I posted in the main forum as well, but I want to try and get anyone's attention. Gizmo's +2 reading was 51. I repeated the test just to make sure and it was 65, which I know is the same thing. He was just playing before the reading. The only sign I see is hunger, so I gave him a can of his FF classic pate. I want to know if I should still give him the higher carb food or should I wait a few minutes and see if the FF classic brought him back up to safer numbers. I am not sure what to do this is the first hypo numbers that I have gotten.
Hi Heather - I don't want you trying to keep up with two threads right now, so let me know if you're getting help out on main and I'll step back. Given that it's +2, I would recommend going straight for the HC food. Only a little though. And take away the pate if it hasn't aleady been consummed. I'll explain why in a second.
I’m right there with you today. I did the same thing. But I probably should have given HC sooner. Since you already gave his FF I’d wait and see what that does but if he doesn’t come up I’d go for a bit - maybe a teaspoon of HC food. Good luck I feel ya!!
Since it's early in the cycle, you're going to need Gizmo to stay willing to eat. So you don't want a full belly at the outset. Of course if it's already all gone, we can work with it. But if he's still in the process of eating, pull it up for a few minutes.
Since there are more responses here and the message in Health wasn't clear as to exactly where in the cycle we are so let's stay here from now on. LINK to Health thread.
Thank you everyone. I panicked and posted in two places. Sorry for the confusion. I just did a +3 reading and he is up to 128. This was after eating all but a few bites of his LC food. How often should I test him tonight? Will this number stay up from the LC food? Or will it plummet again?
Ok if he is up to 128, don't feed anymore now and retest again in 30 minutes. I'll check back in then.
You need to know he can hold his BG at a good level without needing food to prop him up so if he is holding in 30 minutes then you can wait an hour and retest again. It's possible he could drop again when the food wears off but if he stays up for another 1.5 hours he should be close to or at nadir so he should be OK. Let's just play this by ear until the next test.
I know I am getting ahead of myself, but I want to get advice in all scenarios for tomorrow's dosing. I know that we have to wait and see what his numbers are, but I will be at work tomorrow and am worried he will hypo and I will not be here.
Well with that 51/60 reading Gizmo definitely earned a reduction to 2.25u but obviously it will depend on what his AMPS is in the morning. He may be high due to a bounce from the low tonight so a low pre-shot may not be an issue.
And just to keep your mind occupied while waiting, here’s what I have taped to the fridge about the “hypo clock” that starts after a lime number. I can’t remember where I first saw it — maybe from Chris and China? From a hypo number, feed to get above lime. Retest in 30 minutes. If above lime, retest in 60. If lime again, refeed and retest in 30. (This restarts the “clock.”) Edit: just to clarify ... this is a ideally a two-hour clock: 30 minutes from first feed to the “above the lime” test; 30 more minutes to see if still above lime; and then 60 minutes if is still above the lime. Every lime restarts the two-hour clock.
That was a pretty quick rise. I wonder if there's a chance the 51 was a wonky test strip. I love that clock @Jenna Josie! I haven't seen that before, but super helpful! @MrWorfMen's Mom, are you okay monitoring from here? I have a friend stopping over soon and if you're around I'd love to log off for a bit.....?
Oh sorry! Or @Jenna Josie! I meant to include you in that too! If either/both of you will be around...
I’ll be here if Linda can’t be. @MrWorfMen's Mom I’ll be here but not post, deferring to you unless I hear otherwise.
I did a second test right after with a different bottle of test strips and did a control reading as well just to make sure.
Thank you for this "hypo clock". I helps so much. So I should wait 60 minutes since I already did the 30 min, right?
I'll be around too but no need to defer to me Jenna. I like team work! @Djamil we got this. Go do your stuff!
No I'd check again about now (I think it's almost 30 minutes since last test) then if he is still up you can wait the hour for next test. You want 3 good BGs without extra food before you let your guard down.
Sorry Jenna. I just realized when I went to reply to you that I forgot to post my last reply so the reply I just posted was from 10:30. He is currently laying all sprawled out on his back sleeping.......while I am up watching him.
Looks like Gizmo is heading up on his own however some that 10:30 test could still be some food bump given he ate most of a can of FF. Will check back in at 11:30pm .to see where he's at.
