7/14 Sammy: AMP=136 +1=136 +7=63 +8=56

Sammy's previous post

Sammy just stepped a foot into the greens at +7! Since she usually drifts down until +12, I'll be keeping a very close eye on her. It looks very probable that she'll drop below 50. When that happens I'll try to steer her with food. Should I feed her regular low carb, M/D, or high carb?

She's been solidly in the blues for the last 2 days, then dipped into green today. This is her first time ever in the greens, and these low numbers are virgin territory for me, so my panic index is starting to rise.

Just in case, I have some packets of Royal Canin Ageing +12 in gravy pouches, honey, and whole yogurt ready.

Sammy was 45 at +9 with ~3 hours to nadir, so I fed her 1 tsp high carb + 1 big drop of honey.

It didn't help that a big thunderstorm just came through with huge rolls of thunder and sheets of rain. Sammy hid under the desk, and Chico (my chihuahua) is shaking and panting. Oh lord, it's going to be one of those nights!

30 minutes later Sammy was at +55. Since she still has 2.5 hours to her next meal (usually nadir), I gave her 1 tsp of Hills M/D. Now, 30 minutes later, Sammy is at 69. Whew!

I can't remember how much I was supposed to feed her when she's low. I seem to recall ~1 tsp of high carb and a touch of honey, then maybe a little low carb to keep the numbers up. I swear I had this bookmarked, but I can't find it, and it's not on my hypo instructions print out. Can someone remind me? Thanks, then I'll add it to my print out.

Recap:
AMPS = 136
+1 = 136
+7 = 63
+8 = 56
+9 = 45 fed 1tsp high carb + 1 drop of honey
+9.5 = 55 fed 1 tsp M/D (medium carb)
+10 = 69

Susan --

Are you feeding Sammy Hill's M/D? If so, it is not low carb food -- it's 14% carb which would be in the range of a medium carb (MC; between 10 - 15%) food. Please see page 29 of the food chart that Lisa Pierson, DVM compiled and I linked. If I'm understanding correctly, you will likely see a lot more green numbers if you switch Sammy to a low carb (below 10%) food. Just as an FYI, most of us feed substantially lower carb foods -- usually below 5%.

There really isn't a "how much" when it comes to managing low numbers with food. A great deal depends on when in the cycle you're seeing the numbers, how fast they are dropping, etc. There can be times when it's late in the cycle that a teaspoon or two of LC food will bump numbers up. The usual strategy is to feed 1 or 2 teaspoons of the gravy from a HC, gravy-style food. If numbers are dropping fast and it's early in the cycle, you may want to add a few drops of honey or corn (Karo) syrup to gravy. You may want to print out or bookmark this post on how to handle low numbers. It can serve as a guide if there's no one immediately available to answer your questions.

BTW, you're doing great at steering the numbers!! Good luck with the new dose.

Just an FYI --

From the look of your subject line, no one would have known you were anything but cool, calm and collected. If you need help or have a question, the best way to get everyone's attention is to put "help" in your subject line or if you have a question, use a "?" or just write, "Question." We typically rely on the subject line to get people to know you need a hand. Likewise, putting numbers that are below 50 will usually get attention if we know you're a new member.

Hi Sienne,

Thanks for the bookmark! I just printed it out for reference (hopefully won't need it later tonight).

I just tested gave Sammy her last test before heading to bed, and she's at 156 at PMPS+3. That's about her normal range. I'm going to set my alarm clock for a +7.

I'm in the process of transitioning Sammy from M/D to EVO Chicken and Turkey Cat and Kitten food; she's at ~50/50 now. This incident has spooked me though, so I'm going to hold off on increasing the low carb for a while until her numbers settle out.

I'm just so thankful for this board, with all the caring people and support, and all the valuable info. There's no way I could be getting through this on my own. You guys are awesome!

p.s. Next time I'll be sure to yell for help!

Susan, you did a great job steering Sammy through today. Did you decrease her dose a tad (by .1u or .2u)? I would do so now (next shot).

While all of those numbers are safe, there is no wiggle room if she decides to drop lower. Best, IMO, to aim at a low of 70-80 and adjust dose if she is dropping below that consistently. To be sure, numbers in the 60s are fine, but because we are dosing insulin and it isn't her own body assessing needs, I just think it isn't good to aim for those really low numbers.

You could adjust her dose (decrease), let her settle on that and once she seems stable continue on the next step with transition to low carb food. Like, one step food adjustment, followed by a dose adjustment as needed, and so on.