14 Sept | Girlie | PM+3=49; +5=59; +8.5 = 59 What to do with am dose?

Condo: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/4-sept-girlie-amps-112-dose-increase-coming.202115/

I increased Girlie from a drop to 0.1 for her PM shot tonight, but she's reacted really quickly to it: at PM +3.5 she's already at 49. Does this mean that I go back to a drop in the morning? Hmmm...not sure what to do about this.

She'd been having blue after blue, and most of her other numbers were in the high greens, so it seemed reasonable to try a dose increase. Maybe I just have to hang in through the one drop and see how she goes though...?

 

Earned a reducie

 

Hi Darrah! Nice to see you. I'd hang onto this dose, Girlie is long term diabetic, I'd suggest you follow once under 40 or three times/different days under 50. You are in weekend mode now, so you can see how she goes for the next few days. Just my thoughts, it's what I'd do.

 

Hi Christie! So good to see you and Maverick!

Yes, I was wondering about that as she was diagnosed back at the end of June 2017, so she's now over the one year mark...sigh...sigh...sigh... One of the reasons I wanted to start the higher dose tonight was because I knew she'd drop quickly on it. I'm supposed to go out tomorrow afternoon from 2 to 5 pm, but I can always give her MC or HC food. She's come up pretty quickly for me, which I expected:

+2.5 = 59 (1% food)
+3.5 = 49 (1% food)
+4 = 49 (8% food)
+4.5 = 61 (10% food)

How are you and Mav?

 

You could give her higher carbs so she starts a little higher before the onset.

 

We're doing very well, thanks for asking . He likes to do his usual few days in a row of nice cycles, then back into yellows, and still throws me a surprise now and again...I sigh a lot too . But he's a very happy, playful and cuddly boy, which makes me happy. Girlie really looks amazing, you've done such a great job, hope this increase gets her more lower greens

I agree, when you go out, you can leave higher carb food if you need it, I think you have a good handle on carbs etc., and what works for Girlie, you did enough experimenting back in the day lol

Surf safely tonight Girlie, no teasing the sharkies

 

Beautiful Mav - I just love that face! The most important thing is that he's happy and playful and cuddly...

It's so strange - it's been so long since Girlie has gone so low and I've had to do the "prevent a hypo" dance. I did it so often in the past - you're right - it's second nature. But I have no idea how I went all those months doing this almost every night, or at least not getting much sleep because I had to test, just in case! No wonder I ended up in hospital...sigh...

She's skirting very close to the sharkies and morning isn't far off for us...

 

I can't believe that I fell asleep and didn't leave food out! Well, I can, because I'm tired and not used to staying up all night with her anymore... I must have slept through the last alarm...

At PM+8:30 she's only 50. I've given her 4% food but probably should have given her higher carbs, right, Mandy? The problem is that I've either got 12% and up (which she loves) or 8 and 10% (which she doesn't). Sigh.

I certainly don't want to shoot her with 0.1 again, I don't think, if she's this low....right? Or if I do, I'd have to give her high carb food so she doesn't dive bomb... oh boy... what to do?

I'm assuming that you agree that I should go for three low 49s before I reduce the dose as Girlie has gone over the year mark - right? (although she only started Levemir about six or seven months ago, so I don't know whether you count a year from first diagnosis or a year if you change insulins, but I assume it's a year since first diagnosis)...

 

So I increased Girlie's dose last night from a drop to 0.1 and she dive bombed to 49 and has stayed low all night. Any thoughts on what I should do in the am? I'm assuming that I wait until she gets two more 49 or under before I reduce her dose back to a drop and that I should just carb her up to keep her numbers up away from shark territory. I'm assuming that she'll probably have quite a low AMPS. Any suggestions or other thoughts would be really appreciated - thank you!

 

PM +9:30 = 69

 

I would have done the 4%, too, because it was late in the cycle.

I wonder if you should try 2 drops like @Bobbie And Bubba did for a while. I feel 0.1u is too much but 1 drop wasn't enough. Let's see what Bobbie thinks.

 

You read my mind! I was also wondering how many drops were in 0.1 and whether 2 drops would work better. Given that she's starting at 76 this morning, I'm tempted to go with that instead.

I assume that I'd just use two syringes and draw a drop in each. I wouldn't know another way to do it - do you? Perhaps @Bobbie And Bubba would have some tips on that...

 

I remember @Mandy & Rex suggested to Bobbie to take up 0.1u in the syringe and count how many drops are in it...so let's say you count 4 drops, to get 2 drops, you push out 2 and you'll have 2 left .

 

I think I would try 2 drops too. Bubba had the same problem with 1 not doing so then I tried 2 drops. I see @Christie & Maverick told you how to achieve getting 2 drops. For my syringe, it was 4 drops to 0.1 dose so I just turned out 2 drops. I use calipers so I could make sure that was accurate. Your syringes might be different, more or less drops to the 0.1 dose.

Find a syringe that is marked accurately. When you push in the plunger with a little bit of pressure, the zero line should be even with the bottom of the plunger.

 

Since Girlie is a long zero diabetic, I would hold the dose, 49 does not earn a reduction for her. The protocol says to hold for an under 40. Some people use an alternative of three under 50. Of course, a week in solid green earns a reduction too.

Some cats react strongly on the first cycle of an increase, then fade out after while. Girlie was on a drop for a really long time, no wonder she responded.

It would be interesting to see how many drops are in your 0.1 dose. The BD's I used were awful and the last while I was dosing under the zero line, there was so much room between the line and the bottom.

 

Thanks so much everyone for all of the advice and suggestions. I use the Insulin ruler for anything other than a drop. When I first started using the insulin ruler it was crazy how different every dose was on the syringe vs the ruler: no way was she getting a steady, accurate dose every day just by going on the lines on the syringes.

This morning I gave her two drops, but I did it by just using two syringes and drawing a drop in each the way I usually do. She gave me a long suffering look for giving her two shots, but I thought that I'd be somewhat accurate that way, at least.

Her AMPS was 76.
+3:30 = 50, but I took that about 15 minutes after she got into Maxi's 1% food

I hope she just goes for a week of solid greens! I'm going to be dashing home from work every day at her +4 to make sure she's okay.

I have become so complacent with her being so steady on just a drop. I'll have to make sure the pet sitter doesn't skip so many shots in November when I go see mom for Thanksgiving, even if she has to shoot an hour late in the evening. Then again, it's not like Girlie was in low greens before that: just steady, reliable, safe numbers. We'll see where she goes with this.

Thanks again Wendy, @Bobbie And Bubba , @Christie & Maverick , and @Mandy & Rex