Confused.. blood machine not working properly?!

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Darn! Yeah! Not sure which is more appropriate after seeing another skip and a stall again for Diesel tonight.

Don't stall for more than an hour. If he isn't above 150, your current shoot/no shoot number, then skip again.

Wondering how he would do on a 0.1U dose? Not unless you are home to monitor, of course.

When you are coming down the dosing scale, it takes 'balls of steel' to shoot those low numbers.
 
Deb & Wink said:
Darn! Yeah! Not sure which is more appropriate after seeing another skip and a stall again for Diesel tonight.

Don't stall for more than an hour. If he isn't above 150, your current shoot/no shoot number, then skip again.

Wondering how he would do on a 0.1U dose? Not unless you are home to monitor, of course.

When you are coming down the dosing scale, it takes 'balls of steel' to shoot those low numbers.
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Just checked again and it’s 6.4 but that is what it did this morning and then when I skipped it was fine by the next shot.

These are the times I wish I didn’t work. I need to win the lottery!! Too bad it wasn’t March Break because then I could be home for a week!
 
Another skipped shot. Just wanted to let you know that I do check in on you and Diesel, and looked at his SS again.

If you get a 'wonky' number like that 333 (18.5) you got the other night, retest right away. Could have been a false reading. Then, test again about +1 to see what the BG's are doing.

Please, do try to get that before bed test. I know it's hard. We ask for a lot from people, but without that, it's hard to know if Diesel needs a bit more insulin or to lower the dose or if he might not need any insulin at all. About +3 or +4 hours after he eats in the PM would be good.

You are not using Tight Regulation dosing protocol, you are using SLGS. Still, this document from the Lantus ISG may help you a bit with what to do if you get low numbers. I wish there were a SLGS dosing method write-up like this one:

Tight Regulation: Becoming Data Ready to Shoot / Handle Lower Pre-shot Numbers

SLGS dosing method says not to shoot if BG <90 mg/dL (<5 mmol).

Linking the document for the 2 different protocols for you below, So you have it handy to review.
Dosing Methods: Start Low, Go Slow (SLGS) & Tight Regulation (TR)

How is everything else going? Son doing better? Over being sick? Have something fun planned for this weekend? Like catching up on your sleep?????:p:p:p

Deep breath, hold, release, deep breath, hold, release. https://theconversation.com/why-we-are-hard-wired-to-worry-and-what-we-can-do-to-calm-down-127674
 
Hi, I did retest yesterday at the 18 cause I had got the E20 reading before I did it. It was only .1 in the difference. I actually called my blood machine company (contour next) and was like what gives, I’m getting E20 a lot and I ain’t new to the game. So they are sending me a new machine and a replacement bottle of 50 new strips... score!!!

Thanks for the documents :)

Son is teething bad :( Getting his back molars. Drooling like crazy and chewing on everything he can figure out how to reach way back. Not a fun time! This weekend I have my friend’s baby shower to go to if the snow stays away and we don’t get another storm. Although if it snowed late Sunday and there ended up being no work on Monday I’d be cool with that! Haha
 
As long as he doesn't chew on Diesel's tail, your son should be ok. Never did ask your son's name. Ok if you don't want to share. There can be creepy people out there and understand that 'protective motherly instinct'.

A drooler!!! Sorry, but that is what cat owners call dogs sometimes.

Numbing agent for son's teething? You probably already belong to a mother's group for suggestions with your young one.
 
Deb & Wink said:
As long as he doesn't chew on Diesel's tail, your son should be ok. Never did ask your son's name. Ok if you don't want to share. There can be creepy people out there and understand that 'protective motherly instinct'.

A drooler!!! Sorry, but that is what cat owners call dogs sometimes.

Numbing agent for son's teething? You probably already belong to a mother's group for suggestions with your young one.
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His name is Nolan. So hard to pick names of kids I don’t know and that’s the only one we liked haha

Numbing agent for teething isn’t recommended anymore for young children. We just give Tylenol or Advil. Along with so many other things that have changed haha I really wonder how it is we survived back then when I listen to stories from when I was a baby.
 
Like I’m so friggen confused! I just checked Diesel’s blood 3 times and got the E20 error code. I don’t know what the heck is happening. I have an old old machine that is Accu-check Aviva that I found and I used that and his sugar was 3.8. I then tried his on the regular contour machine again and it gave me E20 again. Then I checked my sugar on his machine and it worked fine.

this is so crazy. I’m not doing anything different than I normally do. I re read all the reasons for E20 and the only two that stands out are these

*Blood was applied over vent hole.
* Blood was absorbed from tip of strip after applying blood to strip.

