Chigga PMPS 304 AMPS 305

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Erica & Chigga (ChiggaButt)

Erica & Chigga (ChiggaButt)

Member Since 2010
Morning everyone! So I bought the Freestyle Freedom Lite last night and did Chigga's first test before her shot last night. It took about 8 tries to get her ear to cooperate and she was a little squirmy and wide eyed but not too bad. Same for this morning - a few tries and I finally got it. I now have her on 1 unit of Lantus instead of the 2 units I did for her first two shots as per the vet, so for her 3rd and 4th shot I'm down to 1 unit and I guess we'll see how things go. She's already drinking less and using the restroom at a normal amount and eating very happily and she's only been on her Lantus for 2 days total and a wet food diet of M/D now for three days. She started at 477 at the vet on Tuesday so I would say I think things are going to be okay.

So should I keep her on 1 unit and just keep testing to see how it goes?
 
Welcome to Lantus Land (LL)

I saw that you had first posted over on Health. Here's the link to Chigga's post.

It would be very helpful if you could put together the test data that you've been collecting into a spreadsheet that we can all view. The instructions are in this link to the Tech Center. We are very numbers driven here and can best help you with dosing decisions once we can see how Chigga is doing.

Before you do anything, please read the starred sticky notes at the top of the Board. In particular, please read the sticky on the Tight Regulation/Dosing Protocols that we use and the New to the Group sticky. These will help to orient you to LL.

For now, you need to stick with your dose of Lantus for 5 - 7 days in order to build a shed (there's a sticky on this topic) and get Chigga stabilized on this dose. Dosing decisions are based on the lowest point of the cycle (the nadir) and not on your pre-shot test. What this means is that you need to get at least one spot check in during each cycle. If you look at the spreadsheets of the members here, you'll see that we do our best to get mid-cycle checks.
 
Hi and welcome to Lantus Land :mrgreen: Wondering if you could tell us your name maybe ? and wanted to say that we are so happy you are here!
As Sienne said, the spreadsheet is most important for everyone here to keep track of exactly where Chigga is so if you could work on that it would be great. (I print out a hard copy for myself and log the BGs in there before I post it online...not even sure if anyone else does that, but it helps me a lot)

Congratulations on your testing too! It is a vital tool and it will get easier as you go along. I bet there will be a lot of hints that people will post to you to make it easier.

We post a condo or thread each day for our kitties here. I encourage you to visit other threads and just say hello (a LOT of reading at first...hang in there!) But we link the previous day's post in our first post of each day along with the AMPS. Any questions you have can be posted in your condo. You will get to meet others here and certainly learn a lot if you visit other people here too!

Again, Welcome to you and Chigga...so happy that you are here! :mrgreen:
 
Hi :razz: it's me again...I just checked your link on Health...Erica, right? :mrgreen:
As if you don't have a lot to read and think about already....
I notice that you are feeding Hills prescription W/D...here is a link for you to read and print out perhaps.
http://binkyspage.tripod.com/CanFoodNew.html
Janet & Binky's food chart that shows the % of carbohydrates in most of the canned foods. You might want to check out the brands and notice that there are many that have lower carbs. It is not necessary to feed the prescription food and it is much higher in carbs than some of the other brands.

Many people switch to Fancy Feast flavors with low carbs as well as Evo 95% and Wellness. I have printed the list out myself and bring it to the store with me to buy only low carb foods. The vets seem to prescribe the other, but you can do well with some of the other brands. Look for low carb foods.

Oh, and while you are at it....also buy some cans that have gravy too. This you will have on hand in case Chigga gets low numbers. The gravy from the cans can be fed to raise the BGs and it is important for you to have some of them on hand. Beware of the stickie that talks about Hypo and have some of that on hand...just in case! Not to scare you or anything...but do have high carb cans in the house. There is a new Fancy Feast that is for Gravy Lovers...look for that and keep it separate from you low carb food, okay? Post any low numbers you see and wait for suggestions, ok? Someone will guide you through that....
 
