First Home Test--Am I on the right track?

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K. Sya and Sophie (GA)

K. Sya and Sophie (GA)

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Hi,
So Sya diagnosed March 16. Inital numbers at vet office 300 and glucose in urine. Said it came down to the 220 in the office after first dose (they held her for the first day to watch her first dose). Vet said he wasn't sure if the Lantus actually did that or just because she didn't eat a whole lot while she was there. Not averse to me home testing but said he wanted me to bring her in for a curve in the office after she'd been on the 1 unit 2x a day for about 3 weeks.
So insulin going well, I think...I still get paranoid when she doesn't yell when I inject, but I feel around for moisture and all, and I have noticed her energy levels perk up a bit and a bit less of the frantic hungires she was having before I started all of this. Beyond that, there really haven't been any major symptoms yet (no neuropathy or anything, just weight loss) Didn't even bring her into the office because of that, she had diarreah for a few days..which was cured with antibiotics.
So today I bought a Freestyle LIte. Not sure that is the best meter to get, but it only takes a little bit of blood and since it took me 4 trips to the drug store to get the nerve up to make the commitment to do this, I went for it. (Yeah, I'm that freaked out :-( ) Poked myself once with the Lancet just to convince myself it wasn't torture, and then tested her. Not sure I did it right...I don't think I got enough blood on the strip...it beeped and all (reading was 376) but was so surprised to see the blood on her ear...was expecting her to yelp, flinch etc..that I let go of her ear and she shook her head, so I grabbed what I could. Wasn't an absurd reading..I think...It was 2 hr before evening insulin...but I'm suspicious.
Going to give evening insulin and try again a few hours afterwards. Guess I should expect a lower number. Anyway, sorry for the long post. Am wondering. Should I go ahead and bring her to the vet so he can do a curve while I get good at testing? I don't know if I will be able to test in the AM for a while as I have to be at work super early and getting insulin done is still something I'm getting used to.
 
Good job getting blood. It is intimidating at first. I would try to get a BG before the next shot rather than after just to ensure that she is not too low to shoot. Also, I would reconsider doing a curve at the vet's. They are not usually accurate since the stress of being at the vet ends to raise BG. Also, a curve at the vets is relatively expensive.
 
hi there

having the vet or letting the vet do a curve is totally up to you. numbers at the vet's are typically skewed simply because most animals are stressed a bit while there so if your cat is typical of that then the numbers the vet gets would be pretty much useless as far as dosing goes anyway. the vet will argue this i'm sure though so if you want to appease the vet and have the extra $$ hanging around, then go ahead and let them do it. be forewarned though that the numbers may run high and the vet will advise you to raise the dose but in reality, via testing at home where kitty isn't freaked out, you will most likely find that the dose increase is not warranted so be careful what you do.

if $$ is tight maybe just explain to the vet that that is the situation and you'd be happy to hometest and share the numbers with him maybe once every couple weeks or once a month or whatever he wants. i would be prepared to pay him a little bit though for reviewing the numbers as he is giving up his time to do so.

and fwiw, i started out using the freestyle flash 3+ years ago, on my vet's recommendation and have recently started using the newer freestyle lite and absolutely love both of them.
 
I have had 2 responses to you eaten up because I posted at the same time as someone else....frick!

Ok, way to go on testing! You will find it gets easier, and is so empowering!

Skip the curve as you have no idea whether vet stress affects her numbers or not. Work hard to fit it into your schedule to do preshot tests as they are invaluable at the beginning, and get spot checks when you can like over the weekend.

This will get easier!

Jen
 
You got a reading on your first try, I'd say you're definitely on the right track :)

If you got blood on the strip and it gave you a number, then yes, it's a real reading. If it didn't have enough blood, it would have said so and not given you a number.

I find that the ear will bleed more or less depending on where along the ear you prick, so if it's bleeding too much for your liking, try pricking somewhere else next time. Also, if it's bleeding that much (it's okay), you should try to hold a tissue to it and squeeze for 10-20 seconds afterward, to try and make it clot so that the ear doesn't bruise too much. If it seems like it doesn't bleed enough, try "milking" it... pressing a bit on either side to make a bit more come out.

