New to this forum, Sylvie & Frip

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Frip&Grip

Frip&Grip

Member Since 2010
Hi ... I'm Sylvie ... I'm new to this forum. I'm located north of Montreal, Canada.

I started my "baby - Fripouille" on Lantus June 1st after trying Diabeta for a month.. He's a male cat, 10 years old. 23 lbs (he's a big tall cat, not that fat ;-) )

Everything seemed to go fine but not sure what I did wrong today.. I need advise... Please see my spreadsheet (not sure I attached it right?) ... confused_cat


https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key ... utput=html
 
Hi Sylvie

welcome to the Lantus forum!

We have a member or two from your area, they will prob pop in thru the nite,
but in the meantime, can you tell us how you reached to your current dose?
Are you working with your vet on your kitty's dose?
What diet is Fripouille on?
What is your feeding schedule?
Any other health issues besides diabetes?

Spreadsheet link works good, I will suggest you get some evening BG tests in thou - you're pretty much missing half the data to determine dosing.

Start off by reading the "starred" stickies up above, get familiar with how lantus works and the protocol we use in this forum.

New To The Group
Tilly's Protocol: Modified Version
Lantus & Levemir Insulin Depot AKA Storage Shed

Check back often for feedback ok?
 
Welcome Sylvie!

Great job getting your spreadsheet (SS) up and running! Many of the questions Ronnie asked are part of a Profile. The instructions for completing a profile are in the Tech Center where you found the info on the SS. Having a Profile means we won't keep asking you the same questions over and over again.

A couple of observations. Lantus is a twice a day insulin. You should be giving shots every 12 hours. You're doing a good job of getting spot checks during the AM part of the day. It's very important to get spot checks at night, as well. Many cats have lower numbers at night and it is very easy to miss dose reductions if you aren't getting tests in the evening. My guess is that Frip has been having lower numbers during the PM cycle and what you are seeing today is a bounce -- his numbers went lower and he then bounced up during the day.

If you look at the link to the dosing protocol that Ronnie has in her post, you'll also note that we increase doses in much smaller amounts -- usually by 0.25u. If you increase in large amounts, it's very easy to miss your optimal dose. This is why Ronnie asked how you've been arriving at your doses. My guess is that you will need to get syringes that are marked in 1/2 unit increments in order to adjust your doses in smaller amounts.

Please take a look at our SSs and ask questions. We're here to help.
 
Welcome to Lantus Land, Sylvie & Frip!

I agree with Sienne's assessment that Frip went lower overnight and that he is bouncing off those low numbers now. It's a good idea to always get a spot check before you go to bed each night, just so you know if your cat is planning any surprises (like mine did last night!). I think the 178 was on the way up from something lower.

The bounce will clear on its own, just keep the same dose for now but add that night spot check, very important!
 
Thank you so much for your replies... :smile: This is what I was scarred off. I went up to 4U last night for the first time. His BG must have gone down too low during the night. I’m working with a Vet to increase his dose. I’m using a pen which increases by 1U increment only… I’ll go back to 3U tonight and will start taking BG before I go to bed.

I will read the instructions and fill the profile also..
 
Frip & Grip

Listen to what these folks tell you.....they were Jezebel's guardian angels!

Debie & Jez (now OTJ)
 
Hi Sylvie & Frip and welcome!
Did you know that you can use syringes with your pen? That would make it easier to measure amounts smaller than 1 unit. Get U-100 syringes with 1/2 unit markings. Stick the needle of the syringe into the small rubber gasket at the end of the pen and measure the dose. It takes a bit of practice to measure amounts less than a full unit, but everyone here has to do it! Good luck and be sure to ask as many questions as you need.

Ella & Stu
 
Bienvenue!
You found the best place. I live in Toronto but moved here from Montreal.
I know of at least 1 member in Montreal but I'm sure there are more.
 
Thanks for your responses. I will get the smaller syringes. I will go back to 3U bid (and up from there in smaller increments), 4U bid is too much (last too long and overlaps).
Can I use both the pen for injecting the 3U and the syringe for the extra 0.25 or 0.5 U?
Should I use a different cartridge to fill the syringe or can I fill from the one in the pen?

Are these the right ones (from the BD site in Canada)?
•The 31-gauge, 8mm (5/16") BD Ultra-Fine™ II Short Needle is 37% shorter than a 12.7mm needle.
•BD Ultra-Fine™ II insulin syringes are available in three barrel sizes (1cc, ½ cc and 3/10 cc).
•People who use the 3/10 cc version of this syringe now have the convenience of BD's new 3/10 cc barrel featuring a unique half-unit scale. If you measure doses in half-unit increments, the half-unit markings may help to make your small insulin doses easier and more precise than ever.
 
