I got a PS 124 that surprised me. His lowest PS YET. Being new at this I remember reading that 150 and lower is no shot number. For newbies like me. What I did was shot a half dose =1unit knowing I will be home to watch him and test. I do have hypo kit. If this was morning and I were leaving to work I would have not shot. Did did I do the right thing and go half dose.
I am also new ish, but I think the normal procedure is wait 20 minutes (don't feed) and test again to see if Buddy's numbers are rising on their own, if so it should be safeish to shoot. I think it's good you only shot a reduced dose - make sure to keep monitoring at +1, +2 an onwards to keep an eye on him. It might be good to try to get the half hour tests as well so you can catch when he starts to drop and feed. @JeffJ can you help?
I'm not going to say anything is the "right" thing, you gotta do what you gotta do to keep him safe. It is recommended you stall for just 30 min, don't feed and retest. If lower, I personally wouldn't shoot. If higher I probably would - literally everytime it happens we do something different. And same as you, i would do one thing for day cycle and another for night.
You are so right. I should of remembered to wait a bit and retest. But I will in the future to do so. I will keep a very close eye on him and test often. I first posted on main forum with no soon response. So I went half dose knowing I'll be home. Maybe in the future I should come to the lantus forum first. Thanks much.
Hi Steve - kudos to you for getting the spreadsheet and testing going. That is good time investment, and your chart is helpful. Good advice in earlier posts (same thread). Arnish and Moms2. Our goal is to keep our kittehs safe. For Buddy, 124 is a bit low to dose. The half dose is relatively safe. Moms2Tigger is right. There is no perfect answer. There is no standard "no-dose" number. It is based on experience and you cat. See Bella'sMom - creating a nice flat curve, even at low AMPS. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/7-22-bella-amps-145-2-88.217156/ Anyhow I'll be on the forum tonight if you need help later. At this point, I would prep for some more testing +2, +3, then see where the insulin is taking Buddy.
Thanks so much JeffJ. And every one. I should of stalled and retest. I am new and got excited. Lessons learned.
Look on the bright side - you are available to test and have supplies to make sure Buddy is totally safe! And you also get to see how Buddy reacts to insulin with low numbers, so data for later
You did just fine tonight! You asked and now you know some more tricks to do for next time. When you're new, there's a ton of new stuff to remember - it's hard! Lots of read and try to retain. No one can blame you at all for not being sure what to do...it's a bumpy road getting all of this stuff settled into place. I remember it well...I was so confused when we started I really didn't think I was going to be able to help Luci at all...every test was a nightmare and everytime I learned something new it was distressing - especially when people were saying you need to test MORE! I'm like OMG I'm already wrestling this cat down TWICE a day - and they want me to do that multiple times a day!!! I was wondering how in the heck I'd get anything else done - or sleep, eat, etc... once you get down all the nuances of this dance, you'll be just fine. Great job with the Spreadsheet! Looks like Buddy is already back up there in the trees (yellow) quite a safe number for a 2+; can you get another test before bed? If he's still in yellow land, he probably isn't going to be worrying about going too low tonight. Nice that he got to that beautiful blue number today Best of luck with tomorrow.
Thanks Armish & Roo. +2= 219 raising nice. Will continue to test. Me and Buddy are in the learning process. And a lot to learn.
+2= 219. +3= 264 Buddy is doing ok and staying in the safe zone. I'll try to stay up long enough to get another test or two. I must add. This site is such a blessing. I wonder at times how many kitties this site has helped, health wise and saving lives. I'm sure ALOT. Me and Buddy thank you all.
One more question. What would be a no shoot number for Buddy. I leave for work in the mornings after BUDDY'S shot. I live alone. For future reference
Yes and we’ve all been there too! You are doing a great job, Steve... don’t be too hard on yourself- For sure if Buddy shows a 200+ at +4 he is going to be fine tonight- no more test needed if you could use some sleep
I'm kind of surprised at the PMPS BG=124 tonight. It came from nowhere. Different opinions but I'm conservative. I wouldn't do an AM dose of 2.0 if he is under 200. Is it easy to get home and do some nadir tests this week? Open to other opinions certainly on this.
I would shoot 2U in AM unless he has dropped below 150. Tomorrow is the 12th day of 2U and the depot is pretty full. Are you following SLGS or TR?
I agree with Jeff, with the current data points I personally wouldn't recommend shooting under 200 yet. One question, Steve (I assume Steve is you?). What time do you get home from work? Like, is it AMPS+10 or +11, or are you literally running through your door right before PMPS? Because if you get home around AMPS+10, you could get a test then. The benefit in a situation like today is that you can then see the difference between AMPS+10 and PMPS. If you see a decrease, then that should give you pause because the number is still dropping on its own. But If you see an increase, then you could feel safer making a decision to shoot, because you know that the insulin seems to be wearing off and the number is rising naturally.. Does that make sense? For tonight, if +4 is any higher than +3 like I suspect it will be, I think you are safe to go on to bed. Best, Sandi.
Before deciding on a "no shoot" number, I'd encourage you to decide which of the dosing approaches you want to follow. FWIW, my situation was similar to yours -- I was Gabby's sole caregiver. I collected a good deal of data regarding her pattern (onset and nadir, especially) and knew she would look for food if her numbers were low. This allowed me have some confidence with regard to how to manage shooting on a weekday. I was following TR and I also knew that if I was worrying, I could fly home at lunch to check on her. This post is directed to those using TR but it addresses your concern about how to manage your cat's FD with a full time job.
Hello. Up date on Buddy. He's doing good. BOTH PS today are in the 300's. His norm. Someone asked me if I'm going with the SLGS OR TR. To be honest, I'm not sure. At first I new very little. The vet started Buddy 2u lantus. Then 1u. Then 1.5. With no data other than the original blood test. The diagnosis was the only vet visit. All else was done over the phone. I decided to go back to 2u. Just a little history how our journey started. I've been doing a lot of reading. But not really sure witch plan to go with. I work full-time. Any suggestions? Basically I just been taking notes and geathering what data I can for the SS. Also a much healthier diet. Also a quick question. Do I buy ketone stripes for humans? Are do they have them for cats? I need to plan for a plan. Any suggestions?
Get "human" ketone strips. I used Ketostiks from Walgreens. They are $15-$20 and very effective. I like the long strip. I never got pee on my hand from using it with Leo.
The more mid-cycle tests you can get - the better. Also more tests at night - like +3 and +4 will be very helpful. If you are up at +6, even better. Lantus and levemir are primarily dosed based on nadir values.
