3/27 Elizabeth PMPS 96, +2 79, +3 82, +4.5 96, +6 96, +8 86, +11 105

Status
Not open for further replies.
ah...okay on +4, which suits me just fine. I don't know when to worry that the drop may go too low! Back to the books! :bookworm:
Thank you!
 
Looking good so far today Elizabeth! Unfortunately getting to know when you can test less does mean testing a bit more in the short term. You are doing a great job Vicki!
 
I'd probably test hourly for a while, starting after the last test when you're this close to 68. If she goes below 68 she gets a dose reduction.
 
Liz didn't eat anything in the hour between +4 and +5 - sleeping in a box on my desk. :cat: Should I test again, or no?
 
Liz went to sleep on my desk after +4.5. When I tested her at +5.5, her BG was up. I wasn't going to do any more tests, then wondered if she's not eating since she's sleeping, will her BG be going down, so I tested again. Heart Attack! 49 @ +6.75. I remained much calmer than my first low number (y'all would have been proud of me), got her 1 tsp of HC gravy food. She came in the kitchen as soon as she heard the can open, so ate it right up, and was acting fine. I remembered the advice to take a second test with a low number like that, (see...I am remembering some things I learn here!) so I did the 2nd test 3 minutes after the first and got 83. Whew! Do you think the 1st test was just off? Now what? She's acting fine. She hasn't eaten anything else since +4.5 besides every last drop of the large tsp of gravy food she just had.
 
Last edited:
good job handling it! Meters can be off by as much as 20% - even if you test the exact same drop with 2 different strips, you'll get 2 different numbers. I almost never retested unless it was out of context, like a 30 a few minutes after a 150. I'd go with the 49 and assume she needs a reduction. Anything under 68 would trigger that anyway.

So welcome to her new dose of 0.25u! looking great. I'd retest in about 30 minutes after you gave her the gravy.
 
And can she eat between now and the 30 minute mark? Her regular m/d wet? Or should I be pushing gravy? or neither?
 
you don't NEED to feed her, but i suppose if you normally feed her in this 30 minutes you could. Maybe just a teaspoon or two of her regular food. I wouldn't give her more gravy unless she's below 68 at your next test.
 
She didn't eat between the gravy and the +7.5, but she's eating some of her regular food now. Since she's up to 103, am I okay not testing until PMPS, or should I test again before that? Thank you!!
 
I see it's been nearly an hour since you asked . . . from the "Shooting & Handling Low Numbers" sticky:
If your cat is testing in low numbers and you are not getting a quick response to your post, there are several things you need to do. (Low numbers are under 50mg/dL or 2.8 mmol/L.)

  • Depending on how carbohydrate sensitive your cat is, feed approximately a teaspoon or less of gravy from high carb food or high carb food only.
    (If you have a cat with GI issues, using a couple of drops of syrup plus low carb food is an alternative.)
  • Test again in 15 – 20 min. Depending on the numbers, give more HC food.
  • Repeat the above steps every 15 – 20 min. until your cat tests in the 50 mg/dL (2.8 mmol/L) or above range for 2 consecutive tests. Continue to feed in small amounts to keep numbers in a safe range.
  • Test in 30 - 40 min. and repeat the test and feed process until there are 2 consecutive tests where numbers are stable or rising.
  • Test in an hour and follow the same steps.
DO NOT become complacent. If number have risen after one or two tests, it’s important to continue testing. Numbers may bobble up and down as the HC food and/or Karo wear off. DO NOT get one test where your cat has risen from low numbers into the 50s and go to sleep or leave the house. You are putting your cat in a risky situation. When in doubt, leave HC food out.​
 
I think there's a possibility that was a bad strip, but I understand not being complacent. I did know to feed her so when the HC wore off she wouldn't dive down again. I really have learned so much here (not to say I don't have wayyy more to learn)! Thank you!
 
