Lost, don't really know what to do...

Status
Not open for further replies.
Yea I know I'll update the spreadsheet probably tomorrow but I can't do it from my iPod and that's probably what I'm gonna do from now on is get the blood on my finger because it is sooooo difficult to put the stick next to his ear because he'll flick his head or get up and then i have to sit him back down by scratching him and ugh its nervewracking when theres a good blood thing on his ear that im waiting to get it but he doesn know :lol:
but so today I couldn't get a midcycle one the first try he moved his head and the blood dried up, the second try I got an error because the blood was all over the stick(he moved), third try another error because not enough blood and the fourth try after i waited about an hour was the same thing so by then I was just like :-x
but the amps was 255 and the pmps was 234 and the same error thing happened again tonight the first try and like ??? apparently I'm not getting enough blood ever and im also using already used test strips :roll:
 
You can only use the strips once or you will get an error message. Keep trying (3 times and then reward for you both) You will get a routine down that works for both of you. Those preshot numbers are in a nice range.
 
Yea he's doing really good too:)
Couldn't get amps
7+ today was 99 with a little food grazing 4-5 hrs earlier
Pmps was 212
And I did it twice within 10 minutes because Im starting to put the blood on my finger since it's a lot easier, and there it was 212; I checked again directly from his ear because he gets relaxed in the kitchen if I don't feed him immediately so I was able to stick the strip next his ear w/o him moving and got 211, so I don't think my finger changes it too much as long as it's cleaned :cool:
 
What I do is get everything together, then call China (she comes when I call her because she knows she's going to get something yummy). I put the strip into the meter and put it down next to her. I poke her ear and gently "milk" it a little to get a good drop and then hold the ear tip with my left hand and pick the meter up in my right. (Since I have her on a shelf on my entertainment center, if I have to, I can use my right elbow and my body to keep her where I want her) I stick the strip into the drop and put the meter down. Grab cosmetic pad and gently press and hold to ear for 15-20 seconds so it doesn't bruise.

I know some people wait until they get the blood drop to put the strip into the meter, but I've found I have about 2 minutes from the time I put the strip in to when the meter will "time out" and I can almost always get a blood drop in that time frame.

As you and Bemmer get more experience, it'll become a lot easier! In the meantime, do whatever works :-D :-D
 
Didn't really want to use the 911 but just in case my cats amps was 68; he's eating right now but I didn't hive him his shot. Physically he seems like he's been the last week since he started, which has been really good. What do I do?
 
68 is a lovely number. He is reacting well to the food change and insulin. 68 is a long way from the 200 we would suggest you dose, so unless you can chase the number until it reaches 200 and work with an altered 12/12 schedule, I'd suggest skipping.

You are giving one unit, right? If so, it is time to reduce the dose. If you skip this am, he may be higher tonight since it will have been have 24 hours since the last shot and because he may bounce up from the lower number, but I would still slower the dose to .5 - assuming he is above 200 tonight.

This is great news but a little scary the first time you see that first number under 100.
 
So tonight would I do .5 rather than the 1 unit if he's under 200 or skip?
He's sitting with me right now
Sorry I haven't updated the spreadsheet but I have no right now computer and google docs wont open on my iPod :-x :-x
But all his #'s in the last 5 days since starting testing have been blues and greens
 
Yes, i would lower the dose. Some lucky cats react right away to the insulin and food change and don't stay on insulin long. Their beans have to be careful and gradually reduce the dose.
 
+6 was 177
Good or not? This is w/o insulin shot this morning by the way bc he was low at 68 at amps
 
That is a little higher than we like to see. You may be in a situation of chasing the glucose level and only shooting when high enough.

If you get some U-100 syringes, you can use a conversion chart to shoot very low 0.2 units at a time. This is because Prozinc is a U-40 insulin and has only 40 units per mL, unlike a U-100 insulin wit 100 units per mL. Thus, ProZinc is 40% as strong, in terms of units per mL. The marks on a U-100 syringe can be multiplied by 0.4 to get what they would be for a U-40 insulin.
0.5 mark * 0.4 = 0.2 units of Prozinc
1.0 mark * 0.4 = 0.4 units of Prozinc
1.5 mark * 0.4 = 0.6 units of Prozinc
and so on.
 
I don't think that is a bad number at all. Considering he was at 68 amps and didn't get a shot, he has only come up 90 points and without insulin. It looks like he will be near 200 at shot time tonight. I would plan to give .5 and monitor. If you get a number 2-3 hours after the evening shot, you can get an idea of how the cycle is going to go.

As BJ said, it looks like small doses may be in your future. You can shoot under .5 with the U100 syringes and the conversion chart. Lots of PZI users do that.
 
