Help With Dose

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Julie and Eleanor (GA)

Julie and Eleanor (GA)

Member Since 2012
I think I'm in the wrong place but I was posting earlier on the Main Health Board re Eleanor (viewtopic.php?f=28&t=63448) who went from AMPS 310 to +5 99 and I need to ask a question. I'm not following Tight Regulation, I'm doing Relaxed, but I see some of the folks who were helping me, posting here...
I tested her at +11 and she is 305. So, I should shoot her regular .5 unit, correct?
I'm sorry if I'm posting this wrong, I'm totally lost.

Edit: +12 295. Guess I'll shoot .5.
 
for those who are checking in on Julie & Eleanor...
this is the info from our latest pm...
when julie asked if she should shoot the full .5u- and doesn't want Eleanor to drop again...

she may drop again...
you do have the option of shooting a little less than the .5u-

we call that a "token dose"...
it's better than skipping a shot, but if you're concerned about shooting the full .5u, it's an option.

we should probably have this conversation in the condo you started in Lantus- tight regulation so others that are
checking in can follow along and maybe step in to advise if needed
Click to expand...

and here is the link to her condo earlier in health...
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=63448&p=687328#p687328

celi
 
Whatever you choose...I'll stick with you.
And there will be others from the East Coast that sign on in the early am as well.

just remember, with Karo on hand, even if she drops, you can bring her back up by rubbing a little on her gums.

and her numbers earlier (the 99 at her +5) were not dangerous...they are just scary for you to see when you are this new to Feline diabetes :-D
 
I forgot to ask earlier...
does Eleanor have a history of DKA (Ketones)?

If not, while not ideal, the higher numbers are not as dangerous as for a ketone prone kitty.
 
Vyktors Mum said:
Shoot the 0.5 she really didn't drop that low it will be fine
Click to expand...

I tend to agree with Serryn here...
i also think she'll be fine...but I don't want to push you if you are really uncomfortable with it...
 
Celi is right 99 is not even close to being dangerous (but I can absolutely understand why it scared you) it is at the upper end of what is normal for a cat, also she is probably bouncing from reaching the green floor so this dose may not do much at all, but if it does drop her back to 99 again (or even a bit lower) this is a good thing, in a few weeks you will look back on your terror and laugh, honest.
 
I decided to go with the .5 and stay up and watch her. While injecting, she jumped. I don't know how much I got in! I can't believe it! Now I'm upset, just "feel" like she should have the .5.
She doesn't have a history of Ketones, but she was just diagnosed 1/31. She's negative right now, but it is something I'm really concerned about.
I need to get her back to a shot time of noon and midnight, do I back it up by 1/2 hour increments?

THANK YOU!
 
Julie-
one important note here...

If you don't see a timely response when you post a question...
go to the bottom of the page and click on "return to Lantus-Tight Regulation"
then click on your "Re: Help With Dose: post...
it seems to refresh your browser if needed.
 
WELL DONE!! NICE SHOOTING!

If it was a partial furshot...she'll get back on track with her next shot. :-D

Fur shots happen to us all :-D

so you'll get a +3 on her?
(I'm a fan of the +2...just to see where they're headed...but I'm admittedly a testaholic :lol:)

edited to add: you're not being slow...it is just a problem some of us have encountered...and it can seem REALLY long when you're
waiting for one of us to answer a question you've asked if you don't see us replying :-D
 
Julie's post from health today:
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=63448

Good work Julie :-D I think you should get a begginers BOS award just because you were so terrified :lol:

Most importantly - don't be upset with yourself, everybody does a fur shot here and there and you may not have done anyway. But please remember that if you do a fur shot DO NOT shoot again as you have no way of knowing how much insulin went in (don't think you'll have any problems with that one ;-)

Did the insulin go in cold, it stings if it does. You don't want to keep the insulin out of the fridge for any length of time so to heat the insulin a little draw up your dose and then hold the syringe between your thumb and finger for a minute to get it up to room temperature and take the sting out of it.

You can move your shot time by 15 mins per shot or once by half an hour, i.e. the total movement for any one day will be half an hour.

