New mon fighting FD

Heyy guys ! My 11 yrs old cat Money was diagnosed with FD may 7 2021. I have never been sooo freaked out in my life !!! I’m a crying stressed mom that wants the best for her and is willing to do wtv it takes !!! She was put on lantis 1u twice a day . I also had a freestyle libre installed to help with the curb and testing each hour . So we did 1u for a day at home and yesterday morning dise as well . My vet told me to up the dose last night to 1.5u . I was sooo worried cuz her glucose went way up .. yesterday she was at a high 22 and low 15.8 . Since giving her 1.5 she’s been between 30-35 this morning and now I don’t know what to do !! I’m suppost to feed and inject soon but not sure what I’m doing and of course my vet is not open till after dose time please help

 

Hi and welcome to FDMB. I know it is overwhelming right now, but it does get easier.

The good thing is that you already have a head start in caring for Money. Lantus is a very good insulin and the 1 unit is a good starting dose. However, since you just started it a few days ago, I am concerned that your vet may have increased too soon. When did you start giving insulin. Normally we recommend not increasing the dose for at least a week after the last dose change unless you are following the tight regulation protocol. This gives the cat's body time to adjust to the dose.

I am glad to see you are using a meter to get the glucose levels at home. Home testing is another thing we recommend. You may also want to consider learning how to test with a regular glucose meter. It can be either a human or pet glucose meter. The human meters are less expensive to use and many of our members use them instead of the pet meter. We can help you learn how to test using this type of meter. It can be a great back up to the Libre since it only is supposed to last for a couple weeks or if Money is able to remove it.

Can you tell us what you are feeding her? A low carb canned or raw food diet is recommended. The majority of dry foods are high in carbs and will cause the glucose levels to rise. Pate types of canned foods are lower in carbs than anything with gravy, such as shreds, fillets or bits.

Caring for a FD cat is not difficult once you find the routine that works best for you and your cats. I know everything is overwhelming right now because it is all so new. But you have found a great place to be and there is a lot of experienced people on this board and we are here to help you. There is also a lot of great information under the Health Links section. Ask us any questions you may have. We have all been where you are now and can help you learn how to give the best care for Money.

 

Hi Roxy and Money and welcome to the forum.
I agree with Lisa that the vet is increasing the dose too quickly.
When increasing the dose, we recommend increasing the dose in 1/4 unit increments.
Do you have 1/2 unit syringes?
As well as feeding before the shots, are you giving Money some snacks during the cycles?

We have a spreadsheet here which you might like to set up and put your data into. Here is a link that has the spreadsheet link in it plus other useful information including a link to a hypo kit which is really important. In case of low numbers.
Link..https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-how-you-can-help-us-help-you.216696/

 

Welcome. Are you feeding canned or dry food or a combo? Lantus is a depot insulin so it takes about a week to see what the initial dose will do for her. The dose is based upon how low it takes the cat not how high. I was very upset when Max was diagnosed but you are ahead of me. I refused at first to test because I was afraid he would hate me. I was going to my vets office a few times a week for a mod cycle test. Big mistake on my part not to test at home because my vet was e tea cautious and took him off insulin for a few weeks. He wasn’t ready for that. When he went back on insulin my vet had me test. The Libre was not around then. My friend and sister had diabetic cats and never tested at home. Their cats peed all over the house though. Keep asking questions and check for input on dosing.

 

Hey thanks for the responses !!!! So it’s been two weeks and after installing another freestyle my vet tells me she not responding to the insulin and that I will have to see a specialist and change insulin . I have changed her to DM WET FOOD and for first week I was give 1/2 can in morning 1/4 can at midway and 1/2 can at night . And now the freestyle libre is no longer working and she hates when I prick her . Now I’m not sure what to do and I’m very discouraged !!! The specialist will cost around 250 plus new insulin . Since diagnosed I’ve spend over 1000 on everything ... what do I do ?????

 

Most cats take time to respond toady insulin. In my opinion it is way too soon to switch and I would instead find a new vet! It sounds like your vet doesn’t know how to treat FD. We do here. We need more info to help you though. Can you add a signature and spreadsheet please ? We have people to help if you need that to set it up. Are you giving a 100% protein treat after every poke?

 

There's no reason to change insulins. The numbers rarely come down immediately. My cat didn't even see a number under 300 (16 on your scale) for the first 10 weeks or so. Oce we found her breakthrough dose (for us it was gradually raising until 3 units) the numbers came down. If course don't go by the numbers your see in her charts for later years because after being in remission for a year she developed acromegaly which is a totally different set of circumstances.