Ok so I can't get the u100's right now so tonight if I give him .5 would I be able to just do it by eyeballing the syringe, like I'll just get the dose to the half mark as close as I can..... There is no half mark but I think you get what I'm saying :lol:
I guess I'll update later tonight to see how this works :smile:
and since I haven't given him the shot in 24 hrs, would it be alright if I switched his shot time back to a 7am/7pm schedule like how I've been trying to do(I've been going back by like 15 minutes once a day from a10/10 schedule) as long as he's over 200? Or is that like too much time back too soon?
 
Yes, you can switch back.

If you can eyeball 0.25, I think I'd go with that. Or try the following.

Making a Cardboard Reference Gauge for Half Units or Smaller.

If your syringes do not have half unit marks, you may approximate a measurement reference using a compass, a ruler, a fineline pencil, and some white cardboard (for sturdiness). This is most useful for U-40 syringes.

Draw a line equal to the length of 1 unit based on the syringe you are using. (If you change syringes, you may need to repeat this process.)

Using the compass, position the pin at one end of the line.

Set the compass angle to draw a small circle which is slightly more than halfway across the line.

Keeping the compass at the exact same angle, position it at the other end of the line and draw another circle.

The circles should overlap; if not, make the circles slightly bigger.

Using the ruler, draw a straight line between the 2 points of intersection between the circles; this marks 1/2 unit on the original line. (This line will be perpendicular to your original line.)

Repeat the process using 1 end of the full line, and the halfway point; that will get you about 1/4 unit.

If you can repeat it again, that would get you 1/8 unit.
 
It depends on how high he is.

If barely over 150 mg/dL, I might go with 0.25 as best I could measure it, unless I could be around to monitor.

If over 200 mg/dL, I might go with the 0.5, especially if I could be there to monitor.

At 300 and up, 0.5 probably wouldn't need monitoring, so if you needed to sleep rather than test and possibly feed low numbers, that'd work.
 
okay, well so right now i did the pmps and he's at 251; so give the shot at .5? and ill check him again tonight at like 12...
 
woops :) sorry i'm in est time so it's 7:26 pm right now and ill check him at around 10:30-11pm
I got pretty darn close to .5, may have been .6 but it looked like .5. I hope this works :roll:
Oo0oOo I updated the spreadsheet by the way, so all numbers are there :)
 
Eeeek 4+ was 188; usually he's been in the low 100's by now nailbite_smile
Should I switch back to one unit tomorrow?
 
Remember, he's been high for awhile...another day or two isn't going to hurt him. As long as he's under the renal threshold (about 240) and acting fine, he'll be ok. Even if he goes higher than 240, it just means he's spilling glucose over into his urine.

If he goes really high, or starts acting sick, check for ketones, and if more than a trace, that's an emergency, but if he's never had ketones before, one cycle a little higher than you're used to isn't anything I'd worry about.

Since you're eyeballing the dose, it's really hard to say how much you actually gave him. Once you get the other syringes, it might be easier to get the dose decreased and consistent.
 
so since I'm going to have to eyeball it for like 2 more days, if he's over 200 when I check him in the morning, which will be in like 3 hours, is it safe to give him .5 and see how that works? And if he starts getting higher than 250 or if hes in the 200's throughout the day do I switch it back to 1 unit or continue with .5?
I'm just nervous because his numbers have been pretty nice and then this morning it was like NOSE DIVE = 68 and like, I don't want him to get higher either and ughyfffhgds this is scary @-)
 
If he's over 200, yes,I think I'd give him the .5 and see how he does. Since you're using Pro Zinc, you can really wait until the PMPS tonight to decide on that dose.

68 is a GREAT number!! As long as it doesn't drop below 50, that's a wonderful pancreas healing number :mrgreen:
 
I think he is looking fine. Sometimes it takes a cycle to settle into a dose. Think of the process as collecting data. You are seeing what a .5 dose does; you are seeing what one unit does. He is in safe ranges. Keep collecting numbers - they will show us what each dose did and how to proceed.

But, as some wise person said, this is a marathon, not a sprint. He didn't become diabetic in a week; he won't be "cured" in a week. Remember to breathe. :mrgreen:
 
Hahaaha If only they could be cured in a week how nice would that be :smile: well that's good bc I thought 68 was a really low # but apparently it's pretty nice too :cool:
So I tried to get the amps but the first two times I pricked him good but he immediately shook his head so there was splattered blood on my leg, his neck, legs, chest and the fridge which looked soo weird lollilolol so I waited an hour until 7 and he was super hungry bc it was like 13+ so he was being wicked fussy when I tried to prick him and it was the first time he tried to attack my arm, but it seemed a lot more playful than angry and so I just fed him and gave him the shot because he seemed normal and he wouldn't stop purring so I felt kind of bad withholding the food :YMSIGH:
It would so much easier if he'd let me hold him but I have to do it in front of him, but he hates having things near his face(like most normal cats) so it's a little struggle unless I surprise him when he's relaxed :lol:
 
Sorry about the "blood bath" this am. It will get easier, promise. Anytime you need to, you can get a spot of blood on your fingernail and test from there.