Welcome to Lantus Land Sylvie and Frip :YMHUG: Everyone has given you anything and everything so I just wanted to welcome you here. Hope to see you and Frip around often. :mrgreen:
 
hi there!

your spreadsheet (SS) is not viewable right now, I think you have to select "share" option when ur in google docs.


I used the BD 3/10cc's, 1/2 unit markings, 31 gauge, short syringes and they worked well for me.

How is your kitty doing today?
 
I would use the syringe for the complete dose. Like this photo shows - you can draw up what you need without the pen needle.

Syringeandflexpen.jpg

(Photo from the Levemir ISG sticky, thank you for having this.)
 
Hi Sylvie. Greetings from Edmonton. Welcome to Lantus Land. You've gotten good advise so I just wanted to say hi. Yes as Carolyn said I would use the syringe to draw up the entire dose. It;s so much more accurate that way. The syringes with the 1/2 unit markings are a God send.Many of us wish that they came in 1/4 unit markings but no such luck.

Again welcome.
 
Bonjour Sylvie
Finally another Montrealer has joined the board!!
I am in Montreal as well.
Where north of Montreal?

This board is amazing and will really help you with Frip.
Let me know if I can be of any help. I have been waiting for 6 months
for another Montrealer!!!! :-D

My Max has been off insulin since April 3.
 
Bienvenue Sylvie et Frip!

Ok - I'm NOT from Montreal, but I was a French major (among other things) in college, some time ago ;)

Welcome to the FDMB. Feel free to ask questions - there's a lot to learn but you're off to a great start!

Cute name, Frip. Are you a little trouble-maker? I bet you keep your mama bean on her toes...
 
Thanks everyone.. This is a great forum…

Randi, I'm located in Mirabel... Nice to see someone else from the Montreal region here...

I went to my local drugstore this afternoon; they didn’t have the smaller syringes with ½ unit markings in stock. They will check tomorrow if they can order them for me. For now I’ll keep the 4U day time and 3U nigh-time and will check his BG more often.

So far, today was not as bad as yesterday, he’s moving around normally even if it’s warmer outside. Still hope his BG is better tomorrow… Too bad things were starting to get better just before.

I’ll be back with more questions when I get the new syringes… too bad that pen was so easy to use.

BTW Frip is short for ‘Fripouille’ which means thief or thug because he was stealing all the food from his brother Grip for ‘Gripet’ the trouble maker when I brought them home at 2 months old. They are both from the same litter. Gripet’s morning BG is around 3.7-3.8 (67).. go figure, he’s the lazy one (no work out for him)!!
 
Hi Sylvie,
No, you must keep the same dose for am and pm. You can't change from 4u at the am shot and then down to 3u for the pm shot and then back to 4u for the am shot. It messes up the shed.
Please read the sticky about the shed

LANTUS & LEVEMIR – INSULIN DEPOT –AKA- STORAGE SHED

You need to stay on the same dose amount for 3 to 5 days (6 to 10 shots). It's very important.

Good luck getting the syringes; you will be needing the 1/2 unit markings because you will be measuring doses like 2.25 and that's pretty tough to do with the syringes with just the full unit markings!
 
Randi, sure I’ll go the Wal-Mart in St-Jérôme if they can’t order them for me here. I've been there before. Are you located in St-Jérôme??

Gayle, thanks for the advice, I just gave him his 3U for night time, I’ll go back to 3U tomorrow morning for 5 days. I should have the new syringes by then. There is a lot of good information here..
 
Sylvie,
You have been given great advice here and I am so impressed with your testing.
This board is wonderful.
Read all of the stickies above and you can start daily condos like the others here.
If you want to post daily (which I would highly recommend) then you can also get help with
dosing for Frip, especially when you end up with a low pre shot number and not sure what you
should do about the dose.
There is usually someone on board to help.
Tomorrow you can start by
6/20 Frips AMPS #
Then all your questions for the day stay in that "thread" we call them condos cuz we go around and visit people.

I don't believe I saw what you are feeding Frip. Is he on wet or dry food?
This will have a very huge impact on Frip's numbers.

I am not in St. Jerome but go up north usually to ski. Not this winter because of Max's diabetes. I did not want to leave him. Maybe next winter. I am in a suburb of Montreal, 10 minutes from downtown. So you found a vet in Mirabel who knows Lantus. Lucky You.
I was vetless and got Max off insulin from the help of this board.
 
Welcome, Sylvie and Flip. Lots of information to absorb here so make sure that you take some time to digest it all and to breath.

I have to say that Gayle is right, and happy to see that you will listen to what she is saying. You really do need to keep the same dose for am and pm doses. Hopefully you will be able to get those syringes. They will make dosing oh so much easier!!
 
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