Hey there! Yes, it's Erica, sorry for leaving that off - I should change my name on here to include mine and my kitty's. I actually have her on the Prescription M/D not the W/D so it's a lot higher in protein and lower in the carbs department. I actually just printed out the list so I can see what would work best for my little lady. I just attached my spread sheet and hopefully I did it correctly. Chigga's only had 4 shots so far as she was diagnosed Tuesday evening and I hope I'm staying ahead of the game. This site has been so helpful and I will definitely need to check out how to test the blood again so I can get it in one try as opposed to 8 - I think Chigga will appreciate this as well since I practically pierced her ears this morning.

I will definitely get my Hypo kit started. I have some syrup ready to go and will pick up some canned food with yummy gravy just in case. I really do appreciate all the great tips and info - I've finally been able to decrease my anxiety some and feel good about how things will go.

Thanks again!

Erica
 
Welcome to Lantus Land Erica

Chigga is a very beautiful kitty.
I see a SS (spreadsheet) in your signature now. Looks good!

You've gotten good feedback here. Read as much as you can and ask whatever questions and concerns you may have.

Reading back to your health thread, I see you began dosing Chigga on August 4th. Would you be able to enter that info in your SS when you have a moment?

In the comments section, you can also add any details that come up for each day.
Example: the date you gave the first shot and when you opened your vial/pen of Lantus.
Tracking food changes is also a good info to note in your SS. It's a good way to learn how Chigga responds to certain carbs.

Hope to see you posting often.
 
A SS...a beautiufl SS!!! :lol: Yay Erica!!! :mrgreen:
There is a lot of information in the stickies at the top of the page. There is a lot to learn in the beginning but at least you found the forum early on. that is so great that you are here!
Some people put rice in a sock and heat it in the microwave and then put it on the kitty's ear to warm it up. Others just rube the ear a little bit to get it warm...warm ears bleed easier. And for a wild reason, our kitties' ears "learn" to bleed too.
I put Shadow on a testing towel on a table. I approach from the back and lean over him, he lays down and I get my equipment ready. I think that the beep when I put the strip in the meter signals that the serious work is to begin. :lol: Like Pavlov's dogs, the sound starts the process. It doesn't take me too long now...I place a folded tissue behind his ear and put my finger under it. I feel the lancet device with my finger pressed firmly, then I click and there is the blood drop. Soak it up while still holding the ear with my left hand as I fold over the tissue to press with the tissue and stop the bleeding. He is squirming to get up by then.
Just remember: you NEED that number!! Be firm but gentle. :mrgreen:
(oh how I remember the beginning...last year...I had 2 kitties that were just dx and boy, I didn't want to shoot them blindly. I loved the thought of getting the BG number w/o going to the vet for it! My testing them was non-negotiable! I needed those numbers!!!!!) :-D It will get easier...don't worry...
You are doing GREAT!!!! :mrgreen:
 
Good to see you over here, Erica! You've done a great (fast!) job of getting yourself ready to take the best care of Chigga. :-D It would be great if you could start getting at least a bedtime (yours, not Chigga's, lol!) test in and some other spot checks. Hopefully, with the weekend, you can get some more tests in. The numbers may not make much sense to you at this point, but they are all little puzzle pieces that, together, can provide a good picture of how Chigga is progressing. Welcome to LL!
 
Yeah, I wasn't able to get on the internet until today - but my SS is updated. I want to make clear that she was dx last tuesday and I didn't start the Lantus until Wednesday night because they called in her prescription too late. I'm still on the one unit but because I work 10 to 11 hours a day I won't be able to spot check until after her night shot or at least until the weekend. I'm trying not to panic or be worried since her numbers aren't getting lower, though they are lower than they were initially.
 
Hi Erica and Chigga, welcome!! My kitty Lightning was diagnosed just over a month ago and I'm still trying to figure everything out so don't get discouraged or anything....It just takes time and practice and you'll get the hang of it. I find that the actual testing is the easy part, figuring out what to do with the results once you get them...that's the tricky part! :) Everyone on here is SUPER helpful though and they will offer advice and suggestions to help you through it. I seriously wouldn't ever know when to reduce/increase my dosage without the amazing people on here. So rest assured, you are not alone! Its easier said than done, but learning to be patient is the key...and I know I'm still not anywhere close to where I need to be in that department!

But good luck and take things day by day! :smile:
 
Thanks Pamela, and thank you to everybody for all your help and support - I know it's been less than a week but I sure feel so much better with all the information and assistance you guys have provided me. :-D
 
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