Should I give a second shot?

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TempestsMum said:
I'm absolutely shattered and feeling so ill! But I feel it's worth it!
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Oh, what is wrong, Tara? why are you feeling ill? You have the high pmps number because it looked like Tempest bounced - her body got freaked out by the green numbers (she hasn't had a normal blood sugar in some time) so her body compensated by releasing sugar. it's called a bounce
 
Carol & Murphy said:
Oh, what is wrong, Tara? why are you feeling ill? You have the high pmps number because it looked like Tempest bounced - her body got freaked out by the green numbers (she hasn't had a normal blood sugar in some time) so her body compensated by releasing sugar. it's called a bounce
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:oops: well this is a bit awkward haha I have a list of illnesses a mile long or maybe I'm just a hypochondriac I don't know. Lol I won't bore you with details but the main two I have are M.E. And Fibromyalgia.
Anyway that's about it. :confused:
please don't feel sorry for me, I get by. I promise! :) I just take a bit longer to learn things and feel confident I know what I'm doing because of the brain fog. So if I ask the same question more than once it's to try to get the information to stick. It's hard to explain ' you know the info but your brain can't call it up' like when you have something on the tip of your tongue only all the time.

I work part time, have my animals and a couple of good friends so it's all good!

It sounds awful but I'm happier giving her the shot when it's higher.. Don't take that the wrong way though I'd be delighted if she was in the normal range but while I'm learning it makes me feel as though I have a bit of leeway or something.
 
TempestsMum said:
It sounds awful but I'm happier giving her the shot when it's higher.. Don't take that the wrong way though I'd be delighted if she was in the normal range but while I'm learning it makes me feel as though I have a bit of leeway or something.
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Tara

:bighug: :bighug: :bighug: It seems so many of the people on this forum that spend so much time and energy keeping their kitties healthy are also dealing with health issues of their own. Not feeling sorry for you, just letting you know that people care..if you are on this site you are an animal lover supreme and we all stick together.. :bighug: :bighug: :bighug:


Your comment about being happier with higher numbers is very easy to understand. When the numbers are high you don't have to worry about whether to give a shot, or reduce or skip...it just makes it so much easier. You'll get comfortable with the lower numbers soon enough ;)
 
Oh Tara - I didn't mean to pry into your private life I thought you were feeling ill because of Tempest's blood sugar
I am so sorry - I would never have asked such a personal question
I too know what you mean about being happier shooting a higher number When I think about how I loaded up Murphy with carbs when he got close to a blue number at night --:nailbiting: maybe that is why he is so hard to regulate now

Tempest is doing great, Tara, and so are you
please take care of yourself
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
Tara

:bighug: :bighug: :bighug: It seems so many of the people on this forum that spend so much time and energy keeping their kitties healthy are also dealing with health issues of their own. Not feeling sorry for you, just letting you know that people care..if you are on this site you are an animal lover supreme and we all stick together.. :bighug: :bighug: :bighug:


Your comment about being happier with higher numbers is very easy to understand. When the numbers are high you don't have to worry about whether to give a shot, or reduce or skip...it just makes it so much easier. You'll get comfortable with the lower numbers soon enough ;)
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Carol & Murphy said:
Oh Tara - I didn't mean to pry into your private life I thought you were feeling ill because of Tempest's blood sugar
I am so sorry - I would never have asked such a personal question
I too know what you mean about being happier shooting a higher number When I think about how I loaded up Murphy with carbs when he got close to a blue number at night --:nailbiting: maybe that is why he is so hard to regulate now

Tempest is doing great, Tara, and so are you
please take care of yourself
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It's all good, I would rather have understanding and empathy from people than someone feeling sorry for me as sympathy doesn't help anyone.
I have a good work life balance thanks to a particular doctor at my surgery who helped me get out of the cycle of working myself to a standstill and not being able to get back on my feet for months to holding down my current job for 8 years (and I've only had 2 and a half days off sick in that time as I manage my bad days when I'm off work) :)

In a way it's taught me many things like patience, understanding and being organised with my time and energy, cutting the negative people and things from my life (it really is too short!) so while it sounds negative (and truth is it is a negative thing) it is true - every cloud has a silver lining and it helps to focus on what those are, at least for me.

