3/5 gato , +11.5 218, AMPS 218 , +5 46 +6 31 +15 min 70 +1 AT 139, PMPS 358, +5 284

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the vet really doesn't want me to use this relion meter anymore, she said it isn't accurate enough

she also doesn't want me to check her BG with this meter, just give her the shot
 
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Wow Lisa!! Great job on catching that low and keeping Gato safe!

It's too bad you didn't take your Relion with you to compare numbers at the vet...I'm betting that they would have been pretty darn close...Jill is totally correct that the 139 is about what we would have expected after an hour too

We hear a lot from vets that we can't use human meters, but with literally thousands of cats that have come through this message board (the vast majority using human meters) you can't argue with success

Just curious what your vet said though....I'm sure you told her you'd given Gato quite a bit of high carb food and Karo.....with Gato only being at 139 on her AlphaTrak, did she have anything to say about how low she might have gotten and what might have happened if you'd done what she said and "Gave X units of insulin and come back in 2 weeks for a curve"?
 
We all understand that you may feel like you're between a rock and a hard place -- listen to us or listen to your vet. My 2 cents worth is that you are paying your vet. You are also paying for caring for Gato. If I had to make a choice between paying the vet bills or paying for AT strips, I'd pay the vet bill. If your vet feels that testing is unnecessary, I think Chris' point is well taken. My response to my vet when she told me I didn't need to test as much as I did included facts such as I knew that I had a kitty whose numbers could dive and I was determined to keep her safe.The vet wasn't available 24/7 and testing was a way to manage her numbers. And finally, I asked her if her counsel would be the same if this were her infant child? What would she think if a pediatrician told her to not bother to test her diabetic infant? I think we'd all think the MD was nuts if testing was not being advised. Many vets think that our cats will hate us if we test frequently. It's not the case. When my kitty crossed the Bridge, I wrote a long post in her tribute thread about the bond that's formed with a diabetic cat. Maybe this will give you a different vantage point. (It's the 7th post in the head.)
 
Chris & China said:
Wow Lisa!! Great job on catching that low and keeping Gato safe!

It's too bad you didn't take your Relion with you to compare numbers at the vet...I'm betting that they would have been pretty darn close...Jill is totally correct that the 139 is about what we would have expected after an hour too

We hear a lot from vets that we can't use human meters, but with literally thousands of cats that have come through this message board (the vast majority using human meters) you can't argue with success

Just curious what your vet said though....I'm sure you told her you'd given Gato quite a bit of high carb food and Karo.....with Gato only being at 139 on her AlphaTrak, did she have anything to say about how low she might have gotten and what might have happened if you'd done what she said and "Gave X units of insulin and come back in 2 weeks for a curve"?
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thanks .. it was tough and having the vet tell me stuff...like don't test her, just give her the shot.. I was like what! I talked to someone I met at the vet who has raised many diabetic cats, she gave me lots of great advice, she doesn't work for the vet, she was just there once when I was there.

so do you think this high PMPS number is related to me giving her the honey and ff gravy?
 
No, I think the high PMPS is due to Gato "bouncing" again after going so low today

Her liver released stored sugars and hormones to bring her back up quickly. I can take up to 3 days for those hormones and sugars to clear her body, so try not to freak out over high numbers for awhile
 
Chris & China said:
No, I think the high PMPS is due to Gato "bouncing" again after going so low today

Her liver released stored sugars and hormones to bring her back up quickly. I can take up to 3 days for those hormones and sugars to clear her body, so try not to freak out over high numbers for awhile
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ok thank you!
I am still going to test her before I give her insulin even though the vet said i don't have to, going to try and change to a different vet in the office that I have seen and I felt more comfortable with her
 
Vets get only about 5 hours of formal education on diabetes...and that's for every type of animal they see. They just don't have the time to stay up to date on the latest treatments in every type of disease in every type of animal they see. The people here do nothing but deal with feline diabetes and the complications that tend to come with it.

