09.01. Simba AMPS ? +3 166 +5 164 +8 130 +11 229 PMPS 241 +2 367

Lina and Simba

Lina and Simba

Member Since 2021
After last night I was eager to get an AMPS measurement but my mum had already fed Simba and given his morning shot. I know she meant well, but I really emphasised how important a pre-shot measurement is and that it should be the bare minimum of testing we do in the day especially so early on.

Today we will practice measuring his BG together and I'll print off some basic info for her to stick on the fridge about testing, shooting, signs of hypo and what to do if Simba's behaviour looks off.
 
Lina and Simba said:
After last night I was eager to get an AMPS measurement but my mum had already fed Simba and given his morning shot. I know she meant well, but I really emphasised how important a pre-shot measurement is and that it should be the bare minimum of testing we do in the day especially so early on.

Today we will practice measuring his BG together and I'll print off some basic info for her to stick on the fridge about testing, shooting, signs of hypo and what to do if Simba's behaviour looks off.
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I wish the both of you the best and I am glad she is helping in his care.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
It's great that you have your mother to help. This journey/marathon is easier when shared! :)
Food takes 20-30 minutes to affect the BG numbers, so you can still test soon after food.

Have you decided which dosing protocol you would like to follow? SLGS or TR?

Linking your previous post here.
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...-2-263-4-238-first-full-day-of-lantus.241171/
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Yes, I am very thankful she's willing to participate. I want to follow the TR protocol! :) I thought I managed to include a link to my previous post at the beginning of this thread, is it only showing up for me? Or should I always have a separate paragraph at the beginning with the entire link instead of embedding it?
 
Lina and Simba said:
Yes, I am very thankful she's willing to participate. I want to follow the TR protocol! :) I thought I managed to include a link to my previous post at the beginning of this thread, is it only showing up for me? Or should I always have a separate paragraph at the beginning with the entire link instead of embedding it?
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It's great that you have decided to do TR. It will get Simba to his optimal dose faster than SLGS and won't want him in these high numbers longer than necessary.

Again, my mistake. Couldn't see the embedded link on this tiny screen. Embedding is fine. A lot of people do it :-)
 
+3 166! I have never seen it this low, ever! So excited :) Simbas getting his midday snack now and I'll be back home to test in another 2-3 hours.
 
Lina and Simba said:
+3 166! I have never seen it this low, ever! So excited :) Simbas getting his midday snack now and I'll be back home to test in another 2-3 hours.
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Trust them to fall low on the day you don't get a PS test! :rolleyes: A test in 2 hours would be good.

Btw, which insulin was he on before Lantus? Could you please add a row at before the one for 28.11.2020 and mention the name of the insulin?
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Trust them to fall low on the day you don't get a PS test! :rolleyes: A test in 2 hours would be good.

Btw, which insulin was he on before Lantus? Could you please add a row at before the one for 28.11.2020 and mention the name of the insulin?
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Right?! Okay, I’ll make sure I’m back in 2 hours to check up on him. Simba had Protaphane prior to Lantus (Novolin seemed to be another name for it?). I’ll update the SS.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Couldn't see the embedded link on this tiny screen.
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LOL! I missed it too Bhooma! And I have a full sized screen! Usually folks place the reference to the previous day as the top line of their post...on some devices it's lost in the text...lots of phones have such tiny screens I wouldn't be able to click on that link...just a suggestion to consider Lina for tomorrow.

Great that your mom is helping, hope she 'gets' how dangerous it is to shoot insulin without knowing the pre-shot blood glucose number - at some point you'll get a really low pre-shot number and that's the day she will truly understand that there are decisions to be made and an evaluation of next steps needs to occur prior to shooting insulin.

Have a great day!!
 
Work the juice, Simba:cool:! Great job with the testing, Lina!

Case in point: I got a 32 at AMPS very recently, on 12/29o_O. I had no prior indication she would be that low at AMPS, so it was a huge shock:nailbiting:! The cutoff for shooting insulin with TR is 50.
Your mom will get the hang of this. It's wonderful that she wants to help!
 
