3/21 Ella AMPS 243 AT

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tpr

tpr

Member Since 2012
Hello everyone,

Gave Ella 3 u this morning. I'm home all day but low on strips. What would be the most helpful data for the ss?

Looking back at my original posts and her SS I missed out on what may be some important data. On 03/15 my partner was in charge of giving insulin as I was out. He had given her 4 units but she didn't eat that well. This was also the beginning of her diahhrea. When I came home we did a test and she measured at 153 at +1. I panicked as I thought she might go hypo so I administered 3ml maple syrup and she also got some wet through a syringe. She spiked all the way until the morning after that.

We were not testing regulalry at this point so no other data to share.

Tamara
 
Also, another member is offering to sell me strips for a bayer contour meter (assuming she hasn't sold them). I don't know anything about meters so is that one comparable to the other that have been suggested like the Reli on?

Thanks!
 
I use a Contour and like it. However, the strips are more expensive (around $26 for 50 strips) than those for the Relion (around $20 for 50). If you have a Walmart in your area, the Relion (it's their "house brand") is both an inexpensive meter and the strips are the most inexpensive around.

I would put the information you posted about 3/15 in the comments section of your spreadsheet. That way, if anyone has a question a week from now, the information will be there.
 
I just hear from another member that Walmart in Canada does not carry Relion. I know shipping to Canada is expensive but it might save you money over buying a meter and supplies there, I don't know BUT a lot of members by the Arkray meter and strips...I believe glucocard....from American Diabetes Wholesale: ADW. There is the Vital and also the mini. Ni think most use the Vital.

I have a Contour as my backup and really like it. I use a One Touch Ultra mini for my primary but strips are the same cost SS the Contour.

I know it's scary when you see a lower number than you are used to but if she gets low enough to need syrup....usually a drop or two will do the trick :-D every cat is different but you can start there and give more if needed unless she is in the 20s.....then you might want to give a bit more....like 0.5 ml
 
Ok so I was curious to see if she was low at +3 and she went up to 319. Usually she goes down so not sure what is going up. Perhaps I did a fur shot but I didn't feel a wet spot however, I did smell a tinge of insulin on her fur but I think that's normal. Is it?
Geez...I hope I injected right today.

Thanks for the tip with the syrup. I should have offered her pancakes with the amount I gave her :-D

I didn't see the Relion in the catalogue at Walmart so will look into meters.

Thanks!
 
pancakes with syrup at your place? nom nom nom :-D

you're a little handicapped because of your strip situation. my guess is that ella may have gone into a lower range than she's used to during the night last night, and the 243 at preshot *might* have been the beginning of a bounce and on it's way up. the 319 is more of the bounce.

when you get more strips in, you'll want to catch a test in the evening cycle as well as the days. for whatever reason, it is extremely common for cats to get lower in the nights than during the day, and because we adjust dosing based upon the lowest point, that becomes important data.

if you test again during the day today and it's even higher, that would confirm the bounce possibility.

on the other hand, if you don't have enough strips, i'd probably hold off on testing until your preshot test tonight.

i think of the spreadsheet like a jigsaw puzzle. the more pieces that are there, the more clearly we can see the picture of what's going on. but if you don't have enough strips, you just manage as best as you can and imo, the preshot tonight would be a more important than a during-the-day today test. i'm only saying that specifically about today because of the appearance of a bounce cycle.

the relion confirm is what i use now. it seems like a decent meter - i got it from walmart as well.
 
just tested her before reading your email julie. she went up to 379:(

can you explain the bounce again to me please. Like I mentioned earlier, I smell a little insulin in her fur but if I dig my nose in her fur i usually smell a bit so I'm assuming it's normal.
 
i have allergies and a dysfunctional nose, so in all honesty, i've never smelled insulin. can't help on that part, but i can explain the bounce.

a cat's body gets used to a particular range of numbers. in a non-diabetic cat, they range from 40-120ish. the pancreas puts out insulin if carbs get into the body, bringing the BG numbers back into their normal range. the liver's job is to keep the cat from going too low, ie, hypoglycemic.

