Hungry all the time
- Thread starter Deedee1
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Midnite is on Lantus U-100 insulin 1 unit every 12 hrs,, I'm not self checking herblood glucose yet as last nite was my 1st time injecting her ( more traumatic on me then her) Where are these videos my vet was telling me to watch on Injecting her, , can't find them!! (Anyone have the link?)
BJM
Member Since 2010
LindaMS
Member Since 2013
What are you feeding her? if its a good low carb food, and her Blood Glucose is high, you can go ahead and feed her as much as she wants. When BG is really high, she IS STARVING. The cells cant take in the energy from the food, it stays in the blood as glucose. Insulin is the magic hormone that allows the cells to use the glucose. Until that starts working, please feed kitty a good low carb wet food. (no kibble, period)
Deb & Wink
Member Since 2013
With Lantus insulin, most of us try to test, feed, shoot in about a 15 minute window.
Other insulins are different. With Humulin/Novolin for instance, it's recommended that you feed 30-60 minutes before the insulin shot, due to the rapid onset and steep drops with these NPH type insulins.
The suggestion to shoot while the cat is eating, is because your cat is usually distracted and it's easier to give the insulin then. Personally, I just tested my sugardude Wink, shot the insulin and then fed him. No food distraction necessary with him. ;-)
Other insulins are different. With Humulin/Novolin for instance, it's recommended that you feed 30-60 minutes before the insulin shot, due to the rapid onset and steep drops with these NPH type insulins.
The suggestion to shoot while the cat is eating, is because your cat is usually distracted and it's easier to give the insulin then. Personally, I just tested my sugardude Wink, shot the insulin and then fed him. No food distraction necessary with him. ;-)
Ok all , and after her visit next week to the vet ,,, I'll be soliciting advice about blood gluecose monitors and all that , I've been reading a lot about it from this forum ! I'm so grateful to all of you who have taken the time to reply, I'm feeling a little bit better about this and not so overwhelmed! Do you all also try the different areas they recommended in the videos for the injections instead of the same( near the scruff of the neck) PS she's still eating a lot , so it's hard to judge if everything's working A-OK
BJM
Member Since 2010
Many of us in the US like the WalMart ReliOn Confirm? Confirm Micro, or Prime meters. If you're not a fan of WalMart, you can to our shopping partner Americal Diabetes Wholesale and purchas the Arkray Glucocard o1 or o1 Min which are the unbranded version of the Confirm models made by Arkray USA.
Comparing a human glucometer to a pet-specific glucometer is like reading temperature in Celsius vs Fahrenheit. Both are correct. You just need to know the reference ranges to interpret what the numbers mean.
[Glucose reference ranges are unsubstantiated and have been removed by Moderator]
Ex. You are a new insulin user and you test your cat before giving insulin. The test is 300. It probably is safe to give insulin.
Ex. You are an established user of Lantus, following the Tight Regulation protocol. You've tested around +5 to +7 to spot the nadir. It is 200 mg/dL. You probably need to increase the dose, following the instructions for the protocol.
Ex. Your cat is acting funny. The eyes are a bit dilated. You are concerned and test the glucose. The number is 35 mg/dL. ACK! The cat may be in a hypoglycemic state. You quickly follow the HYPO protocol linked in the glucose reference values chart. (which we really, really, suggest you print out and post on your refrigerator.)
Comparing a human glucometer to a pet-specific glucometer is like reading temperature in Celsius vs Fahrenheit. Both are correct. You just need to know the reference ranges to interpret what the numbers mean.
[Glucose reference ranges are unsubstantiated and have been removed by Moderator]
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Examples of using the chart:Ex. You are a new insulin user and you test your cat before giving insulin. The test is 300. It probably is safe to give insulin.
Ex. You are an established user of Lantus, following the Tight Regulation protocol. You've tested around +5 to +7 to spot the nadir. It is 200 mg/dL. You probably need to increase the dose, following the instructions for the protocol.
Ex. Your cat is acting funny. The eyes are a bit dilated. You are concerned and test the glucose. The number is 35 mg/dL. ACK! The cat may be in a hypoglycemic state. You quickly follow the HYPO protocol linked in the glucose reference values chart. (which we really, really, suggest you print out and post on your refrigerator.)
Deb & Wink
Member Since 2013
I started out with a pet specific meter, the Alphatrak 2, but the cost of the test strips is just so high plus they are hard to get when your vet's office is closed. I switched to a human glucometer, the Relion Confirm and love the fact that it takes such a small blood drop, 3 microliters, about the size of the head of a pin. Plus, the cost of the test strips is about 1/3 the price of the Alphatrak. I bought a Relion Prime to use as a backup but never had the need. The Relion Prime needs a 6 microliter blood drop which can be harder to get when you are first starting out home testing.
Warming the ear and plenty of low carb treats are key to home testing.
Personally, I never shot in the scruff of the neck. It was much easier to see what I was doing if I shot Wink in the flanks. It was very simple for me to see the tent and make sure the insulin had gone in because Wink had lost so much fur, he was half bald along his sides. ohmygod_smile It was a side effect of his uncontrolled diabetes. He had such poor glycemic control and was not regulated at all in the cat shelter so that he had huge nickel to quarter sized flakes of dandruff and the fur loss was part of that. Since your kitty is in better shape, you may want to consider having the vet shave a couple of patches of fur on his sides. Or clip a couple of patches of fur yourself.
You do what works for you and is easier to see that the insulin got in. Fur shots, where all or some of the insulin does not go in happen to everyone. Where to shoot is sort of like the preference for short or long needles. I always liked the 5/16" short needles but I know that member Kpassa likes the longer 1/2" needles. Personal preference. As long as you use the 3/10CC insulin syringes with 1/2 unit markings on the barrel, it's easy to measure those small doses and even possible to eyeball 0.25U increments.
Warming the ear and plenty of low carb treats are key to home testing.
Personally, I never shot in the scruff of the neck. It was much easier to see what I was doing if I shot Wink in the flanks. It was very simple for me to see the tent and make sure the insulin had gone in because Wink had lost so much fur, he was half bald along his sides. ohmygod_smile It was a side effect of his uncontrolled diabetes. He had such poor glycemic control and was not regulated at all in the cat shelter so that he had huge nickel to quarter sized flakes of dandruff and the fur loss was part of that. Since your kitty is in better shape, you may want to consider having the vet shave a couple of patches of fur on his sides. Or clip a couple of patches of fur yourself.
You do what works for you and is easier to see that the insulin got in. Fur shots, where all or some of the insulin does not go in happen to everyone. Where to shoot is sort of like the preference for short or long needles. I always liked the 5/16" short needles but I know that member Kpassa likes the longer 1/2" needles. Personal preference. As long as you use the 3/10CC insulin syringes with 1/2 unit markings on the barrel, it's easy to measure those small doses and even possible to eyeball 0.25U increments.
tiffmaxee
Member Since 2013
Hi and welcome. i use the Relion Micro which I bought on line as I don't live near a Walmart. I buy the test strips from ADW online, the generic one, Arkray, that are the same as the brand that Walmart sells. I bought one of the Arkray meters as a spare but so far haven't taken it out of the box. When this all started for me in November I didn't think I would test a lot. Well I do and the pet meter strips would be way too costly. My vet is fine with this and doesn't do curves on Max because of all my testing. I send him a weekly report of his spreadsheet.
Elise
Elise
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