11/22 Jackson AMPS 386 +2 347 + 9.5 237 PMPS 235 +4 137 +4.5 75

Gah! Busy day, I gave Jack’s PM shot and left the house; came back to find him in blue. Good! Half an hour later the Libre is reading 75. Gah. And I haven’t gotten the heavier lancets for a good blood test yet either…. Based on last time, I think his blood sugar will probably read about ten points higher, but…. Yikes it’s a fast drop!!! Carb time; glucose on hand!
 
Actually I did dare try an ear prick… he wasn’t happy about it, but we actually got blood the first poke, and I got a reading! Higher even than I expected it to be. 128. Which is a good safe number. It’s just upsetting me a bit because I want to be able to use the Libre and have it be more accurate - Jack is just not going to allow a bunch of pokes a day and stay as sweet about everything.

I may need to switch to the Libre 2, it’s supposed the be more accurate. The 3 even more so, but the problem with using the 3 on a cat is exactly the same reason it’s great for a human - it sends constant readings to a smartphone, no scanner that I can have someone at home check when I’m at work… shame that, because it’s so much smaller.

Edit: Now the Libre is reading 125. So I may just be looking at the lag time situation again. (Which would mean he may have possibly been around 75 plus or minus a bit, 10 minutes ago.) Which is always going to be an issue with interstitial fluid. Means it will still work when things are fairly steady, just not for rapid changes. Something for me to keep in mind…
 
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75 and 128 is quite a bit different. Did you feed higher carbs at 75?

I've also found that the numbers bob up and down erratically with the Libre.
 
I've also read here that the Libre (not sure which version) stores data at 15 min intervals (even if you don't scan), that can be downloaded at the end of the day.
 
Now the Libre is reading 70. Definitely bouncing up and down. Gah. I’m trying not to over-react… try just watching him to check for actual low sugar signs. He’s acting normal… (although mostly that’s laying here washing his face.)

Ideally I’d get another blood test but I don’t want to sour him too quickly if this is gonna go on a while. Hoping he keeps jumping back up on his own...
 
Bandit's Mom said:
75 and 128 is quite a bit different. Did you feed higher carbs at 75?

I've also found that the numbers bob up and down erratically with the Libre.
Click to expand...

I did feed some carbs at the 75 reading.

I’m trying to puzzle out a pattern with the meters, because that’s what I do, I want to understand everything… So far one theory is that the Libre is simply showing what happened a little bit after the fact - which is what human-based documention from Abbot on the Libre system (and similar stuff from Dexcomm about theirs) says does happen. Which makes it less useful for catching deep lows… but okay for trends and when things are fairly steady or only changing slowly.
 
I don’t actually know what percent because I have to still unpack the HC wet food I bought tonight - I had used what I had. Feeling I had to do something quick (though I was a bit behind the ball apparently) I grabbed some party mix treats and also some Petco brand dental ones, and gave him some of those. So not exactly a scientific moment… sorry.
 
Okay, did just get a second blood test. I’m getting better at the poking. Jack still doesn’t like it, though he was pretty good. It does sting him though. Second blood test says 123. Libre says 83. I wish there was a way to quantify the difference between the two and make something predictable out of it, so I didn’t keep sticking him…
 
Bandit's Mom said:
I've also read here that the Libre (not sure which version) stores data at 15 min intervals (even if you don't scan), that can be downloaded at the end of the day.
Click to expand...

You can get a new reading every minute, but there is an all-day graph yes. It doesn’t give you exact readings for the points between scans, but you can estimate pretty well based on the graph. The graph, if it is accurate, is definitely showing spiking up and down very jagged, and actually has been since around 7 pm (+0.5-ish) when the first dip to around 100 occurred… then he jumped back up above 200 on the graph by around 8 pm, then has been up and down in the same 70 to 150-ish range since.

Perhaps his actual BG is averaging in the 120s, as the pricks show, and the interstitial fluid is simply getting insulin and glucose seeping through in waves. If that were to be the case, then when the Libre reading is bouncing quickly like that perhaps I should not panic, and see if a single prick test corresponds about to the bouncing range’s average… just “thinking aloud”. It may be that I’m working with maybe a bit too much “real-time” (though slightly delayed) data… heh…
 
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I spent the last hour dozing but testing every 15 minutes (set alarm to do so). He’s wavering between 90 and 120 on the Libre all hour. So probably BG would test around 100 to 110. I didn’t feed anything; he has LC available but not hungry right now. Seems very stable now, though he might be going more blue.

I’m going to really go to bed. I hope he stays down a bit longer, but I can tell he’s not going to drop more. Thank you for checking in on and staying with us!
 
I don’t know any studies looking at the accuracy of flash glucometry in felines. Have you tried a traditional meter?
 
Yes, in fact I did last night which was where the debate (mostly with myself) started from. Although he hates earpricks. Also though, I need other family members to be able to check him while I’m gone at work, I work in healthcare which is sometimes different shifts and/or long days. I barely got them willing to give shots. I think getting blood out of an unhappy cat will be beyond their willingness quotient. At least the Libre gives me an idea what he’s doing…
 
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