is anyone up i need some advice

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tinksdaddy

Member Since 2012
hi all,i dont know if 911 is the right icon but it is important,tinker has been on pzi for about say 5 to 6 weeks if that.her does is 3 units morning and evening,i was using the freestyle meter and had run out of strips 4 days ago,i went to buy new strips tonight and they were out so i bought the cvs trueresult.i tested her at injection time(10:00pm) and it was 74, i gave her some treats and hour later it was 70,i just checked at 1:00 and its 74.im at a delimma,has she regulated?.is the meter wrong?is her lowest point at injection now?im afraid to go to sleep and it spike but i dont wanna give her insulin when she is reading 74.whjat woukd you do,im taking her to vet tommorrow but i am worried about what to do.is that meter way off?
 
I would skip the shot and put down some hi carb food for her for overnight. Does she hve any hypo symptoms?

There is general agreement that glucometers with 'tru' in the name are unreliable, but since you don't have strips for your other metre, the safe route is a skip. I don't think that you will lose a lot of ground by missing one shot. It never fails that when we get a low number, the strip supply is also low. An extra container in the hypo kit is the best insurance.
 
Did I read correctly that you have been giving insulin twice a day for 4 days without testing? We advocate testing before every single injection. It is the only way to know that it is safe to give her insulin. Please stock up on strips and test b4 every shot. If you are taking her to the vet to be tested, you do not need to if you are testing regularly at home. It is actually more cost effective to test several times a day than to pay for a vet visit that returns data of dubious use.

Only by testing her regularly at home will you ever know if she is 'regulated' of even ready for a decreased dose.
 
tinksdaddy said:
hi all,i dont know if 911 is the right icon but it is important,tinker has been on pzi for about say 5 to 6 weeks if that.her does is 3 units morning and evening,i was using the freestyle meter and had run out of strips 4 days ago,i went to buy new strips tonight and they were out so i bought the cvs trueresult.i tested her at injection time(10:00pm) and it was 74, i gave her some treats and hour later it was 70,i just checked at 1:00 and its 74.im at a delimma,has she regulated?.is the meter wrong?is her lowest point at injection now?im afraid to go to sleep and it spike but i dont wanna give her insulin when she is reading 74.whjat woukd you do,im taking her to vet tommorrow but i am worried about what to do.is that meter way off?
Click to expand...

I don't know PZI, but if you are afraid to go to sleep, it's time to give your kitty carbs and protein and bring those numbers up and prevent a hypo experience.

One thing I've learned in the last 3 months is that too little insulin can kill over time, but too much insulin can kill quickly.

I can't advise you on dosing, but I can advise you to feed Tinker enough food so that she has enough food in her system to fight those low numbers. And give her some Karo Syrup, honey, maple syrup on her gums if she goes below 50. Just a drop on her gums will work to bring her numbers up quickly.

I hope someone else see's this post. From what I have groked, any meters with "Tru" in the name could be problems.

I hope you and your Tinker are okay!!!!!

Suze
 
i took her to the vet last week and that was her dose,im not supposed to even bring her back for another 3 days.i wasnt even told to home test i just decided to myself.i have 2 mergers happening this week.my days lately have been flight to chicago at 7am then to nyc at 1 the back to atlanta at 6.repeat tfor 3 days straight you find things slip.i pay an assitant to watch her.shes never alone,i have 3 sick cats and two companies i run so im barely eating myself,i didnt test for 4 days prolly because i havent slep in as many it feels,im doing my best,thank u for your replies i appreciate the help:)
 
Another thing, several people here also do not recommend the freestyle meters (the one with the butterfly in the strips) - they said something about it not reading correctly for cats.

And the TRU meter is bad too. I suggest returning it.

If you have walmart nearby, pick up a relion meter and strips - they are inexpensive and work very well.

The two meters that I have personal experience with that are good are One Touch Ultra and Bayer Contour.

I like the bayer contour better as it requires a tiny amount of blood and you don't have to code the meter to the strips.

Whatever you do, Relion, Bayer or One Touch - these are all good, proven meters.

As for now, without really knowing where your cat really is BG wise - follow the instructions already provided and in the morning, you may want to skip the shot, go purchase a new meter and strips, test and see where you are at.
 
tinksdaddy said:
i took her to the vet last week and that was her dose,im not supposed to even bring her back for another 3 days.i wasnt even told to home test i just decided to myself.i have 2 mergers happening this week.my days lately have been flight to chicago at 7am then to nyc at 1 the back to atlanta at 6.repeat tfor 3 days straight you find things slip.i pay an assitant to watch her.shes never alone,i have 3 sick cats and two companies i run so im barely eating myself,i didnt test for 4 days prolly because i havent slep in as many it feels,im doing my best,thank u for your replies i appreciate the help:)
Click to expand...


Take a minute to breathe, tinksdaddy. (((HUGS)))

You have three sick cats (which shows me you have a heart), and two companies you run, and you don't eat or sleep or take care of yourself. Is that correct?

Yes, you are doing your best to be on the list of people who will die of heart attacks at a young age! *LOL* But are you doing your best for your cats, that you obviously love, and for yourself?

If Tinker goes below 50 or exhibits any signs of going hypo, give her honey/Karo syrup/maple syrup on her gums to bring her numbers up quickly. Then make sure you test her regularly, and give her low carb/high protein foods to give the insulin something to work on, until you see her numbers going up.

