Back up to 386 from 142 6 hours ago

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BooBoo Kitty

BooBoo Kitty

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Hello again, BooBoo is now back up to 386. last test was at 4pm, 5 hours after her shot and because she was doing okay earlier someone said I could wait til an hour before the 12 hour shot. She already has a scab on her ear from all my many pricks today :( Anyway she just ate and I am now gonna give her the shot. I think I am now getting the whole understanding of why Humulin N is not so good...
 
Just from the testing I have done so far, it looks as if at about 4 hours she is at her least then starts coming back up at 5, so the Humulin seems to not last quite 12 hours but at least 386 is better than 563 which was what it was when we first found out she had diabetes!
 
My hubby and I were just talking and trying to figure this out and we are thinking that maybe if she is in the high 300's tom morn, I should give her 2 1/2U. What do you all think?
 
More insulin won't give you a longer duration, it will only drop her lower in the beginning and you are already getting her big drops into non-diabetic numbers.

This is why we aren't crazy about Humulin N it hits them hard and wears off too early.

Really wish I could figure out a way to get you some better insulin like Lantus, Levermir or PZI that would give her a longer hang time in those nice 100s or lower.

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang
 
As Mel said, more of N will not increase duration, it wil just drop her lower in those first few hours and then still run out. Have you taken away all dry food yet? Any chance of speaking with the vet about a different insulin?
 
Agree. More insulin isn't the answer - it just will mean lower lows, dipping into dangerous territory. No longer duration.

Dodging wrenches had some lantus in the supply closet at a reasonable price: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=34573 BUT you need a vet that is willing to work with you with that insulin. You don't want to start out on your own with a new insulin and no vet support.
 
Stephanie-
I have to say it's really great to see how you've stepped up and taken control of this situation. It seems a shame, though, that you're stuck with using this insulin that may not be as effective for Booboo than other types. Is there any way you can ask to switch to a different insulin like Lantus? I know the price tag might be intimidating, but one of those vials lasts a long time... On another note, I, too, would suggest you NOT increase your dose at this time. Chances are, an increase will make those numbers yo-yo even more...
 
Stephanie, can you get a prescription for Lantus or Levemir? Just wondering? Maybe one of us could help with getting Lantus/Levemir.

Claudia
 
Thanx all, just woke up after a nighht of stressing on my other non diabetic kitties bathroom problems. Gonna have to take him to the vet this morn. Anyway, yeah I do need to get a diff insulin, and I now understand about the Humulin. I will talk to them today and also about the diff syringes. I will test BooBoo here in a few and see where she is at... Thanx again for the advise... :smile:
 
BTW, I gave BooBoo her shot 40 mins early so at 11hr. 20 min. cause she was so high last night. If she is high again right now, should i just feed her then give the shot in a half hour after feeding even if it is an hour early for the shot?
 
I would stick with the 12/12 schedule because it is easier for you to keep track of. Shooting early is not going to change your overall picture: high, then low in 3 hours, then climbing back up high. It is just the way the insulin works. If you start messing with the times you shoot, it might be easy to lose track of what is going on. This insulin is harsh and easy to mess up with, in my opinion.
 
You could shoot an hour early with N IF you test and see what number she is giving you first, then feed her, then shoot a 1/2hr later. Why not test her and post the bg # ?
 
You do not need a prescription in California to buy insulin syringes.

For the Lantus. Have your vet write the prescription for the Lantus cartridges,
not the 10ml Lantus vial.

If you have the prescription, maybe someone of us here will sell you ONE cartridge to
get started.

Come here before taking your Lantus prescription to the pharmacy.


The cartridges are cheaper in the long run.

Each cartridge contains 3ml of insulin (300 units). You open one cartridge at a time
and can usually use all of it before it 'goes bad'.

If you get a 10ml vial, you will be throwing a lot of it away, because is 'goes bad'
before you can use it up.

You still use insulin syringes to get the insulin out of the cartridge, not the
'pen' they sell to people.

I'm sure they have all the usage details on the Lantus Insulin Support Group here on FDMB.
 
Stephanie,

If you can get a script for Lantus or Levemir from your vet, DCIN will be able to send you a pen or two. Let me know, and PM me your full name, mailing address, and phone number.

Venita, here as DCIN.
 
