? Low, Low sugars

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Julia Rae

Julia Rae

Member Since 2015
Oh HELP< HELP Magellan's sugars are 30 he is alert not staggering or anything but OOOOOOO Im freaking
 
OK, don't panic - you've caught the low and that's a good thing. Get a few drops of syrup or honey into him and a little food - some gravy from a can of in-gravy food if you have it or a teaspoonful of his regular food with a couple of extra drops of syrup if you don't have any gravy food. Then test again in 30 minutes.
 
Ok Ive poured honey down his throat he did not appreciate at all (I got bit) and have been finger feeding him temptations cheasy middles he really loves those. Will test again in 30 min, he has not had his pm shot!
 
OK, so how long is it since he actually had a shot? If this is him getting into the 30s on his own without insulin, he might not really need bringing up.
 
Then let's see where he is at his next test - we want him comfortably over 50 and either holding steady or rising. He should come up fairly easily - there shouldn't be a lot of insulin left in his system at this point. However, I wouldn't give his shot tonight even if he bounces once he starts rising...just in case it drops him right back down again. And as he's this low after 11 hours, I still think you should probably reduce his dose starting from tomorrow morning.
 
he is at 50 now just did his 30 min test how long before I stick him again... (i have to keep myself from testing every other heart beat at this point)
 
If you can give him a little food with another drop or two of honey and test again in 30 minutes. I'm not sure why he's hanging around this low at almost +12 - I'm no expert with Novolin in cats, but I thought the maximum duration was meant to be 12 hours. Either way, let's get him up a little bit more so he's safe - he's just about out of the risk zone now, but 10 points higher would be nice for a bit of breathing room!!
 
ok gave him his fave wet food with a bit of honey in it, he is eating with gusto, ie his normal self.And he is staying in sight of me which makes things much easier on me and I would love some breathing room.
 
I wouldn't give Novolin for BG under 200. Stop the insulin till BG levels go back to 200 and you'll probably need to reduce the dose. Better yet, get your cat off Novolin. I had a hypo crisis, like you are going through, with my cat while she was on Novolin and she's been off Novolin since. I'd look into changing insulin to Lantus; there are a lot of Lantus experts here. Novolin generally wears off after 6 to 8 hours and is not a recommended insulin of choice. Keep checking the BG levels closely. Even if your cat is acting better, monitor closely.
 
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Sounds good to me. :) It makes it much easier when they'll eat on their own instead of needing you to make them eat! While you're waiting for his next test, try to take a few deep breaths and relax...you've handled the real low already - now it's just a case of making sure he stays up.
 
Thanks @Cat Ma :) Your direct experience with Novolin is much appreciated here! :) I can give general hypo advice, but nothing specific to Novolin as an insulin for dosing going forward except to be certain that his current dose is too high!! Julia, Lantus is a gentler insulin if your vet will prescribe it - it might well be that going forward you'd have better and more predictable results with very small doses of that. :)
 
Yes, the dose is too high. Lantus is a much better choice and you can get it cheaper from Mark's Pharmacy online...someone has a link somewhere here.
 
This is the link for Mark's https://rxcanada4less.com/

I haven't used them myself - I'd already bought Lantus from Costco (ouch on the price here) before I knew I could have ordered it from Canada, but I know a lot of people here do use them and find them to be very good.
 
You may pay more the first time if you have to get Lantus quickly but what's important is to get your cat regulated.
 
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Ok his sugars went up a tiny bit 53 I was hopping for a bigger climb that that looks like I will be up to night.
 
53 is a big improvement over 30 and is a good number. You don't want a drastic increase. You can go back to low carb food and skip the honey as long as your cat is over 50.
 
I am doing that at this moment should i try to test again in 30 min.. he is running from me at this point.
 
I think that's actually good - he's not starting to bounce, which is always a good thing. :) As Cat Ma says, if you can try with just his low carb food now - if you can get him surfing in decent numbers then you might only have another hour or so to go before you can get some sleep. :)

Yes to another test in 30 minutes - I'm sorry he's not happy about it. Even Rosa who's usually pretty good for testing would get a bit annoyed with the every 30 minutes. If he's still rising at the next test, then you can wait an hour and do one more...if he's good after that one as well then you can call it a night.
 
