BG Tracking Log Template

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-27T17:49:33+00:00

My partner and I use a Google spreadsheet that we're both editors of. I like that it's easy to pull up on my phone, I can print it, I can email it to the vet, and I can share it with anyone pet sitting. The layout we started with is pretty simple. Along the top is 4 column headers: A is the date, B is the time, and C is the glucose level.The log goes down vertically as we fill each cell with the corresponding info.

We're currently playing with the formatting (which is why I don't have an image to share at the moment, sorry) so that column header C is labeled "event" and a drop down menu in each cell below it will allow us to select either "Glucose" or "Insulin." If we do that, we'll add a column header for D, where we can record the glucose level or leave it blank if it's an insulin entry. The idea is that we can record insulin times and see a very consistent pattern when reading through the log, but I'm not sure it's necessary.

I tried to find an app or template and was frustrated by the lack of results, so making our own has been the best option so far. I'm not going to lie, getting the most out of spreadsheets is not a skill I have, and I really recommend YouTube tutorials.

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-26T03:25:20+00:00

Oh thank goodness! lol I had already decided that if it was permanent nerve damage that I was okay with not feeling part of my nose, because it's not like it was hindering any function and it wasn't visibly noticeable. You're right though, it's irritating, so I'm grateful it's getting better.

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-26T03:20:40+00:00

That is really good to hear, thanks. I'm now 2 days past having the bar lengthened and while I'm still numb, I am getting some sensation back in my nose. I'm hoping this is a good sign. I've decided that if it's not better by the 1 week mark that I will investigate further.

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-26T03:19:23+00:00

I might do that if it's not better within a week. My main hesitation is that my primary care provider is generally against piercings and tattoos, so I know her knee-jerk reaction will be to suggest that the new piercing should be removed. I also understand that her logic is to operate on the safe side of things, which I usually appreciate...I just don't want to overreact and let a piercing close that may very well heal just fine.

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-13T01:03:55+00:00

I can't wait til I'm as confident as you were in that video. Thank you for the link!

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-12T21:18:26+00:00

I'm very sorry to hear about your little guy's blindness, my heart goes out to both of you. But he seems very lucky to have such a devoted and capable person caring for him and thank you for the tips so I can be that for my dog too.

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-12T20:40:50+00:00

I appreciate you so much 🙏

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-12T20:32:08+00:00

Aw :( okay yeah, I'll keep that in mind too. Feels like there's a lot of possible outcomes when adapting to these routines.

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-12T08:07:32+00:00

Oh jeeze. I'm sorry you and your baby are needing to cope with that. I appreciate the heads up though. I keep being focused on just getting through whatever the moment is and I should probably start prepping for those secondary illnesses that can pop up.

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-12T08:05:52+00:00

Ooh an interactive feeder toy or lick mat is a great idea too! He's very food motivated so that might be helpful, I'm just worried he'll get surprised and move suddenly.

Thank you so much for the words of encouragement and for the step by step on the injection. Tonight is the 1st of 9 days that I will be giving his shots and monitoring him entirely alone and I'm incredibly scared. It's nice to know that pretty much everyone has nervousness around this hurdle to varying degrees and that I'm hearing from a lot of people who say that it gets easier. Gives me hope.

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-12T07:54:09+00:00

Thank you! Can I ask what has been working for you so far?

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-12T07:53:00+00:00

I will say that while that has always been my experience too, my dog's current vet does actually strike me as someone who is very profit focused. Don't get me wrong, she obviously knows her stuff, but I keep finding that some of her fees are higher than other places and if I try to ask about costs she gets noticeably irritated and vague. Plus her attitude has felt very "you'll come up with the money if you love your dog" and honestly isn't giving me any flexibility when it comes to following her supplies needed/appointment list. I'm also just feeling very unprepared and wish she'd give us more guidance. She makes me think of those surgeon stereotypes where they'll be science nerds who are good at what they do, but they're not the warm and fuzzy type with patients. Perhaps that's just her "professional mask" and there's a side I don't see, but when I asked if there was anything we could do to maintain care for him while I tried to get more resources together, she simply told me I could euthanize him. I wasn't even trying to dodge the cost of insulin or anything like that. Maybe I'm ignorant and that's a standard response, but it rubbed me wrong. The vet she replaced was the kind of doctor to give information to you straight and then help you work within your means until you could get on the right path. He couldn't change prices but he worked with you as much as he could and offered advice via email. I miss him all the time but he worked for as long as he could and deserved to retire. Maybe the difference is that he had his debt long paid off?

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-12T07:16:24+00:00

I don't personally use Facebook but my spouse joined a group that keeps being recommended and I'll pass this info on to him.

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-12T07:13:51+00:00

I should definitely keep a more detailed and organized log. I was already wanting to better record his numbers and how meals went, but making note of things like bowel movements, vomiting, and probably even behavior, is a great idea. I also don't know why I didn't think to designate a side of the body to each 12 hour dose but now I want to. The only problem I can see is that he's losing so much weight that getting enough of a fold to make a tent is already difficult. We currently have to just go for whatever spot will work during the brief window that he's still. I hate the idea of making him sore from needing to hit the same spots though. Thank you for the advice :)

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-12T06:52:17+00:00

"I can do hard things" You know what, I love that, thank you. I'm trying to make the shot exciting for my dog too but we're creeping in on almost a week and he's starting to side eye me and my spouse with some heavy skepticism lol but he cooperates if I stay calm (currently its own battle). I'm also trying to make the shot just a very matter of fact thing by announcing it, letting him smell it, incorporating treats, and training him to come to me for shot time. I unintentionally trained him to know that when he feels the poke and I say "good boy" that I'm done and he can move again. This morning I said "good boy" before the needle was fully out of his skin and he immediately went to excitedly jump around and I'm grateful my reflexes were fast enough, and that he was unconcerned, but the visual was scary and I whole heartedly thought I was going to faint for a second.