I wasn't told to home test either, but that is what we do for FD cats, just as human diabetics do. You can't inject insulin if you don't know what the trend of the BG levels are, for humans or for cats.


Here are some links for you:

How to Handle Low Numbers

How to treat hypos.
 
Nice to get an update from you!

I have used many different meters for my Tinkerbell & Tawny too. I like the Bayer Contour, the Relion is good, and also the Aviva AccuCheck.

Just an idea, but I was thinking that since you are so busy & have an assistant that takes care of your kitties while you are tied up so much with your business, perhaps your assistant could post here on your & Tink's behalf too, & she and you could learn here together and also that would help us help you help Tinkerbell more...
 
Hello Tinks Daddy!

Just repeating that the freestyle lite (butterfly strips) and anything with TRUE in the name are not working for cats- they do not read high numbers. Low numbers I (THINK) are more accurate- so if Tink was in the 70's that is low enough it might have been accurate- DO NOT give a shot in that low a number :!:

You've been doing good to start home testing on your own with all that has come up lately... so BREATHE! Congratulations on the accomplishment of being a business owner and sugar cat daddy all at once. I will not ask which one is more stressful as they both have their own set of stress :lol: .

Tink is on PZI, which is a good insulin to start off with- the dose is a tad too HIGH, though, so how did the vet come up with that dose? I'm guessing here that it was because of vet testing- which is never accurate because the numbers are inflated by stress. Don't wait for your vet to kill your cat because they are not knowledgeable about FD- my suggestion is to take it down to 1u twice a day until you have the DATA that comes from testing on a consistent basis. If your cat drops to far to get a shot at one 12 hour period and then is over the moon the next that is indicative of too much insulin and you need to be worried about hypos (viewtopic.php?f=28&t=15887) . When we raise doses it is raised in .25 or .5 increments and not in whole units.

To see if she is regulated (hoping and praying here) you need to get a before breakfast, before dinner, and at least one test in between for 14 consecutive days with her numbers below 170 (I think) with the mid cycle numbers being under 100. Get a decent meter- Relion Micro or Confirm or a Bayer or Accucheck- these have great track records and the Relion have the cheapest strips around.

You didn't tell us what you feed your kitties as diet is important. For those with medical issues we probably have someone else on the board that can suggest something that is healthy and low carb enough for cats. I'd suggest listing the city/state where you are so if there is someone nearby they maybe can help- but you have already learned to test and that is what most people have trouble with :cool: .

Good luck sugar daddy!
 
Hi Brandon,

Glad to see you again. Sounds like you have a busy life, cat and work wise. In your earlier post, we had suggested that you reduce the dose. It is much easier to raise based on the numbers you get when you test rather than try to rachet down the dose when you get sudden low numbers.

Will you be around this weekend? Maybe we can get you on a good footing with a good dose and schedule.

Once you get a good meter, post your number and let's start from there. (It is frustrating that there are several meters that just are not accurate)

Can I set you up a spreadsheet so that you and we can see Tink's history at a glance? I will send you a pm and you can reply if you are interested.

FYI A normal cat, off insulin, ranges from 40-120 with the majority of the time spent in double digits. A regulated cat, on insulin, ranges from the mid 200s at preshot to the l00s or lower at midcycle. We don't want to see a cat in the 40s (on Insulin) without intervening with food or other carb products. So your 70s would be great for a mid cyle number, but not for a preshot number.

If you get preshot numbers in the 200s or lower, it is probably time to reduce the dose. If you get mid cycle numbers in the 40-50 range, it is time to reduce the dose.
 
hey my vet gave me an alphatrak to take borrow and i got a reli on and am checking against that,her dose is gonna have to be lowered she was 86 at 2.5 hours after a reduced dose of 1.5 units.at 6 hours though past dose she was 103. maybe its because she just ate?she so when i check tonight ill see,i was 3 units twice dailyi have 1.5 this morining. im think about doing 1 unit instead tonight. im almost of the feeeling she might have started regulating.this is early in diagnosis.as for someone else posting no allie takes care and loves them but i want the feedback myself,i have to reserch and have the knowledge myself,i feel more in control and able to cope if imhands on.shes my baby and im her daddy. i make time for her,it has been stressful adding in ths new hurdle but all in all i have a good life,i could be a singhle mother working two jobs.im going to be off for a month,well working from a vaction spot starting august the first. were all going to moms house in the keys,ive always just flown them besdie me i bought 4 tickets but i dont want to stress her so im actually going to charter a private flight to keep stress low,i give her a lil bubble gum benadryl she goes to sleep we are taken to plane directly she wakes up in florida have been going since they were kittens,we always spend a month on the beach so i dont think shell be upset she enjoys laying on a chair undre an umberella just snooing,she loves watching pelicans it may be good for her,shes a lil chubby so she stays put right by me,its our time,the other cats arent allowed on the beach so she gets to sit in the shade drinkig her water laying on her back to get a belly rub havin a snack he other cats stare down at us through the window.we all need a vacay,thanks for your replies i truly appreciate it
 
Hey Tinks Dad is that cat sitting job available? I'd be happy to rub tinks belly on the beach in fla AND test and shoot too!!
Love that you take your cats with you. Hang in your doing a good job.
 
I would skip the shot with any number lower than 150 .
You need to be using a reliable meter.

I tried clicking on your spreadsheet and there are no numbers on it.
I'm not sure why, mine always saves every entry automaticallly.


Not having a reliable number after dosing that high without knowing the bg...

...... is like driving with a paper bag on your head......
 
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