5/19 Phoenix PMPS +5 80

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Lindsay & Phoenix

Lindsay & Phoenix

Member Since 2011
I know you probably hear a lot that newbies have a hard time home testing. I just got my supplies yesterday and started my attempts at testing. The first two went ALRIGHT but Phoenix was also being really patient. I tried again two other times last night and couldnt get enough blood and also this morning AMPS with no luck. I have watched videos and read all about it but I am really struggling. I feel awful with how much I am poking him. I saw a video on testing on the paw pad. Is something you guys recommend if I made sure to clean with alcohol? I feel like I might have more success there.


confused_cat
 
Re: home testing issues

personally i don't see a problem with paw pad testing. some people freak out about the possibility of infection but the hole is so darn small and closes up so darn quick that i think chances of infection are pretty nil. steph and cuddles, heather and raja and plenty of others here have done it that way without any problems.

buttttttttt, what about some hands on help with the testing just in case that will help? i know there's a few members in your area i think, maybe edit your subject line in the original post and put "cleveland?" in the heading
 
Re: home testing issues

Are you warming the ear with a rice sock?
One ear normally bleeds better than others.
With Maverick the vet gave us lower gauge syringe tips to use as a lance. It resulted in easier bleeding.

Because you will be testing fairly often - I'd try and get the hang of ear testing. The ears heal well and will be easier on your cat.

Are you rewarding after also? Maverick ended up purring through tests. Most of the cats here LOVE purebites chicken.

Welcome to Lantus Land.
 
Re: home testing issues

well i have some good news!!! We just got our newbie kit in the mail from lori and tom. It was filled with all kinds of awesome things INCLUDING a mini bean bag which I microwaved for a couple seconds and I really think that did the trick. It heated the ear much better than the warm water bottle I was using. We just got blood on our first try and shot a 98!!! I feel a lot more confident after that however if I have troubles in the future I think I will go to the paw prick, especially if his ears are getting a little too much action.
 
Re: home testing issues

Karrie, what are the purebites chicken? I tried the freeze dried chicken from the dog section and they hated it. So right now I am rewarding with cat nip and lots of snuggles and play time. I would like to reward with actual treats though
 
Re: home testing issues

WOOHOO. Many of us use polysporin cream or ointment to aid in healing also - especially after a long day of poking (if you are doing a curve for example). The cream gets absorbed better. I like the ointment as it stayed on but I had to wipe it off to get the blood to bead right.

Yah Maverick loved the freeze dried chicken. Most of the cats here love it - and to tempt them to eat we crumble it up and make chicken dust and put it on top of food. (When we want them to eat and they don't feel like it). Sorry Phoenix didn't love it.
 
Re: home testing issues

Warm ears always made a big difference for me too.

Another thing that helped me was to understand the direction of the blood flow in the ear.

I gently hold my kitty's ear edge for about 10 seconds before I poke so the blood can start to well up in the area that I'm going to poke. I poke the ear ABOVE my thumb.

Imagine this photo is the back of my kitty's ear. I didn't have a photo of the back of his head. :lol: Anyway the little diagram shows what I was talking about. (I hope!)

BigMacear.jpg
 
Re: home testing issues

If freeze dried chicken wasn't a hit, there are different kinds of jerky treats. Wellness makes one type. Another brand is Catswell -- my guys like their "Happy Hips" variety.

You might want to try freeze dried salmon. (It's smellier!) If Phoenix likes fishy flavors, this may be a better option.
 
Re: home testing issues

I remember having a hard time a couple of years ago when I started too! We have all been there!

My experience has been that I put smokey in-between my legs and squad/sit on my legs while hovering over him. I have great access to the back of his head and I'm able to pet him at the same time (if needed). I already have the sock warmed and ready, rub it a few times, then poof...blood! He then gets a freeze dried salmon or chicken!

I look forward to seeing your future posts!
 
Re: home testing issues

I didn't see this mentioned (which doesn't mean it WASN'T), but the ear will also "learn to bleed." That is, the blood will start to come more easily after you've been doing it awhile.

Congrats!! You are SO on your way. :mrgreen:
 
Re: home testing issues

so true, kathy. i thought it took about 2 weeks until we got blood most times. someone told me the ears grow more capillaries where you've poked them.

the warm bag helped us at the beginning too. i used it for a couple of months but don't need it now. you can also slightly pull (gently) to open up the hole after you've poked. usually that makes the blood well up. this sounds ridiculous, but i took a small maglite flashlight and taped it into the opening of a small jar. so when the flashlight was on, it shone out through the jar. i put the jar in his ear (i know, ridiculous, but it helped) and then poked his ear against the jar. it just made me feel better when i could see the little capillaries easily and i could aim for them.

for treats, i boiled 2 chicken breasts, i think around the first of march, cut them into tiny pieces and put them into a freezer ziplock bag. i've still got a lot left. i pull out about a tablespoon at a time, which lasts maybe 3 days in the fridge. someone pointed out to me that treats need to be small - 1/4"x1/2" and punkin is a moose, but he likes it just fine. he LOVES rotisserie chicken pieces too, so if you don't want to make your own, that's pretty yummy. punkin didn't like the jerky type of treats.