Lol it's funny you say that, if someone doesn't like animals it makes me suspicious!

Thank you for all those hugs! :bighug::bighug::bighug:

I'm glad you understand that high number thing. I'm Still checking on her every 30 minutes or so and probably will for a long time to come :smuggrin: I'm going to do a test later - as late as I can just to put my mind at rest before I sleep.
 
True confessions.....I remember feeding Menace syrup the first time I saw a green number and pacing around my coffee table rehearsing the fastest route to the emergency vet waiting to retest her even though she wasn't low enough to be in any danger. Those first low numbers are tough without a doubt. Like everything else, they do get easier to deal with over time and you are doing a great job with Tempest. :bighug::bighug::bighug:

TempestsMum said:
if someone doesn't like animals it makes me suspicious
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I agree. There was an author named Will Judy who wrote quotes about dogs but his heartfelt feelings apply to cats or any animals for that matter. One of my favourites is "I have a hard time liking otherwise good people, who do not like animals." :D
 
Oh wow Tara! I'm so impressed that you are handling things so well while dealing with your own medical issues. You're doing GREAT!!!
 
Thank you! :) I just get on with things to be honest.

So this mornings reading was as I expected so went ahead and gave the 0.50U
Unfortunately after an hour and a half of trying 'nadir' last night I didn't manage to get a bg. So a bit disappointed. But I'm so tired that I'm sure that's why. Can't wait to get a full nights sleep lol
 
TempestsMum said:
Thank you! :) I just get on with things to be honest.

So this mornings reading was as I expected so went ahead and gave the 0.50U
Unfortunately after an hour and a half of trying 'nadir' last night I didn't manage to get a bg. So a bit disappointed. But I'm so tired that I'm sure that's why. Can't wait to get a full nights sleep lol
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The higher numbers last night and this morning are to be expected after the drop down into the lower numbers yesterday. This is a good example of a bounce, which can take a day or two to clear.

Now that you are giving a lower dose hopefully you will be able to give doses both morning and evening and this should help to smooth out the numbers.

Hope you had a good sleep last night. :bighug:
 
If you find you're having a tough time getting a test in, take a break. We usually suggest trying 3 times...then giving kitty a treat and walking away for 10 minutes. Give you both a chance to calm down and try again in a bit! I've had to do that a few times.

Sounds like you need a break! Here's hoping the next few days are easy and gentle on you!
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
The higher numbers last night and this morning are to be expected after the drop down into the lower numbers yesterday. This is a good example of a bounce, which can take a day or two to clear.

Now that you are giving a lower dose hopefully you will be able to give doses both morning and evening and this should help to smooth out the numbers.

Hope you had a good sleep last night. :bighug:
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Sharon14 said:
What's that?!:p Seriously, it will get easier. Tempests ears will learn to bleed, so those missed tests will become fewer and as you learn how the insulin works in her body the worry will lessen.:bighug:
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:bighug::bighug::bighug:

I think I lay down and passed out until my alarm went off at 2am haha! Tonight I will probably sleep through and try tomorrow night for the night nadir.

@Carol & Murphy , Tuxedo Mom thank you that explains it perfectly. I know it's only been a couple of days and that it will take time. :) It's just dramatic to see lol
once I get used to it I will be much calmer about it all and hopefully things will smooth out. Right now I'm having eek moments when it drops lol

My AT strips arrived this morning of course lol

Tempests ears are always so cold, lunchtime today I tried to warm them enough but still couldn't get them to the point where they would bleed. She absolutely refuses to let me put a small warm rice sock or anything else near them so had to try to use my fingers to rub them, takes ages..

