some test strips but I plan to use the Relion for her spreadsheet. Do I need to start a new spreadsheet when I switch her to the Glargine on Friday? Do cats usually tolerate the switch pretty well? Should I start the Glargine at 1 unit like the vet said or the 1.25 like we had her up to on the vetsulin?
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
What kind of numbers have you gotten on Mouse for today? I don't see any on the spreadsheet (you've been busy, I know.)
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Sorry... I've got the numbers updated now. I only got a +2 this morning because her appointment was this afternoon. We didn't test her #'s at the vet cause I figured they'd just be higher anyway due to the stress. Almost forgot Mouse went from 4.5lbs at the vets office on 05/17/23 to 5.4lbs. today at vets!
 
Phoenix R. said:
Do I need to start a new spreadsheet when I switch her to the Glargine on Friday?
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You do not need to start a new spreadsheet. You can just put a large horizontal area across the spreadsheet on the day that you start the Glargine -- saying Started Glargine or something like that. Then change the top of the spreadsheet to indicate that the current insulin is Glargine and be sure to also put that in your signature that you are now using Glargine.
 
I do not think that you need to drop the dose back to 1 unit when starting Glargine as long as you will be monitoring closely. I would start with the same dose, 1.25 units. The lowest nadir that I see on your spreadsheet is 214 and most of them are a little higher than that. I do believe your Mouse will be safe starting at 1.25 units. But do monitor closely. Some cats have a strong reaction to the switch. I recently had a cat that I was helping with and he switched from ProZinc to Lantus and started getting better numbers right away (safe blues so not to worry.) It's just that you will need to monitor, and you already intend to do that.
 
Phoenix R. said:
Sorry... I've got the numbers updated now. I only got a +2 this morning because her appointment was this afternoon. We didn't test her #'s at the vet cause I figured they'd just be higher anyway due to the stress. Almost forgot Mouse went from 4.5lbs at the vets office on 05/17/23 to 5.4lbs. today at vets!
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See. That's real progress -- the weight gain. I'm really happy. And now that she's going to be on a better insulin things are going to even get better and better! Smiling here...
 
Sooooo.... having said all that... my feeling that the 1.25 is a good starting place, of course, means that you can keep her at 1.25 unless she starts to drop a lot lower between now and Friday (so tonight and tomorrow.) I doubt that she will, but you never know, so I thought I would throw that in.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I do not think that you need to drop the dose back to 1 unit when starting Glargine as long as you will be monitoring closely. I would start with the same dose, 1.25 units. The lowest nadir that I see on your spreadsheet is 214 and most of them are a little higher than that. I do believe your Mouse will be safe starting at 1.25 units. But do monitor closely. Some cats have a strong reaction to the switch. I recently had a cat that I was helping with and he switched from ProZinc to Lantus and started getting better numbers right away (safe blues so not to worry.) It's just that you will need to monitor, and you already intend to do that.
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I'm guessing Friday when I start her on Glargine I should test her every 2 or 3 hours to see what color range she is in?
 
@Phoenix R.
Glad you got the glargine , most pharmacy's don't carry the U-100 syringes with half unit markings .
I know Walmart does , I think you will need a script
You can get the syringes with half unit markings at a Walmart. Their ReliOn Brand syringes of 0.3 cc (30 unit) capacity come with half unit markings. Cost $12.58 for a box of 100
This is what the packaging looks like: either box is fine
They won't say it half unit on the box but the are . open then and look before you leave the store, can't be ordered on line , need to go into the store
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Phoenix R. said:
I'm guessing Friday when I start her on Glargine I should test her every 2 or 3 hours to see what color range she is in?
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I would read all the yellow stickys here about Lantus/Glargine
Especially the 2 dosing methods and see which one you would want to follow.
Each one will tell you when an increase or decrease is needed
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/lantus-levemir-biosimilars.9/
@Phoenix R.
I would start to get a test @+2. then +4. and @+6 and if possible a +8 or +9
Every day or so you want to test at different times like filling in pieces of a puzzle
It will take 5 to 7 days for the depot to fill for Glargine
When you do pick a dose add it to your signature and on your spreadsheet somewhere
Did you create your spreadsheet using our directions? Only asking because if you look at mine and other members spreadsheets ours looks different than yours.
On ours there is a spot to fill in where it asks you TR or SLGS Method .
Take a look at mine Tyler's spreadsheet

On yours you can just put which method you choose where ever you can fit it
I really think you will like Lantus/Glargine
 
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