1/25 Theo AMPS 313 4+ 319 PMPS Hi?!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Arienna

Arienna

Member Since 2014
First time home testing and first day without the vet... I poked him too hard :( Got a couple extra drops of blood. Can folks tell me about using the Relion Confirm? As I understand it, it reads approximately 30 pts below my vet's pet specific reader within an error range of 20%. The error is greatest at high numbers?
 
Re: 1/25 Theo AMPS 313

Hi Arienna! Welcome to Lantus Land!

Yes, we use people glucometers, which measure slightly differently than one calibrated for felines. Most of us think in terms of the people numbers and the protocol we follow is listed in people numbers, with Alpha-trak (for cats) numbers listed in brackets. Yes, the two types of meters are closer in numbers in the lower ranges and usually farther apart in the higher numbers.

You don't have to try to think of the differences or the error margin, for the most part. Just go with the numbers you see and compare them to each other. You'll go crazy if you try to compare all of your tests to what the vet might have gotten and what the error margin might be. :lol:

I love seeing your brand new spreadsheet! Great job getting the home testing going!

Here are the starting guidelines for a new kitty on Lantus:

Kitty should be monitored closely the first three days when starting Lantus or Levemir.
Blood glucose levels should at least be checked at pre-shot, +3, +6, and +9.
More monitoring may be needed.
Click to expand...

Theo's ears will bleed consistently after about 2 weeks of poking. the poking causes his ears to grow more capillaries, then it's not as hard to get a blood test.

As you get new tests in, edit the subject line of your first post here and add those numbers. It has to be the subject line of the first post or the new subject line won't appear on the main page. If you have questions, you can put the topic in the subject line or add the ? icon. You can also do a reply to your own thread so it bumps it up and it doesn't get lost. We do ask people to keep one thread (= condo) per day so we don't lose anyone off onto the second page. For any topic, you can just keep editing and adding your question.

When you get a chance if you could do a profile on Theo and tell us his story, that's helpful. I see a mention of DKA in your sig line - can you tell us about that, too? How to create a profile

What can we help you with? We are full of advice on just about everything! ;-) :lol:
 
Re: 1/25 Theo AMPS 313 4+ 319

Thanks Julie and Punkin :)

My vet is very leery about me using a human device home testing program and a home protocol. She wants to see his numbers before I lower his doses and we're trying to find a way that she can interpret the numbers by what she'd expect to see. Now me, I'm a concrete researcher so I was so comforted by the idea of having a way to keep track of things on my own and have a spreadsheet. Seeing data is soothing to me and makes me feel like I'm on top of things.
 
Re: 1/25 Theo AMPS 313 4+ 319

Hi Arianna - welcome to Lantus Land!!! It's a bit overwhelming to be here at first, but everyone here is very generous with their knowledge and support, so please ask as many questions as you need! We'll do whatever we can to help you and Theo.

Most of us do use human meters for testing our kitties, like Julie said, and we just adjust our interpretation of the numbers accordingly.

I'm so glad you are so up for home testing...this is the single most important tool for keeping Theo both safe (from hypo) and healthy! We are very data driven here. We make our own decisions on doses based on the numbers we get, and without those numbers it is very difficult to determine what is going on with our kitties' BGs and how to determine any dose changes.

Aside from reading all the stickies and asking questions, another thing that can help you get used to this whole sugar dance is to check out the condos (discussion threads) and spreadsheets of other kitties. You'll quickly learn that ECID (every cat is different), but even with that, we learn a whole lot from what is going on with each other.

Once again, welcome aboard!!
 
.. Hoom... The reading I got for the PMPS was Hi. I looked it up and the machine said that could mean it's over 600. :/ I tried it again with another strip - same result. But he seems okay - he's walking around, cuddling, eating, being a kitty.
 
Re: 1/25 Theo AMPS 313 4+ 319

Glad your vet is even open to home-testing. Some are not! Here is a copy of the formal protocol that our dosing decisions are based upon. Perhaps you could print it out and your vet could see it. It is the only treatment for diabetic cats that has been published in a professional veterinary journal.

http://www.uq.edu.au/vetschool/content/ccah/diabetesinfo/link4.pdf

There are numbers in the protocol that are specific for using an AlphaTrak. The reason we don't use them is because the strips cost over $1 each. A person following Tight Regulation (meaning that we are trying to get our cats regulated in normal blood sugar numbers 50-120 on a human meter to allow the pancreas to heal and the cat to go off of insulin) will always use a minimum of 4 strips a day. When punkin got in low numbers, i believe the most i used was 21 strips in a day. Who could afford this protocol at $4-$21 per day, every single day? Human glucometer strips can be purchased for a few cents each. The brand I bought (Relion Confirm) had generic strips available (Arkray) through American Diabetes Wholesale.com that were 250 for $70. That's $0.28 per strip. I've heard people say they've been able to find them on ebay or through specials for as little as $0.10 each.