Ok will do that I so love you guys and dont know how or what I can do to show how much I really appreciate your help all of you.
 
We've all been where you are and we know how much all and any help is needed and appreciated at times like this. :) If it wasn't for other people helping when I was new, I wouldn't know enough to be able to help now...it's just the way this board works! :) I'll be up for a bit yet, so I'll keep checking in with you to make sure his numbers are going in the right direction. As long as they do, you should only have just over an hour to go now I think - you're almost at your next 30 minute test if I'm calculating this right. :) Hopefully he'll be up a little further this time. :)
 
:bighug:I understand and thanks again both you Cat Ma and manxcat419, I take Magellan to the vet the 5 of july my hope is to get him on lantus. My bf uses it for his diabetes and get it for free from the VA, 1 pen lasts him about 4 days so it will be no hardship to share. I just hope the vet is willing to not just hear me but listen to me. Just finished testing my boy and his numbers are looking better 81 and so far he has muched down a whole can of 9 lives white fish.
 
It sounds as though Lantus would be perfect for you to use if you can get it free. :)

Nice work on those numbers. :) You've done really well tonight. :) If you can get one more test in an hour just to make sure he stays up once the honey wears off that would be great. As long as he's not dropping at that point you'll be able to sleep after that. :)
 
I hope so thinking fondly of about 3 fingers of scotch.. for me not the cat. As for doing well it was both of yours help that got us through this, I thought I was mentally prepared for this to happen but I wasn't thanks the powers that I had the kit together in advance.
 
I don't think anyone's ever fully prepared for the first time those low numbers show up...and you got a very low number there for the first time. A lot of us get somewhere around a 48 to work with on the first attempt and that's scary enough!!

You could have that scotch before his next test - you have an hour to kill...enough time for a little relaxation for you. :)
 
That sounds like a good idea right now he is napping in front of the fan, on his side with his tale curled over his belly. He is such the porno boy. Going to need to order more test strips from walmart thanks goodness they deliver.
 
Awww - it sounds as though he's happy with life right now! :) I'm sure his next test will be fine - it's a case of making 100% sure rather than really expecting any more low numbers from him tonight. But we always get that one last test just in case.

I agree - it really does make it easier to be able to get supplies from Walmart - our closest one is 5 minutes from the house so I was always able to do an emergency dash there if I ran low on anything.
 
Looks like the carbs you gave him wore off. How many hours is it since he last had insulin now? 73 is a nice normal number with no insulin in his system. :)
 
If you need to sleep, you could just leave him a lot of food out...if you're worried you could mix a little gravy in with his low carb to make a medium carb food for him. The 81 and 73 aren't really all that different when you take meter variance into account, so it looks as though he's surfing (and without his shot tonight that's impressive)!!

I would post for advice in the morning before you give him a shot though - he definitely needs a reduction, and if he doesn't rise much more by morning you'll need to skip his shot again...I don't think you can realistically shoot anything under 200 at this point with Novolin.
 
Julia Rae, how are his numbers today? 73 and 81 area great numbers! You only need to worry when the numbers go below 50. You don't want to give insulin for numbers under 200. If your cat stays consistently under 200, like mine has after a hypo episode on Novolin, your cat will get OJT (off insulin) and you won't need the Lantus! You'll still need to monitor closely.

Be prepared that his numbers may spike up very high soon to a few days to compensate for the drop last night. That is normal. It never happened to my cat but it may or may not happen for yours.

Another thing, stick to a consistent feeding schedule and continue feeding small low carb meals. If numbers go under 50, then give honey (you can mix it in food), Karo syrup or a high carb gravy food.

A good idea is to print out the Glucometer Notes guide in the link I gave you above. That way you can refer to it quickly. It's easy to panic in a hypo epsisode but you've done a terrific job!
 
Cat Ma said:
If your cat stays consistently under 200, like mine has after a hypo episode on Novolin, your cat will get OJT (off insulin) and you won't need the Lantus! You'll still need to monitor closely.
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I was wondering if that might be the direction he was heading in - I kept expecting a much higher reading to show up soon after +12 when the insulin was out of his system, but it just didn't happen! That's not to say he might not still need a little insulin support, but not really going above 80 several hours after his shot was due would seem to show that he was doing well without it, at least for last night. :)
 
Time for insulin. The question now is the dose. Have you called the vet? You should let them know the #'s and find out what dose to give. Most times, a reduction is needed.
Hopefully a Novolin expert here can advise if the dose the vet suggests is a good one.
Are you still feeding your cat low carb food? Don't give anymore high carb, honey or Karo syrup.
 