Really important.... What are you feeding? Are you in Canada or the UK or somewhere else?


I have a video in my signature showing how I tested my cat CC.

 

Hey guys . Unfortunately I do not have a computer anymore ... only iPhone and iPad but I do have graph from my freestyle .. would that work ? I know it’s crazy but just before her diagnoses I was gonna buy one and my find were all put to help save money ❤️... I live in Montreal Qc Canada and I feed her the vet diet DM

 

I just want to formally introduce MONEY to all u who are here to help her .REALLY APPRECIATE

 

What a sweetie she is, so adorable I'm going to tag
@Bandit's Mom
Or
@Chris & China (GA)
to see if you can set up the spreadsheet on your IPhone or IPad
I only use my tablet
Bhooma will probably be on tonight, she lives in India
Thank you Bhooma

 

You might want to set up your signature, it's at the end of everyone's post in gray
Just so we don't have to ask you the same questions over again.
It's info about Money

 

Click on your name upper right hand corner , a drop down will appear , tap in signature , fill out info

• On the left, under Settings, Click on Signature. This is where you will put information that helps us give you feedback. There is a limit of two lines which may include two links; you may separate pieces with commas, dashes, | etc. This is where you paste the link for your spreadsheet, once it is set up.

• Add info we need to help you:
  • Caregiver & kitty's name
  • DX: Date
  • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
  • Name of your meter
  • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
  • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
  • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
  • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
  • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
  • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.

Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.

 

Ok thank I just did it but wasn’t sure about last 3 ... wat is TR? And the rest lol sorry all very new to me ...

 

These are the dosing methods, it depends on how often you test
Please read them
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...-low-go-slow-slgs-tight-regulation-tr.210110/

The last 2 if your kitty had any health issues, had ever been hospitalized
for very low blood sugar , etc
With SLGS reductions in dosing are earned by falling under 90. With TR that number is 50. Read over the methods and take some time to decide which might work for you. If feeding any dry food you will follow SLGS

 

Hi Roxanne, I can help you set up a spreadsheet that you can use on your iPhone/iPad. Will send you a PM with the details I need to set it up.

Btw, Purina ProPlan DM canned is low carb (6%) but you don't have to feed her prescription food which is expensive. You can feed her any low carb canned food that she likes - Fancy Feast Classics (called "pates" in Canada), Friskies Pates or 9-Lives Ground. The President's Choice pates are also popular among our Canadian members.

 

Thank you so much Bhooma
@Bandit's Mom

 

@Bandit's Mom
Hopefully Roxanne comes back on tomorrow
@Roxy450

 

Wowww really !!!?! I’ve been spending a fortune on this food !!! So if I understand it needs to be pate !?! Because my other cat eats fancy feast but the pieces … she doesn’t like pate ‍♀️ But this would be great !!! I have a whole box full !! Not only that but I noticed that money did not lose 1pound on the diet food in over a month is that normal ? She used to eat friskie 1/2can morning and night and had crunchies out to munch . Since ds I removed all crunchies but no weight lost … ‍♀️

 

Yes. Not all variants of Fancy Fest are low carb. The Classics/Pates and the Roasted/Flaked/Chunky are low carb.

Here's a list of cat food and their carb levels. Anything below 5-6% is good
https://catinfo.org/chart/index.php

The above list doesn't have Tiki Cat but you can find that here:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...-luau-aloha-friends-and-velvet-mousse.248242/

 

Thanks a lot!!! I was wondering if any one could look over my chart and if they had any ideas comments …. !!?! I’m trying to test more often but I’m not doing so good at night I would really appreciate !! Also I’ve gotten a new freestyle libre and was wondering if anyone could help me figure a way to install at home !! It would be sooo much more easy !!! Problem is the vet put glue so I don’t know if there’s a way around that or a dupe of som sort ? Thanks everyone

 

So I looked the list over and I will be changing over to fancy feast . I just don’t know how much I would have to feed her ? She 14lbs right now . Is it 1 can morning and night or more ?