I suspect that after a week or so, you'll be comfortable enough that you could do a curve at home. It's less stressful on Sya (which won't falsely elevate her numbers), and cheaper.
 
Thanks for the info. I am thinking of seeing if I can get decent data at home on her. She cringes and hides when I even go and bring the carrier up...can't imagine that her numbers at the vet are all that good. I got her and her sister from the shelter 2 yrs ago where they had been left after 10 years in their original home. I think they think they're getting dumped again every time I take them to the vet. Would be nice to save the money on the vet visits as her sister has ended up having stomatitis, so we are spending enough time at the vet as it is....
 
there you go. just talk to the vet and tell them that you can handle some of the diabetes care at home for a while and since the other cat has a more serious issue and needs more urgent care (i think stomatitis is a bigger issue then diabetes?) that you'd like to test & consult for now with the diabetic cat so as to make sure the stomatitis can be addressed in the other cat in a timely manner.
 
Hi and welcome to FDMB :mrgreen:
Fabulous news on your vet!!!

Starting you on 1u b.i.d is spot on.

Lots for you to learn. Don't be freaked out, you sound like your doing really well already.

Some things- are you feeding kitty as much as he/she wants? When not regulated kittys are literally starving. This is because their bodies acnnot process the food. As you get kitty regulated, food desire will naturally subside (have to be careful with an overweight kitty)

Yes it is important to get a preshot number. Any chance until you get the hang of it you can get up that little bit earlier? It really doesn't take you long to get the hang of it. I think the freestyle is o.k-there is a post on the old board about meters, will see if I can find it.
Small blood sample is good. Don't be freaked by the blood, hang onto ear until the meter bleeps-this should be a sign that you have got the right amount of blood required.

Right now (and to get some practice in) would get:
preshot
+1 (should see a bit of a rise-you'll get an idea how food raises bg in your cat-ECID-Every cat is different)
+2 (Onset-insulin starts to work on bg)
+6 (Nadir-lowest number in the cycle. When Lantus is working hardest)

You could get a +4 to see how the insulin is working.

You don't need to do this everyday, but preshots yes, and +6's wherever possible.
Lantus dosing is based on +6 number. Pre shot tests are ensuring the bg is at a level where it is safe to shoot. I have just answreed a question to 2 hours feeding at the top of this board, where I explained why.

I agree with Larry. Kitty can get very stressed at vets (Lucky would go up by over 100 points) so curve not really that accuarte, even in the more semingly calm kitties it can raise. Not to mention cost.
Our last vet had a habit of trying to push for fructosamine tests which I refused in the end as they didn't tell me anything I didn't know. Vets had to concede I knew more about how Lucky responded to insulin than they did and I had her beautifully regulated.

Also worth you clicking on the Lantus insulin support group and reading the stickies at the top.
Also ask away with your q's-no such thing as a silly one.

Just seen your repy-kudos for trying at home :mrgreen: It really does become second nature in a very short space of time. Lots of comforting words amd cuchs, maybe a treat and kitty will look forward to test time.
How terrible after 10 years, bet their glad they have you :mrgreen:
 
On the food thing, Sya will always eat something if I offer it to her, but she's definetly not cleaning out her bowl and begging. Right now she and her sister get 1.5 ounces of Wellness canned in morning and evening, and 1/4 cup of Taste of the Wild dry in the evening. She also gets a little piece of freeze dried chicken when I do her and her sister's teeth in the AM. (since her sister has tooth issues I started them both on oral rinse every AM) They're both overweight, though Sya has lost 5 pounds since October (what initially concerned the vet to test for diabetes) So Sya is just over 15 pounds now. (She is Tonkinese...so a big cat, but still that's overweight for her). I know that I need to get her off of the dry totally, but have been hesitant to do that until I get more comfortable with home testing...particularly since her numbers while high aren't through the roof...I'm a bit worried that if I pull the rest of the carbs out from under her too fast her numbers might drop and I'll miss it.
 