Rachel said:
If you find you're having a tough time getting a test in, take a break. We usually suggest trying 3 times...then giving kitty a treat and walking away for 10 minutes. Give you both a chance to calm down and try again in a bit! I've had to do that a few times.

Sounds like you need a break! Here's hoping the next few days are easy and gentle on you!
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I hope so too! Going to try desensitising her to something warm on her ear, my life would be easier and getting the tests easier! I have done that when she gets stressy and back when she's calmer :) saves my sanity lol
 
Murphy hates the rice sock as well Sometimes I just get close to him, and put my mouth close to his ear and mouth breath- the warm breathe can warm the ear and he doesn't mind that at all - might give that a try
 
TempestsMum said:
She absolutely refuses to let me put a small warm rice sock or anything else near them so had to try to use my fingers to rub them, takes ages..
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There were times in the beginning that I would actually get really close to the ears and carefully exhale on them..sort of like when you blow on your hands to warm them..but done in a more sneaky fashion. Sheesh!! The things we do for our kitties. :banghead:
 
Haha she got a hot rice sock body massage.. And blew on her ears, result first time. And she's 250 which is very close to 200... Heart attack time again do I go ahead and Give her the .50u?
 
TempestsMum said:
Haha she got a hot rice sock body massage.. And blew on her ears, result first time. And she's 250 which is very close to 200... Heart attack time again do I go ahead and Give her the .50u?
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You could shoot the 1/2 unit IF you are okay with staying up and testing. You shot a 254 yesterday morning and Tempest got down to 72 which is a good safe number. But she didn't hit the 72 until +6, so you might need to test a bit longer after the evening shot. If you have test strips and are able to stay up or even set an alarm and do a couple of tests after the shot then you could shoot.
 
If you are not able to do tests until about the +6 mark then you could give 1/4 unit instead and do a test before bed. What works best for you?
 
Yes I've 49 AT strips which arrived this morning yay! and 40 something FS lite strips so can do that. I can set alarms to check so I get some sleep. If I did a +3 +6 and +7 would that be enough?
 
TempestsMum said:
Yes I've 49 AT strips which arrived this morning yay! and 40 something FS lite strips so can do that. I can set alarms to check so I get some sleep. If I did a +3 +6 and +7 would that be enough?
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If you are comfortable doing that those times would be great..the +3 would give a good idea of whether Tempest is going to drop much and the +6 will be around nadir time.

With the fact that you are using the AT2 pet meter, because it reads higher than human meters you could actually raise your no shot number up to 250. It all depends on what you are comfortable with. Tempest had good numbers yesterday morning with this dose and almost the same preshot number.
 
Echoing Tuxedo Mom here. Yes I think that testing schedule looks good. Just know that if you are too tired to stay up that long, it's OK to skip too. We've all done that because you need to keep you in good shape first and foremost and one day of higher numbers isn't going to be a problem.
 
I feel it's really important at this stage to get a good idea of how this 1/2 unit is working for her so am more than happy to do this tonight and it would put my mind at rest. I want more numbers to see what's going on. :)

I will go to bed earlier so that I'm sleeping through the first part and awake for the 'drop' to the nadir and (prays) the way back up.

She's not eating well at the minute and holding out for the chicken I'm giving her when she gets the bg test. Little smarty pants :cat:
 
TempestsMum said:
I feel it's really important at this stage to get a good idea of how this 1/2 unit is working for her so am more than happy to do this tonight and it would put my mind at rest. I want more numbers to see what's going on. :)

I will go to bed earlier so that I'm sleeping through the first part and awake for the 'drop' to the nadir and (prays) the way back up.