Did you say that you shot a 98, though? if you did, raise a flag here and ask for advice, because that's pretty low for a newly diagnosed kitty.
 
Re: home testing issues

lindsay, i just looked at Phoenix's spreadsheet and you did shoot a 98. would you change your subject line on the first post to ask for advice, please? you're going to need to do lots of testing tonight to make sure that your sweetie doesn't get too low.

there will be people online most of the evening - i know i'm usually checking in til 11pm pacific time - that can help you if you need it.

in the meantime, change your subject line and read these posts - they're really helpful.
how to handle low numbers

do you have plenty of testing strips and high carb food or karo syrup in case you need it?
 
Re: home testing issues

Doing very well, Lindsay. Julie is right: you will have to watch Phoenix carefully this evening. His dose may be too large, especially since you are no longer feeding dry food. Do ask for eyes on your condo and dosing help. Go back to your first post of today and edit the subject line there, otherwise no one will see your question.

The ears do "learn" to bleed. I always put a little Neosporin cream (not ointment) with pain killer on the ear after the last poke of the evening. This promotes healing. I also put a little vaseline on the ear right before poking so that the blood beads up more easily.

Have a good evening and keep a close eye on your kitty.

Ella & Rusty
 
Re: home testing issues

it looks like her spreadsheet is updated to +3 after PM shot- i'm a total spreadsheet lurker.
 
Re: home testing issues

fwiw, she is a poster on facebook too, i think that's how she found fdmb actually, so I sent her a message there in case she's on there tonight instead. I told her to please come back and check this thread and update if she can and that she needs to continue to monitor Phoenix and that if he gets too low, the board's here to help her.
 
5/19/11 PMPS 98 +1 105 +3 83 Please follow for low numbers

Thanks for the help guys. I considered not giving Phoenix his shot at all when I got a 98 but then decided I didn't know enough not to. I figured it was low because I just pulled his food yesterday. As you can see it was much higher then. Believe it or not my vet wants me at 3 units twice a day but I felt this was far too high. Imagine if I just shot blind 3 units tonight? Yikes. I was shooting 2 units and when I got the 98 tonight I only gave 1.75. I do have some of that dry food left, I have regular high carb cat treats, honey, and a couple high carb wet food cans. I will test him right now though and see where we are. I feel good about getting blood but now am worried that his BG will be too low. Please stay tuned I will be right back with an update.
 
Re: possible low numbers, please follow

We've all got your back. Please take a look at the link on handling low numbers that Julie posted. Any time you shoot lower than you're used to shooting, you want to get a +1 and a +2. Having these numbers will help you to know where the cycle is heading.
 
Re: possible low numbers, please follow

ok so we got a 79. What number do I want? I thought 90's 80's 70's these kinds of things are good for a diabetic cat. Granted today is the first day I have even seen what his BG levels look like. I gave him a couple high carb cat treats. Should I not have given him a shot at all? Or should it have been less than 1.75?
 
Re: possible low numbers, please follow

those are super numbers, lindsay. there's no danger - you don't need to do anything yet. except keep testing. :-D this is called baptism by fire, you're gonna get really great at testing tonight! make sure you give a little treat after each pokey - your sweetie might get a little crabby if not!

don't give him high carbs yet, you want to see what's happening. Without numbers, we don't really know what Phoenix will do, but most cats get lower over the first several hours after shooting, then begin to rise. what we want is for the low to not be too low. too low = under 50 at the lowest point. even then there's no crisis, you just give them high carb food or karo and up they pop.

good for you for reposting that first subject line - you'll have lots of people following you now. you can post your latest number in the subject line - so you keep editing it.

for example, are you 3 hours after shooting? if so, you could say " +3 79" so everyone looking can see where you're at.
 
Re: possible low numbers, please follow

i should say that at some point you'll probably have to move to testing more often, like after 30 minutes or so, which is why you keep reposting your latest numbers so that we all know when you've updated and if you need help.
 
Re: possible low numbers, please follow

Thanks Julie, I just read your threads and saw that since I dont have data on his usual preshot numbers, I probably should have stalled this PM shot. But we will just see where he is at in 30 min. at 11:00 pm.
 