I'm really glad he's not either very low or sky-high again this time around. Unfortunately, I can't help with the dose except to be fairly sure that he needs a reduction...of how much, I have no idea unfortunately. I would definitely agree that he should only have his low carb food for now and hopefully someone will be able to help you with the best way to adjust his dose soon.
 
Will call Vet and yes I am feeding very low carb wet and he has had no more hone since his last test at 81. Got the receptionist/ vet assistant and hope to hear from the vet soon, had to come clean about not following his instructions. Hope he does not blow up at me
 
Don't worry about the vet blowing up at you. You did the right thing getting him out of a hypo episode. Had you not done anything, you and your cat would have spent the night in the pet ER. Novolin is difficult because it can cause high spikes and lows. It's actually very normal for this to be happening, coming up high from a low. This is very common in a Novolin hypo episode.
 
If your vet is resistant to trying another insulin or gives you a hard time, time to fire your vet and find a new one.
 
Have a look over the Humulin/Novolin Primer
Most importantly, figure out how much of a drop he got on the dose he received, and factor in that cats who gone hypoglycemic may be much more sensitive to insulin.
He may be bouncing right now. Compensatory hormones release stored sugar and boost the glucose level for safety if the glucose drops suddenly and/or drops to an unfamiliar low.
It is possible to shoot a tiny amount when bouncing on N - maybe 0.25 units, which you'll have to eyeball as syringes don't measure that well.
N tends to hit its maximum effect about 3-4 hours after the shot, so aim to check then to see how low he goes on this token dose.
 
Cat Ma said:
Lantus is a much better choice and you can get it cheaper from Mark's Pharmacy online...someone has a link somewhere here.
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Just wanted to note that Mark's has posted that they are currently no longer taking new Lantus patients. They will add people to a waiting list to become customers when their supply source becomes better. Just so people know when they are giving source advice, that Mark's is not an option for new Lantus customers right now.
 
Oops! Thanks for that info Melanie! :) Fortunately, it doesn't look like it'll be an issue this time, but I'll make sure if I post the link for anyone else that I note that there's a waiting list for the moment as well!

Did your vet get back to you Julia? Just wondering how things are going for you and Magellan today?
 
Hello was not ignoring you or anything Magellan is doing better, finally got a hold of the vet at nearly closing time. I am not quite sure he really knows what to do with me, he is excited now at the fact that i am home testing. When I asked why he was so against it in the beginning he said something about not knowing my comfort levels with it or my skill with it with it. His novalin has been cut back to half a unit am and pm and he wants to see how he does with that but has no problems switching to lantus. The tread is continued on Magellan's sugar dance.
 
No problem - I didn't think for a minute that you were ignoring me...I just wanted to make sure your vet had actually called you back and you were getting some dosing help. :) It's GREAT that your vet is supportive of you home testing - it makes it so much easier when your vet agrees with what you're doing! :D And switching to Lantus should help Magellan's numbers to level out over the course of the day, which is better for him (and less stressful for you than finding a huge drop unexpectedly like yesterday)! :D And congrats on the reduction!! :)
 
:bighug: Thanks I really needed to hear that some days I feel so like a monster for the tests and not letting him free feed. I know it is for his own good but try convincing him that when he is screaming at me at the top of his considerable lungs. My neighbors have commented on it wanting to know what I was doing to make him scream so.
 
I dread to think what our neighbors thought, especially when my husband was testing Rosa - she decided he wasn't allowed to test her, only me, and apparently set up a dreadful amount of noise (mixed with him yelling where she'd swiped at him I believe).

The good news is that, if you switch to Lantus, you'll be able to let him free feed on wet food as it's not as important for him to have a large amount of food onboard when the insulin onsets then. Hopefully that will fix at least one of his problems!
 
Julia...if you have access to Lantus and your vet is OK with switching, I'd go ahead and switch now and not wait until the 5th. The people here that use Lantus have more experience with making dosing decisions than your vet ever would and there's no good reason to keep using an insulin that's not good for Magellan in the first place
 
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