Need help understanding Elmo's BGs post hypo...

Hypo was Sunday, October 30th....reduced vetsulin to 0.5 evening of 31st....Nadirs have remained in triple digits when before hypo were mostly double digits....what do his BGs indicate, if anything? Should I stay at 0.5 or go up to .75 ? Confused and don't really even know what to ask .Took +5 instead of +4 to see if nadir may have shifted.

 

Elmo is surfing in very nice below-renal-threshold numbers. I envy his SS! You could try giving 0.75 u to see if the nadir comes down a little. He was at 1 unit when he hypoed.

 

Thanks Kris. Just don't know what,if anything , to make of the consistent triple digit +4 Nadirs...he is happy , eating and playful with his two tabby " brothers"... just don't want anything to creep up on him again.

 

And I believe he hypoed cos I wasn't home and my sweet husband fed him and gave shot without realizing Elmo hadn't eaten his full food...

 

Beth I responded over on your posting in Health. I'm thinking he could be a little lower and may need a tad more juice but as Kris says, his numbers are looking pretty good.

 

Kris, I can eyeball .75 for now but could u reccomend a good syringe to get so my dose is accurate... any direction on this would be greatly appreciated

 

Are you using U40 syringes? Vetsulin is a U40 insulin is it not? If so, you can buy U100 syringes and using the conversion table below you can get small fractions of a dose like 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, etc. units.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/insulin-conversions.htm

 

Thank u, thank u ! Yes I do use U 40 syringes. i will check out the conversion chart.

 

Do your current syringes have half unit markings or whole number markings? Half unit markings make those in between doses easier to see. Triple digit naidars aren't bad when is under 130 and using an Alphatrak. Remember most on here use human meters so a low 100's on alpha is a double digit on a human meter. Your cat actually was in hypo numbers SEVERAL times in October. My girl who is in remission had had readings as high as 147.... Today she was 117.

 

Hi Janet ! Yes, per ur great direction I ordered U40s with half markings. They r helpful but I do get bit nervous when it comes to figuring .75 dose..Elmo's AMPS and PMPS were both in 180's...we shot a .75 ( as close as I could eyeball) this morning and got a +4 of 77. Tonight I backed his shot to a fat 0.5 for overnight. The combo of numbers confused me a bit today...seemed like a pretty steep drop that I gave him a +4 snack to keep him from sliding hypo.

 

I would encourage you to think about trying U100 syringes so you can do small dose fractions easily without eyeballing.

 

Thanks for encouragement in this area. Been thinking about it as his dosages become smaller

 

Which U 100 syringes would I need to get...I use ulticare U 40 now and am bit uneasy about which Ulticare U 100 I would need to buy....

 

77 isn't a dangerous number, but not a bad idea to offer a low carb snack like a bit of his low carb food. as long as you can monitor it's fine. If you can't, like overnight, then I always suggest dosing on the side of caution. If it's at 77 at what you think is his lowest point and you're worried, then I would just take another test in 30 min to make sure it hasn't dropped further. To put it in perspective, now off insulin my cat is often in the 70's naturally.

 

I wanted to add that you are really doing terrific with all the dosing and testing. kudos to you.

 

Any human pharmacy should carry U100 syringes because people use U100 insulin like Lantus. You need U100s with half unit marks. Many people buy them cheaply at Walmart and have found that the pharmacy staff is often not aware that they have syringes with half units marks. You have to see them to be sure.

The brand of syringe isn't as important as the specs, although some people have brand preferences. Mine (purchased at my vet clinic) are 3/10 mL/cc capacity with 29 gauge needle that's 1/2" long. The barrel is marked in half units. Some people prefer an even smaller gauge, shorter needle. It's your choice.

Here's the most important resource:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/insulin-conversions.htm

 

reported.