4/15/13 Rags needs two units bid

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yo hon

Member Since 2013
OK, I need help. My new Vet hasn't called me back since Friday. Rags needs to start his B.I.D. inj. and only two meals a day and I don't know how to transition him. I really don't want to wait anymore. He has been on 1 unit since 4/06/13. I REALLY think it's time !!
Is there anyone out there that can PLEASE give me some help ???


Becki & Rags
 
Becki,

I'm looking at your spreadsheet and don't see many numbers there since you switched to lantus. Is there a new spreadsheet or is your computer eating the data on you again? I remember in the past. that the computer has not always been cooperative and your data has tended to disappear.

Would you please put some updates in there, showing the number of units given each day, any more BG tests you have, food given in the comments column. All this data helps us to see what is going on and will allow for better advice.
 
Miss Deb, if you would please read my posts you would see I haven't done anyother testing. Doc said not to test. I don't like it, but i'm trying to follow orders.

Also missy (ha) I checked my diabetic supplies when i got home from work. I had to take everything to Doc's on Sat. so everything was a mess. However, I fibbed again (ha) I have THREE full bottles of strips, not two. So sorry about that. did you find a place where I'll be able to get this stuff CHEAP< CHEAPER< CHEAPEST !! ????

Becki & Rags
 
Becki:

If you are comfortable with your shot time, then the second shot should be 12 hours later. There really isn't a "transition." If I'm understanding, it looks like Rags is currently getting 1.0u once a day. The plan, then, is that he should get 1.0u twice a day. If I'm understanding, then you would give each shot 12 hours apart.

As many of us said, it's fine to feed your kitty more than at shot time.
 
Siene & Gabby, I understand that it has to be 12 hours apart. Feeding has to be twice a day, my Doc says "feed exactly the same amount of food the same time of day !" So of course I'm afraid because I'm new at this. I'm sure once I know exactly what I'm doing I'll be able to figure out what and how much I can feed him. Right now he is eating three meals a day because he was on t.i.d. dosing. Transitioning him to feeding only twice a day isw what I'm having a problem with. He is hungry all the time !!! He is one hungry big boy !

Becki & Rags
 
hi becki! welcome to the Lantus TR ISG! we hope to see you posting often.

as for a feeding schedule... it seems to me you have 2 options:

option #1. you can follow your vet's advice = only feed a meal 2 times a day. there's no transitioning. just start feeding twice a day. divide what he's eating now into 2 meals. you can feed at each shot time.

OR

option #2. you can follow the advice offered on this board = feed multiple small meals throughout the day. my own cats are fed every 6 hours. there's no way i could only feed them twice a day. they'd be too hungry and would have me up all night long!



as for switching to dosing twice a day... again, you have 2 options:

option #1. you can follow your vet's advice not to test. if you're not going to test, talk to your vet about ragu's dose. ask him how much you should shoot twice per day.

option #2. you can follow dosing suggestions and advice from members experienced with lantus. BUT... here's the catch: in order for any of us to responsibly offer specific dosing suggestions you'll have to resume minimal testing. we'd like to see tests before each shot and at least one mid-cycle each day. once you have this information we can help you with dosing.

the reason we ask for blood glucose tests is because we base all dosing suggestions on the numbers you've collected. we won't give dosing suggestions that have the potential of hurting ragu. we want to keep him safe... just like i'm sure you do.


becki, judging by ragu's response to his very first shot of lantus (266 at +10)... i have no idea how far he'll drop if you shoot 1 unit two times a day. since your vet told you not to test, you might be better off starting with shooting 0.5 unit (a half unit) twice a day... shooting every 12 hours.
 
It sounds like you're OK with giving 1.0u twice a day. If the time you are currently giving a shot fits with your schedule, will it work if you shoot 12 hours later? If not, we can figure out what the best times are for you to give a shot and still have the flexibility to get a couple of additional tests in. Getting a few spot checks is the best way to keep Rags safe. I know this may be counter to what your vet is suggesting. Do you feel like you can not follow all of his rules when it comes to getting some spot checks?

To be honest, there are a lot of members here whose vets have told them the same thing about testing. You don't have to tell your vet whether or how much you test. There's no way your vet will know about testing unless you tell him (and Rags ain't talking!) Testing can't hurt Rags. Not testing, however, could be dangerous and will probably make you worry like crazy.

We can deal with the food issue once we get the shooting and testing figured out.
 