My times are kind of funny. The +10 was really an hour after the +8.5, but there are some 20 minute intervals I wasn't sure which way to go. I assume I keep checking?
 
If you haven't just been giving high carb, then you're good to wait til pmps for your next test. Sometimes on Lantus there is a "double-dip" at the end of the 12 hr cycle. As long as it's not lower than the nadir, it's not a worry. She's mostly been just surfing along today - which is great.

You might be right about the strip - usually a retest is closer than that if the strips are both good.
 
My timing isn't very exact because from day 1 I set the time on my meter off by 5 minutes, among other things. Seems I am always off one way or another 10-20 minutes. So, how does one handle that...any rules?

Liz has been eating her regular food - little bits very consistently except for that long nap this afternoon when I had the low reading. These numbers are making me very nervous. How often should I be testing now?
 
I'd test every hour tonight - snooze in between when you can. You just haven't had a pm cycle of all green before and you want to monitor how it goes.

This is that huge investment in the short term in the hopes that she'll go OTJ. Ya just gotta get through these nights. As you get some data and can predict that she will stay flat, then you'll be able to stretch out the times in between testing. Until you have confidence that she'll surf, you need to keep up the testing. I'd keep doling out little bits of regular low carb tonight.

At any point if you think you are going to fall asleep and not be able to wake up, you can always leave a lot of low carb food out, or you can pull out the high carb food.

You doing ok?

And you've also earned your Balls of Steel for shooting low tonight! :D

boshand.gif
 
Question!! Was 96 PMPS low and was I supposed to shoot? :eek: Is there a number I am not supposed to be shooting at. If I deserve balls of steel, it has nothing to do with knowing what I am doing, and shooting intentionally with a low number!

Added after posting: I just found this, so now realizing I probably should have delayed her shot???
"If it is your first time shooting green, then we will likely suggest that you stall the first time, even if the number is 80-100."

Or because I'm using AT, have I already shot green? Help, please!
 
Last edited:
With an AlphaTrack, green numbers start at approx. 134. There's roughly a 30 - 40% difference between an AT and human meter. A 96 on an AT is roughly equivalent to the low 70s on a human meter. It's not too low to shoot. You just need to monitor early and often.

I'm to sure where the quote came from. We don't always suggest stalling. It really depends on the caregiver's situation, the cat, and any number of other factors. What we do suggest is that you get early tests -- like a +1 and +2 so you know how the cycle is going.

This morning, the AMPS of 124 is about the same as a 92. Given that normal range on an AT is 68 - 160, you've been shooting "green" for more than just the past day or so. So yes, you've been shooting green! Congrats!!
 
Heavens! Ignorance is Bliss!! :cat:

I got that quote from the Sticky on this Board:
LANTUS & LEVEMIR - SHOOTING & HANDLING LOW NUMBERS
 
Not all shooting green numbers are equal. For example, if your cat was in 300's all day then at +10/200 and at pmps 90 - that's significantly different than if the cat has been at 90 for the past 12 hours. Clearing a bounce can cause a lot of momentum and it might be best in that circumstance to wait and make sure the cat isn't headed for +1/40 before you shoot. In that circumstance, stalling would be the way to go, especially for someone new who might not even know that was a bounce clearing.

In your case, Elizabeth has gone pretty much all green and flat - which is ideal. Lantus can work great at holding blood sugar flat in lower ranges like this. There wouldn't be an expectation that she would suddenly plummet - Lantus just doesn't turn on and suddenly do that. Just doesn't work that way. So shooting like you did was fine.

The sticky quote would be addressing everyone following Tight Reg - including those lurking who might be new and trying to figure things out on their own. Not a great idea, by the way!
 
Thank you for the explanation. I think I shot because I was comfortable with the reduced dose, questioning if it was even earned due to the possibility of a tainted strip. And of course, I didn't realize that it was something I should possibly consider and ask about. I know I ask a lot of questions, but sometimes I don't know that a question is in order. Scary! :nailbiting:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top