Sue and Luci said:
LOL! I missed it too Bhooma! And I have a full sized screen! Usually folks place the reference to the previous day as the top line of their post...on some devices it's lost in the text...lots of phones have such tiny screens I wouldn't be able to click on that link...just a suggestion to consider Lina for tomorrow.

Great that your mom is helping, hope she 'gets' how dangerous it is to shoot insulin without knowing the pre-shot blood glucose number - at some point you'll get a really low pre-shot number and that's the day she will truly understand that there are decisions to be made and an evaluation of next steps needs to occur prior to shooting insulin.

Have a great day!!
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Yeah I’ll put the link for the previous day clearly at the top of the next thread so it’s easy to find for all. :)

And she definitely gets it, she thought I had slept through my alarms. Once I get her comfortable with testing (with the help of my dad too) I know she’ll wake me up if she’s unsure about what to do. Simba’s in good hands.

Thank you & have a great day too!
 
Butters & Lyla said:
Work the juice, Simba:cool:! Great job with the testing, Lina!

Case in point: I got a 32 at AMPS very recently, on 12/29o_O. I had no prior indication she would be that low at AMPS, so it was a huge shock:nailbiting:! The cutoff for shooting insulin with TR is 50.
Your mom will get the hang of this. It's wonderful that she wants to help!
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Thank you! Wow, that must’ve been really surprising! I keep thinking I’ll see more high numbers every time I test, it was never smooth sailing before switching to Lantus. I could have Simba go up and down and then back up again and it was just really discouraging and probably very hard on his body too.

My family knows Simba means the world to me and they absolutely love him, I am sure both my parents will get the hang of testing. :)
 
They will absolutely get the hang of it:).

That must have been so disappointing! Butters was on a different insulin before Lantus also and her cycles were so crazy. When I made the switch to Lantus, it took a little while but I got her regulated with lots of help from people on the board. My advice to you would be to keep posting daily so that people can help you, and look at other kitties' spreadsheets as that is a great way to learn all about what is possible with Lantus, and also how different each cat's journey is.

There is no coffee in the world that wakes you up as quickly as a low preshot number:eek::eek::eek:!
 
These are the U-100 syringes that came in the mail. Do they look like the right ones? I’m hesitant about opening a package in case I need to return them.
 

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I have a bad feeling these are too big/not precise enough!
 

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Is this what you're currently using? If you can return them, I would.
Ideally you want the .3ml (3/10cc) syringes with 1/2 unit markings on them.
 
On the bright side I got Ketostix in the mail too. I'll sneak up on Simba possibly today already :D I also placed an order for the correct syringes, additional test strips for the glucose meter and a hazardous waste bin. Expecting the big order of low-carb food to arrive on Monday - I think we're all stocked up!
 
AMPS +8 was 130. Wow! Simba's having his second mini-meal of the day (30 grams of Sheba perfect portions luxury chicken pate) and the next time I'll measure his PMPS. Now already thinking in advance... what if the PMPS is under 200? Do I drop his dose to 2 units for the night? And if it's around 250 should I go in with the full 3 units or 2 units for safety? He gets fed a bit at PMPS +2.5/3, but that's the last food he gets before the morning.
 
We normally ask people not to shoot under 150 if they do not have enough data on how their cat behaves on insulin.
You could get a +11 and post here for advice. If he looks like he is bouncing, it may safe to give the whole dose.

But looks like you need to fix your syringe problem sooner rather than later. As you are aware, we take reductions in multiples of 0.25U. Even if you cannot get syringes with half unit marks, it would help if you can get 0.3 ml (cc) syringes. It would be easier to eyeball 0.5U and 0.25U with those. With the 1ml syringes you have dosing even 1U is difficult. I have tried to used them in the first few days!

Most importantly, do not feed after +10. You do not want a food influenced PS number tonight! :-)
 
Bandit's Mom said:
We normally ask people not to shoot under 150 if they do not have enough data on how their cat behaves on insulin.
You could get a +11 and post here for advice. If he looks like he is bouncing, it may safe to give the whole dose.