Vets are truly amazing, with the variety of animals and diseases and conditions that they treat. And I'm sure your vet means well but I suspect that he/she does not have all that much expertise in feline diabetes, not like some of the people on this board who have lived and breathed FD 24/7 for several years. They will help you give the best possible care to Rags. Jill is the moderator of this board and Sienne is one of the more experienced members. You can't get better advice than what they are telling you.
Liz
 
Jill & Alex, and Sienne & Gabby, 'i' do not have a problem with testing Rags, He has always had very sensitive ears. Does not like any kind of noise, esp. loud or strange, scared to death of thunder. His ears are always hot, the Vet even said something about that. He has alot of wax build up and HATES me trying to clean them. i've never had a cat like him out of 23 cats. He is just a very different kind of cat. Still sprays and gets stressed out easily. When I walk in the door from work, her wants away from me, he runs and hides. No, I cannot put him in a room because he will spray and scratch the heck out of the door. This is not my house, I rent it. just wanted to give a little back ground. If he see's me coming toward him, he runs. As i've said I think that is the reason the Doc didn't want me to test him because he gets sooo stressed out.

I was going to give him his inj. at 8 and 8. I work three days a week, Mon., Wed., and Friday 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. I do not have .05 syringes and cannot feel secure in giving that dose.

As I've said I really don't have a problem testing him, it's him !!! I WANT to test him, I don't like not knowing what is going on with him. Especially after what he went through with that Novolin N-100. He was tested soooo much, and was very good at first, but I guess it finally got to him !

Gotta go feed my kids, I'll be back. Thank you soooo much for being here for us !!!

Back already, the Doc shaved both his sides so I can give him his inj. Guess she shaved too close because he now has a quarter size red scrap spot on him. I just tried to put neosporin on it and he ran down cellar. I am having such a problem with him now. Like I said, at first he was such a good boy when I tested him, but because I tested him so much and so close together, he ain't havin it anymore !!! I know it's gonna be very hard testing him, but I gotta do what I gotta do !!! I'll have to figure out a way to do it, but I will. I want my boy to get better, I don't want to hurt him, I Love him. Treats won't help, when I call him for dinner, he runs now.

If I gave him the .05 inj. what would happen to his 200 numbers ??? You know, I didn't realize he wasn't getting insulin at night. I thought it lasted 24 hours. How dumb am I ?? !!! I have to say I am much happier now that he is on Lantus. His numbers have been much better !

Thanks Again to all !!!

Becki & Rags
 
yo hon said:
I was going to give him his inj. at 8 and 8. I work three days a week, Mon., Wed., and Friday 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. I do not have .05 syringes and cannot feel secure in giving that dose.
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ok. so you'll be gone 3 days a week, your vet wants you to feed only twice a day, ragu doesn't want to be tested, and you don't have any syringes marked with half-units so you don't feel comfortable shooting 0.5u twice a day. i think i got that right. :mrgreen:


any chance you could try testing again... before each shot plus one mid-cycle test? that would only be 3 tests a day (much less testing than when he was on N). maybe rags would be better with it now since he's had a break from testing.


if rags will absolutely not allow you to test his blood, i would definitely leave food out for him to nibble on during the cycle. most cats will self feed if they feel their numbers dropping. i think it would be much safer for rags if you told your vet you have to leave food out for rags since you don't know how low he's dropping. leaving food out for him while you're gone or when you're sleeping will also help give you some peace of mind.


any chance you can get some syringes marked with half units anytime soon? walmart sells ReliOn U-100 syringes marked with half units for about $12 - $13 a box. there's 100 syringes in the box so they'd last awhile. if not, maybe we can look for someone who's willing to donate syringes.


(((hugs)))
 
Jill & Alex, right you are !
Yes, I can test him three times a day. I have no problem with that. Rags will have to let me test him if he wants to feel better. I do not like not knowing his numbers. I want to know what is gone on.
I would love to leave food out for him, I just don't know who will eat it, ya know ? My other kids don't have their food down anymore and they don't like that. I get woke up all hours of the night for food.
No, I c an't afford to buy syringes, as I'm on a fixed income. I live alone, have no family and your friends do not know you anymore when you no longer work.
Deb & Wink and BJM were going to send me a box of the 1/2 cc syringes, but I haven't received them yet.
Right now times are really tough for me. I have to move because my landlord who lives in a log cabin behind me want to move back here. I've lived here for thirteen years. I have no money to save for deposits or rent. The three days a week I work pay my car payment.
I had asked what .05 units will do to his numbers, I thought they were ok with the 1 unit. (during the day anyhow0
Whay kind of food would I leave down, wet or dry ? He misses his diabetic dry food, esp. at night.