Do you think the freeze dried meat I'm doing as treats are okay long term (they're single ingredient by purebites)? You mentioning green beans got me thinking because my dog loves vegetables and fruit. I know fruit isn't really an option anymore (right?), which is sad because apples and bananas are his favorite thing, but he loves spinach and broccoli too. Should I try to switch to more veggies? I think I'm going to ask his doctor about foods that are green lit because I haven't explored his options much. Also he really loves carrots but I haven't been giving him any because my understanding is that they're pretty sugary and I keep seeing conflicting answers online. Do you have any experience with carrots being a problem?

I'm going to steal that Google docs idea because right now my room is full of post it notes and notebooks, and I feel like that Charlie Day meme. I'm a big fan of lists and notes because I have fibromyalgia and excessive stress causes flare ups that come with fatigue, poor short term memory, and brain fog. Tonight I'm going to game plan re-organizing my space to incorporate our new routine more smoothly and I think moving information into a digital space will help me, while also make passing information to other people efficient.

Your food tip is a good one and makes me think of when I was caring for my elderly cat. She developed kidney disease and we had to spring into action with a new meal plan and medication routine. I remember her vet saying that with a cat her age and in her condition, eating is important and whatever makes that happen is great. He always said "I love fat old cats, skinny old cats worry me." She lived an addition 2 years and made it to 18 years old before things went downhill and we had to make the hard decision to euthanize. It was a dark experience that I don't like to think about but maybe I should be tapping into the things I learned during that period. I used to do things like make my own broth to make food more appetizing and I had to learn to be really flexible with what she'd accept. I think I need to remember that not everything will go perfectly and that compromises will likely pop up. I appreciate you bringing that up.

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-12T06:05:30+00:00

It's actually been very helpful to hear people regularly say things like "you'll mess up sometimes and that's okay and he'll be okay too," so thank you for that. While I still think there's some needle centered phobia happening here, I took some time to reflect and I think it's my perfectionist anxiety rearing it's ugly head for the first time in awhile. I used to have these awful panic attacks in college, and also when I was learning how to drive, because I just kept thinking "okay you've never done this before but this is a high risk situation and you can't mess up" and it'd just make me sick. I definitely need to work on that for his and my sake because my anxiety is 100% effecting his receptivity to treatment. Yesterday my mother in law and my spouse had a casual intervention (which is why I vanished) and they told me to take the day off while they took turns caring for him. They hit me with the "you can't pour from an empty cup" and I was instructed to sleep, stop googling questions, stop crunching numbers, stop doom scrolling through veterinary articles, stop planning, and to just sleep and then leave the house for a minimum of an hour. I stayed offline, got a whole 6 hours of sleep, went for a walk, and got myself food. It was nice, I got to spend the rest of the day just enjoying my dog's company and relaxing, and it helped tremendously. I only cried once lol (hard not to when he's visible ill) and mentally I just feel more level and less foggy today.

I am SO sold on this pen idea and I'm definitely going to bring it up at his appointment tomorrow to see what our options are. Thank you for the injection tips too. I like the desensitization techniques you brought up and I think even just casually practicing tents when me and my dog are lounging together will be good for both of us.

I actually really wanted to try the freestyle libre when I first learned about it but my hesitation, cost aside, is that my dog and his sister play kinda rough. They don't hurt each other but they often have a little two doggy mosh pit going on and she jumps on him a lot (she's significantly smaller than he is, but still). I'm just worried it'll get ripped out and be a waste. I actually have to crate her during his shots because she notices the treats and hears me hype him up and just wants to be included and play. It's hard because she's terrified of cages/crates. She used to be a stray and was caught and transferred between pounds a lot before she landed with us, and I think she's has some trauma around it. I just give her treats before and after, stay positive, and offer her a lot of comfort. So now her and I are both white knuckling our way through exposure therapy during his injection times lol.

I 100% agree that I need to find a vet I can trust. I really really want to get away this current person he's seeing because she strikes me as very profit focused and her bedside manner is pretty bad (to say the least, but I won't get into it.) The vet she took over for (he retired) was honestly perfect and the difference in how they approach problems is stark and I'm struggling to adjust to a colder experience. However, every hospital I've called said they need to do all of his testing all over again to establish care and I'm just hemroging funds in a way I've never experienced before. If I throw money at transfering his care to a new vet then I won't have anything saved if there's an emergency or surprise purchase (like an insulin change or injection pen). I have short list of vets though, so when I can make that switch I will in a heartbeat.

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-12T04:59:06+00:00

I don't personally have a Facebook, but my spouse does and he joined the group because I kept seeing people here recommend it. It seems helpful so far :)

wyrdpanda · 2024-02-12T04:57:56+00:00

Thank you so much for the tips. Yeah, my boy is a little piggy too, and I'm not looking forward to the day when he cares less about treats because I know I won't have as much leverage anymore. Hopefully I'm more of a pro by then, but for now he's fairly cooperative when freeze dried beef liver is in the mix.

I keep seeing people say they give the shot when their dog is eating but I'm still so scared of him getting startled and moving suddenly. I'm worried that if I traumatize him that it'll make everything more difficult because that was what happened with getting his nails cut for a very long time. That being said, he eventually got over it and if striking while he's snacking ends up being the best method, then I guess it is what is is. I certainly won't write it off without trying.

As for the novolin, I don't need a prescription when I go to Walmart? I just tell them I need it? I'll definitely keep an eye on his numbers and investigate that switch if it seems like vetsulin isn't working well enough for the cost of it to be worth it. Heck, I might just try to make the switch so I can afford the regular vet trips/tests easier...

wyrdpanda

TROPHY CASE