going off insulin for a while, need opinions and thoughts

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Re: going off insulin for a while, need opinions and thought

test as you can. Some people test a ton, some people a little, it comes down to personal finances, time, etc. You have a lot more leeway while she isn't on insulin, so once a day is fine.

I'm really impressed with how low she's come just with the food change...I really wouldn't have expected this and was thinking that you needed to be giving insulin before but this has been a great 'experiment'. I agree with others though that she's looking like she needs insulin, but likely only a 'drop' or two....won't hurt though to wait a day or so and see how things continue. How's she feeling and looking these days, and what does your vet say?

Jen
 
Re: going off insulin for a while, need opinions and thought

when you're not giving insulin there's absolutely no reason to test more than you can afford. i'd do once a day, maybe even skip a day. best time? i'm not sure, but i'm thinking of how doctors want to see fasting blood glucose tests to see a baseline. given that, i'd probably choose first thing in the morning before eating so you're seeing an accurate, non-food-influenced number.

also, if you end up giving insulin, it really will save you a ton of $$ to order the strips online.

edited to add - i missed in your last post but now see that you are ordering the strips online. hocks.com and American Diabetes Wholesale are 2 that are pretty good.

when i look at stella's spreadsheet, although the numbers are sure better than they were, you still have all diabetic cat numbers. nothing in there is what a non-diabetic cat would have. i would encourage you to not delay too long before restarting the insulin. there is a "start low go slow" protocol that is simple to follow and very good for cats newly diagnosed. that would have stella re-starting at about 1/2 unit (0.5units) in a u-100 syringe on lantus. would you like the information on that?
 
Re: going off insulin for a while, need opinions and thought

one of the concerns my vet had was that Stella might not be responding appropriately to insulin because of what is going on with her thyroid. We came to the agreement that Stella would come back in for thyroid levels in about a week and a half and then if her levels looked good we would start her back up on the insulin. But, yes, I would love the lantus low/slow protocol! Doesn't hurt to be prepared when I go back in.

Truth be told, I am really glad I took her off insulin when I switched her food. If I hadn't, I would never have known what was bringing down her numbers, the insulin or the food. Now I know 100% its the food and when I do start her back up on insulin, I will see true changes based on the medication that are not food induced.

In terms of her behavior, she seems to be acting like her self. Her coat is not as nice looking as I would like, but she does have a good appetite (not ravenous) and is eating about 6-8 oz of wet food a day and I have been very conservative with the carb number I am feeding her not going above 4. Her urine output seems to have regulated some, and she is not flooding the box like she used to. Also, the wood pellets have been a lifesaver for that! I just wish I would have switched sooner. She is still drinking more than she used to before her diagnosis, but better than she was a few weeks ago. Now she'll finish 3/4 to 1 bowl of water daily where it was almost 3 for a while.

Stella will have to miss a couple of days testing since I ran out of strips yesterday, and hopefully the new ones will be here soon. But i do want to continue to monitor what her BG is doing with just the diet change and then again when we start back up on insulin. The home testing has been incredibly valuable but it is also incredibly costly. I just wish there was a way to get strips for really cheap! I found my last batch on ebay.
 
Re: going off insulin for a while, need opinions and thought

I think people often test at normal shot times, just to see where the number is sitting.
There's no real need to test alot as the cat can't hypo on no insulin, so you are just looking to see how high the cat is going.

Another test you can do, if you like, is a food test..... test before a meal, then feed. Test again after an hour or so.
It will give you an idea how things are going.
 
Re: going off insulin for a while, need opinions and thought

If she's not on insulin, it's not necessary to test 3 times a day. I would get one fasting test (before you feed in the AM or PM) and move the other test around --like get a +2 one day, a +4 the next day, and so on.

Theresa, what meter do you have? Perhaps there is a less expensive option for you. Once she starts back on insulin, you will need to go back to testing 3 times a day to get an adequate picture of how the insulin is working in order to make dose adjustments. If the cost of the strips is your only concern, I'm sure we have some suggestions to help you out with those.

Remember to factor in the money you WON'T be spending on vet testing into your budget. Home testing is far cheaper than taking her in for blood testing at the vet.
 
Re: going off insulin for a while, need opinions and thought

I have the bayer contour test meter.

I understand about the 'vet savings' issue, but honestly, I wouldn't be able to afford constant vet testing either! $100 per month commitment for the rest of my cat's (hopefully long) life is too much... when your factoring in the cost of insulin, syringes, home testing, her thyroid medication, and then of course home testing. I love my pets and take their health care very serious (obviously) but my human children do come first, and with my oldest daughters special needs we are already incurring a lot of extra medical expenses.

I am just trying to make Stella's healthcare sustainable long term.
 