Thanks for all the hugs, I'll be needing them. Hugs to all of you as well !!

Becki Y& Rags
 
if you want to keep his bg's down, then leave out canned food only - do NOT give him dry food at all - or you will have a harder time to manage bg's.

if you add water to the canned food - it will stay moist longer and will be fine if left out all day/night.
 
Hillary&Maui, I already add water to his food. I will try and leave that down, but my other kids may get it before him.

Thank you !!!

Yo Hon & Rags
 
Hillary&Mauri, I already add water to his food. I will try and leave that down, but my other kids may get it before him.

Thank you !!!

Yo Hon & Rags
 
yo hon said:
Yes, I can test him three times a day. I have no problem with that. Rags will have to let me test him if he wants to feel better. I do not like not knowing his numbers. I want to know what is gone on.
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woo-hooo! awesome! remember to record the numbers on his spreadsheet, ok?

yo hon said:
I would love to leave food out for him, I just don't know who will eat it, ya know ? My other kids don't have their food down anymore and they don't like that. I get woke up all hours of the night for food.
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when alex is sick and i have to leave food out for her at night i bring her into the bedroom with me and shut the door so my other kitties can't get in to eat her food. would that work with Rags?

yo hon said:
No, I c an't afford to buy syringes, as I'm on a fixed income. I live alone, have no family and your friends do not know you anymore when you no longer work.
Deb & Wink and BJM were going to send me a box of the 1/2 cc syringes, but I haven't received them yet.
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dyana is checking with deb and BJM. we'll try to get some syringes together for you.

yo hon said:
Right now times are really tough for me. I have to move because my landlord who lives in a log cabin behind me want to move back here. I've lived here for thirteen years. I have no money to save for deposits or rent. The three days a week I work pay my car payment.
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i'm so sorry. sometimes when it rains... it pours. :cry:

yo hon said:
I had asked what .05 units will do to his numbers, I thought they were ok with the 1 unit. (during the day anyhow0
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no one knows if his numbers were ok during the day with 1unit because you haven't been testing.
and we won't know what 0.5 unit can do unless you try it AND get some tests. the tests will tell us if he needs more insulin.


yo hon said:
Whay kind of food would I leave down, wet or dry ? He misses his diabetic dry food, esp. at night.
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ideally, you'd want to leave wet food down. i'm happy to hear you add water to the wet food.
if he likes his diabetic dry food so much... how about using a few pieces for treats after you test? he just might like that!

yo hon said:
Thanks for all the hugs, I'll be needing them. Hugs to all of you as well !!
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you're welcome and thank you! we all need hugs... more on some days than others.
 
One way to deal with losing what you post and having to start over is this.

Use any word processor - Word, Wordpad, Notepad, etc.

Write up what you want to post, review, and edit as needed.

When its ready, select all the text.
(hint: pressing Ctrl and A at the same time often works to do this)

Copy the selected text
(hint: pressing Ctrl and C at the same time often works to do this)

Switch over to FDMB
(Hint: most computers allow you to have more than 1 application open at a time
pressing Alt and Tab at the same time often works to switch among open programs)

Start your post (either a new post or a reply)

Put your cursor in the box for the text and paste the copied text.
(hint: pressing Ctrl and V at the same time often works to do this)

Submit the post.
 
good morning, becki!

i wanted to get back to you about syringes. dyana checked with BJM and deb. it's my understanding deb will be sending you a box of syringes. hopefully, deb will post to confirm as well as give you an idea of when you'll be receiving the syringes marked with half units. thank you, deb!

did rags let you test him this morning?



i also wanted to let you know i'll be working all day. if you have any questions there are others around who are able to help. i'll catch up to you later.

have a great day! :mrgreen:
 
Deb has a box of supplies almost ready to ship today. Includes brand new box of Relion 3/10 cc, 5/16 needle length, insulin syringes with 1/2 unit markings. Also including some freeze dried treats, more Prime meter test strips, partial box of lancets, some chocolates both dark and milk (Dove) for the bean, and whatever else I can cram into the large priority mail shipping box.

I have a bunch of 3/10 cc insulin syringes with only the 1 unit markings. I'll be sending those too.
 
To All, I just made a new post, very slow today. So I'll put all my responses on that.
Thought you all signed off early last night, so I gave up around 9:30 p.m., I think.

Becki & Rags
 
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