6/12 Six's AMPS 107 and Caturday Update - meter question

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Amy and Six

Amy and Six

Member Since 2009
Greetings Lantus Land!!!!

After a three week break (bean imposed), Six is back to visit his LL friends.

Since I last posted...

Six is cruising along. Yep, he most likely has chronic pancreatitis, but this bean is finally learning to relax a little bit about it. I've decided not to do another u/s (he had one in November) simply because it could only possibly confirm what is 99% likely - chronic CP. I am still trying to see if reading his BG numbers helps me figure out if there is an inflammation flare brewing, as well as look for the physical signs, but I don't feel like I have a handle on what are "his signs" yet. He is visiting the acupuncture vet every three weeks to see if we can help with the low-grade inflammation that probably exists at all times. The good news is that we haven't seen any signs of an acute flare-up in the past six weeks or so.

Six is loving my summer break. It means he gets lots more attention and loads of outside time. I also might be feeding him too many snacks. :lol: I've just realized how many "extras" he seems to be getting so I'm trying to cut back.

I'm slowly coming to the reality that Six could very well be a life-long diabetic (with the CP dx) and I think that's a good thing for me to come to grips with. He made great progress about three months after starting Lantus and I think I became very hopeful that he would be one of those kitties who might go into remission quickly. I am now very appreciative of his tight regulation. The acupuncture vet shakes her head in amazement when I show her his spread sheet. Both vets are so pleased...and I am too. For my own sake, I think it was very important to recognize I could be doing this routine for many more years to come. We have just trained a neighbor and a friend how to test BG and give him is shot. That's a huge relief too. We might even attempt a night or two away this summer!

Other cat updates...Lyle, our April acute p~titis kitty, has been fine since the attack. I am now feeding three/four different foods at meal times to take into account the different nutritional needs of my kitties (low fat and low carb plus great tasting to all cats doesn't seem to exisit :lol:). Our oldest cat Meghan (13) is currently having some kidney issues...she just seemed off to me this week so I took her in and her BUN and CRE values are up (not as high as they were 2 years ago when she had a suspected infection). We're giving her subq fluids daily and she's on an antibiotic until the urine results come back. The rest of the gang is doing well enough (touch wood)! I love being around them more. Really need to find a way to win the lottery...

I'm enjoying summer break. No papers to grade and I can go btb after doing the shot routine in the morning (my DH isn't a morning person but I am going to have him do the cat morning routine a few times this summer)!

I think Six is going to be one of the weekly updates unless there is something more pressing. He's back to being steady freddy...in fact, we haven't seen a yellow since March 5! I would also much rather spend my time visiting other condos!!!!!!

We've missed you all the past couple of weeks and it's nice to be back!

Last Condo posted 5/16...

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=14729
 
Re: 6/12 Six's AMPS 107 and Caturday Update

Amy
I am so happy to see an update for Six, and you as well.
I missed you guys so much and always anted to know how Six and Lyle were doing.

I am glad that you have come to terms that Six just might need to be getting his shots.
His numbers are terrific. That was my goal for Max too. Whetever he needed is what I was prepared to do.

Glad that you can get to relax now and I so look forward to updates and reports.
I will let Max know that he will be seeing Six tonight. Maybe he will be less mad at me for
dragging him to teh vet today. Lots of growling in my house now.
Oh well, they will get over it.
 
Re: 6/12 Six's AMPS 107 and Caturday Update

Hi, Six's #'s look good. I see you are also using the Alpha Trak meter. I am considering changing after I use my strips due to the expense of the strips. That's great about the acupuncture helping the inflammation. Does it relax Six? I have never seen a cat get acupuncture. I've had it myself a few times and found it helped.
 
Re: 6/12 Six's AMPS 107 and Caturday Update

HI Amy and Six!!! Was so happy to see a condo from you guys this morning, we miss you!!! Sounds like you are in a good place right now and that is great to hear! I hope you enjoy your summer off! Glad you will be around! Nice numbers for Six!
 