She's not eating well at the minute and holding out for the chicken I'm giving her when she gets the bg test. Little smarty pants :cat:
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Did Tempest eat enough that you could call it a small meal? If she just nibbled, I would try to get her to eat some more before you go lie down so that there is food in her system when the insulin kicks in. The +3 test will be a good indicator if she is going to drop a lot. The +6 test will tell you more or less how low she drops so if you could manage those 2 that would be good data. If Tempest should be a lot lower at the +3 test please repost and ask whether you need to give any higher carb or whatever may be needed. :bighug:
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
Did Tempest eat enough that you could call it a small meal? If she just nibbled, I would try to get her to eat some more before you go lie down so that there is food in her system when the insulin kicks in. The +3 test will be a good indicator if she is going to drop a lot. The +6 test will tell you more or less how low she drops so if you could manage those 2 that would be good data. If Tempest should be a lot lower at the +3 test please repost and ask whether you need to give any higher carb or whatever may be needed. :bighug:
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Lol yes she got several flakes of chicken I'm bribing her lots at bg time. So I'd say a small handful of it. Maybe 4 or 5 tablespoons.
 
TempestsMum said:
Lol yes she got several flakes of chicken I'm bribing her lots at bg time. So I'd say a small handful of it. Maybe 4 or 5 tablespoons.
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Sounds good!! :) Yes..we do tend to over-bribe our kitties. I have one that was low today so I had to test a lot. The other one was upset because he wasn't getting snacks and treats so I had to give him some too. The one got HC for her low numbers and the other got roast beef...they eat better than me :rolleyes:
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
Sounds good!! :) Yes..we do tend to over-bribe our kitties. I have one that was low today so I had to test a lot. The other one was upset because he wasn't getting snacks and treats so I had to give him some too. The one got HC for her low numbers and the other got roast beef...they eat better than me :rolleyes:
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It's done :) she's a bit Whiney about it but it takes seconds so she doesn't seem to mind it just so much. She's in the kitchen now making lots of noise with her new pink mouse - love she's so vocal, she practically talks as when she was a kitten I always talked to her. I gave the half again. I will get a test before bed too in a couple of hours these are the numbers I really want to see.
I think 250 is good for me at the minute. :) I might get braver later but now that's good for me. :bighug:
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Sometimes I think I cook more for my kitties than I do for me! I have a senior citizen whose getting fussier by the day as to what he will and won't eat so I am compensating with appropriately cooked "people food" to keep his calories up.
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Lol! I know the feeling! Especially at the moment. I'm literally down to my last £20 my bank accounts are cleaned out. There's (hopefully) enough to cover my bills and I'm eating what's in the cupboards and thank goodness there's enough there to do me a while. I drink a lot of tea but into the herbal stuff now as only like 2 proper tea bags left!
 
I was joking with someone earlier. I had to go out for meat to make kitty food, litter, HC and MC food, supplements, and some supplies for testing. I said if I was lucky I might have enough left over for a cheap bottle of wine. :rolleyes:
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
I was joking with someone earlier. I had to go out for meat to make kitty food, litter, HC and MC food, supplements, and some supplies for testing. I said if I was lucky I might have enough left over for a cheap bottle of wine. :rolleyes:
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Lol! I might treat myself to a wee drinky poo actually I think I've earned it! (And then some!)

Yeah I will be fine now that the bulk of it is gotten and my brother kindly loaned me the money for the meter so I will be back on my feet when my insurance check arrives for the dogs meds. I can get caught up.

Do you make your own food? o_O For the kitties?
 
The initial costs always seem to be overwhelming when first diagnosed. I try not to remember what all the vet visits and extra tests cost me :(

I have been doing my own food for 9 1/2 years now. It took my girlie a little longer to go for it since she really liked the commercial wet and dry food. My guy couldn't have cared less...if it was food he was happy...total food vacuum he is. But now they are both fine with home-made. I am sure my girlie has been throwing me low numbers lately to get some of the MC and HC kitty crack wet though..little bugger
cat.gif
 
How do you make it? I'd be interested, or is there a thread somewhere with the details?

I swear they train us well!! Lol

I bought some food with gravy tonight just in case I needed it later.
 
TempestsMum said:
How do you make it? I'd be interested, or is there a thread somewhere with the details?