 

The general rule of thumb is about 20 calories per pound of ideal weightweight
So what would be her ideal weight?
Example

If she should weight 16 pounds
20x16=320 calories

If she should weigh 14 lbs
20X14=280 calories

We feed our cats more than twice a day, the bigger meals at AMPS and at PMPS
Then maybe a tablespoon during the AM cycle and PM cycle
A lot of us feed them two small meals after the bigger AM and PM meals
Withhold food 2 hours prior to testing

Previous post for continuity
I see it was suggested to post on the Lantus forum where you will get more help
It's confusing when you post on Feline Health and then also on the Lantus forum
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/moneys-chart.248295/#post-2800808

 

Have you decided on a TR or SLGS
We follow two dosing protocols here. If you pick one that suits you, we can advise you accordingly.
Dosing Methods: Start Low, Go Slow (SLGS) & Tight Regulation (TR)

If you post in the Lantus / Basaglar (glargine) and Levemir (detemir) forum, you will get a lot more eyes of Lantus users on your posts.
I see Money dropped to 36 on three different times and you should have reduced her dose by 0.25 units
You also need to fill in the night cycle numbers , I see someone mentioned this in one of your posts

 

The original DM canned is at 6% the DM savory selects is closer to 13-14% according to the vet. The vet contacted Purina directly. My cat happens to like both the original and savory so I am transitioning him to the lower carb. When I purchased the vet was unaware that there were 2 different wet DM foods and I didn't know the difference.

 

Make sure you have your Hypo toolbox ready for use when you start insulin.

• Do you have plenty of medium carb (10-17% carb) and high carb (18% carb and over) canned foods in your cupboard, that are marked with the carb content on the top of the lid for easy identification
• Do you have honey or karo in your toolbox?

• Do you have an extra 50 test strips in reserve in your toolbox?
• Do you have the address and phone number of the nearest ER in your toolbox?

• Do you have the two yellow stickies on how to treat hypos and what to put in your toolbox that are at the top of the FAQ page printed off and stuck on your fridge or put in your toolbox? Here are the links:
  • How to Treat Hypos
  • jojo and bunny's Hypo Tool Box

 

According to Dr. Lisa Pierson's cat food database, the DM Selects is 10% carbs
https://catinfo.org/chart/index.php

 

I understand but that list is 2017. My vet called Purina last week and asked them directly. So I do not know what changed.

 

@Bandit's Mom
Hi Bhooma, Looking at her SS her cat dropped to 36 on three different times, shouldn't she have reduced the dose?
She is going back and forth posting on the Lantus and Feline Health forum
I see she was told to post on the Lantus forum
Then in 6-6 the PMPS was 12.2? No testing after that, I told her to fill in the night data

 

Sorry can't help you out with the Libre, you should always have a back up meter and test strips on hand to test if the Libre falls off.
That pic of the burn she had from the glue looked pretty nasty

 

The drops to 36 were at 1.5U and the dose was reduced to 1U. There are not enough tests to know how low she is going on 1U.

Roxanne did post on the Lantus forum but looks like she bumped up this older thread by mistake by posting on it.
@Roxy450 Roxanne, if you could create a new thread on the Lantus forum with your questions, that would be great. For us to help with dosing, you would also need to choose one of the 2 dosing protocols we follow here.

 

Look at 5-16, 5-21. and 5-22 I don't see where she reduced to 1 unit

on 6-6 PMPS it says 12.2 ?

Thanks Bhooma, I hope you and Bandit are doing well ♥
@Bandit's Mom

 

She was on 1.5U on those days and reduced to 1U in the PM of 5/23 then down to 0.5U on 5/25 and back up to 1U on 5/28 and has been on 1U since.
Am I missing something?

 

You are correct , she reduced like a day or 2 later , sorry Bhooma
I hope you and Bandit are doing well
I hope she will post on the Lantus forum from now on , it's crazy going back and forth
@Bandit's Mom

 

Listen I’m sorry if I’m posting in two diff places I’m not even sure how !! I’m just replying to ppl as they respond to me !! Ur responding talkin to bandits mon about me like if I’m not even here … I think it’s kinda mean since I’m NEWWWWW to all this and I appreciate all that everyone is doing my responding but I’m honestly very overwhelmed by all this and I’m not sure about anything !!! My vet has literally left me out to dry !!! And I don’t know what kind of method to use !! I have read the links and understand a bit but I’m not understanding wat the differences are in regards to results … !!! Like I said I’m new to all this !!!! I also don’t know how I could test at night !!?! I’m working on getting the libre installed so that I can use their graphs to complete the night schedule …. But unfortunately I’m not sure how since my sugar bb had bad reaction to glue !! So I’m trying to figure out a way to install it the best way so that it doesn’t come out again after day 4 !!! I’m soooo sorry if “she” was TOLD to post in one spot but I’m honestly not understanding why it’s goin to two different places and honestly I’m going three such a hard and stressful time that I honestly don’t care !!! I came here fir supoort and understanding !!! Sorry if I don’t meet ur expectations !!!!!! I will not bother anyone anymore THANKS ALOT !!