But like what?! Lol How is it possible this happens 4 times in 5 mins especially when I check my own sugars and use the same type of machine over 5 times a day


Update: tried the machine again and got a reading of 4.8
(After I gave food) Why do I suck at this :/
 
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You had this same issue the very first day you gave insulin. I remember that. The next day it got better.

Comb through your brain and think back to 2 weeks ago, when you first started this diabetes journey. (I'm lucky if I can remember what I had for breakfast most days.)

Why is it happening again? Sorry to say I don't know.
 
Deb & Wink said:
Your vet said something about red blood cells. Did you ever find out what that was about?

(Looked in your first post, #4 reply)
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He was anemic and had a low red blood cell count. But he’s nothing like he was. He was literally motionless and now he’s acting normal.

I always notice (maybe a coincidence) that I get an error and when I finally get a reading it’s lower. Whatever I just did to get the 4.8 worked. Lol :banghead: Maybe it won’t read his blood under a certain number? But that still doesn’t make sense because it reads mine very low.
 
It's better not to go back and edit your post. That is because when we read your posts, it takes us to the last unread post and we read forward from there. I did happen to catch the word EDIT at the end of your previous post.

But that might not always happen, and the information gets buried.
 
Is Diesel still anemic? Have you been back to see your vet or contacted your vet in some manner to check on the anemia?

Using a human glucometer with cat blood, it might not be able to get a reading if there are not enough red blood cells. Just guessing here you understand.
 
So human blood and feline blood have different 'percentages' I guess is a good way to put it, of the different components of the blood. So yes, it's possible that the meter will work for you, but not Diesel at those BG low numbers.

One thing that is different is the PCV (packed cell volume or hematocrit).. So the number of red blood cells differs alot. Human is 37-50%, feline is 24-45%. With Diesel being anemic, that could mean his PCV is even lower than those averages and the human meter can not get a good reading all the time. It's one of the limitations in using a human meter versus a pet meter with our diabetic cats.

Not many cats are also anemic and diabetic. Because of Diesel's anemia, you might want to consider a pet specific meter. Test strips can be expensive, but you may need to do that pet specific meter for Diesel.

What does your vet have you doing for Diesel's anemia?
 
No he shouldn’t be. I took Diesel to the vet for blood work to check his red blood cell count every week for 4 weeks. Then once every 2 weeks for 2 weeks and then once every 3 weeks for about a month. He was fine. Then when he got sick at Christmas time with the UTI they checked again and he was good.

well that’s what I was thinking too. That something would be up with his blood. But when I got all those E20 the first time he had just had blood work two days before and all was good. But then why not work and then randomly work 20 minutes later?! Just weird
 
Hi Nicole! I just stopped in to say you are doing great with Diesel. I know it's hard with juggling work and child and everything else, but you are doing fantastic. With your better numbers and skipped doses, I've got my fingers crossed that Diesel's pancreas is healing and you might just be heading for remission. It reminds me a lot of what we had going on with Billy. It doesn't mean you are out of the woods yet. Some kitty's BGL goes back up for a while and they need more insulin again, but it surely is a positive sign. And it's because you rock. Yeah, sometimes the meters mess up and sometimes we poke our kitties 5 times to get a dang reading, but that's all normal stuff. You totally rock, and Diesel is one lucky boy.
 
Deb & Wink said:
So human blood and feline blood have different 'percentages' I guess is a good way to put it, of the different components of the blood. So yes, it's possible that the meter will work for you, but not Diesel at those BG low numbers.

One thing that is different is the PCV (packed cell volume or hematocrit).. So the number of red blood cells differs alot. Human is 37-50%, feline is 24-45%. With Diesel being anemic, that could mean his PCV is even lower than those averages and the human meter can not get a good reading all the time. It's one of the limitations in using a human meter versus a pet meter with our diabetic cats.

Not many cats are also anemic and diabetic. Because of Diesel's anemia, you might want to consider a pet specific meter. Test strips can be expensive, but you may need to do that pet specific meter for Diesel.

What does your vet have you doing for Diesel's anemia?
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He was on the steroids hence the diabetes she thinks.
 
Juls and Billy said:
Hi Nicole! I just stopped in to say you are doing great with Diesel. I know it's hard with juggling work and child and everything else, but you are doing fantastic. With your better numbers and skipped doses, I've got my fingers crossed that Diesel's pancreas is healing and you might just be heading for remission. It reminds me a lot of what we had going on with Billy. It doesn't mean you are out of the woods yet. Some kitty's BGL goes back up for a while and they need more insulin again, but it surely is a positive sign. And it's because you rock. Yeah, sometimes the meters mess up and sometimes we poke our kitties 5 times to get a dang reading, but that's all normal stuff. You totally rock, and Diesel is one lucky boy.
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Thank you :)
 
Deb & Wink said:
Maybe it's time to get Diesel checked again for anemia?
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Yea but wouldn’t I notice any symptoms? I did last time. I know him and if I take him into the vet he will get a UTI again and need meds for sure. He has high anxiety going into the car and every time I’ve ever had to take him to the vet he has developed a UTI and then needed a second trip which ended up being worse. :(
 
Hi Nicole

Diesel is doing great and you’ve been doing a super job with Deb’s guidance.