Karen & Smokey(GA) said:
You do not need a prescription in California to buy insulin syringes.

For the Lantus. Have your vet write the prescription for the Lantus cartridges,
not the 10ml Lantus vial.

If you have the prescription, maybe someone of us here will sell you ONE cartridge to
get started.

Come here before taking your Lantus prescription to the pharmacy.


The cartridges are cheaper in the long run.

Each cartridge contains 3ml of insulin (300 units). You open one cartridge at a time
and can usually use all of it before it 'goes bad'.

If you get a 10ml vial, you will be throwing a lot of it away, because is 'goes bad'
before you can use it up.

You still use insulin syringes to get the insulin out of the cartridge, not the
'pen' they sell to people.

I'm sure they have all the usage details on the Lantus Insulin Support Group here on FDMB.
Click to expand...
I got the script today for Lantus cartridges and got the new syringes. Is Lantus going to be a U40 though? Because I just bought a bunch of the 3/10 cc ones for U100 insulin which is what I have now with the Humulin
 
I also got the Ketone Test Strips now and I purchased some Special kitty Tuna and Shrimp Entree that I got off the list of wet foods and it said it had only 1% of carbs. it was the lowest in that category and pretty inexpensive at Walmart too! Please let me know when i should give her some wet food as I know u all have advised me to not go into the wet food just yet... She is still on the dry hills Prescrp. Diet M/D. When is good to test with the Ketone Urine Strips?
 
BooBoo Kitty said:
Is Lantus going to be a U40 though? Because I just bought a bunch of the 3/10 cc ones for U100 insulin which is what I have now with the Humulin
Click to expand...

Lantus is U-100. All human insulins in the USA are U-100.

Most Vetrinary insulins are U-40, but not all.
 
You are hometesting so you can watch. I would go down to one unit 2x day.. You can start with wet lo carb. If your kitty has a delicate tummy, you can mix half and half at first. if she can eat anything, go for it. Just watch the numbers. They could head way down.

Take the Hills back, say your cat won't eat it and get a refund. Hills will always refund their food.

I would pick up some non fish flavors too. Fish has too much mercury and phosphorous to feed everyday.
 
Thanx! She loves wet food and actually has not had any for quite a while becuase now that we have sooo many animals, I was trying to stay on a budget and feed everyone the same stuff, but now 2 need their own special diet. I looked over the list of foods and noticed that the Friskies Special Diet is low in carbs too, so i can feed that 2 my one kitty who is having urinary tract issues and my diabetic! Unfortunately, I already wasted 18 bucks on a small bag of Hills and it is already almost gone! Bought it about 2 weeks ago... So maybe I should test her now, before feeding her the wet, then check it again? I will definitely get some more varieties of flavors, as I only got 2 little cans today and thought i'd check with u all first before anything!!!
 
BooBoo Kitty said:
Thanx! She loves wet food and actually has not had any for quite a while becuase now that we have sooo many animals, I was trying to stay on a budget and feed everyone the same stuff, but now 2 need their own special diet. I looked over the list of foods and noticed that the Friskies Special Diet is low in carbs too, so i can feed that 2 my one kitty who is having urinary tract issues and my diabetic! Unfortunately, I already wasted 18 bucks on a small bag of Hills and it is already almost gone! Bought it about 2 weeks ago... So maybe I should test her now, before feeding her the wet, then check it again? I will definitely get some more varieties of flavors, as I only got 2 little cans today and thought i'd check with u all first before anything!!!
Click to expand...

I tried the Friskies Special Diet for one of my kitties and she refused to eat it .

Only get a couple of cans to try, for starters.
 
I personally have 10 cats ( 9 civies and 1 diabetic) and everyone here eats the exact same thing. Friskies off Janet & Binky's list. We also have a 75lbs drooler (dog) who is also on a canned wet diet as well. It runs us about $6/day to feed our troops which works out to about the same expense wise as what we were paying to feed them high quality dry with just a few cans of wet in the morning and evening.

CONGRATS on getting the script for Lantus, I think you and BooBoo will do so much better on that insulin. It is a nice gentle insulin so poor BooBoo won't be going through those wild swings like she was on Humulin N. With the change in diet as well plus this nice gentle long lasting insulin you may just get lucky and get a kitty that is diet controlled.