Housekeeping - to make a link work you copy the address and then paste it between the two brackets that appear when you click on the URL button at the top of the message area.
 
Yes I will definately get a +3. I probably will get a +2 as well. In two hours I'll no doubt be paranoid about all of it again and need to check :lol:
What I'm thinking too, things will get back on track with the next shot.
The drop to 99 just threw me, you know, as I think I said earlier, I just was not ready for, or expecting something like that on Day 3.
 
beautifully done, girl!

and Serryn (Vyktor's Mum)...nice looking out for others, lady!
This is indeed a great place with great folks! :-D

If you're okay for now, Julie...I'll sign off for a couple hrs nap, and be back to check in at her +3 (about 4:30 MST)

if you have questions before that...post them here...I'm sure there will be folks online to answer them...

OR- if you prefer, I'll stay online :-D

celi
 
It's okay, I'll be fine for 2 or 3 hours. I think!
Go to sleep!
Thank you both so much.
The insulin wasn't cold, now I'm worried maybe it had been out of the fridge too long...
OK and thanks on the 15 min increments and posting a link.
 
i wouldn't worry...I left Binks' insulin out by accident a couple of times for 8-10 hours...
and it survived :-D
NOT THAT YOU WANT TO DO THAT ON PURPOSE :smile:

Nice job, girl...
we'll check back with you in about 3 hours.

by the way...I didn't mention this before...
but Eleanor is beautiful! :-D

celi & binks
 
You are quite the worrier :lol: even stored completely out of the fridge it should last 28 days which is enough for a human but because we're giving our cats such small doses we want to make it last as long as possible. It can last up to 6 months if refrigerated and handled very carefully, I'll get you the link in a minute about how to handle it properly, there's even a video to show you - which I had to watch a couple of times before I picked up on all my errors :oops: My first cartridge lost traction after about a month because of all my screw ups in the handling dept.

I'll be hanging around for a while anyway (I'm in Australia so it's just late afternoon here) and others will be up to help by the time I'm signing off :-D
 
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=151

Here's the link, it's also in what we call a 'sticky' at the top of the forum here, just above where your post is, you may want to refer to it more than once so you can find it anytime easily via the sticky. Good idea if you have a look through the other stickies too, there's some great information there that you will find very useful. You can only absorb so much information at once so it's a good idea to refresh your memory and reread the stickies frequently while you're learning.
 
Dear Others
The link to Julie's spreadsheet is in a previous post from her thread in health today, I tried to copy it over but it wouldn't work for me :sad: It is in a post by Lyresa (Squeaky and KT) as Julie hasn't set up her own Google Docs account as yet.
 
You did good, Julie! It will get easier. Low numbers are scary at the beginning. I remember thinking, "Thank God Mookie is staying in yellow and blue and not dropping into green, because I won't know what to do!" You got great support and advice from Celi and Serryn.
 
You did great. I agree with your instinct to have shot the 0.5u. If you did, in fact give a fur shot don't worry about it. It happens. The most important aspect of an "oops" like that is to NOT re-shoot. You don't know how much insulin may have actually gotten in so it's important to not shoot again.

If you are concerned about getting a reasonably quick response to a post, the Tight Regulation ISG is the busiest on FDMB and Health is probably the next most active board. As you saw, there are people here pretty much 24/7. It's fine to post here if you are planning on following the Start Low, Go Slow (SLGS) protocol or, if you choose to post on Relaxed, just know we're here if you need a hand and there's no one there to help you.
 
Thank you Sienne. It is so great to know someone is around 24/7!
I think most of the shot went in, if not all. Would be nice to know for future reference (is she so high now because she got less insulin, etc) but oh well. Wish it weren't so long yet until her next shot.
I guess I can't be pleased, first I'm not happy because she's "too low", now I'm not happy because she's "too high"!
 
You got your avatar up! Eleanor is adorable!!

We have at least 2 people in Arizona and several on the West Coast in addition to Serryn in Australia. There are also a number of people who are night owls and others whose days start very early. And, of course, there are a lot of us here!!