Anyway, here we all speak in "human" glucometer numbers. We have members around the world, so we need a common ground. If you want to use the AT, just make sure you put it in everything so no one will miss it if they are helping you.

just saw your post about the "HI"

Could be that if he's had a lower number than he was used to, his body has reacted with a "bounce." Could be that he needs more insulin, but we don't know that without some more data. Here's a description of a Bounce. Read the second post in the thread. The first on New Dose Wonkiness wouldn't apply to Theo right now.

Do you have any numbers from the past 5 days? Anything at the vet's, or a fructosamine test? That might help us to know.

How did the vet decide on this amount to start him at, do you know? and how much does Theo weigh?

edited to add: Here's the "official" Journal study: Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery for your vet.
 
Okay.. When I took him in Monday he was diagnosed with ketoacidosis and had a BG over 400 after a shot of the Depo steroid. It quickly dropped to 250 and then 147 that night. For the rest of this week we've had a constant struggle to balance his BG with low potassium. Every morning his BG has been 300-500's at the vet on their animal specific reader. When I took him home Friday he was in 500's but, as the vet says, he seems like an okay guy. Not his usual self, but he's not obsessed with his water, he eats with good but not excessive appetite. He comes to me for petting, he naps on his stand. He's had a harrowing week and I know the next few days won't be useful data because the Lantus needs to get going (he started it on Friday morning) and the next 4 weeks will be dicey because the Depo will still be working through his system. Trying to stay calm and using this as practice in ear pricking (mommy is not good at this yet). He goes back in Monday for more tests because, hey, who needs grocery money? ;-)
 
it's true - this can be expensive. everyone has a little bag of tricks that they use to keep the costs down, fyi!

i bought a Relion Confirm and used the Arkray strips. I registered through http://www.mrrebates.com and you can get a 4% rebate back on whatever you buy at http://www.AmericanDiabetesWholesale.com. Lots of people here use ADW.

I used http://www.americandiabeteswholesale.com/product/terumo-thinpro-insulin-syringe_5891_112.htm which are very cheap but one of the syringes with the most accurate markings. they have a plunger that glides easily, which is nice once you get used to it.

You can buy one Lantus Solostar pen at a time for $25 each using a card, once you register. This came about after Punkin died, and i don't know the details on that but will ask someone to tell you about it. That will save you a lot!

Take care of your insulin, too, so it lasts as long as possible. Here's the link on that: Lantus, Lev: Info, proper handling & storage. Punkin and I (ok, just me, but he provides background music) did a video on how to draw your dose from either a vial or a pen without contaminating the insulin. it's about 1/2way down the page.

Ask about anything else you need. If you put the ? post icon (at the top) then people will know you have a question. You can also edit the first post of a thread and put your topic? in the subject line. Then it will be seen on the main page and people with experience with whatever you're asking about will come to help.

We can help you with dosing adjustments here, so you don't have to go to the vet for that part. might save you some money before long!
 
Welcome to Lantus Land Arienna and extra sweet Theo!!

There are a few things you need to know about using the savings card for the Solostar pens. First, when you sign up, don't say it's for a cat. It either needs to be for someone over 18yrs old, or you can say you're the caretaker of a child.

You'll have to call around to find a pharmacy that will sell individual pens. They come in packs of 5, and not everyone will break them open. Target stores, and hospital pharmacies seem to be the most reliable places to get single pens, but it's worth calling around to make sure you can find someone who'll do it for you.

Recently, there have been more times when the Savings card hasn't been accepted because of new regulations, but nothing ventured, nothing gained! Some people are having no trouble at all! http://www.aahanet.org/blog/NewStat...s-are-not-eligible-to-obtain-NPI-numbers.aspx

Good luck with Theo, and once again, welcome to the best group you never wanted to have to join!

Edited to add:
Every morning his BG has been 300-500's at the vet on their animal specific reader
Click to expand...

Getting tests at the vet can be 100-200 points higher than when you're at home. The stress of a car ride, being poked and prodded by a vet, dogs barking, etc., raises the blood glucose levels, and then when you get home and Theo is calm again, his blood glucose will drop. We have heard so many stories of people who have taken their vet's advice to raise doses based on the numbers they got there, and then when they get home and it goes down, they're way overdosed and their cats are in hypoglycemic crisis. Please take this into consideration if you continue to have him tested at the vets office! You'll get much more (and more accurate) results by testing at home!

Everyone thinks they can't do it when they first come here...and a few weeks later, they're pro's and telling someone else new that "if I can do it, you can too!!"
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top