I don't discuss China's diabetes with her vet hardly at all...I tell her she's on X units of insulin and her numbers usually run between XX and XXX and that's the end of it. If she does say anything about how I'm treating her, I just nod my head, smile and continue listening to the people here

You saw today how important testing is...especially mid-cycle. I sincerely hope you don't go back to just getting Pre-shots and no other tests. Remember, Lantus dosing is based on how LOW it takes them....the only way to know how well they're responding is to test
 
Chris & China said:
Vets get only about 5 hours of formal education on diabetes...and that's for every type of animal they see. They just don't have the time to stay up to date on the latest treatments in every type of disease in every type of animal they see. The people here do nothing but deal with feline diabetes and the complications that tend to come with it.

I don't discuss China's diabetes with her vet hardly at all...I tell her she's on X units of insulin and her numbers usually run between XX and XXX and that's the end of it. If she does say anything about how I'm treating her, I just nod my head, smile and continue listening to the people here

You saw today how important testing is...especially mid-cycle. I sincerely hope you don't go back to just getting Pre-shots and no other tests. Remember, Lantus dosing is based on how LOW it takes them....the only way to know how well they're responding is to test
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thing is I work all day, so today is different and I was able to do that test, if I was at work and she got that low at that time I wouldn't have know till got home 3 hrs later I wouldn't be able to do a 5 hr test, so that scares me
 
I know it's AWFUL, but is there any chance you can change your shot schedule so you are shooting 2 hours before you have to leave? I think you said you have to leave at 7:30, so that would mean getting up to test/feed/shoot at 5:30

The reason I ask is because we've noticed that the +2 test seems to tell us a lot about where our kitties BG numbers are going later in the cycle.

If the +2 is about the same as the PS, it's usually a "normal" cycle...gradually down and then gradually back up

If the +2 is lower than the PS, that's your "early warning" that she might be going too low on that cycle, so you can leave some extra food down (or see if you can find someone who could come check on her)....Having an auto feeder really helps too since you could load it with something higher carb and set it to open later in the cycle

If the +2 is higher than the PS, that's usually indicating that a "bounce" is starting...those cycles you can generally feel safe in not doing as much testing
 
that lower number was at a +5 wasn't it? so you are saying at + 2 I would notice a drop if she was dropping? so how would I change it.. if I already started the 7 and 7 wouldn't be 12 hours in between, can't just change it? I already leave some food out for her to eat during the day when I leave, many times she starts eating it before I even leave the house even if it is frozen, she just licks it. Yeah everyone I know works or lives to far and wouldn't be able to get here and check on her or no how to check is the pet safe the auto feeder people use?
 
Chris & China said:
I know it's AWFUL, but is there any chance you can change your shot schedule so you are shooting 2 hours before you have to leave? I think you said you have to leave at 7:30, so that would mean getting up to test/feed/shoot at 5:30

The reason I ask is because we've noticed that the +2 test seems to tell us a lot about where our kitties BG numbers are going later in the cycle.

If the +2 is about the same as the PS, it's usually a "normal" cycle...gradually down and then gradually back up

If the +2 is lower than the PS, that's your "early warning" that she might be going too low on that cycle, so you can leave some extra food down (or see if you can find someone who could come check on her)....Having an auto feeder really helps too since you could load it with something higher carb and set it to open later in the cycle

If the +2 is higher than the PS, that's usually indicating that a "bounce" is starting...those cycles you can generally feel safe in not doing as much testing
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I just checked her again it was a +3 since her PMPS and she is now a 51.. why is that? what should I do? she is acting normal, wanting to eat..
 
