4/12 Noxin AMPS 146 No shot, PMPS 104 Not giving shot

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beggargirl

beggargirl

Member Since 2011
Noxin's condo is HERE.

Yesterday at +11 Noxin was at 86, so he did not get a shot.

This morning he is at 146 AMPS, and I am still not comfortable giving him insulin, even if it is .5u (He only got 1u yesterday, once).

Should I just start limiting his Temptation treat intake and get him on all wet, and just get numbers for a day or two?

(Edited to add: I still have to fill out a profile for him.) :-D
 
Re: 4/12 Noxin AMPS 146 Not giving shot

I wouldn't stop giving shots. You will have to go through the whole process of reestablishing the shed again. Do try to get him off the Temptations though.
 
Re: 4/12 Noxin AMPS 146 Not giving shot

Ann & Tess said:
I wouldn't stop giving shots. You will have to go through the whole process of reestablishing the shed again. Do try to get him off the Temptations though.
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I am not comfortable shooting him this low. Yesterday he was at 302 when I gave him one unit and he went at least as low as 77, though he may have gone lower because of when I tested him.
 
Re: 4/12 Noxin AMPS 146 Not giving shot

Good morning, I understand you not being comfortable shooting a # that is lower than your comfort level, most of us have been there before at some point in this journey. Please understand that Lantus works best on a 12/12 shooting schedule with a consistent dose. You are defeating the purpose if you shoot different amounts, skip shots, etc. I most definitely do not suggest doing that ever.. if your goal is to get Noxin regulated & have a chance at going OTJ. Please do remove non diabetic snacks (Temptations) I would also remove any dry food. Please stock up on testing strips & HC gravy/wet food and get a bottle of Karo.. that way you have supplies on hand to shoot lower #s.
Read/familiarize yourself with these as well:
Data Ready to shoot lower #s
Don't panic or How to Handle Low #s
Dealing with Low Preshots
good luck... Noxin is depending on you to give him the best care. We are all here to support you both & believe it or not.. kitties actually surf mostly when shooting lower #s.. they do require monitoring.. but it is shooting the higher #s that a lot of times create a freefall into lower #s.. I personally would rather shoot a "normal or lower #" than a # in the 200s or 300s any day :lol:
 
Re: 4/12 Noxin AMPS 146 Not giving shot

i've noticed that too, nicole - it seems logical that if they drop 200 points soon after a shot with a pre-shot in the 300's, then if you shoot a 100 you're likely to have them at zero, but it doesn't seem to work that way. a lower preshot ends up giving less of a drop - and at least for my cat, he seems to be a lot more normal acting when he's not swinging up and down with his BG.

i understand your nervousness, though - i wonder if it would help if you looked at some other kitty's spreadsheets? it's counter-intuitive but you have to get to the point of giving them shots at lower pre-shot numbers.
 
Re: 4/12 Noxin AMPS 146 Not giving shot

Hi Nicole. In the first link you gave me for "DATA READY TO SHOOT LOW NUMBERS?" it says:

Q4.4. My cat's pre-shot level was way below the usual value. Should I give the injection?

A4.4. There's no hard and fast rule, but if you don't have data on how your cat responds to insulin, here are some general guidelines. Below 150 mg/dl (8.3 mmol/L), don't give insulin.

Noxin has only risen 6 points in the 7 hours since I had last tested him.
 
Re: 4/12 Noxin AMPS 146 Not giving shot

Yes, you are correct.. it does say that.. you need to do what works with your comfort level, you & Noxin are new to this and I completely understand being nervous.. I was & like I said a lot of us are, you don't have a lot of data yet. I do think it is important that you do get used to lower #s though.. Noxin is doing excellent & you are too ;-)
 
Re: 4/12 Noxin AMPS 146 Not giving shot

by the way, a good treat for after pokes is to boil a chicken breast and cut it in tiny pieces. i froze a bag of the pieces and the one chicken breast has lasted more than a month and there's still a lot left. now i bring out a tablespoon or so of pieces at a time and keep them in the fridge until i need more. i didn't know til someone told me that i was giving punkin too big of treats - now he gets a tiny 1/4"x1/2" piece of chicken.
 