Re: 6/12 Six's AMPS 107 and Caturday Update

Hey Six, old buddy! I was wondering where you were. Great to hear from you and your bean and to see that your numbers are so great. Don't forget the new-moon party tonight at Shadow and Raja's. We're cooking pizzas and catfish. See you there.

Stu

Hi Amy. So nice to hear from you. It sounds like your kitty household is pretty much under control and that you're enjoying your summer vacation. Carry on!!

Ella
 
Re: 6/12 Six's AMPS 107 and Caturday Update

Glad to see you back!
Very nice Caturday update.... please come back again soon! We missed you!!!
 
Re: 6/12 Six's AMPS 107 and Caturday Update

Good to see you with a Caturday condo. It sounds like you are juggling a lot, but have a good handle on things and a realistic attitude toward everything. Glad to hear you are enjoying your summer break.
 
Re: 6/12 Six's AMPS 107 and Caturday Update

There you are! I've been wondering how you guys were doing. Six's spreadsheet looks fantastic and it seems like you've settled into a nice routine (see newbies, this dance doesn't stay overwhelming forever, it takes some work to get to tight regulation, but once you're there, life is fairly easy). Keep up the good work, and please visit often. :smile:
 
Alrighty.....here I am, cruising right along, visiting other condos and I read in Ann and Maggie's about Dr. Rand and Alpha Trak meters...

So we are an Alpha Trak family. I have a mini One Touch, but didn't get it until after we started using the Alpha Trak (it's a long story why we are using it and have kept using it). I only checked it once against the Alpha Trak and it was about a 20 point difference on one reading (Alpha being lower).

Like tonight, Six at +3 is 75. You'll see on the spreadsheet sometimes he makes it this low (maybe into the 60s) and other times not. I actually think his dose is right where it needs to be, but with this Alpha Trak meter variation now you have me worried.

So...is this an ECID situation and I should just ignore the recommendation for the time being?
 
hi amy! good to see you!

here's what rand says about the alphatrak vs a human meter:

NB. It is very important to note that blood glucose concentrations measured using a whole blood
glucose meter calibrated for human blood may measure 30-40% lower in the low end of the range than
glucose concentrations measured using a serum chemistry analyser or a plasma-equivalent meter calibrated
for feline use. Therefore, if using a meter calibrated for feline use (eg. AlphaTRAK, Abbott
Laboratories, CA, USA), or a serum chemistry analyzer, add approximately 30 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)
to the target glucose concentrations (see Table 3B). For example, a target > 50 mg/dL (2.8
mmol/L) becomes > 80 mg/dL (4.4 mmo/L) when using a meter calibrated for feline use. Instead of
aiming for 50-100mg/dL (2.8-5.6 mmol/L) , aim for 80-130 mg/dL (4.4-7.2 mmol/L [round numbers
4.5-7.0 mmol/L). Meters calibrated for feline use may read higher or lower than the actual value, in
contrast to consistently lower readings for meters validated for human blood.
http://www.uq.edu.au/ccah/docs/diabetesinfo/link4.pdf

rand has maintained this disparity for quite a few years now. i'm assuming she's researched the difference enough for us to take note.
 
According to the link (thanks Jill), Six should be on a lower dose than 1.5IU.

BUT, Six does eat higher carb than most (8%) because we try to keep fat at or under 50% if possible. That was the rationale for moving back up to 1.25 IU and then 1.5IU...he was eating LC when he was on 1IU, but we had p~titis flares with Six and civie on LC food. The increase was to offset the increase in carbs.

I would assume if this was too high of a dose, he would be hitting the lower numbers more often as happened in the past.

I would appreciate some thoughts on this. I could....

1. Use the Rand 80 - 130 for his nadir range (I have been using 60-120 up to this point) to determine dose and simply mark the change on the spreadsheet. That would mean I would need to change his dose to 1.25IU.

2. Compare the One Touch with the Alpha Trak for the next week at all tests and see what my data shows.

3. Other thoughts??????
 
I'm torn. At one level, I want to say don't mess with success. You have a good rationale for your dose. I think a conservative approach would be to do a meter comparison (just know that this could make you a little nuts!).
 
That is really terrific that you have a friend willing to learn to test to help out! Glad to hear Six is doing so well.
 
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