Newly diagnosed with diabetes and I need suggestions and help.

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Having a few of the Fancy Feast "Gravy Lovers" is the best (if you can get them) Most of the canned cat foods "with gravy" or "with sauce" are going to be higher carb and best to use when you need them.

We still can't view your spreadsheet. You haven't changed the permissions yet.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info on the FF Gravy Lovers food. I'll get some of that. Also thanks for your info on my old dry food.

I see the permissions on my spreadsheet are limited to me! Following the directions, it gives me the opportunity to add names, but how can I add everyone? I looked in the directions for the spreadsheet again and I don't see anything that addresses this. I would think it too laborious to put in a lot of permission names, much less figure out what to put in for folks' names. What is the custom here?

BTW, Bet is eating the Fancy Feast classic pates like a champ. He's eaten 4 times since I got the food, about 3/4 to 1/2 can each time. I even got up when he woke me at 245am with his usual paw-to-nose-pokes and fed him. Perhaps y'all were right, maybe he was just hungry. His last feed of the night is usually about 830pm to coincide with the timing of his shot, but maybe I should feed him one last time before I sleep.

Thanks in advance and sorry to bother you again.
Kathy
 
Kathleen Einwich said:
I see the permissions on my spreadsheet are limited to me! Following the directions, it gives me the opportunity to add names, but how can I add everyone? I looked in the directions for the spreadsheet again and I don't see anything that addresses this. I would think it too laborious to put in a lot of permission names, much less figure out what to put in for folks' names. What is the custom here?
Click to expand...

Click on the blue "Share".....a new box will open.

At the bottom right side of the new box, you'll see "Advanced"
upload_2018-11-12_10-42-25.png


After you click on "Advanced", you'll get another box that will give you the option of "Anyone with the link can view"

Check "Anyone with the link can view" and "Done"
 
Chris & China said:
Click on the blue "Share".....a new box will open.

At the bottom right side of the new box, you'll see "Advanced"
View attachment 40337

After you click on "Advanced", you'll get another box that will give you the option of "Anyone with the link can view"

Check "Anyone with the link can view" and "Done"
Click to expand...

Thanks again, Chris & China. I followed your directions. The spreadsheet should be available now.

It just so happens I just did my first glucose test with Bet. A little messy and I had to do it twice cuz the meter threw an error (not enough blood?), but Bet just wriggled some, which caused my 2nd lancet try to bleed a bit more. I'll get better and more sure of myself. It didn't seem to hurt him at all, he just didn't like being held still or having his ears fiddled with too much. He normally loves to have his ears scritched, so that's a plus.
 
Kathleen Einwich said:
The spreadsheet should be available now.
Click to expand...

Good job!

Kathleen Einwich said:
It just so happens I just did my first glucose test with Bet.
Click to expand...

OK.....now you need to start trying to develop a routine.

1. Take food up for the 2 hours immediately before shot times.
2. Always test before shooting to make sure he's high enough to have insulin at all.
3. Feed to make sure he's willing to eat and shoot....should be done within 5-10 minutes
4. Get at least 1 mid-cycle test sometime between +5 and +7....if you can, vary it...one day get a +5, another day get a +7, etc. If you can get more tests, that's even better.
5. Get at least a "before bed" test on the PM cycle....if you can't get mid-cycle tests on the AM cycle due to work, it's even more important to try to get a couple of tests on the PM cycle.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Feline Diabetes ;)
 
Kathleen, how is the testing going? I just peeked at your spreadsheet and see that Bet got a BLUE 162 at +6 dated 11/12/18. What about today?
It's important to always get a test before shooting insulin, to make sure it's safe to do so. Are you only dosing once a day ? because the spreadsheet does not reflect a PM dose. Column O is for the BG test before the PM dose in column P. It's important to keep good records, as I suspect Bet is going to need a reduction at some point.
 
Idjit's mom said:
Kathleen, how is the testing going? I just peeked at your spreadsheet and see that Bet got a BLUE 162 at +6 dated 11/12/18. What about today?
It's important to always get a test before shooting insulin, to make sure it's safe to do so. Are you only dosing once a day ? because the spreadsheet does not reflect a PM dose. Column O is for the BG test before the PM dose in column P. It's important to keep good records, as I suspect Bet is going to need a reduction at some point.
Click to expand...