Re: 4/12 Noxin AMPS 146 Not giving shot

julie1220 said:
by the way, a good treat for after pokes is to boil a chicken breast and cut it in tiny pieces. i froze a bag of the pieces and the one chicken breast has lasted more than a month and there's still a lot left. now i bring out a tablespoon or so of pieces at a time and keep them in the fridge until i need more. i didn't know til someone told me that i was giving punkin too big of treats - now he gets a tiny 1/4"x1/2" piece of chicken.
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I found this out last night! I gave him some chicken breast from my crockpot soup after his last poke. He LOVED it. It will be his new treat. I actually went out yesterday and bought a bag of dried fish treats with no preservatives in an attempt to find a low carb treat. Neither of my cats will touch it; and that was close to the last of my money until friday :? Buggers.

Nicole & Baby said:
I do think it is important that you do get used to lower #s though
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I agree. I just want more data before I feel comfortable. I will see what he has done at his +11.

Thank you both.
 
Didn't give Noxin his shot this morning.

Just went to check his PMPS and he down to 104! :-D

He has actually been eating his wet food today with a good appetite. I was really expecting him to be back in the yellows!

GO NOXIN! Let's go green!
 
It's a delicate balance between giving insulin/gathering necessary data and your comfort level. It also helps to have a plan. What would you think about a dose of 0.5u for tomorrow? I realize that we keep coming up with a plan and Noxin tosses it right out the window. (They read their condos, in case you were wondering.) Also, skipping a shot is not your only option. You could also stall and retest in 30 min. Preferably, you don't feed if you are stalling. You are looking to see if numbers are rising. (This is described in the Handling Low Pre-Shot post that Nicole linked.)

Are you home during the day to monitor? It makes a huge difference if you are home vs. wondering all day where your cat's numbers are.
 
Sienne and Gabby said:
It's a delicate balance between giving insulin/gathering necessary data and your comfort level. It also helps to have a plan. What would you think about a dose of 0.5u for tomorrow? I realize that we keep coming up with a plan and Noxin tosses it right out the window. (They read their condos, in case you were wondering.) Also, skipping a shot is not your only option. You could also stall and retest in 30 min. Preferably, you don't feed if you are stalling. You are looking to see if numbers are rising. (This is described in the Handling Low Pre-Shot post that Nicole linked.)

Are you home during the day to monitor? It makes a huge difference if you are home vs. wondering all day where your cat's numbers are.
Click to expand...

I am only going to be home for 3 hours after I take his AMPS tomorrow, and won't be home until right before his PMPS reading. I honestly thought he would be higher at his PMPS, and that I would be comfortable to give him 0.5u and be able to monitor his reaction tonight, but he is even lower than the AMPS.
 
julie1220 said:
i'm just laughing at Noxin's nose in her profile pic! too cute!

is there a story with her name?
Click to expand...

We got him and his sister as kittens. They were still very young, but the people we got them from had already named all the litter. We kept his sister's name, Mishka, because her name means mouse, and when my boyfriend picked her up, she curled up really small in his hands and fell asleep like a little mouse.

Noxin's original name was Booger-nut; we decided to change it.
Couldn't decide on a name, but we saw my boyfriend's NIXON DVD lying on the ground upside down, and I jokingly said we should name him Noxin. But the name stuck.

The people we got them from told us that their mom's name was Fugly. It was hilarious when we brought them in for their shot updates and the receptionist said "So ... Fooglee ... is their mom?".
 
Beautiful numbers!! One thing that will help advice givers.... AMPS and PMPS are designators for the BG number right before the shot... so, no shot, no pre-shot.

If you don't shoot, you should use AMBG/PMBG, and it is also helpful if, at that point, you tell us how far out you are from your last shot... so, AMBG 146 (+24) and PMBG 104 (+36). If you are stalling... (you did your poke at shot time but are waiting for the number to rise), just give us the time frame and number... so +24~146 and note in the subject line that you're stalling.