 

Hey, I know you feel overwhelmed. I'm right there with you since I am also new to the diabetic cat world. I've had days wondering what do I do or not. As my sister said everything will be okay (she has one also). When I first joined the forum it took a bit to figure out where I should post. The ppl on this forum are really here to help.

 

Hi Roxanne and welcome. I remember being new to this forum and having to navigate around, so please don't get frustrated. I can't help with the Libre, but you are doing great at getting mid cycle tests in to see how the dose is working. Money's cycles are looking pretty good. For Lantus, as has been mentioned before, we follow two dosing methods here, so the advice people will give you will depend on which method you decide to follow, which includes when to take a decrease in dose, and when to increase. As an example, if you are following SLGS you'd take a reduction of 0.25u if Money has a blood glucose test under 90, like you saw on June 6th.

Please let us know how we can help.

 

Hi Roxanne,

I am really sorry that we upset you, however unintentionally. I can see that you are dealing with a lot (the Libre falling off, vet not helping etc) and in our eagerness to help, we are throwing all kinds of information and posting protocols at you, that maybe too much for someone new to it all.

I thought I would try and help with making sense of our dosing protocols so you can decide which one would suit you.

1. SLGS: You hold a dose for 7 days (unless a reduction is earned). You decrease the dose when the BG falls below 90. The aim of this protocol is to keep the cat in the 90-150 range. This is more suited for caregivers who can't test as much as TR requires. You do a weekly curve with SLGS.
2. TR is a more aggressive protocol with increases as often as every 3-5 days. Reductions are earned when the BG falls below 50. The aim is to keep the cat in the range of 50-100 (which is the normal BG range for cats). To follow TR, you would need to get at least one more test per cycle in addition to the pre-shot one i.e. 2 tests per cycle or 4 tests per day. You would also need to be feeding only LC canned food and no dry food.

If you'd like, you can start with SLGS and once you get the hang of testing and handling lower numbers, you could switch to TR.

I don't know if you've managed to get the Libre back on Money, but I'll tag @Emily + Zen who also use one to see if she can help you with it.

You're doing a great job of testing Money without the Libre. You don't have to stay up testing all night every night. We ask people to get a "before bed" test. If that number is much lower than the PMPS, you may need to set an alarm to get a later test.

Please do let us know if there is anything else we can help you with.

 

Hi everyone !! Thanks a lot for understanding !! I’m sorry for snapping yesterday it’s just soo much and sooo frustrating !!! I think u are right bhooma and I will go with the go slow method and I did manage to do a +6 last night as well I will update her ss shortly . I’ve been really busy but I will def get the night testing done as I really do want the best for her !!! As for the food , my vet never did tell me what her ideal weight should be so I’m still not sure of how much food to give . I will email him today and try to get that info . He also told me not to feed her during the day , that it was affecting her curve !!?! If u notice in beginning I was giving a 1/4 can at +6 . Anyways I’m officially a go slow I hope I can do this and get her FD under control and hopefully even in remission Thanks for all the help !!!! And once again sorry :’(

 

Thanks for tagging me in, Bhooma! Unfortunately, once a Libre falls off, there's no putting it back on-- it's toast and you need a new one. There's a video online of someone applying one to the back of their cats neck, at the base of it, but my husband and I never were able to place ourselves, mostly because we didn't have the glue to do it. We tried once and failed.

About food, Roxy-- I believe not feeding during the day is an older method, and nowadays the generally-accepted best practice is to feed small meals the entire time you're awake and able, because that's better for the pancreas. We gave Zen 8 small meals a day. Here's a body chart to show you ideal weight-- also, if you hold up the back of your hand and run your finger along the area below the knuckles, that's what Money's ribs should feel like. If you run your fingers across the actual knuckles and that's what Money's ribs feel like, she's too skinny.

Here's a calorie calculator I used for Zen. The caloric content of all foods should be printed on cans. We have to feed Zen a little less than the recommended amount because his metabolism is slow. But we weigh him regularly to make sure we're still on the right track with him.