But looks like you need to fix your syringe problem sooner rather than later. As you are aware, we take reductions in multiples of 0.25U. Even if you cannot get syringes with half unit marks, it would help if you can get 0.3 ml (cc) syringes. It would be easier to eyeball 0.5U and 0.25U with those. With the 1ml syringes you have dosing even 1U is difficult. I have tried to used them in the first few days!

Most importantly, do not feed after +10. You do not want a food influenced PS number tonight! :)
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Okay, I’ll do a +11 as well to see if his BG is heading up. The syringe issue has been addressed, I’m expecting the delivery on Monday/Tuesday. Up until then I have to make due with the current ones that are compatible with the pen.

The food he’s been given just after measuring +8 is the last bit before PMPS+dinner, so all good on that. :)
 
+11 has gone up by 100. Expecting to see PMPS a little bit higher too, but maybe not as high as yesterday? Should I go ahead with the 3 units then?
 
Bandit's Mom said:
If you need help in the PM cycle, tag or PM @tiffmaxee . She's in LA and would be around.
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Okay, thanks! :) My mum has volunteered to measure tomorrow's AMPS and give Simba his morning shot. I can only guess it'll be back up in the sort of numbers where 3 units is required. Could you advise on what range of BG would be safe for 3 units? We are able to test him more often in the day and he gets more food throughout the day too.
 
Lina and Simba said:
Okay, thanks! :) My mum has volunteered to measure tomorrow's AMPS and give Simba his morning shot. I can only guess it'll be back up in the sort of numbers where 3 units is required. Could you advise on what range of BG would be safe for 3 units? We are able to test him more often in the day and he gets more food throughout the day too.
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I think anything over 200 should be okay. With so few days on Lantus it is hard to say where he will be. I guess your mom will not be posting the AMPS here! That would be expecting too much, I guess! :D
@tiffmaxee ?
 
Yes if around 200 shoot the full dose. If less without data give a token dose if 150-190ish of 25%. If lower skip or 10%. Without seeing the numbers it’s hard to say. If at all nervous just skip.
 
tiffmaxee said:
Yes if around 200 shoot the full dose. If less without data give a token dose if 150-190ish of 25%. If lower skip or 10%. Without seeing the numbers it’s hard to say. If at all nervous just skip.
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I’ll have her wake me up if it’s under 200 so she’s not panicking over it! Thanks for the advice :)
 
Bandit's Mom said:
I think anything over 200 should be okay. With so few days on Lantus it is hard to say where he will be. I guess your mom will not be posting the AMPS here! That would be expecting too much, I guess! :D
@tiffmaxee ?
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Hahah that would be fantastic if she would! I’ll have her text me his AMPS so I can remain in a half-asleep state and update it here. :D might as well have a little template for a new thread ready to go!
 
tiffmaxee said:
Yes if around 200 shoot the full dose. If less without data give a token dose if 150-190ish of 25%. If lower skip or 10%. Without seeing the numbers it’s hard to say. If at all nervous just skip.
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Lina is using a pen to shoot. She is in Finland and still arranging for 0.3ml syringes. So the token dose can be either 1U or 2U.
 
Quite an unusual jump up to 367 at PMPS +2. I wonder why! I'll see where this develops at +7 maybe? Simba's getting his usual night snack now.
 
He’s bouncing from the string of blues because he’s not used to those numbers. Bounces can last up to 6 cycles or clear in a cycle or two. You don’t need to test any more tonight unless you want to grab a before bed test to see f he’s continuing to rise.
 
tiffmaxee said:
He’s bouncing from the string of blues because he’s not used to those numbers. Bounces can last up to 6 cycles or clear in a cycle or two. You don’t need to test any more tonight unless you want to grab a before bed test to see f he’s continuing to rise.
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I figured that might be what’s happening! It was our first blue day after all. I’ll let his little ears and paws recover from today’s testing and get a good nights sleep myself. Back tomorrow AM with an update.
 
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