THANK YOU GOD! Got wilbur's blood today for the first time

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johnt

johnt

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he fights me all the time but he was very cuddly, sitting in front of me so while petting him i snuck around getting it all set up and i missed where I was trying to poke.... now I see i was poking the wrong place. when i hit the right one, a big drop of blood showed up. I wasn't expecting it. and when I went to grab the tester he did the squeeze where his ears went back and it flung the blood all over his neck. hehe

anyway, here's my question. it's 2 hours before his next meal, his blood sugar right now is 175. I'm told that with ProZinc it's not like normal insulin, it peaks at about 8 hours.

So waht's the consensus? is this a decent number?
 
Hi John, First of all congratulations on your success getting blood from Wilbur's ear. We have all experienced the ear squeeze or the really dreaded head shake (my girl's favourite trick) at one time or another. Keep your sense of humour and you will do just fine!:D

175 is not a bad number but it would be very helpful to know what type of meter you are using ....pet or human. Without a pre-shot number it's difficult to say just how well the insulin is working for Wilbur but now that you have successfully tested you will be able to determine that going forward. How long after his shot was that reading taken? Did you mean 10 hours post shot since you indicated his next meal was due in 2 hours? Some of us feed more than twice daily so I'm just guessing timelines here and that makes it difficult to really answer your question. ProZinc usually peaks between +5 and+7 hours post shot but every cat is different and some can peak a little earlier or later.

Now that you have been successful getting blood for home testing, it would be very helpful if you could set up a spreadsheet to track Wilbur's readings. HERE are the instructions and if you have any problems with it, please just holler and someone will help you. :)
 
Hello

Yes 10 hours post shot. i just tested him again, 4 hours post shot and he's at 140. is that too low? i mean i know prozinc peaks late,

now that I figured out how to test him i'm going to go nuts.

as for type? i grabbed a TRUEresult (human) from Amazon since the strips are dirt cheap. I have a freestyle lite i used for myself until i finally got past my problem. but strips are a buck a piece. what i did like thgough was the tiny amount of blood required. This TRUEresult takes at minimum double the blood the freestyle did. i could use the lancet on my forearm and not even feel it, the drop looked too small to even start, but it was enough.

However, that being said, when i've hit wilbur's ear these two times, i instantly saw a bubble twice the size I needed. So i'm worried i'm sticking him too hard. He didn't cry or even flinch though. I've got probably 500 lancets from previous supply that are unused, so i use it once and toss it

now that i know I can successfully test him I will be here frequently to get advice.

last thing, the vet i visited recommended reusing the syringe several times. does anyone really do that?
 
:):):)170 - 10 hours post shot sounds pretty good but it would be more meaningful if we knew what number he started from.

The 140 - 4 hours post shot would make me want to set an alarm and check to see where he is around hour 6 or so post shot just to be safe. He could just be starting to drop now so no telling how low he will go and it's that lowest number you need to determine to be sure Wilbur is safe and how well the dose is working for him.

Going forward, if you can get a test just before feeding and shooting insulin, and then do mid cycle tests between 3 and 8 hours post shot, you should start to get a good picture of when the insulin is peaking for Wilbur and just how low the doses are taking him.

Any numbers approaching 50 are a warning that Wilbur is going too low and you need to intervene with a bit of food and test every 20 minutes or so until his numbers are rising again. HERE is info on how to deal with low numbers should you ever find yourself in that situation.

The TrueResult meter has been discontinued in the US so going forward. it may be difficult if not impossible to get strips for it. The company has indicated you can swap our your TrueResult meter for a newer TrueMetrix. I have no idea how big a drop of blood the newer meter requires or the cost of the strips for that meter. Hopefully it will be more economical than the Freestyle and need less blood than the current TrueResult even if Wilbur is producing well now! :)
 
Hi John!

Prozinc peaks at about 5-7 hours after the shot. It can peak earlier or later depending on the cat, but for most cats, it is in the 5-7 hour range.

Yep, a test before each shot is needed to be sure he's over 200. Looks like you're getting some good numbers so far! If you can grab some mid cycle tests when you can, that would be super helpful. :)

Reusing the syringe? No. I don't do that. It can get dull after even one shot, so it can hurt more if you reuse. The vet may have suggested it as a way to help with cost, but I don't recommend it.

Congrats on your first test! We look forward to getting more data so we can see how things are going for Wilbur!
 
dang. I tried 5 times just now (meal time) and he wouldn't sit still. i missed all 5 times and got just the tiniest spot. not enough.

I'll have to keep trying. i'm sure i'll get better, just like i did since i have to pill him twice a day and shots twice a day. i'm very good at both of those he doesnt even care when i do the shot. doesn't like opening his mouth but i learned how to get it right on the back of his tongue so he swallows.

I'm sure this will get easier.

believe me, 2 in one day is monumental comparatively for me. I've been so bad at it i've been taking him to the vet for tests at 20 bucks a pop
 
ugh, they really need to add a br statement to this post template so it would add a line between the post and signature.

if anyone here that has access wants to know how i can tell you, i run some really big forums (with this software. xenforo is from the original vBulletin team)
 
John, is it possible Wilbur is getting ansty because he's very hungry? If so, while you are getting him used to testing, you could feed him a small portion of his meal to get him settled a bit, test immediately before that food gets into his system, and then give him the rest of his meal. My girl is super co-operative 99% of the time, but if I happen to be a bit late with a meal and she is super hungry, she can be a whirling dervish to deal with. It will get easier as Wilbur gets accustomed to the routine and you hone your technique for dealing with him.

Make sure Wilbur's ear is warm when you are testing. Many use a rice sock or pill bottle with warm water in it, to hold on the ear for a few seconds to warm it up. As you continue to test, Wilbur will grow more capillaries in his ears and bleed better for you. Also make sure you put something behind his ear to give you a more solid place to poke like a folded up tissue or cotton ball.

What size lancets are you using? It's easier to get blood if you use alternate site lancets that are 26-28 gauge. Most of the lancets that come with the glucometers these days are 31-33 gauge which are very tiny and make getting enough blood more difficult when you first start testing.

The other thing folks find helpful is to designate a special testing place. Take Wilbur there without testing and play with his ears and then give him a treat just to get him used to the process. Usually it's not the testing itself that is the problem. It's the fact that we are holding onto their ears and they don't like being restrained.
 
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