2/28 larry AMPS 262 +5 and 45 mins. 377 PMPS 351

Status
Not open for further replies.
IloveLarry

IloveLarry

Member Since 2014
lowest ps ever...so thats not why larry was wild. he evn jumped a short distance trying to get to his food. testing was a total nightmare, put us behind. he was vry good and patient, but i kept lancing and lancing and no blood would come. no idea what im doing wrong. i am totally exhausted. he did ok for the shot tho. i couldnt have handled anymore. so worn out. hoping he stays in the 200s at least.
 
Re: 2/28 larry AMPS 262

Good start for Larry.

As for bleeding those ears, they will "learn" how to bleed, and you will wonder where its all coming from! Make sure his ears are nice and warm. Massage them for a good long while before you poke, or use a warmed rice bag to coax lots of blood flow. And actually, poke is a terrible word. I dont use the lancing device, I just use the lancets freehand, and I try to remind myself to "insert" rather than "poke". Always makes it a much more comfortable event for us both. Think of words like "Slide"

I strongly encourage you not to lance and lance repeatedly. That is what makes an angry cat ,and who can blame him? Try 2 or 3 times at the most, then give him a break. Start your efforts to test about 15 or 20 mins before test time, so that you have time to relax that cat, his ear, and yourself prior to shot time. The test does not have to be exactly at shot time, especially now when his numbers are still high-ish.
 
Re: 2/28 larry AMPS 262

Agree with warming the ear. I used a rice sock for Lucian for the 1st few months while his ears 'learned' to bleed. Cold ears don't bleed well.

I put about 2T of dry rice in a sock, tie a knot and microwave for about 10-12 seconds, just enough to warm it, don't want to burn his ears. I always tested the sock on my cheek to make sure it wasn't too hot.

Hold it on the ear tip for about 10 seconds and it makes a world of difference.

I also had a hard time NOT piercing his ear. Found you have to just barely touch the ear with the lancet, not stab it. I also use the lancets freehand because I fought for 10 days with the lancing device and it was hell. Once I went freehand, there was no more issues.

Larry has a great AMPS this morning, you're doing great with him! :thumbup
 
Re: 2/28 larry AMPS 262

Now see I use the lancing device kinda I use it without the cap so its basically a handle because I have a crippled right thumb. Then slide it in at a 45 degree angle.

Also always use a fresh lancet each test (not necessarily each poke) so you know its sharp.

Now with Autumn I do use it like it was designed cap and all on the shallowest setting but after almost 2 years and 10,000+ tests I think I can just look at her ear and say Bleed and get blood. Lol

See he's slowly coming down. His body is starting to catch on that yellow isn't scary. Pretty soon those pinks will all turn yellow then those yellows will be sprinkled with blues. Then those yellows will go all blue with sprinklings of green.

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
Re: 2/28 larry AMPS 262

the device is the only way i can do it. tried everything over the last 7 wks. i warm the ear and all. i have tried today twice already at plus3 and plus4 and not getting anything. idk what im doing wrong. hes great and patient, and im exhausted to keep going back and forth with it, so once i start i have to try awhile or else wait quite a few hrs or until the next day. i feel sry for him. maybe the spring is wearing out? idk. the tiny lancet is all i can use. its just so hard. i cant figure it out.
 
Re: 2/28 larry AMPS 262

IloveLarry said:
lowest ps ever...so thats not why larry was wild. he evn jumped a short distance trying to get to his food.
Click to expand...

Probably because he's already feeling better! It is quite common for a cat to "show" the insulin is working before it's actually reflected in the BGs. These are some great numbers Larry has been giving us. Lower and lower they go!
clapping.gif
 
Re: 2/28 larry AMPS 262 +5 and 45 mins. 377

Good job on getting the test in! How was it this time? Still having difficulties getting blood?
 
Re: 2/28 larry AMPS 262 +5 and 45 mins. 377

it was bttr. ty, and every1 for the kind words. ur encouragement is appreciated. :)
its me, not him. most times now he is a perfect angel for tests. cat_pet_icon cat_pet_icon more patience than the mother theresa. (shots not always :( :( ) im just having a hard time with everything. lot going on. i cant see well. need new glasses. magnifier wont work, i am nearsighted. ty for that suggestion, tho. other stuff too. just a conglomeration. we will manage tho, somehow. i just wish he could at least stay in the yellows. this is 5 days at 1.5. i want my baby better. we miss the blues.
 
Re: 2/28 larry AMPS 262 +5 and 45 mins. 377

"Mel..."See he's slowly coming down. His body is starting to catch on that yellow isn't scary. Pretty soon those pinks will all turn yellow then those yellows will be sprinkled with blues. Then those yellows will go all blue with sprinklings of green."

really? thats the best explanation/news i have heard! u shd frame that and/ or use it for ppl concerned like i am. wow, that IS slow. so it could take like a month or more to see green? i wonder if its this slow in ppl. i just have super uper duper empathy. i cant stand for any1, human, or animal, not to feel good, so yes, i want it for him asap. i cant stand thinking he doesnt feel well, or could feel much better. thats me. if i love u, thats how i am. :)
 
Re: 2/28 larry AMPS 262 +5 and 45 mins. 377

You're going to learn to hate this phrase but it's oh so true...Every Cat Is Different. Seriously go look at other's spreadsheets and scroll from where they started testing. Maxwell was OTJ in two weeks but he's an exception because he was stress and steroid induced. Autumn still jumps all over the map on me from time to time and we've been doing this for TWO YEARS!! And Cassanova is rock steady and its only been 4 months. The little girl I lost to cancer we think I had her a year and never could get her anywhere close to regulated. She just always dived and bounced.

I do think you're safe to take him up to 2u this weekend. He's staying up there.

I've always wished it was as easy as if your cat weighs x and you feed y then you add z amount of insulin and you're all good. Alas it just isn't that simple. So much else comes into play, if they drop too fast, if they drop too low, if they hurt, get sick, have bad teeth, get excited over something, have a food allergy. Like Autumn if I could convince her to eat nothing but Fancy Feast she'd more than likely be off insulin but she wants what everyone else eats so she reacts to the itty bitty bit of rice in the Friskies.

Regardless how much better the grainfree FF is for her if she won't eat it it does no good.

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
Re: 2/28 larry AMPS 262 +5 and 45 mins. 377

Just wanted to make sure I publicly posted this about ketones for you. ;-)

Ketones, you want to test for whenever they're over around 240 (renal threshold). If they've had DKA, you want to test at least daily. If they never have, then every few days to about once a week is fine. Here are some tips on how to do it.

DKA is caused by a trifecta: not eating enough + infection + not enough insulin. Ketones (more than trace) are the first sign. The most important things are to make sure he's eating well and keeping him well-hydrated (i.e. adding water to his food). If he has an infection or shows any signs of feeling unwell, you'll also want to test for ketones moreso then. In your case, testing once a week would probably be fine.
 
Re: 2/28 larry AMPS 262 +5 and 45 mins. 377

Also just because they show ketones does not necessarily mean they're headed towards DKA. But it is a good warning sign that you need to be vigilant. Autumn had moderate ketones when I got her and never went into DKA but I watched her like a hawk, gave her sub-q fluids and raised her insulin faster than I normally would have. I was able to handle them at home because I had experience, however if Larry ever tests more than a trace its a trip to the vet asap.

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
Re: 2/28 larry AMPS 262 +5 and 45 mins. 377

ok, ty.
went thru DKA with my bff abt 10 yrs. ago. saw it in a person. her bg was over 600. i had nvr seen or heard of that b4. took her to ER. she went to ICU. really scary.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top