10/1 - Lantus - Flash - First Test Number - 282

Flash's human

Flash's human

Member Since 2019
While difficult at first, the 30 lancet made the difference, only issue was I got TOO much blood. My cat was so startled by the prick he pulled away immediately while I did it which caused it to scratch across his ear, poor guy. Of course, I gave him neosporin and cleaned it the best I could and a treat after enduring that, but what advice can you give so he doesn't move when pricking his ear? Anyways, since I got a 150 and he has a 282 after eating a little bit of food, does that give a clue what his condition is considering his 4 UI insulin he gets twice a day? I thought 120 - 300 was considered normal for a cat, does that mean he is on the edge of the high side of normal? Also, I think the b12 I added once a day to his food has already made him feel better which is just amazing to me since I know people take it as well but just as a basic vitamin I thought instead of an extra cup of coffee or pop to get through the day. I may start taking it next!
 
bry800 said:
only issue was I got TOO much blood.
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Sounds like you probably hit the vein....it hurts more so he pulled away (and yes, you get a lot more blood than you need!). Don't beat yourself up over it though. We've all done it and our cats still love us!!

bry800 said:
If I'm reading this site correctly, should my cat at 2am EST be closer to 100 than 300, how bad does that make his reading?
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We're all over the world here.....Your 2am isn't necessarily anybody else's. We use the "+ system" here. Each cycle is 12 hours.....so your AMPS and PMPS (AM Pre-shot and PM Pre-shot) start the count....then if you get another test 2 hours after the shot, that's +2....if you get a test 5 hours after a shot, that's +5...all the way to +11 and then it's time for the next cycle.

When did you get the 150? When did you shoot? When did you get the 284?

bry800 said:
is it too drastic to cut his insulin from 4 to 2 in order to drop that number this week?
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Without more test results, we really can't advise you on dose, but 4U is a high dose for most cats unless they have a high dose condition like acromegaly or IAA.

We REALLY need you to start keeping track of your numbers on our spreadsheet. We're very data driven here and really rely on seeing the numbers in the format we're used to.

If you'd like, I'd be happy to set it up for you! Just send me a private message so I can get some information by clicking on my name and choosing "Start Conversation" to send a message.
 
Chris & China (GA) said:
Sounds like you probably hit the vein....it hurts more so he pulled away (and yes, you get a lot more blood than you need!). Don't beat yourself up over it though. We've all done it and our cats still love us!!



We're all over the world here.....Your 2am isn't necessarily anybody else's. We use the "+ system" here. Each cycle is 12 hours.....so your AMPS and PMPS (AM Pre-shot and PM Pre-shot) start the count....then if you get another test 2 hours after the shot, that's +2....if you get a test 5 hours after a shot, that's +5...all the way to +11 and then it's time for the next cycle.

When did you get the 150? When did you shoot? When did you get the 284?



Without more test results, we really can't advise you on dose, but 4U is a high dose for most cats unless they have a high dose condition like acromegaly or IAA.

We REALLY need you to start keeping track of your numbers on our spreadsheet. We're very data driven here and really rely on seeing the numbers in the format we're used to.

If you'd like, I'd be happy to set it up for you! Just send me a private message so I can get some information by clicking on my name and choosing "Start Conversation" to send a message.
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To be clear, the 150 was from ME to test the strip out before trying it on him, not my cat :) I just put that out there as some kind of reference point. The 282 was him and it was well after he ate around 8PM so I would think in 6 hrs he would have less glucose for the test compared if I took it at 8, right? Is there any kind of rule of thumb where you can add 50-100 more to a probable reading based on if your cat has eaten recently before the test? Sorry, I need to go to bed as it's quite late here, but I'll get back to the spreadsheet later today. Thanks for everyone's support!
 
bry800 said:
The 282 was him and it was well after he ate around 8PM so I would think in 6 hrs he would have less glucose for the test compared if I took it at 8, right?
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Usually, yes.....the nadir (lowest point in the cycle) is usually around 6 hours after the shot, but some cats nadir earlier and some later in the cycle. It's important to test before feeding/shooting to get the "Pre-shot" tests so you know where you're starting (and he shouldn't eat for the 2 hours immediately before shot times so you get a test that's not influenced by food)

bry800 said:
Is there any kind of rule of thumb where you can add 50-100 more to a probable reading based on if your cat has eaten recently before the test?
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No.....but by occasionally getting a +1 test (1 hour after feeding/shooting), you can learn how much of a "food bump" your cat usually gets. It's one of those ECID things (Every Cat Is Different)
 
Ha ha! I didn’t see that coming ..... your test not the cats.

