STALLING -Need Advice

[Heather and Khouklo]

Brand New here....

****don't currently know how to manually home test

******using lantus pen with pen needles

****currently don't have syringe needles but planning to try to get some today unless i must have a script which i can't get until tomorrow

using Freestyle Libre 14 day sensor but sensor stopped working around 8am.

It collected data to about 8am which was before i woke up and got a chance to scan for an actual number.

he is due to be given a shot at 10am.

all i can tell is that at about
****8am his BG was 175

***yesterday :
10am - 1 unit lantus , BG at time of injection: 262
10pm - 1 unit lantus, BG at time of injection: 206

***today
8am - :BG: 175

(graph of curve above)

i don't know how to decide if i should give him his 1 unit shot since i only know what his level was at 2 hours ago at 8am and see without syringes i can't give him a smaller dose.

 

[Juls and Billy]

Hello Heather and welcome to the forum. Since you can't retest, and at the moment, you can't do a smaller dose, it would be perfectly fine to skip a dose. The forum recommends skipping if the BGL is under 200 at first, until an owner has enough experience with their cat to have a good idea how the insulin will effect them. I'll post this right now, in case you are waiting for a response, and make another post to say more.

 

[Juls and Billy]

Now, if you are skipping a dose, you may want to test for ketones. Most members do that with inexpensive ketostix you can buy at the pharmacy--they test for ketones in urine. There's information on ketones and testing at this link.

It would be a great idea to be able to test yourself when you need to, even with the Libre. There's no need to buy an expensive pet meter, most members use inexpensive human meters to check BGL. For instance, I use a ReliOn Premier from Walmart, that has very inexpensive strips. Here's a link with tips about testing.

For members here to give you the best advice, it would be awesome if you could fill out a spreadsheet for Khouklo. There's good information about that at : New? How you can help us help you! You've got your signature started, which is great. You may want to add what kind of food you are feeding and what country you live in.

There's a ton of good information on this site. I especially suggest the sticky posts in the Health Links/ FAQs section.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

currently don't have syringe needles but planning to try to get some today unless i must have a script which i can't get until tomorrow

Depending on the state you live in, you may need a script but most states don't....but even if they do, most will sell you 10 syringes even without a script if you're over 18

i don't know how to decide if i should give him his 1 unit shot since i only know what his level was at 2 hours ago at 8am and see without syringes i can't give him a smaller dose.

I agree with Juls...better to skip, especially since you currently have no way to get tests in.

If you live in the US, a quick trip to WalMart will get you everything you need to start testing! A Relion Prime blood glucose meter ($9), strips ($17.88/100) and a box of lancets ($2-10 depending on brand) is all you really need. I also liked having those cotton round cosmetic pads so I had something behind China's ear when I poked (to protect my finger) and then after testing, I'd just fold it over to apply pressure on the poky spot to stop the bleeding and prevent bruising. You don't need a lancet device, but some people like them. I just freehanded the lancet...it was easier for me to see where I was poking.

Here's a good video on testing but there are lots of them on YouTube

 

[Heather and Khouklo]

Texas shouldn't but I'll find out when i get there. vet said she would give me script when she's back in the office tomorrow.... so i should be good! thanks!

 

[Heather and Khouklo]

Walmart sold me the needles....no script or ID needed.

I think I've got everything...

thanks so much for the help!

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Good job! You're ready to go!

 

[Heather and Khouklo]

i did it!!!!

last injection: 10pm last night (1 unit)

skipped 10am injection today

BG: 143 at 5:30 pm

how should i proceed from here....wait to check him again right before he's due for his next dose at 10pm?

****fyi I will be getting a new libre sensor put on him tomorrow

but now i can check him tonight and tomorrow morning!

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

That's great!! …..and that's a pretty nice number too!!

how should i proceed from here....wait to check him again right before he's due for his next dose at 10pm?

Yes, you want to make sure he doesn't eat for 2 hours before shot times (so you get a test that's not influenced by food) and then Feed and shoot. Most of us T/F/S all in 5-10 minutes.

You Test to make sure they're high enough for insulin at all, Feed to make sure they're at least willing to eat and Shoot.

Also, if you want to change his shot schedule (like shoot at an earlier time), you can do that tonight too since you skipped this morning.

As for the Libre, that's totally up to you. Personally for the price and aggravation, I'd just stick with blood glucose testing with the new meter. There's no guarantee the 2nd one will stay on or work for a full 2 weeks either. We've seen them come off within hours of placement as well as "shutting off" long before the 2 weeks is up too.

 

[Heather and Khouklo]

got it, thank you! so good to know that i can change his shot time because honestly i need it closer to 11. I have a sleep disorder and i need to able to sleep as long as my body will alllow.

i think i will use the libre sensor at least one more time for my comfort and to at least have it in order to get me through my first glucose curve test on Friday. (we had to glue that thing down because he almost scratched it off right away. it lasted 6 days) i bought some transparent waterproof dressings that i think might help hold the sensor down assuming it didn't interfer with the sensor. im going to ask my vet about it tomorrow.

I'll see how i feel about it after testing him again tonight and then in the morning.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

got it, thank you! so good to know that i can change his shot time because honestly i need it closer to 11. I have a sleep disorder and i need to able to sleep as long as my body will alllow.

When we first started, I did China's at 11/11 because I've always HATED mornings ..even as a child I didn't usually get to sleep until around 5am (which made getting up to go to school a real drag) so I figured, hey, this will work!!

Then she started having lots of low numbers at night and I would literally have to stay up all night long testing to make sure she was OK....Well, I'm not a child anymore and staying up all night long isn't as easy as it used to be, so despite my continued hatred of mornings, I changed her to a 6am/6pm schedule.

I still hated getting up at 6am, but I got to the point where I could T/F/S without really truly waking up and then I could snuggle back into bed and sleep awhile longer. And by shooting at 6pm, I was easily able to stay up until at least +6 to +8 (I'm still a night owl most nights) so I didn't have to worry about her dropping too low at night when I finally did get to sleep.

Both options have their good and bad points.