Hello. Yesterday's 3pm mid-time blood test was relatively easy, and this morning's (830am) was impossible. First I misread Chris & China's directions and thought they meant to feed two hours before the glucose test and I did; they meant stop feeding. In trying to get blood, Bet's ear now looks like he was in a fight. The problem is his wriggling, even wrapped up in a towel. I'd hit a spot with the lancet and try to massage his ear to get out more blood. He struggled so much the blood would smear on his ear or on me. I gave up after 30 minutes of trying and 4 test strips messed up with not enough blood on them to register, or they'd give an error message. I'm going to try to do this evening's test in a different place than I give the shot. I just don't know. I've had relatively little trouble giving him his shot at the usual place, a chair in my living room. He likes to sleep on me there. What I need are four hands.

My sister in Maryland suggested that I sing to him next test time. I'll try that. You folks suggested it too. Bet and Abby do tend to look at me strangely when I make any noise at all.

Another learning experience: don't try to give a shot after this kind of disaster, not for a while. I did and Bet was still so upset that he lurched once I got the shot in, and bent the needle. I don't know how much insulin went in, but a fairly good-sized drop was on the end of the needle when it came out. Yes, not enough time, or the bend blocked it. I can't chance giving him another shot. Bet's not growling or anything, he's just insulted at being manhandled, it seems.

I do shoot Bet twice a day, 9am and 9pm. I just have no real idea of how to fill out the spreadsheet, learning by bits and pieces. So I still don't quite understand what goes in the AMPS and PMPS blocks, but you've given me a clue. I haven't done a home pre-shot test yet, but I will try tonight - it was what I was trying to do this morning. The vet did give pre-shot tests but I guess I didn't indicate that properly on the spreadsheet. Bet was stressed so bad at the vet's, as y'all thought, that I think that's why it was so high. I was trying to give him about 48 hours after the vet's to unwind before beginning the home tests.

He's eating well of the Fancy Feast classic pates. Other than that, my biggest challenge is the glucose testing. He's doing well and amazingly hungry. I did read that cats new to insulin often have ravenous appetites. I'm glad because he's so underweight.

Any suggestions in this mess, I will take gladly. Thanks for the info...

Wish me luck.
Kathy
 
Of course I wish you luck, and I can identify. Idjit was not cooperative at all, and I am lucky enough to have DH here to help with testing, he is my extra two arms and hands. Even then, at first it was a struggle, until Idjit came to realize that it wasn't so bad after all and he always got a treat. He is crazy about food so that helped.
When you look at your spreadsheet, you will see columns named alphabetically from left to right at the top, A-Z then AA.
Column A is the date, column B is AMPS, which means the BG test before shooting the first dose of insulin in the morning. Column C then is the amount of the insulin dose, in your case, 1 U. Then the next columns are "plus" columns, indicating one hour, two hours, 3 hours, etc from the time of the first insulin shot. Then you get to Column O, and you type in the BG test results before the evening dose of insulin: Column P. After Column P, there is another 12 hours in which you can type in tests through the night, if you get them. Most of us cannot get a lot of night tests, but some have to if there is a hypo event and they are tracking and raising that BG level. If you can, when you get more comfortable with testing, try to get a before bed test, just to see where the BG is going. The spreadsheet is going to get very routine for you, and you may not see the need to type in the values every time, but it is important to track this information and have it updated all the time.
Bet is a good boy, and he just doesn't understand what's going on.
Review the home testing tips and the picture of the "sweet spot" again. We test the outer area of the inside of Idjit's ear, because I can see where I am poking better. We also compress the poked area for a few seconds to stop bleeding and preventt bruising, then a little Neoporin or Equate pain relief ointment. Using a little vaseline on the area before poking also helped the blood drop bead up so I could get the strip in there and get it. It takes practice is all, you are new, don't give up.
 
I got a successful pre-shot glucose test this morning. Yay! It only took two lancet tries. I learned that Bet not only has to be wrapped in a towel as recommended but since he escapes it easily he must be pinned between my knees too. Sheesh! The reading was 193. I'll test again this afternoon about 6 hrs after his shot.

Now Bet won't come near me but he'll recover enough to when he's hungry or wants pets again....

Thanks so much to all of you for all of the advice and pointers. :D
Kathy
 
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