Central New Jersey (Princeton Area) Home Monitoring Help

Status
Not open for further replies.
djacks1128

djacks1128

Member
Hello,
I am new to this forum and to the feline diabetes world. My little girl Ashley was diagnosed recently with feline diabetes. She went into the vet for insulin stabilization for three days and was put on two units of ProZinc twice a day. That was three weeks ago. She went back yesterday for all day monitoring and her BG was still high at over 400, she only went down to 375 during the day. They told me to start her on 3 units of the ProZinc and to bring her back in two weeks for Fructose(?) testing. I'm thinking about changing her food to a low carb diet. Note that Ashley's brother Dudley is a Crystal Kitty with feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD) so they both have been eating his perscription food. The vet said that i don't have to change Ashley's diet, but that now would be a good time since they are going to do the fructose testing in 2 weeks and see the results of the food change then.

Problem is, if i change her diet AND give her the 3 units of insulin, she could go too low. I've been told by the very supportive people on this board that I should test at home and that there may be help locally.

I'm feeling overwhelmed and confused about what to do. I'm also going away on business for a week in the beginning of December and I'm stressing about what to do during that time as well.

I live in South Brunswick, NJ.

Thanks!
Sheryl & Ashley
and of course brother Dudley.
 
Sheryl

I didn't realize your vet wanted you to start off at 3 units a day...this is way too high a dose to start with! 1 unit max is the usual, even if the cat is on dry food.
 
Jen,

He started her with 2 and was getting that twice a day for the last three weeks. He upped it to 3 yesterday. What should I do?
 
are you between iselin and sayreville? i know ladies that live in both those places is why i ask. hillary and maui are in iselin and donna and flame are in sayreville. i can ask both of them to pop in if they are close enough?
 
Your first step is get a glucose meter, lancets (25 or 26 gauge), and test strips for the meter your purchase. While you are adjusting the dose, you will be testing frequently, so go for the biggest package you can reasonably afford.

The ReliOn at WalMart is working well for most of us; it is what I use. WalMart is open 24 hours in a lot of places, which means I can pick up strips in the middle of the night if I have to do so.

Now - look over the info here on the main site about testing, watch any videos you find. And take a big breath and relax - you can do this.

Set up an area to test in, with all the supplies ready. I chose a half bathroom.
With the bathroom door shut, I set out:
- the meter, with the strip partly inserted in it (close the strip package)
- the lancet in its holder
- a folded tissue paper (to support the ear and protect my finger!)
- a syringe with the planned insulin dose (though if you shut the door, you can draw up the insulin after you get a reading)
- an old heavy plastic jar, to put the used strip, lancet, and syringe in
- a small amount of treats for the cat

I open the door and Spitzer comes right in (treat addict!)
Shut the door
Sit down on the seat
Push the strip all the way in the meter and put it back on the counter after it signals it is ready
Pick up the folded tissue in your non-dominant hand
Pick up the cat and position in your lap so that you can hold it gently against your chest
Use your non-dominant hand to brace and support the ear; if the ear is cold, a microwaved sock with rice to support the ear works for many, plus provides support.
Use your dominant hand to pick up the lancet.
Position the lancet near the ear vein.
And grit your teeth and go for it, making a small poke.
As soon as a small droplet wells up, pick up the meter and touch the end of the test strip to it.
(the ReliOn can be set to beep when it has enough)
Put the meter back on the counter.
Use the tissue to apply direct pressure to the small wound for about 15 seconds or so.
Adjust the insulin dose if necessary, and inject the cat.
Treat the cat.
Open the door and let the cat out.
Put put the used strip, lancet, and syringe in the plastic jar and cap it.
Record your data - we recommend the Google Docs spreadsheet we use, as it is set to color code the glucose values for you.
 
Iselin & Sayreville are fairly close...within 30 minutes.

My mom is also a diabetic and is giving me one of her monitors and some test strips to start off with. I forget what kind it is.

Another big question I have is about adjusting the amount of insulin depending on the BG reading. I suppose that can come after i learn how to test.
One step at a time.

Thanks for the replies!

-sheryl
 
Hi Sheryl,

I'm the Iselin connection here - I'm just off Rte 1 - so where in SB are you? I happen to be off work tomorrow and could stop by early afternoon - or this weekend.

I'll pm you my contact details, we can talk and I can help you out. I also happen to have some meters that I was going to send to the newbie starter kits, so I can bring one over to get you started - it only comes with 10 strips, so you will need to either pick up strips for this meter (bayer contour) or go to walmart and buy the relion meter and strips - they are the cheapest ones out there and supposedly easy to use.

I won't be able to talk until around 9 pm tonight - as I need to take one of my girls to Red Bank for a dental emergency - and got them to give me an appt for 7:30 - I know TMI, but just telling you, so when you call me after 9pm it's ok -
 
Thanks Cindy.

Unfortunately the link you provided is blocked here at work because it is a "personal networking & storage" site. Is there any way you can email it to me in a PM or to my email address?
I'd like to do any formatting and print it out here at work so I can get a good idea of what i will be working with.

Thanks again,
Sheryl
 
will do that right now.

would you mind editing your post and taking out your email address by chance? or replace the @ with AT and the . with DOT. we ask that people do that to minimize spam from people that like to grab on to that type of info. i'll put FDMB spreadsheet in my email subject line so you know it's from me :-)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top