Lisa and Gato said:
so you are saying at + 2 I would notice a drop if she was dropping?
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Usually..."most" cats seem to follow the "+2" rules pretty well, but ECID too....some do better with a +3 which isn't really practical with your hours

Lisa and Gato said:
if I already started the 7 and 7 wouldn't be 12 hours in between, can't just change it?
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You can change your shot schedule 15 minutes per cycle....so if you want to change from 7/7 to 5/5, you'd change shot times 15 minutes earlier each cycle until you were where you wanted to be

Lisa and Gato said:
is the pet safe the auto feeder people use?
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It's one of the most popular around here, yes
 
Lisa and Gato said:
I just checked her again it was a +3 since her PMPS and she is now a 51.. why is that?
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I think I'd retest right now and make sure that was a valid test

If it was, I'd go ahead and feed her a few teaspoons of food and test again in 30 minutes....that's an awfully fast dive if she really went from the 300's to the 50's in only 3 hours
 
Chris & China said:
I think I'd retest right now and make sure that was a valid test

If it was, I'd go ahead and feed her a few teaspoons of food and test again in 30 minutes....that's an awfully fast dive if she really went from the 300's to the 50's in only 3 hours
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ok I just wasted like test strips, one kept reading a E-6 then one wouldn't take in the blood, opened another container same thing E-6 and then tried one more and it wouldn't take a reading then finally did and it was 577 so that is crazy how can that be, I fed her the FF classic food cus she was hungry. I don't want to keep pricking her ears I don't like to do it

what should I do?
wait again and test in 30 min?
 
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just tested her again a 37 min from first test of 51, and I got a 279, So at 10:13 I got a 51, tested again at 10:25 had testing issue but got a 577 and just tested her at 10:50 279.. she had food in between within the 37 min

so not sure what number to write
 
Hmmm...I wonder if the battery on your meter is bad?

It's just not possible to get numbers that crazy....but I feel better that at least we have 2 test results that aren't anywhere near 51

If I had to guess (which I am), I'd say the 279 is probably the best test result

I think you could wait and do one more test in an hour....that should let us know if it's OK for you to get some sleep soon
 
I am just scared when I have to work,

she has never been that high on the relion meter so the 577 was weird to me, even before was on insulin
 
Yeah I don't think the meter even reads that high.....Usually when you get that far up, it just says "HI"

But to have it go from 51 to 577 down to 279 in 90 minutes makes no sense at all either....that's another good reason to always have a spare meter laying around just in case

You might want to consider picking up another meter tomorrow....for $15, it's a worthwhile safety net to have around
 
Chris & China said:
Yeah I don't think the meter even reads that high.....Usually when you get that far up, it just says "HI"

But to have it go from 51 to 577 down to 279 in 90 minutes makes no sense at all either....that's another good reason to always have a spare meter laying around just in case

You might want to consider picking up another meter tomorrow....for $15, it's a worthwhile safety net to have around
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well before I got that 577 reading I was having issues with the strips, so not sure what was going on but went through 4 of them before one finally got a reading, but came up fast, normally it has a dash and then pops up a number

not sure what to put on my spreadsheet
 
Make sure there's a little blood drop flashing on the meter before you do the actual test

Put the strip in and in a few seconds you'll see a flashing blood drop picture....that means it's ready to test
 
Chris & China said:
Make sure there's a little blood drop flashing on the meter before you do the actual test

Put the strip in and in a few seconds you'll see a flashing blood drop picture....that means it's ready to test
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yeah it did that, but when I touched it to the blood it wouldn't beep that it had the blood, tried holding it differently etc, nothing just kept blinking, and there was more enough blood, I have had it read with less blood, 2 of the strips read an e-6 when I put it in the machine
 
I've had that happen a few times too...the blood just doesn't seem to want to "pull up" into the strip for the meter to read

Thankfully though, I've never had it happen too much with my Confirm....had a lot more error messages when I was using the Prime
 
so when I put the strip in it reads f-4 and beeps then it goes to the blinking blood drop, is that what is suppose to do?
 