In all likelihood, the reason that Eleanor is higher numbers is a "bounce." Most of our cats were diabetic for some time before we realized what was going on. As a result, they were spending time in high BG numbers. In an effort for them to adjust, their bodies begin to regard these high levels as "normal." (This is called glucose toxicity.) As a result, when their numbers start to come back into a truly normal range, their liver reacts as those these normal levels are dangerous. (Bounces typically result from dropping into low numbers or a fast drop in numbers.) This response is a built in protective mechanism. The liver releases a stored form of glucose along with counterregulatory hormones which causes a spike in BG numbers. The headache is that it can take up to 72 hours for a bounce like this to clear. The more time that Eleanor spends in normal numbers, the less she will bounce. The one thing that Lantus will teach you is patience!
 
aw, julie, that must've really been scary. :YMHUG: everyone gets freaked out the first few times you see numbers lower than you're used to.

the good news is that means that .5u is enough to get her body into the normal range of numbers - which is FANTASTIC!

i'm so glad you posted here and celi & serryn were on last night to help you through it. i'm usually on til at least 11:30pm west coast time but i fell asleep in front of the tv last night! :oops: there's a lot in this Sugar Dance that is out of our control, including the kitter's reaction to lower numbers and the occasional fur shot.

you're doing great and it only gets easier. well done!

high-five-kitty.jpg
 
JULIE!!!!
JUST LOOK AT YOU AND ELEANOR! I'm so proud of you!!! I'm sorry I couldn't stay with you thru all your worry last night - DH fought paralysis attacks for quite a few hours. I thought about you over and over.

Celi/Serryn/Sienne - THANK YOU!!!!!

BIG HUGS!!!
 
Hi Julie,
You are doing a great job. It's so nerve-wracking the first couple of weeks, but things will get better. I use Lantus and the very first shot I gave my girl she dropped to 59 at +12. I was so freaked out. Her BG numbers were pretty variable the first two weeks as her body adjusted to the insuling. If you are shooting a .5U, it would be a slim possibility that your baby will go hypo. That's the wonderful thing about Lantus. In the beginning I stressed over every single shot, and that's totally normal. What really helped me was to look at a lot of other people's spreadsheets. Even though every cat is different, it gave me a good idea of what trends to expect during insulin treatment. I also worried over the new feeding schedule, since I used to free-feed dry. I realized my girl is a bit of a grazer, and she'll eat a little, then come back and eat more, then finally finish her food over about a 3 or 4 hour period. As long as Eleanor eats several bites, I wouldn't worry about her going hypo. You are doing a great job, and remember to take care of yourself too. I felt like a zombie obsessed with BG numbers for many days. Hang in there and best of luck.
 
Thank you all for the support, advice and explanations.
Eleanor's AMPS was 332. I gave her .5, and it was not a fur shot! Will check her later.
Hopefully you won't be hearing from me again tonight nailbite_smile .
I'm trying to set up a google account so I can get that spreadsheet. Have not gotten the verification email yet.
 
Hi, Julie!

Actually...I would encourage you to continue posting a thread here for Eleanor on a daily basis if you can. :-D

It's a great way for folks to get to know you and your kitty...
to keep track of how she's doing, and often the experienced folks here will spot something
they can help you with situations that may not be readily apparent to less experienced eyes.
And the guidance, support (and humor, at times) are a huge help in this dance we call Feline Diabetes :-D

Your part of the family now, kiddo..so Welcome to Lantus Land! :-D :-D

Glad you got some rest!

celi
 
Hi Julie

great work last night and see this morning already not so nervous about the shot (probably I have the day night bit back to front - it's an Australian thing!). It will get less nervewracking as you go along. I was also thinking that it would be helpful for you to study some other spreadsheets, ECID (every cat is different), but looking at the spreadsheets will really help you understand how lantus works and will help you relax :-D

Have a great night and don't forget to sleep yourself, you're going to want to save those all nighters for when her numbers are on the lower side :mrgreen:

Serryn
 
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