68 was a nice number. We were a little nervous as it was early in the cycle. Usually ProZinc kitties continue to drop until +5-7 hours after the shot.

Here is a note from a diabetic kitty that may make you smile:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=33671

And here is a huge document about ProZinc that may help you figure out this sugar dance:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=32799
(It's also good for putting yourself to sleep at night.....)
 
+6 was 148; may have eaten a little bit but I was asleep so I have no idea if he did but if he did, since he's been on insulin the amount he eats when he does during the day is pretty small(cup your hand and that's about how much it is)
oO0oOoo I'm reading those links right now I need to study lol :razz:
 
+11 was 226 :mrgreen: Technically this was the pmps bc I gave him the shot and fed since tomorrow I have to push it back an hour bc I have to drive my mom to work
Seems like my eyeballing the smaller dose is slowly working an putting his numbers lower like on the 1 unit
I'll check him again in 4-5 hours :cool:
Ohhh my gosh and edit: I don't know if it was the smaller dose or what but today was the first time he actually played with my other cat which he hasn't chased in like 2 months but omg it happened this morning and I was like WOOOOAAAHHH bcatrun_gif
 
+5 from pmps he's at 112; too low or good..?
Seems okay; he's about to sleep like every other night, so maybe he's relaxed? :roll:


Edit: 11+ he's at 235 (!!!!yay!!!!); fed and shot because I had to leave (technically was amps) and this is the last time iI have to switch his shot hour, so now he is on a 6am/6pm schedule WOOOOO
and I'll get the other syringes this week bc I still have to call the vet :lol:
 
He is looking great. Probably time to start a new thread since this one has gone to two pages and the topic no longer applies :mrgreen: you two are no longer lost!. You can also post to the PZI forum and introduce yourself. Everyone there uses your insulin. It is interesting to see how their kitties are doing and check other's spreadsheets and progress.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=24
 
sweet, I made a new post on the pzi forum
I guess ill stay over there ?? :mrgreen: This is exciting
 
Crapcrap he's at 376 +12 do I go to one unit or stay at .5

Edit: ehhh I gave him near one unit instead of the half.... His numbers are weird :?
 
I'm not familiar with Pro Zinc dosing other than it's more based on the pre-shot numbers than Lantus or Levemir...It's usually a sliding scale, like if the pre-shot is XXX, you give xxx, if it's 2XX, you give xxx, etc., so I think it was probably a good idea to increase to 1 unit if the preshot was that high

Get a +2 and that can give you some idea of where he's going to go tonight
 
That should be okay, but I would get another test tonight before bed. The problem is you can't be sure whether this pmps is just a higher number, or whether he went lower at midcycle and is bouncing. Anytime you can get a number midcycle, it helps fill out the puzzle of this dance, where only Beemer hears the music. :mrgreen:
 
Yea I'll get the one at +2 :/
why would it spike like that though if he's been okay the last two days? Does that just happen if the dose is too low or..? Bc he hasn't been near 400 since he was at the vet= near 2 weeks ago
 
There's no way to know for sure at this point. Bouncing happens when the liver freaks out because the blood glucose is lower that it's "used to" so it releases hormones and sugar to bring it back up quickly.

If he went real low during his AM cycle, he could be bouncing. Or he might need a bigger dose..Or he saw a strange dog out the window that stressed him out. Or he got into some food he shouldn't have. There are just so many reasons for wonky test results. That's why we keep saying the same thing over and over again...that home testing is the only way to learn how your kitty responds to insulin and food.

Don't be discouraged by one number though. If you look at China's spreadsheet when we first started, she was all over the place too. It's just going to take time...and testing
 
Lollilol omg it's not funny but wooow her numbers were all over :shock:
Just kinda sucked bc maybe it was too early to try out a lower dose?? his numbers were good but it was the couple of low #'s and I was like uhhmmm....
And then even though his numbers have been good theyve been a little higher than they were on 1 unit... Idk but the vet said he'd rather have him hyper than hypo so I guess it's not that bad :roll:
So if tomorrow I check him and he's like 200-250 do I give him 1 unit because I'm not gonna be home all day, I have to go to my sisters
 
I Would be cautious and give .5 if he is in the 200-250 range. Better too high for a day than too low for a minute if you won't be around to monitor. It's early days yet and we really don't have much data to base doses on. Soon we'll be able to look back and say that he went this low on this dose or didn't get much movement on this dose and better determine what dose is better.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top