I swear they train us well!! Lol

I bought some food with gravy tonight just in case I needed it later.
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When I get a chance I will post my recipe. Another person that does home made and has a great recipe is Bron and Sheba. I will see if I can find her recipe. It is far superior to mine.

Good thing to have MC and HC wet food on hand ...just in case. That is part of the hypo kit you should have, along with some type of honey or syrup.
 
Menace, my sweet kibble addict, threw a hissy fit this afternoon an hour and a half after her late morning snack so I gave her a teaspoon of canned food figuring if she was hungry enough she might dig in. No joy AGAIN! I'd gladly cook for her if she'd eat it but if it doesn't crunch, she's not having any of it. Maybe I should cook something to a crisp?? :woot:
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
When I get a chance I will post my recipe. Another person that does home made and has a great recipe is Bron and Sheba. I will see if I can find her recipe. It is far superior to mine.

Good thing to have MC and HC wet food on hand ...just in case. That is part of the hypo kit you should have, along with some type of honey or syrup.
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Brilliant, not sure about it till I know more but I would be willing to consider it.

I used to feed my dogs a barf diet until my vet threw a complete fit about it.. The dogs enjoyed it!

I've honey at hand too. I don't know what Karo syrup is though.

MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Menace, my sweet kibble addict, threw a hissy fit this afternoon an hour and a half after her late morning snack so I gave her a teaspoon of canned food figuring if she was hungry enough she might dig in. No joy AGAIN! I'd gladly cook for her if she'd eat it but if it doesn't crunch, she's not having any of it. Maybe I should cook something to a crisp?? :woot:
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Haha! Might work, maybe! Not sure about the taste of the charcoal mind you lol
 
Corn syrup, table syrup, pancake syrup, maple syrup anything syrup or honey will all work as a quick boost for glucose if numbers get really low.
 
I found a PM I had done for another member a while way back with my recipe. It is not the total best and I am sure I am missing some details but here it is anyway:

A typical batch is:
7 lbs grassfed beef
1 lb grassfed beef heart and liver (I also use pork, chicken or lamb liver as long as it is local naturally raised)
1 cup organic broccoli
1/2 cup organic rolled oats
3 organic eggs

I cook the brocolli and oats in a saucepan with purified water
I lightly cook the beef, hearts/liver and eggs in an electric frying pan

Once the foods have cooled a bit I use a food processor to mix and mince the brocolli/oat and meat mixtures and add supplements. The food comes out the consistency of a pate.

With the processor I have it takes about 6 containers full to process. Each container full I add 1000mg taurine, 400IU Vitamin E and 500mg fish oil. I portion this out into containers (each one is good for 2 days for 2 cats) and freeze them. A batch of this size will last about 3 weeks. I also do my own bone broth and give some of this to Tuxie every day. His sister is a diva and will not eat bone broth :rolleyes:. When I do chicken or pork or roasts or whatever I do not use any spices and I give some of this to my kitties as treats and snacks.

Cost wise it is more expensive than using Friskies, but much cheaper than using the prescription or high end meats.


I will try to get Bron's recipe since it is superior to mine.

ETA The nice thing about my recipe is that if you are hungry this actually tastes very good on a cracker heated up with a bit of onion or jalepeno added.
 
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That sounds yummy! Haha I'd eat that!

Mind you when I was a kid, about 6 or 7 cat food used to be better quality than it is now. I umm tucked into a tin of rabbit whiskas until an adult caught me.. :woot: It must have been pretty tasty! Hahaha
 
I used to freak out my son's friends when he lived at home. I would be doing kitty food and they would say "what are you cooking?" I would say kitty food and ask if they wanted to try it. Of course...NO..then I would take a teaspoon full and eat it and say how yummy it was. One of his friends almost threw up.

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I knew if forgot something in my recipe. :banghead: I add ground organic eggs shells for the calcium and trace minerals. I am sure there is more I forgot.
 
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