Deb is going to be off the board a few days and I’d like to ask you to please post on the Lantus forum here. The link to ge tryout here is in post 22 above. There are more Lantus-focused people there so you won’t get lost in the busyness of Main Health.

Thank you.
 
Marje and Gracie said:
Hi Nicole

Diesel is doing great and you’ve been doing a super job with Deb’s guidance.

Deb is going to be off the board a few days and I’d like to ask you to please post on the Lantus forum here. The link to ge tryout here is in post 22 above. There are more Lantus-focused people there so you won’t get lost in the busyness of Main Health.

Thank you.
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I already posted a few days ago introducing myself :)
 
Diesel may be trying for an OTJ trial already. Nicole works full time, active toddler. She will not be able to get the AM +3 tests during the week. Best she can do is a +5, coming home from work at her lunch hour and getting back just in time for her students.

Nicole, if you can, please try to get the +3 test every PM, each evening. That is when we can see if the food and amount of insulin his own body is producing is enough or not.

Didn't know you had already posted in the Lantus forum. Good to see you made your way over here, because I may be out sick for a few days.

Diesel had anemia which is why he was getting the steroids. Have already suggested to Nicole that another check at the vet may be in order, but Diesel HATES the vet.

p.s. Vet wanted Nicole to start Diesel at 1U, but middle of bad snowstorm, vet was closed, first time using insulin, roads bad, emergency vet clinic not close, first time giving insulin to her cat, no hypo kit made up yet, very first time posting to the message board, 'depot' had not filled yet, first time home testing............ So we 'persuaded' her to lower the first dose of Lantus to 0.5U. She knows a lot. But could always use some help here and there. Nicole should give herself a BIG pat on the back for all she has been doing for Diesel in the last 3 weeks. Fantastic job Nicole!
 
Just an update.. I got the new meter and strips in the mail from the contour company and so far so good. It Picked up 2 lower numbers which was worrying me that the other machines wouldn’t.

I even checked my blood sugar tonight and got the E20 code on the machine I’m using. It’s a mystery to me. But I’d say a bad batch of strips where some work and some just don’t.
 
Nicole asked me about dandruff on a cat. Dull lifeless fur.

Dandruff on a diabetic can be really bad. Wink had nickel and quarter sized 'flakes' of dandruff when I first got him. He also had lost a lot of fur, along his sides, severely matted hindquarters. You'd hardly have known he was a long haired cat. His fur was dull and lifeless. Animal shelter is a rough life for a diabetic cat.

Dandruff got better with time, the canned food and extra water intake made a huge difference.

Wink med size.jpg

Skinny Wink with very little fur on tail is above. He also grew out a magnificent fluffy, poofy tail. Fur got the 'shine' back in it. And gained back his weight, mostly floofy. And soft fur, so soft

Deb&Wink on bed.JPG

Wink is the reason I help people.
 

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Look at beautiful Wink! Billy has always had some dandruff. I did notice how much worse it had gotten just before he was diagnosed. He still has some dandruff, but it's already back to his normal amount.
 
Sorry to sidetrack the post Nicole, but you had asked me about the dandruff in a PM. Thought I'd reply here so others could see the information too.

You can try a natural bristle brush to distribute the oils through the skin.

Gleaned these little nuggets of helpful information for dandruff in diabetic cats from posts by a past member. BJM. She isn't on the message board anymore. But she had some good information on dandruff in cats. I've quoted 3 of her comments to other members below.

"As you get better glucose control, the dandruff may go away. You can help by using a boar bristle brush and gently brushing daily. The bristles help distribute the oils in addition to brushing out the flakes. Wash the brush frequently."

"With long hair, it can be difficult to get through it to get at dandruff. Using a natural boar bristle brush helps distribute the oils so they don't cause the normal skin shedding (desquamation) to stay glued to the skin. Using a pet specific cleanser may remove the oils causing dead skin cells to stay clumped on."

"If his coat is at all oily - and it can be even with a dandruff problem - you might try Dawn dish washing liquid. Its what they use when de-oiling wildlife caught in an oil spill. Note that excessive oils may cause the normal shedding of skin cells to clump and be more difficult to remove."
 
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