I did it! And I have some general questions.

[Carrie Arrowsmith]

Thanks to you all I was able to get my cat tested and injected with her first dose of insulin. I never could have done it without your support and guidance. These are just some general questions I have when anyone has time to answer. I like to ask questions and prepare for "what if".
What happens if you hit the marginal vein in the ear? I have been able to get her outer ear but my curiosity has me wondering what happens if you get the marginal vein.
What happens if you are late or early with a shot? If I have to be at work much earlier than usual or stay late and I get home later? I understand it is very important to stay on schedule but life happens so I need to be prepared and know what that means if I am late or need to be early.
When do you know you need to increase their insulin? If the answers are all here in the FAQ's I can search. I have been so overwhelmed I haven't been able to read through everything yet. Thanks!
Carrie & Bianca

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Good for you on getting that first test - it very intimidating in the beginning. Don't forget to update the spreadsheet with the test value and amount of insulin given.

What happens if you hit the marginal vein in the ear?

I think most of us have done that at some point or other. You get a gusher. Use the cotton pad or whatever you are using under her ear wrapped around the ear and hold on with some pressure until the bleeding dies down. You could get bruising on the ear after. I had a locum vet show me how to test, and he actually said to go for the vein. Thankfully I was reading here too.

What happens if you are late or early with a shot? If I have to be at work much earlier than usual or stay late and I get home later?

Lantus is fine with shooting early or late by 15 minutes every cycle, or 1/2 hour once per day. If you know it advance you will have to move the schedule for a day, you can move it up gradually. I had a board meeting once a night every month that started 1/2 hour before PMPS and I still had to drive there. So a few days before hand I gradually moved the shot up until I was shooting when I needed to.

When do you know you need to increase their insulin?

You pick a dosing method, and it'll tell you when.
Dosing Methods: Start Low, Go Slow (SLGS) & Tight Regulation (TR)
I strongly recommend reading the yellow starred Sticky Notes at the top of the Lantus forum. There are also a lot of informative posts in the Health Links Forum. The Index/FAQ post on top there has an index of them.

 

[Carrie Arrowsmith]

Good for you on getting that first test - it very intimidating in the beginning. Don't forget to update the spreadsheet with the test value and amount of insulin given.

I think most of us have done that at some point or other. You get a gusher. Use the cotton pad or whatever you are using under her ear wrapped around the ear and hold on with some pressure until the bleeding dies down. You could get bruising on the ear after. I had a locum vet show me how to test, and he actually said to go for the vein. Thankfully I was reading here too.

Lantus is fine with shooting early or late by 15 minutes every cycle, or 1/2 hour once per day. If you know it advance you will have to move the schedule for a day, you can move it up gradually. I had a board meeting once a night every month that started 1/2 hour before PMPS and I still had to drive there. So a few days before hand I gradually moved the shot up until I was shooting when I needed to.

You pick a dosing method, and it'll tell you when.
Dosing Methods: Start Low, Go Slow (SLGS) & Tight Regulation (TR)
I strongly recommend reading the yellow starred Sticky Notes at the top of the Lantus forum. There are also a lot of informative posts in the Health Links Forum. The Index/FAQ post on top there has an index of them.

Thank you so much!!

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Keep asking questions!! There's a lot to learn and it's easy to get overwhelmed with all of the information in the sticky notes and the links.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

@Carrie Arrowsmith
Hi Carrie, I see you are going to go with SLGS method on your spreadsheet you can now enter that on your signature and get rid of No Current Protocol . Members will usually look st that first