We have a saying here ... every cat is different( ECID) so there is no hard and fast rule about the blood glucose levels.
If the insulin is working well, the BGLevel should drop once the Lantus kicks in at about +2 and drops until the lowest point ( nadir) around +6 or +7.
But in saying that, that doesn’t always happen.
The best thing I can suggest is to set up the SS ... Chris will help you. And start putting in lots of tests.
Always test before every shot to make sure it is safe to shoot then if you can, test during the cycle to see how low it takes your kitty.
I agree 4 units is a lot of insulin in s newly diagnosed cat.
Do you know if your kitty had any ketones at diagnosis?
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Ha ha! I didn’t see that coming ..... your test not the cats.

We have a saying here ... every cat is different( ECID) so there is no hard and fast rule about the blood glucose levels.
If the insulin is working well, the BGLevel should drop once the Lantus kicks in at about +2 and drops until the lowest point ( nadir) around +6 or +7.
But in saying that, that doesn’t always happen.
The best thing I can suggest is to set up the SS ... Chris will help you. And start putting in lots of tests.
Always test before every shot to make sure it is safe to shoot then if you can, test during the cycle to see how low it takes your kitty.
I agree 4 units is a lot of insulin in s newly diagnosed cat.
Do you know if your kitty had any ketones at diagnosis?
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No ketones at last test which my vet obviously said was good, however he is very sluggish, again due to the neuropathy I believe.
 
Is the B12 you are giving Methyl B12 or just ordinary B12?
For the neuropathy you need the Methly B12 tablets. These can be bought as Zobaline from lifelink.
 
Tonight's reading after he ate a little turkey an hour later was 356. A diabetic at work told me if he personally had something near 300, he would immediately take 20 units of insulin since he generally does whatever his number is + 10X100 to reach 300. So, if he wants to be at 100 he knows 20 units will safely lower him from the 300. However, he is over 250 lbs, a big difference from a 14 lb cat I realize. Tomorrow I will attempt to get a reading prior to him eating his dinner though it's difficult since I won't be home all day until Thursday though I should get another reading later tonight which I'm hopeful will be under 300 like last night. At least I can get blood from him somewhat consistently now despite how much he yowls. I took what I learned here and combined it all. I warm his ears w/a sock filled w/rice, now the sock has blood on it but oh well, just a reminder what it takes. Then, when he begins to bite, twist and kick, I carefully wrap him in a towel he's already laying on so it's difficult for him to move. Did I mention the vet used to have me tranquilize him w/a sedative so he was able to be tested easier? When I didn't do this, be bit through the vet's glove and was known as "ornery" after that, so he's still got quite a bit of fight in him.

These are his latest lab results pasted from an earlier post if it helps as I don't understand much of it.

My vet reported these results back to me, most concerning were the BUN(blood urea nitrogen renal panel) and FRUCTOSAMINE numbers. Normal BUN is 36, was was at 42, now that's jumped to 60. FRUCTOSAMINE was a very high 670 which may have been due to being at the vet but still a fairly high number regardless of situation. Creatin = 2, Phosphorous = 4.5, but I don't know much about those, guess they are normal enough. Because she's saying the sugar is sucking up all the water, he continues to inhale water which never seems to be enough. While I didn't bring up home testing at the time which I'm doing now, the vet suggested I up his insulin dose to 7 UI twice a day and cautioned me to have karo syrup or honey nearby to deal with possible hypoglycemia which concerned me.
 
I hope you'll be able to get your spreadsheet set up soon. IT's hard to see what's going on as far as his numbers and dosage, etc. without it. Happy you've finally gotten a test or two. Keep the treats coming - every time he's even in the test area - whether or not you actually poke...give him a treat...soon he'll associate the whole ordeal with something good coming his way...
 
Sue and Luci said:
I hope you'll be able to get your spreadsheet set up soon. IT's hard to see what's going on as far as his numbers and dosage, etc. without it. Happy you've finally gotten a test or two. Keep the treats coming - every time he's even in the test area - whether or not you actually poke...give him a treat...soon he'll associate the whole ordeal with something good coming his way...
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Ha, funny you mention that, since his test area is on the kitchen table, and there is usually food there he will come up to check out.
 
also, do I need put the numbers where they match up color wise? For example, if I did a test after +1, and it was 350 would I still enter 350 in the +1 box?
 
No. You do not put the numbers where they match up colourwise. Colour is added automatically. Numbers are putting in the hour (+1, +2 …) columns.
If you take a test at +1.5, you go to the +1 box and enter it as "350 @+1.5"
If you need to add more than 1 reading per box, add a semi-colon ; to separate the times. "350@+1.5; 320@+1.75"
Putting more information in a box means that the box will lose its colour. You can click on the paint can icon above your spreadsheet and colour the box manually.

To rename your link. Click on your name. Go to edit signature.
Type what you want to link to be called. Flash SS
Then copy the "http://docs link.
Go back to Flash SS. Highlight it with your cursor, then click the link in the bar above (should be the first one of the left).
You will be asked for a URL. Copy the long version into the link.
Click insert.
Click save.

I'm not used to giving spreadsheet and signature instructions. I hope what I've written is clear.
 
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