a cat can only become hypoglycemic from injected insulin - if they aren't getting shots, they can't become hypo.

with our sugar cats, the body has gotten used to a higher range of numbers - in ella's case, might be 200-300's. if the BG drops into a range the body isn't used to, the liver "panics" thinking it's become hypo, and releases stored sugars and counter-regulatory hormones designed to save the cat from a hypo. this can also happen if a cat's BG simply drops too fast. neither one has to be in a lower number range that could actually cause hypoglycemia, just a range the cat isn't used to or a too-quick of a drop.

the chemicals from the bounce will send the BG up, just like it's designed to do. unfortunately, sometimes that means REALLY up - punkin has bounced up over 500. these chemicals can take up to 3 days to resolve and while that's happening, we just wait them out.

the way i see a bounce (and it took me months to be able to see them) is to look for an increasing few numbers at a point in the cycle when they really ought to be going down. like ella's number increasing after her shot this morning instead of decreasing down nicely to the middle of a cycle. at that point, i look backwards in the ss and see if i can see either the fast drop, like 200 points in an hour or two, or a lower number. that's the event that triggered the bounce.

the good thing is that a cat's body will get re-accustomed to its normal range and the bouncing will stop at some point. in the meantime, we re-evaluate the dose when it's not in a bounce and decide if it needs to be increased or held. at any time if a newly diagnosed cat (less than 1 year) goes less than 50 on a human meter (80 AT) we reduce the dose by .25u.

the study that resulted in the TR protocol that we use has shown that if you can get a diabetic cat's BG back into the normal range of BG numbers - basically under 100 - the pancreas has the ability to heal and begin producing insulin again. between dogs, humans and cats, cats are the only one who has the capability to do this.

so that's our goal. try to keep the cat between 50-100 most of the time so that the pancreas will heal.
 
Thank you very much for the bounce explanation. I just tested and she's 349 so how does the bounce theory work with her decrease at +12?
She never decreases now. I got a few extra strips from my vet a few days ago until mine arrive but I'm beginning to think I may have the wrong code for the meter or something? OR maybe I'm just losing my mind!
 
you might see high numbers for 3 more days. while you are waiting for the bounce to clear, you just stick with the 3.0 unit dose unless she goes below 50.

don't worry about the pmps - it's just part of this. you may not see a normal curve until the bounce clears - so might even be saturday morning. you'll know it's cleared if you start seeing lower range of numbers again, like the 185 you had yesterday morning.
 
yuppers! first you refer to the yellow starred post on handling low numbers and take care of her. then for the next shot, yes, reduce by .25u.

or if you're me, you see a 36 and you really quick edit your subject line and ask for help. :lol: actually, most of us do that. some people stick a 911 on it to make sure they get help asap.

basically the procedure is to pop open a can of cat food that has gravy, squeeze out about 1 teaspoon of the gravy part, and give it to ella. wait 20 minutes or so, test again. if she's still below 50, repeat the process until she's staying up over 50 and you're far enough along in the cycle that you can be sure she's not going to wobble and go under anymore.

have you figured out how to edit your subject line yet?
 
Okey dokes, got it!

Picked up the Contour tonight and met Lillian, another member of this group, who sold me some of her extra strips!
I'm reading over the manual and the only thing I don't have is the control solution. Is that necessary?

Cheers and have a good night:)

ps. yes I've figured out how to edit:)
 
Actually, if you're using an AlphaTrack, if Ella's numbers drop below 80, you reduce. (On a human glucometer, the point at where you reduce is less than 50.) Normal range, when using an AT meter is 80 - 150.
 
tpr said:
Okey dokes, got it!

Picked up the Contour tonight and met Lillian, another member of this group, who sold me some of her extra strips!
I'm reading over the manual and the only thing I don't have is the control solution. Is that necessary?

Cheers and have a good night:)

ps. yes I've figured out how to edit:)
Click to expand...


Hi Tamara! Nice to have met you! I actually asked about the control solution too in the past. The easy way to check if the numbers make sense is to test yourself and see what you get. If you want the control solution (and other free stuff!) check out this site: Bayer Diabetes Canada . Hope the testing goes well!!
 
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