Re: possible low numbers, please follow

It you look at the Data Ready sticky, we recommend that a "newbie" not shoot below 150. I'm not sure where you fall since you're new to home testing. Shooting low is definitely a goal it's just that most people who are new to testing are apprehensive about shooting this low initially. You did great.

When shooting low, you need to be around to test. As long as you are testing, have plenty of strips and HC food on hand, you're in control of the cycle. Being able to manage the numbers is what's important. And you're right, we do look to have cats spending time in the green numbers.
 
Re: possible low numbers, please follow

I am a newbie in general. We were just diagnosed on May 3. I guess where I am having difficulty is that my vets are suggesting things that feel wrong in my gut as well as according to this forum. They wanted me to always leave dry food down and continuously shoot 3 units twice a day. Oh, and did I mention they told it was not necessary to home test. I know that a lot of vets don't specialize in FD and may not know the best way to handle the disease. I want to stay calm and prepared to help my little Phoe Phoe. I have everything gathered for the hypo kit and luckily I stay up late anyways. I will keep everyone updated and tremendously appreciate your support.
 
Re: possible low numbers, please follow

The dry food will keep numbers up and then you need more insulin -- not a good way to manage FD. You're gut is giving you good directions!

It would help us to know if you need a hand if you could change your subject line. We use a convention to help let us know where a cat's numbers are.

date cat's name AM/PMPS +1-BG#, +4-BG#, etc.​

If you keep the subject line updated with the most recent numbers, we'll know to look if numbers are running low.

To edit your subject line, you go to your first post in the thread, click on the "edit" button, change the subject line, then click "submit."
 
Re: possible low numbers, please follow

the story about your vet is the same one that 90% of us have had. there don't seem to be a lot of vets knowledgeable about feline diabetes and specifically about lantus. my vet was the same - i was shooting twice a day and testing once a week at random times of the day. we were increasing by whole units - and here we increase by .25units. that's enough to see a difference when you get to the right dose. it seems like vets have to know a lot about a lot of animals and they just don't have as much experience with this.

but . . . there are several people here who've had great success with their vets, it's just not all of them. i adore my vet and he's willing to admit what he doesn't know, and willing to learn. that counts for a lot. so i continue to go to him but do all the dosing through here. these folks do feline diabetes 24/7 for years on end. i'm relatively new too but you learn quickly.

btw, sienne is one of the dosing experts - there are 4-5 people who will give dosing advice. the rest of us are good cheerleaders and nearly all of us have had the low numbers "moment!" :lol:
 
Re: 5/19/11 PMPS 98 +1 105 +3 83 +4 79 +5 80

Shot an 80 at +5. I will definitely keep updating. Since Sienne has been declared a go to person for dosing maybe you could help me decide what I should shoot in the morning? Assuming that our numbers are looking good enough to shoot?
 
yuppers. sienne, libby, jill, ronnie, not sure if i got everyone, but if people don't give dosing advice, you understand why. these women are all experts.

what you can do is test at +11 or +11.5, post the number and ask for advice. that gives a few minutes for someone to see your post, check your spreadsheet and hopefully get to you before you need to shoot. it's good to give them enough time.

when you use the word "shot" i think of giving the shot of insulin. i think you mean "test", is that right?

phoenix's numbers are looking great. i don't know if that's the high carb cat treats or if that's just what he would've done, but at least you don't have to sweat. feeling like a pro on testing yet? ;-)
 
You are doing great so far! Earning your stripes!

If no one has said it yet- props to you for having gravy, karo, etc.. on hand. But you can toss your dry food now that you've transitioned to tinned. You don't need it around, it sounds like you have what you need for a hypo kit. Dry food takes a long time to get into a cats system, and a long time to get out. It's not worth having around the house.
 
Well, thanks for the kudos but I don't know if "expert" is correct. I just hang out here a lot and have been here a while. You forgot Laurie. More to the point, though, is that this is a community. There are lots of people who have experience and good commonsense that can lend a hand if you have a question. There are also all sorts of posts (ones on handling low numbers or low pre-shots) and info in the sticky notes that are great resources.

There's a lot that can happen between +5 and your AMPS. If you can, try to post at PM +11. That way, we'll have a little time to see where the numbers are heading.

Also, don't be alarmed if numbers are high in the AM. It's possible that Phoenix may bounce due to the green numbers today.
 
we voted last week while you were travelling, sienne. you all got the expert tag. ;-)

sorry for missing laurie - she was one of the first people that helped me. *apologies laurie* she's been gone most of the last few weeks with baby parakeets she had to feed every 2 hours round the clock.
 
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