That's excellent! I think you are on Central Time, yes? So 11:30 will be his +4.5? Assuming it's still up -- which I think it will be! -- I think he will be in good shape. Will check back in with you in an hour. Edit: or is is the "one hour" test here in 10 minutes? You're on Eastern?
@Jenna Josie Heather will be testing again in about 10 minutes or so which will be the 3rd test since the low. The 157 was taken almost an hour ago. Heather is on EST.
Question. I was reading the thread started by Lisa and Little (what a day they had!). Am I understanding correctly that rubbing the injection site can sometimes cause this? I am asking because I did rub the injection site tonight, because I hurt him and I rubbed it just to make it feel better. I did not realize that this was something that we shouldn't do.
It could, but it could also be just fine. It's one of those not-so-predictable things. In general though, I would avoid rubbing/pressing on/messing with the area where the shot was given as I've read in a couple of articles that it can (although isn't always going to) have an impact.
Generally one should not rub the injection site after giving insulin but it has been my understanding from my nursing days that this was so one did not disrupt the insulin which is a suspension of sorts. How disruption of the suspension would change its action is obviously questionable. It's OK to rub your hand over the injection site to ensure you didn't do a fur shot but one should not massage the area as one does with other injections.
I just completed the next test and he is at 214. Hallelujah!! I am assuming his numbers will be high tomorrow at the way he is increasing. I don't know if this is from his insulin lasting 14 hours instead of 12. Looking at his SS, it seems that his evening nadir is at +2. Any thoughts on this? If this is the case should I take him down to 2.25u for a few cycles I had him at 2.25u yesterday but brought it back up because his numbers went up.
Thank you. I will definitely not rub the injection site going forward just to make sure I don't disrupt the suspension.
With that low of 51 today a reduction to 2.25u is warranted and I think needed. You can't react to individual pre-shots. Better to stick to one dose for a few cycles. That low could also make Gizmo a little more sensitive to insulin for a cycle or 2 so I'd definitely take him down to 2.25u tomorrow assuming his pre-shot is shootable.
I will take him down to the 2.25u tomorrow and leave him there for a while. One of these days I hope to make good decisions on his dosing. Thank you so much to both of you for hanging in there with me through this. You have both been amazing and I would not have gotten through this with my sanity still in check if it was not for your help. I am going to try and get a little sleep, but I know I will be up a few times to check on him. Thanks again. Have a good night.
You're quite welcome Heather. I've seen doses appear to continue working beyond the 12 hour mark but for a nadir to occur into the next cycle I would think unlikely with ProZinc but I could be wrong. I think it's more likely that the dose was working longer and overlapped with the new dose starting to kick in which can be another indicator that the dose needs to be reduced a bit.
No problem, Heather! And you *do* make good decisions. This is just hard, and they can't tell us clearly how they are feeling. I love this that I saw in someone's sig block this from Maya Angelou: "Do your best until you know better, and when you know better, do better." We're all just trying to figure it out, and lucky to have people to help us through, and hope to support others as we have been supported.
I hope one day to be able to pay it forward and help out others as the two of you have done for me tonight. This site and everyone on it has been a blessing and I will be forever grateful
Thank you Rachel. I am not sure if you are still on here or on your way to work or not. I am confused by Gizmo's numbers. My last reading last night was 484 so I really expected higher numbers this morning but instead it is 325. Is in normal after a hypo to go up so high and then come down so much at the next PS number. I am really concerned about what will happen today while I am at work.
Can you leave food out for him, Heather? I see you lowered the dose this AM and he's starting off on a pink PS so he should be OK. You have a few other examples of this on your SS - soaring to a red in one cycle and then down to a pink PS. I wouldn't worry about that. When they bounce it's an "extreme" response so any number of patterns are possible. Sometimes pushing the envelope (full dose on a low-ish PS) works in your favour and sometimes it doesn't. It's even harder to predict when you have a bouncy kitty.
Heather, before you leave for work, can you please remove the "911" from your title just so no one panics thinking there is an ongoing emergency.
Thank you Kris. I am sure it is normal to be panicked after the first hypo episode. It is not something I want to get used to though.
