? Would syrgine gauge effect giving the shot?/Food concerns

[Britty]

Hey there!

Here is my previous posts on Hollie, for a quick history.

Until the 12th, I've been feeding her Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets Cat DM Dietetic Management with some dry food linked there for free feeding (the dry food has since been mostly discontinued, and only used in some feedings for the other cat in the room, but Hollie usually ignores it)

For needles, until Valentine's day, I was using "U-100 0.3cc 29g x 1/2 inch with sharps". I thought I had an extra bag of syringes, but I was mistaken so I got the prescription filled in a human pharmacy. They only had 30g, and the vet okay'd it.

A test today at the +6 mark from the "AM" shot (2 PM/2 AM is when I do the shots, I label 2 PM as AM), she only went down by 12, and is still over 300 with 1u of lantus.

However, I also noticed Hollie hasn't been dipping below 300 before her shot. I don't have a large sample size of before I changed the food to Fancy Feast/needles (and I missed some of the AM shots since the stress of testing has been giving me really bad panic attacks, and my medication makes me sleep). but...

I'm not sure if it's because:
1: Lantus is a "depot" insulin, and those slightly below 300 were a few days after the old shots. That, and missed 3 AM shots this week.
2. The current needle is just not working with when she flinches and I'm not actually injecting the insulin (since it's such a small amount anyway)
3. The food change from Purina to Fancy Feast.

I'm still waiting before doing a full curve, as both she and I get really stressed from the blood test (was planning on doing it for one more week before trying because of how Lantus works), but here is her spreadsheet (+ labs in the other tab)

I'm going to swap back to the 29 gauge ASAP, just because they're cheaper...but I'm still not sure if I should repurchase the Purina Pro Plan even though it has higher carbs. Hollie likes the food more, but two cans a day is really expensive.

Any advice for the food? I am not going to change the insulin doses until I do a full curve + wait at least another week for more data.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

Yes, this is very stressful at the start. Please keep working at the testing because it's key to keeping your kitty safe and getting to the good dose range for her. Staying as calm and clinical as you can goes a long way in keeping her calmer. "Fake it until you feel it!" Have you looked at this?
This is useful: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

The most likely reason for the pink BGs is an insulin dose that's not high enough. The needle gauge shouldn't affect BG if you're successful in getting the insulin under her skin. Any dry food is too high in carbs, including the dry ProPlan DM. Fancy Feast pates are all good low carb options.

It's very early days for you and this all becomes much more routine over time. Hang in there!

 

[Britty]

@Kris & Teasel

Thank you very much for the response! I'm a living ball of anxiety (medication helps a lot, but it's still only can do so much) and it really hurts me to see Hollie act out in pain when I do the testing/shot. I'm really afraid she might start to associate me with pain or start disliking me because of it, even though I know she still loves me deeply. My spouse is phobic of needles/blood, so I am the only one who is able to do the tests.

It just... is hard when she flinches sometimes. Two days ago she reacted to the prick and pulled away fast, and bled pretty badly from I assume the lancet slicing her. She also managed to slice me with the lancet before I started using a washcloth under the ear. I'm getting better at getting the blood on the first shot, but sometimes I need to poke more than once and it just stresses us both out (which I imagine she is reacting too, most of the accidents seem to happen for the multiple pricks) I'll try to keep myself calmer when I fail the initial one and see if that helps.

At the very least, she's at least understanding that she needs to get poked before meal time, and waits for me at the "pricking station". So, things are getting slowly into sync. I just yearn for when it becomes routine and stops haunting me in my dreams.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

I see that green from last night and also your note about retesting. That was the right thing to do. Although it's possible to give Lantus on a pre shot BG of that level you need to get more experience before you try that.

That green is out of the previous pattern. Is she eating only low carb Fancy Feast now? Do your other kitties get any kibble and, if so, is it possible for her to get any surreptitiously? If she has absolutely no access to any dry food or other high carb food it's possible you're beginning to see the positive effects of the diet change. Her dose might have to be reduced if that's the case. The only way to know for sure is to work at a good testing routine. Here's the basic one we recommend:

1. test every day AM and PM before feeding and injecting (no food at least 2 hours before) to see if the planned dose is safe
2. test at least once near mid cycle or at bedtime daily to see how low the BG goes
3. do extra tests on days off to fill in the response picture
4. if indicated by consistently high numbers on your spreadsheet, increase the dose by no more than 0.25 u at a time so you don't accidentally go right past a good dose
5. post here for advice whenever you're confused or unsure of what to do.

I suggest you go to the Lantus forum and start reading the yellow info stickies at the top of that forum's page. There are two very clearly laid out dosing methods, TR (Tight Regulation) and SLGS (Start Low Go Slow). There are a lot of very experienced Lantus users there to guide you. A good knowledge base, support from experienced members and more confidence in your testing routine and technique will go a long way in reducing your anxiety.

 

[Amina&M'row]

Yes, it's so stressful at first, and does get better. Have you tried rewarding Kitty with a treat after needle pokes? Mine loves, for food, fancy feast classic pates, which are very good for him. Hang in, it does get better.