Depending on when you shoot, there may be several folks needing help. If you use AMPS/PMPS, people may assume you shot when you didn't and may not get to you right away when you do still need some guidance at that moment. These indicators will let people quickly tell where you're at in the process as they are trying to assess who needs help in what order. :)

I would definitely get the Temptations out of the diet and see where the wet food takes you. I would also use this time with low numbers to practice dosing small amounts. I think I remember you saying that you wouldn't be able to get 1/2 unit syringes until later this week? (or is that my sleepiness typing??). If so, you'll want to practice getting .25u increments on your 1 unit syringe. Use some water colored with food coloring so you can see the liquid more easily and experiment with getting the .5u down, and see what it takes to shave that in half. You may find you need that .25u dose this week, so better to know how to measure it now than when it's shot time and you're suddenly having to try to figure out to measure drops. And yes, totally speaking from experience on that one!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Hope you have a great night, and that little Noxin's numbers give you a clear path on how to proceed. His progress is remarkable!
 
Christie & Willie said:
Beautiful numbers!! One thing that will help advice givers.... AMPS and PMPS are designators for the BG number right before the shot... so, no shot, no pre-shot.

If you don't shoot, you should use AMBG/PMBG, and it is also helpful if, at that point, you tell us how far out you are from your last shot... so, AMBG 146 (+24) and PMBG 104 (+36). If you are stalling... (you did your poke at shot time but are waiting for the number to rise), just give us the time frame and number... so +24~146 and note in the subject line that you're stalling.

Depending on when you shoot, there may be several folks needing help. If you use AMPS/PMPS, people may assume you shot when you didn't and may not get to you right away when you do still need some guidance at that moment. These indicators will let people quickly tell where you're at in the process as they are trying to assess who needs help in what order. :)

I would definitely get the Temptations out of the diet and see where the wet food takes you. I would also use this time with low numbers to practice dosing small amounts. I think I remember you saying that you wouldn't be able to get 1/2 unit syringes until later this week? (or is that my sleepiness typing??). If so, you'll want to practice getting .25u increments on your 1 unit syringe. Use some water colored with food coloring so you can see the liquid more easily and experiment with getting the .5u down, and see what it takes to shave that in half. You may find you need that .25u dose this week, so better to know how to measure it now than when it's shot time and you're suddenly having to try to figure out to measure drops. And yes, totally speaking from experience on that one!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Hope you have a great night, and that little Noxin's numbers give you a clear path on how to proceed. His progress is remarkable!
Click to expand...

Thank you so much!

I am still very new to this and am trying to get the hang of it. Looks like I still really need to work on the lingo; sorry for confusing everyone! :?

I will start giving only boiled chicken as a treat now. Luckily he started eating his wet food with enthusiasm today, so I won't have to sprinkle a crushed temptation over it.

I will start practicing with the syringe. I stopped by Wal-Mart today (Canada Wal-Mart stocks different items than US), and they do not have syringes with half unit markings. But London Drugs does! You are right, I won't have enough money to get more syringes until friday; I will learn with what I have for now.

Thanks Again!

Cherie (and Noxin),
 
Cherie, you're doing great. You seem to be handling all the waves of information very well!

By the way, it's FINE to feed after the test. That's the right way. Some people start out feeding and then testing, and that's not helpful -- the food can influence the test.

I love Noxin's picture too! :-D
 
Not here to give advice, too new for that. But I'm not too new to give some support. I can totally relate to being nervous to shoot the lows. I haven't had to yet, but know my day is coming. It's a matter of heeding advice that's tried and true. Never forget that everyone who helps you has Noxin's best interest at heart. Good luck and hang in!!
 
My Champ was an absolute Temptations junkie. He would grab my hand to make me feed them to him faster. I switched him to freeze dried chicken breast which you can get at any pet store. He LOVES this. Maybe more than the Temptations. Don't buy the packages in the cat food aisle. You get a little tiny bit and its expensive. Get it in the dog food aisle. Lots more in the package and the price is better per ounce. The pieces are bigger, but it crumbles really easy. I put some over Champ's food when he "forgets" he likes his wet food. Also, if you're going to feed him the cooked chicken, make sure you don't add anything to it, no juice, no salt, no nothing. He'll still love it.
 
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