6/23 update.please-should we feed teaspoon med carb gravy ?+2 was 98 - lower than normal PS numer

Leonard is normally 225-258 PMPS - tonight we got 136 and then 116 30 minutes later after feeding his FF pate. We increased Lantus Monday pm to 3 units from 2.5. I’m thinking of going back to old dose?

 

Hi Marie,

Right now Leonard is in safe numbers but I understand your concern with the quick drop.

Do you have some medium carb food (7-11% carbs)? You could try feeding Leonard a tsp or two of that and test in 20 mins to see if he’s slowed down and his numbers either stay the same or come up. Test again another 30 mins after that. It’s important that you only feed a teaspoon or two at a time so that he doesn’t get full in case his numbers really do end up dropping. I think you may be in for a night of testing

Do you have a hypo kit in case his numbers start to drop further? If you can help it you don’t want his numbers to go below 50. You can find tips on preventing hypos here. If your next tests are even lower edit the title of your post to include a question mark. You can choose a question mark from the drop down to the left of the text of your title. If you drop below 60 I would edit the title drop down to be 911 so that you have more attention.

Quick interventions to stop BG levels from going too low include a drop of honey massaged into Leonard’s gums or high carb cat food.

I’ll tag a few people who are much more experienced than me when it comes to dosing or handling low numbers, if they’re around tonight they may pop by and weigh in.

@Bron and Sheba @Sienne and Gabby (GA) @Wendy&Neko @Bobbie And Bubba @LizzieInTexas

 

We do have medium carb food if needed! We gave his insulin at a reduced dose of 2.5 units and plan to test at +1 and + 2
In looking at his numbers his curves have been pretty flat so I hope it holds true with these lower numbers. Time will tell..

 

Hi Marie, did you you shot tonight? Usually we advice newbies without a lot of test data to not shoot under 150.

The first thing that comes to mind is that we usually do increases and decreases in increments of . 25 of a unit at this size dose. The reason is to not go over the best dose. Sometimes too much insulin can look like not enough if kitty drops too low or too fast or both and it’s missed then the numbers bounce high making the caregiver think more insulin is needed.

Could we get you to set up a spread sheet like the rest of use so we can see the test numbers you are getting and we’ll be able to see trends and patterns which enables us to help advise you better.

 

How do you share a spreadsheet on here ? I do have one- just not sure how to share it ‍♀️

 

I just saw your post and that you shot. Please get a test in @+2 ( 2 hours after you shot). If that number is the same or lower than the pre shot number it could indicate an active cycle and some more testing could be necessary.

Post again if you need help. I have to sign off tonight but I’m sure others will be around to help.

And welcome to the L, B& L forum.

 

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

This is the instructions on how to set it up and share it in your signature. If you need help with doing it, yell and do do e will assist you.

You can work on it later; just concentrate on keeping Leonard safe tonight.

 

I can be around if needed. I’ll watch out for you. Post your +2 number in the subject line and the thread please.

 

+2 was 98

 

Fed low carb only, so far?

 

We have only fed fancy feast pate this evening

 

I’d give Leonard a teaspoon of low carb food and test at +3.

 

already working on the gravy..

 

Ok so you have already given gravy?
I’d still test at +3

 

We gave 1 tsp gravy 40 minutes ago and just got 78 @ +3. Just gave 1/3 can FF pate. Setting alarm for 2 hours- Leonard is a 2 person cat to test and hubby is barely on board with middle of night testing. I can’t push him too much.

 

Definitely sounds like he is still dropping! I hope you can get your next test in successfully.

 

I hope the carbs will stop this ! It’s going to be a long night...thanks for the encouragement ! Yes, I’m probably not sleeping much ‍♀️

 

Sorry I was not here. Had to duck out to the shops. I’d give him a teaspoon of the higher carb food if you are not going to test for 2 hours.

 

Many of us have had those nights! When you are in doubt, and there is not immediate help, sometimes propping with some higher carb food is okay. Better safe than sorry. If you are not able to test at all (you mentioned you need an extra pair of hands to do so) later, then depending on how low the next test is, some higher carb might be ideal.

At the same time, “lower than usual” is alarming at first when you’ve become used to highs, but these are ranges you will want ideally, in the long run!! Don’t let them scare you completely. You have the tools and you can do it! I find if I get nervous it helps to reread the stickie about hypo at the top of the group.

 

@Marie Stephens when is the next test due?

 

Hey Marie, saw where the numbers were dropping last night. Hopefully the gravy and the food you gave propped him up. Where you able to get anymore test in last night?

I think it would be a good idea to take his dose back down back as the jump up to 3 units was too big. Since 2.5 wasn’t doing it , I would take him to 2.75 And get as much testing in as you can.

Do you have syringes with 1/2 unit markings on them so you are able to do the in between doses? If not, I would get some. I do t k is where you are located but if you have access to a Walmart , their brand Relion for 1/2 unit markings are very cheap 100/$13

Please give us an update as soon as you can.

 

Hi @Bobbie And Bubba
Glad to see you back on. I am out at dinner and keep checking in. No response since +3 I hope all is ok.