 

Hi @Emily + Zen thanks for the response and I too thought that it wasn’t right to not feed nothing all day ! Poor cat is starving and so is my other one that unfortunately is on same regime as money … I did ur test and I don’t feel her ribs at all really ..I think she’s still a fatty hahah she’s 14 pounds at the moment . But I did notice her body being more defined if that makes sense . As for the libre she had a really bad reaction to the glue or it’s the way the vet removed it but it was soo back and she really had a hard time healing I’ll include a pic please tell me if urs ever looked like this after removal !!?! I was is shock that the vet let me leave with her without any treatment at all !! So I’ve gotten a replacement libre but I am looking for another way to secure it since the glue is no longer a option for her

 

Ours was only ever that red and angry when Zen ripped it off and took skin with it. It is a really uniform spot, though, so it's not impossible that it was an allergic reaction to the glue. If you can find out what glue it is, you can test a much smaller spot and see how she does. I don't know of a solution that allows for the use of the Libre if Money is allergic to the glue, but others might. Ear pricks for Zen were really frustrating at first, but they get easier over time, and Zen eventually got used to them. You got this, Roxy!

 

One more word of advice, just in case no one has mentioned it-- don't try to get the weight off of Money too quickly. When cats lose weight too quickly, they're at risk for fatty liver disease, and you very much do not want to be dealing with that.

 

It was vetbond but when the assistant removed it it was like a wax job . She actually laughed I’ve been ear pricking and she’s allowing me with not much fuss but I feel like I need more data and it’s not possible with the prick I think I will purshased the vetbond online and try to do it myself with much less glue and a pretty t-shirt lol thanks lots

 

Ok well honestly since the dx which is over a month now she hasn’t lost anything … is that normal ?

 

Roxanne, I'm so very sorry that I made you feel this way, that was not my intention.
At times we will tag other members to look at your SS to see if Money has earned any reductions or if you need to increase.
When I was new I was overwhelmed also, I had so many questions.
You are not bothering anyone, so please accept my apologies if I made you feel that way. You are doing a great job with Money
@Roxy450

 

Roxy, I'm *really* excited to hear you say that. This is unchartered territory for a lot of us, and so I wonder if you would be willing to document the process with some photos for people to be able to reference later on. I didn't think to do that during my failed experiment with Zen, and I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to capture the data (because even failed experiments are valuable data points). I think it would be an opportunity for a lot of people if you could discuss the glue, how much you use, and how long you get good data out of it.

 

i am sorry as well I just felt like a total failure and I’m worried I’m letting my cat down I have finally understood the diff methods and decided to start with the SLGS !! At least till I get the hang of ear pricks .. and as for what forum to post I have tried posting on lantus but I’m not sure why it’s going back to original post … I have updated the ss and included a +2 and +6 after pms thanks for understanding and I’m sorry again

 

Sure I would be glad to help I’ve ordered the glue and when I receive it I could def do that just tell me where to post it

 

Amazing-- thank you!!! @Bandit's Mom -- would it make sense to post that in this forum, or is there a better place?

 

You are not a failure and there is no reason for you to say you are sorry, if you would like to post on the Lantus forum I can tell you how to do it.There are a lot more Lantus users on there that can answer any of your questions
It's not your fault that people are responding on this forum, which is the Feline Health forum.
If you decide to start posting on the Lantus you can say Hi I am new and will be posting on the Lantus forum from now on
We do a new post everyday on the Lantus forum
I will give you an example on how to do it, give me a minute

 

To make a new post for today, go to the main page of the Lantus forumhttps://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/lantus-basaglar-glargine-and-levemir-detemir.9/ and press the Post New Thread button.

For your thread title, please use the following format:
"DATE, NAME OF KITTY" and then all of your testing numbers. For example, today's thread title would read:
6-10 Money AMPS-180 put some of his BG results, then at night you do PMPS- and his BG number all in the same title
Then you can link
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-mon-fighting-fd.247271/#post-2802171
It's all the way up at the top of this page above the pic of the kitty , you just tap in it and hit copy and paste
Which is all of these posts in case members want to go back and read these
Then for tomorrow on the Lantus forum you would go to where it says start a new thread on the right hand side tap on it and put
6-11 Money AMPS - then his BG number then where you would start to write something you would first paste the link from 6-10 which is the one above the pic of the cat copy and paste it and put it where you would start to write anything you want to

We do this so if someone wants to see the day before all they have to do is tap that and it will bring them to the day before

If you need help let's say with advice on dosing , after you would put the date , Money ,AMPS what ever it is here is an example only
6-10 Money AMPS-108 NEED HELP WITH DOSE
If you might think his number is too low to give insulin you would write this in the area where you would ask any questions
I hope this helps
Nice blues for him so far

 

Post what?