If you can get a test before dry and then after +1hr you'll have a good idea how high the dry raises bg.

If you just take a little (as in say a few grains) away at a time, youshould see only a gradual drop in bg that should be manageable. This is why your preshot testing and spotchecks are important. You can manage it by getting some at night and then more on say a w/e or day off.

If you go into lantus isg, click on JD/Dyana-you can see what I mean by their spreadsheet as Dyana works long stretches, but manages well.

Setting up a spreadsheet would be good too. You can get help from the tech forum for this (sorry I'm not very technical minded).

Also, have a look at catinfo.org.

Dr Lisa who occasionally posts on his provides excellent advice on nutrition, transitioning kitties off dry and overwieight kitties :-D
 
You are not feeding enough. 1.5 oz of wellness is less than half a meal, Sya should be eating a total of about 6 oz of Wellness a day. Please read www.catinfo.org for the best information on feline nutrition.
 
I agree with Gia that you are not feeding enough in the morning. The manufacturer of the dry food says for a 10-15 cat you should feed 2/3-1 cup a day. So the evening meal of 1.5 oz Wellness and 1/4 cup of Taste of the Wild. is about right may may be a little low. A good rule of thumb is 3 oz of canned morning and night.
 
Interesting. I have tried more wet in the AM before, but have found they rarely eat it all by the time I get home from work some 12 hours later. (sometimes they do...but not usually). As I plan to try a slow wean off of dry anyway, I will try supplementing the wet as I do that. One other question. I did my second test last night PM +6 was 197...so at least I saw a difference (AM +10 was 396...but I suspect some of that was from food). My question is her ears. there is a little bit of bruising. One ear I didn't apply pressure to and one I did. Interestingly the one I didn't apply pressure to (the second one) was less bruised...but I think as I was more confident I was further from the little vessel on the edge of the ear. The bruises aren't big...not much larger than a small dot and don't seem to bother her (she still lets me rub her ears this AM) Is this kind of thing normal?
 
About the amount of food: Cats differ quite a bit in the amount of food they need. One of mine needs about 6 oz of Wellness a day, the other needs quite a bit less of a lower-calorie food. If I feed her as much as I feed her brother, she gains weight quickly. And she doesn't handle high-fat food well. About 3/4 of a 5.5 oz can of Merrick Cowboy Cookout or Grammie's Pot Pie seems right for maintaining her weight. Both of my cats are the same age and activity level.

So in deciding how much to feed your kitty, go by how she is doing. Add or subtract food according to how her weight is doing. (I have found it useful to have a baby scale that reads to the half ounce, so I know for sure if Megan is gaining or losing weight. My estimates by how she looks are never accurate.)
 
K. Sophie and Sya said:
Thanks for the info. I am thinking of seeing if I can get decent data at home on her. She cringes and hides when I even go and bring the carrier up...can't imagine that her numbers at the vet are all that good. I got her and her sister from the shelter 2 yrs ago where they had been left after 10 years in their original home. I think they think they're getting dumped again every time I take them to the vet. Would be nice to save the money on the vet visits as her sister has ended up having stomatitis, so we are spending enough time at the vet as it is....
Click to expand...
Just want to offer support and encouragement since my Do Lou was Dx in Nov and I am still trying to get his numbers down but I really regret not hometesting sooner I tried at first and just had so much trouble those first 2 weeks and I am a vet tech but I did not start bk to hometesting my cat until recently, we now are old pros but just want to tell you how great it is you are hometesting already its so much better then going bk and forth to the vet and as you get more comfortable with testing you will be able to do your own curve right now I would concentrate on at least getting your amps test before your morning shot so you know your cats BG and the pmps number before the evening shot at least try to get those 2 in each day for starters and good luck :YMHUG: :YMHUG:
 
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