Chris & China said:
Yes, that's correct
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ok this time I did it, and the meter read the word "low".. not sure what that meant, then I removed the battery and put it back in then did another test new strip and it read 284
what to do now?

ok just read in the hand book that if you touch the top of the test strip to the blood you could get an inaccurate reading, so I am not sure about the 51 number but the 577 number I was trying to get it to work and take in the blood by moving it around different angles and maybe that is why it read that
 
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OK...yeah, there's definitely a problem with your meter

I hate to ask again, but I'd get one more test now that you've done the battery...it's really important to know which one is correct
 
LO means "below 20" and it's an emergency to get them up NOW

284 is a totally safe number and more what I'd expect since you reduced a half unit tonight

Gato did earn a reduction today.....but only .25, so his new dose should be .75, not .5
 
You also got a 51 and a "LO"....those are close too

Any time you get a result that seems "out of place", do another test immediately....if you get a 2nd test that's NOWHERE near the first one, you almost have to do a 3rd to "break the tie"
 
in the book E-6 says it is a test strip issue, bad or a used test strip

other think cus i was moving the strip around trying to get a reading, and my cat was getting frustrated and trying to get away, so I think the 200 numbers are more accurate
 
Chris & China said:
LO means "below 20" and it's an emergency to get them up NOW

284 is a totally safe number and more what I'd expect since you reduced a half unit tonight


Gato did earn a reduction today.....but only .25, so his new dose should be .75, not .5
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I know I am not sure how to do .75, it was above the .5 mark a bit and I grabbed another strip immediately opened and closed the battery and did another test on the same blood drop and it showed the 284, so not sure why it did the low, she is not acting weird at all
 
I am exhausted after today and last night, I am scared about monday, I can't do this all day while I am at work

just read in the book "low can mean her blood was low OR there was not enough blood on the test strip, says to immediately retest ( in which I did) with a new strip
 
Lisa and Gato said:
I am exhausted after today and last night, I am scared about monday, I can't do this all day while I am at work
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Just throwing an idea out there...

I haven't read any history on Gato. Has she ever been in DKA or thrown ketones?
If not, perhaps it would be a good idea to leave the dose at 0.5u for now. It would give you a chance to take a breath and ease yourself into this a little bit.

 
Yes, I think you're fine to get some sleep

I'd bet money that those 200 numbers are right, but if you can swing it, I'd really suggest getting another meter as soon as you can just so something like this doesn't happen again
 
Jill & Alex (GA) said:
Just throwing an idea out there...

I haven't read any history on Gato. Has she ever been in DKA or thrown ketones?
If not, perhaps it would be a good idea to leave the dose at 0.5u for now. It would give you a chance to take a breath and ease yourself into this a little bit.
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I am not sure about the DKA or ketones, vet never said anything to me or I never tested her for it, think since it is getting to be an almost another hour, I might wait and do 1 more test, then feed her and bed
 
Lisa and Gato said:
I am not sure about the DKA or ketones, vet never said anything to me or I never tested her for it, think since it is getting to be an almost another hour, I might wait and do 1 more test, then feed her and bed
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If the vet never said anything I doubt it's been a problem. I'd certainly think about leaving the dose at 0.5u for a bit so you can get your feet wet.

I don't think there's any need to stay up for another test. If I were in your shoes I would leave some food out for her and head to bed...
 
If she'd been in DKA, you would have known it....it's very serious and usually means the cat is hospitalized on IV's for at least several days and they can be VERY sick

With kitties that have been DKA or had ketones in their urine, we are a little more aggressive because it's even more important for us to keep those numbers under control

If you want to, drop back to .5 for a few days....catch your breath and we can re-evaluate after we see how she does
 
Jill & Alex (GA) said:
If the vet never said anything I doubt it's been a problem. I'd certainly think about leaving the dose at 0.5u for a bit so you can get your feet wet.

I don't think there's any need to stay up for another test. If I were in your shoes I would leave some food out for her and head to bed...
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ok thank you, yeah she is sitting here watching me, waiting for me to give her a little food then sleep, she always waits for me to go to bed, when she was younger and I didn't have a dog that sleeps with me she would come to me no matter where i was at 11:00 and climb into my lap to tell me it is bed time, cus as soon as I got up she would run to the bed

good night and thanks for the help
 
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