 

Thanks I will do it tonight after I get my pmps and testing …. Hopefully I will get sum help with wat to do next …. I’m happy cuz her numbers are looking much better then I beginning but now what the next step is idk …

 

Hey I just wanted to ask since u use the libre … is there a difference between libre numbers and ear pricks? And if so what are they ? I’m asking cuz when I was using Libre numbers were higher .. for the last 10days I’ve been using a contour next and number are good !?! I’m wondering if she’s actually stabilizing or if it’s due to change of testing method …

 

Roxanne has purchased vetbond and would like to apply a Libre to Money at home. I asked if she would be willing to share her experience with everyone, because I've not seem much information on it, other than one video of someone applying it to the back of their cat's neck, and I think there were some shots missing from it, too. I think there's an opportunity for some good documentation here. I'm just curious if you (or anyone else) has an opinion on whether that belongs in this forum or elsewhere.

That's a really good question! The short answer is that there is always a level of variance between meters-- I want to say typically up to 20%, but one of the veterans is going to have to confirm that. That's true from one meter to another, and even one ear prick to another. I've been doing a bit of research on this myself, and honestly, there isn't a good answer to "by how much"-- unfortunately, that varies as well. I'm about to do a pretty big data dump of Freestyle data vs ear prick data so I'll have a better answer for you after that, but anecdotally, I can tell you that there doesn't seem to be any kind of hard and fast rule. There's also another interesting factoid to keep in mind: the Libre is typically about 10 minutes behind an ear prick. That's because it reads from the interstitial fluid instead of the blood. Libre has a really good article on it here. I wish I had a more straightforward answer for you, but the bottom line is that (generally speaking) one human meter (ear prick or freestyle) should have around the same measure of accuracy as most any other. But the Freestyle is going to be behind an ear prick by a few minutes.

 

Oh, @Roxy450 , before I forget, if you ever need to remove a Libre, coconut oil works great to help remove it!

 

Ok well I think what I’ll do is that when I do install the libre I will do wat pricks testing at same time as libre check to see the difference that way I’ll know and maybe help sum1 else as well !! I do agree there’s not much info on the Libre and I read that article about it being in the interstial blood so maybe wat I’ll do is take that into consideration when testing both thanks great idea !!! Do u ear prick at all or only Libre ?

 

Cool thx !!!! I’m kinda nervous about removing another one also great trick some1 told me if ur Libre ever stops working or Zen removes it call libre and tell them it stopped working .. they don’t ask if it’s a cat … lol and they will replace it for free if u send them back the “defective” one I called for the last one that she removed after 5days and I received a new one in mail couple days ago !!! At 120$ each … i was sooo appreciative !!!

 

We would always do an ear prick if we had any reason to believe the Libre might be wrong (it has that little blood drop icon when it recommends you follow up with a blood glucose reading), or if Zen was ever really high or really low. Basically, if it was anything other than business-as-usual, Zen got an ear prick. Where the Libre really helped was to 1) monitor overnight and to 2) look at trends in his data. When we fed him, we could see how much the food bumped up his glucose, and when we gave insulin, we could see how long it took to take effect, and how long it took to get to nadir.

 

Ok great and did u ever notice a difference in rates ?

 

Yep! When he was low, the ear prick was sometimes different by more than 20 points, and when he was high, by more than 100 points (remember the 20% rule...if Zen was 500 on the Libre, 500 * 1.2 = 600)

 

Here is comparison of Badger's Libre and my iHealth human meter. Note that which read higher changed over time. The verticle lines for each point show what a +/- 20% variance would be.

 

That's a great chart, @Larry and Kitties! Did you just use Excel to generate it? I'm planning to put a similar one together (though I hadn't planned to do the error bands-- love that!) with those, plus an Alpha Track.

Interesting note: Zen's Libre was almost always a tiny bit lower than his BG meter, except for the rare occasions that he dropped into the 40's (and one time into the 30's). When he dropped that low, the Libre and the BG meter typically inverted for me: the Libre read higher and the ear prick read lower. I always erred on the side of the lower reading, for safety's sake.

 

I used Apple's Numbers SS app. The app has a function for generating the erro bands.