Re: going off insulin for a while, need opinions and thought

Here you go Theresa:

I would purchase this meter from American Diabetes Wholesale: http://www.americandiabeteswholesal...nitoring-kit-black_4034.htm?source=SiteSearch

You're getting the meter for free, +200 strips for $45.00, which is about 22 cents a strip--half of what you're paying now. The Arkray GlucoCard is the generic version of the Relion Confirm that you get at walmart.

After that, if you order your strips from American Diabetes Wholesale they are 250 for $46--about 18 cents a strip: http://www.americandiabeteswholesal...-vital-test-strips_4027.htm?source=SiteSearch

If you're super drained right now and you need some time to save up the money to get the better price on the bigger lot of strips, you can also buy them individually on Amazon.

Here's the meter +50 strips for $23 (free shipping): http://www.amazon.com/Arkray-GlucoC...ef=sr_1_3?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1327078831&sr=1-3

And here's the strips alone, 50 for $16 (32 cents a strip including shipping): http://www.amazon.com/Arkray-GlucoC...ef=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1327078831&sr=1-1

It also looks like the strips sell on Ebay for about the same price as Amazon, 50 for $15: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trk...&_sticky=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_sop=15&_sc=1

If you can afford to test twice a day with the contour, then getting this meter should up the test to 4 or 5 times a day for the same price. Is that doable for you?
 
Re: going off insulin for a while, need opinions and thought

There are also ways to save on insulin and syringes--I got my syringes at walmart and they are only about $13 a box. For insulin, have your vet write you a prescription for the Lantus pens, because there is less waste. They come in packs of 5, 3ml pens, which serve as mini vials. Because of the smaller size, there's practically no waste. 1 pack of pens will last you at least 6 months, more likely a year or more. And if you order them from Canada, it's nearly half the price ($125-$150). Here's a list that a member made for Canadian Pharmacies: https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1FCnrPxpYD02Gp5hWtEIbhLXm0VOyaZlAT_qeCjlx-Js
 
Re: going off insulin for a while, need opinions and thought

julia, that is all great information! thanks for providing it - i'm making notes for myself as well.

when you get to the point of going back on insulin, just holler and we can help you with the dosing. the main thing is to start with a low dose and once started, hold for several days, perhaps a week or so, so you can see what it does. lantus works in a cumulative way, so the first several days are not showing you a "true" picture yet of what the dose will do.
 
Re: going off insulin for a while, need opinions and thought

Julia, thank you for your those links! They were incredibly helpful. I just purchased a box of 50 strips for my current contour, so when I start running lower on those I can order the new meter and strips you linked to, it'll give me some time to save up for it.

Does the testing machine you linked to work the same as the contour I have now? Is it reliable and easy to use? Is there anything I need to know about it? I just want to make sure :) Thank you again!
 
Re: going off insulin for a while, need opinions and thought

no, the links that julia gave you are for a completely different meter and strips. they aren't interchangeable with the contour that you are using now. each glucometer has their own strips. a lot of people keep an old meter as a back-up in case they have one break or the batteries go out.

buying the new meter and its strips will be cheaper in the long run (not very far our long run) that continuing to buy strips for the contour.
 
Re: going off insulin for a while, need opinions and thought

julie & punkin said:
no, the links that julia gave you are for a completely different meter and strips. they aren't interchangeable with the contour that you are using now.
Click to expand...

Yes, I did understand that, sorry if it wasn't clear from my post! What I was asking is how the new meter works compared to the one I have now, if it is accurate and reliable, etc. Thanks!
 
Re: going off insulin for a while, need opinions and thought

yes, the numbers should be comparable. i think that meter is considered fine as far as accuracy and reliability goes. the non-generic is the Relion Confirm and i think it's rated fine. we all use different ones.

by law, meters are allowed to have a 20% variance. that means that if the cat's BG is 100, the "accurate" range could be 80-120. if the BG is 300, the range could be 240-360. kinda crazy, huh? but if the cat is at 50, where the numbers are the very most important, the range then is 40-60, so it's a much tighter range at the lower numbers.
 
Re: going off insulin for a while, need opinions and thought

Sorry to get back to you so late, Theresa--I had a kitty emergency with Bandit this weekend.

The meter I gave you the links for is the generic version of the Relion Confirm at Walmart--it's the exact same meter, just without the Relion brand name. A ton of people here use it. Right now a friend of mine uses it for her diabetic cat, and she likes it a lot. All meters will have some variances--the important thing is that you use the same meter for testing consistently--because of the +/- 20% variance allowed between meters, you'll drive yourself crazy trying to use both the Contour and the Arkray at the same time to test. So once you get the Arkray, stick with it unless you have a meter emergency and need your backup.
 
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