I know my sweet Max was 485 when he was dxed, with a week of Lantus and a switch in diet I now have a beautiful boy that is diet controlled and doesn't give me numbers any higher than his 9 civie (non-diabetic) housemates.

I was also going to tell you that at Wal-mart you can buy syringes in either 10 pks for $2 or 100 of $13. Lantus is fairly expensive on the outset but works out far cheaper in the long run, as you will be able to use the pens longer than the vials before the insulin loses its punch.

Just remember to start low and go slow, we have a huge support group for those of us on Lantus, so you will have tons of folks here to help you and BooBoo find that perfect dose.

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang
 
MommaOfMuse said:
I personally have 10 cats ( 9 civies and 1 diabetic) and everyone here eats the exact same thing. Friskies off Janet & Binky's list. We also have a 75lbs drooler (dog) who is also on a canned wet diet as well. It runs us about $6/day to feed our troops which works out to about the same expense wise as what we were paying to feed them high quality dry with just a few cans of wet in the morning and evening.

CONGRATS on getting the script for Lantus, I think you and BooBoo will do so much better on that insulin. It is a nice gentle insulin so poor BooBoo won't be going through those wild swings like she was on Humulin N. With the change in diet as well plus this nice gentle long lasting insulin you may just get lucky and get a kitty that is diet controlled.

I know my sweet Max was 485 when he was dxed, with a week of Lantus and a switch in diet I now have a beautiful boy that is diet controlled and doesn't give me numbers any higher than his 9 civie (non-diabetic) housemates.

I was also going to tell you that at Wal-mart you can buy syringes in either 10 pks for $2 or 100 of $13. Lantus is fairly expensive on the outset but works out far cheaper in the long run, as you will be able to use the pens longer than the vials before the insulin loses its punch.

Just remember to start low and go slow, we have a huge support group for those of us on Lantus, so you will have tons of folks here to help you and BooBoo find that perfect dose.

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang
Click to expand...
I did get the script for Lantus, but we are so broke right now from all of this that it looks like I will have to use the Humulin for a while longer til we can get the money to pay for the Lantus. Any idea how much it runs? Also i would like to give my booBoo some wet food now but was wondering if I should test her first? She prob is okay and not low right now since I have her the shot at 10:00am... Should I test her 1st? I know I will test her tonight before the shot but I was trying to guve her ears a break after all my poking yesterday and once this morning!
 
Go back up your thread and read the post by Venita with DCIN - diabetic cats in need. She is offering to help you with Lantus once you got the script.

Send her a private message.
 
I think a 5pk runs about $125 for Lantus. But Venita and the Boys runs DCIN (Diabetic Cats in Need) and they may be able to supply you with a couple of pens to get started with. I personally have one sitting in my frig, but currently I'm snowed in. :cry: We have another ice and snow storm bearing down on us as I type this. But if and when I can get back out again I can see about sending you it.

There is also the possibility that someone closer to you may have an extra pen that they could get to you.

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang
 
Diabetic Cats in Need (DCIN) said:
Update: DCIN will ship Stephanie 2 pens of Lantus and she should have it Friday or Saturday. One of Stephanie's new friends here is paying for the insulin and its shipping.
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It is sooo nice to meet people that actually really care! Thanx so much, forever grateful!!!
 
Diabetic Cats in Need (DCIN) said:
Update: DCIN will ship Stephanie 2 pens of Lantus and she should have it Friday or Saturday. One of Stephanie's new friends here is paying for the insulin and its shipping.
Click to expand...

Wow. How kind and classy... good work.
 
Hi.
While my cat was eating the Hills m/d the vet prescribed, he had the same problems with wildly swinging BG levels (and very high much of the time) and little correlation between insulin given and BG levels. It was terrible. Switching to glargine (Lantus) twice a day made very little difference. I pulled the cat off the Hills and put him on Fancy Feast classic varieties (the ones without any grains or vegetables) and 12 hours later the wild swings were gone and the insulin requirements dropped dramatically -- 1/2 unit per 12 hours for several days -- and at times i had to give him a small amount of the Hills to raise his BG because it was dropping too fast.

One month on, the cat is between 50 and 100 most of the time. The change in food made a world of difference -- he should have been on glargine and a very low carb wet food from the beginning.

Things will start getting better!
-Craig
 
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