 

I saw that you posted. I will look for them today. Enjoy your dinner!

 

Thanks!

 

Leonard Spreadsheet

We did a +5.5 last night and it was 132 ! Just did a + 11 and it was 172. So now I wonder how to dose in an hour, what I might expect next and guess we should do a curve today (because luckily we can as it’s Saturday). Thanks so very much to everyone who helped and kept me sane last night-appreciate it !!

 

We do have the 1/2 unit syringes.

 

So do you think that the 1/2 unit increase could have caused such drastic drop in numbers ? I’m debating on 2.5 or 2.75 units (per Bobbi’s suggestion) units this am if his AMPS is still 170+

 

Glad you got that test in at +5.5. That gives some more data. He stayed nice and safe. With the high carb gravy in the picture he could have gone under 50 earning a reduction but that’s a guess. And he is likely to bounce today and could for a few cycles until it clears. To do a curve today might not give you a real understanding of what this dose can do because of the bouncing.

I think the best thing to do would be to give 2.75 . That way you will not jump over what could be a good dose. Get all the data you can for this dose . And then we can proceed methodically according to the protocol.

Are you able to test during the week days?

Glad you have 1/2 unit markings on your syringe.

 

And if you could get the Spread sheet attached to your signature, that would be great. You are doing a great job in this feline dance!

 

Marie!

So glad to hear that everything turned out alright for you and Leonard last night. Good job keeping him safe

Thanks to @Bobbie And Bubba @Bron and Sheba and @AliceMeowliss&Cassandra for stopping by and sharing their experience in a situation that I don’t have a lot of experience in

I wanted to let you know that I gave you a little misinformation earlier about what constitutes Medium carb food. It sounds like you already know but just in case:

LC is below 10% carb
MC is 11 - 15%
HC is over 15%

Take care

 

Thanks so much for your help ! You got me going in the right direction- my brain froze and I wasn’t even thinking about food (I was terrified). Thanks again !!

 

Glad Leonard surfed nicely through the night. I fully support @Bobbie And Bubba ’s recommendations.

@Marie Stephens , you’re doing well, you’ve got this! Keep asking questions as they arise and you will be an expert in no time.

PS @AmandaE , another thing I love here—no one is afraid to admit to being wrong for the sake of making sure to disseminate correct information. I admire your coming back to add a correction. My favorite professors in college always could gracefully correct themselves. <3 It’s also helpful to lay that info out like that because we use all this specific lingo here and these abbreviations that might confuse newer people. Well done!

 

No problem! Sometimes in a scary situation you just need that kick in the pants to remind you to breathe

 

Thanks Cassandra!

No use spouting incorrect information! I’m glad everything with Leonard turned out ok

 

Good morning Marie! How is Leonard doing? Please update when you can. We are like a bunch of old Aunties that worry.

 

Good morning ! Leonard is doing good ! His numbers yesterday were in the 268-251 range @ amps, +5.5, +11 and PMPS. Those are the numbers we are used to seeing. We just did his AMPS and it was 213 ! So, was yesterday a bounce? Or the effects of the tsp of gravy ? LOL.. sorry so many questions. I truly appreciate our Aunties looking out for us ❤️

 

It was a bounce you were seeing. They will bounce from being in lower numbers than they are used to being in or a fast drop. He did both.

What dose did you reduce to?

If you can set up a signature and attach the SS that would help us to help you. In the signature put Leonard’s name, date of birth, insulin you are using, what meter you use , food you are feeding and any health issues he has or had had. And any thing else you think is important to know.

Thanks for letting his Auntie’s know how he’s doing. Oh, and there are some Uncles here too

 

We reduced his dose to 2.75

 

I plan to work on my signature today- I have had a difficult time using FDMB - I am easily challenged technologically !
Thanks again to to our new Aunties and Uncles out there !

 

Yell if you need help setting up. Someone will assist you. I’m quite challenged myself and someone set up my SS for me.

 

@Marie Stephens I had spreadsheet help, too! Not everyone is as technology savvy as the next person and that’s okay. I’m supposedly a millennial and I still need help! We have a forum for if you need technical support of sorts, too, if you need help with your spreadsheet or website navigation. It is here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/suggestions-tech-support-testing-area.6/
It can also take a little time to learn to navigate all the forums and remember where things are, and I think that is pretty normal when we are already using all our mental power to deal with this new and daunting diagnosis.

Keep on keeping on. Glad Leonard is maintaining smooth numbers and back out of his bounce.

 

Testing my signature..

 

Awesome job! Signature looks perfect! If you need help attaching the the SS to it Yell. Someone will help but sadly it won’t be me as I am a real tech mo-mo.

How have his numbers been today?

When you post tomorrow , start a new thread with Leonard’s name and AMPS = XXX We do a new thread each day that we post so one thread doesn’t get too long so and if you need help it’s easier to get right to the issue at hand.

And his Aunties and Uncles would love to see his Avatar ( when you get a chance). It’s a lot to absorb with the feline diabetes and learning to navigate this forum. But , we are all here to help you however we can. Just ask.