1-10 Sasha blood glucose fluctuations need help

Last shot 9:44 pm 1/9/2010 gave Lantus 1 unit, previous dose was 2 units.

1/10/2010 6:30 am 148,
8:15 am 312

Should I give him his morning shot now? Should I go back to his regular dose of 2 units of Lantus?

 

Re: 1-9 Sasha blood glucose fluctuations need help

Will you be able to get some tests in today? If so, I would go back to the regular dose of 2u.

 

Re: 1-9 Sasha blood glucose fluctuations need help

From last night, I think you need to decide on what dose you can shoot consistently. I believe the folks here suggested with starting at 1.0 unit and you decided to shoot 2 units. It's up to you what amount you shoot but you need to shoot that amount consistently so you know how Sasha is responding.

 

The two units is what was prescribed by the vet.

 

Will you be able to work on a SS today?

If you feel more comfortable with keeping the 1u you can do that also

 

I understand. If you are comfortable with shooting the 2 units, that's absolutely fine. Maybe I misunderstood your question this morning. I was under the impression you weren't sure whether to shoot 1 or 2 units. If it were me, I'd probably stick with the 1 unit since you're just beginning to collect data and we increase insulin in 0.25 amounts (versus a whole unit).

 

I just realized, you use the same vet as Carolyn, don't you? I'm sure your vet would understand if you wanted to start low and go slow since it sounds like you both have a great vet. It's not just data for you, it's data for your vet. I really doubt your vet would want you to miss what could be an optimal dose for Sasha. Most of us are very nervous about shooting too much insulin if we've not worked the dose up very gradually and know how our kitty will respond. If you're concerned about giving less insulin, you can talk to your vet about it on Monday.

 

Thank you. I decided to go with an in between solution. Instead of the usual 2 units or the 1 unit given last night since his BG had been 166 for a while, I gave 1.5 units at 9 am. I will call the vet on Monday.

 

Hi Sheryl!
An exciting night, followed by an exciting morning!

The rise you saw *could* be that rebound we talked about...remember when the liver panics because the BG goes lower than its used to (even tho it may be normal), or some of the food sasha ate depending on when he finished in relation to the last test you took.

Since anything is possible, you really need to get some spot checks in today?
You shot a bit early...45min.

Here is a time schedule for the day and checks you may want to aim for. Any low numbers that are concerning may dictate more testing. I've put in red the first two tests which would be good to aim for. Could you test at 11am and 1pm today? Then post the numbers on this thread? Someone will be able to offer suggestions if you should do more tests or not after that.Other recommended tests as of right now I have put in bold. A +10 (7pm) or +11(8pm) would be very helpful so someone can help you get back on track time-wise. This does not mean you will be able to shoot at 7 or 8pm, just that others can help figure out how to get there in the next few days.

9am Shot
10am +1
11am +2
12pm +3
1pm +4
2pm +5
3pm +6
4pm +7
5pm +8
6pm +9
7pm +10
8pm +11
9pm PMPS

One other thing...I know you feed sasha WHILE you are testing (still amazes me!). Can you only put a tsp or two of food in the bowl at these tests times, rather than a meal?

Hang in there! Take a deep breath and go give your son a big squeeze...he will love it! :mrgreen:

 

Good compromise!!

So, for tonight, barring anything out of the ordinary, the plan is to shoot the same, 1.5u dose.

I'm going to do a bit of explaining so if you're tired of hearing this stuff, PM me and tell me to shut up. At this stage, you are working on building up a blood level of Lantus in Sasha's system. (This is also referred to as a depot or, in these parts, a "shed.") Many long-acting drugs work on this same sort of principle. Part of getting the shed established is giving a consistent amount of insulin since the shed is being built around whatever that amount of insulin is. One way to think about this is you have 1.5 units of insulin in storage. If and when you need to increase a dose of insulin, it will take a day or two to fill the shed. When you need to decrease the dose, it can take a cycle (12 hrs is a cycle) or two to deplete the shed to your new dose. This concept of the storage "shed" is one of the reasons that a consistent dose at AM and PM is important, especially as you're starting out with Lantus. It's also one of the reasons that small changes in dose work better.

When you have some spare time, there are two things that will help everyone here enormously. The first is your spreadsheet. This will help us and you keep track of Sasha's progress. It's also something you can send your vet so he can see how Sasha is doing. The instructions for the spreadsheet and how to link it to your signature are in the Tech forum. Also in the Tech forum are instructions on how to complete and link a profile. The profile will save us from repeatedly asking you about Sasha's diet, date of diagnosis, health history, etc. The spreadsheet is the more important of the two items.

 

I love Sasha. Please keep in mind that I am a busy mom of a toddler with a disabled husband and most days I don't have time to pee. So finding time to test is going to be hard, and doing a spread sheet??? I have no food in the house and I have a family gathering today at my mom's house. I need to go grocery shopping. This is an ordeal with a toddler and below zero weather.

 

I know it sounds hard, but if you are putting as much effort into this as you are, the small amount of work of typing a number into a spreadsheet will pay you back with a lot of knowledge about your kitty.

 

Sheryl,
I know you love Sasha. You have a heart of GOLD! I also know how full your hands are and how overwhelmed you feel. To add this to your plate is so very difficult. I am so impressed with the steps you have taken and the effort you have put into caring for Sasha, in addition to all your other responsibilities.

The test times I listed are ideal. if you cant do them, you cant do them. Keep in the back of your mind that starting lower and slower might be a better route to take considering time constraints and all the things you have to juggle. Other folks can chime in on that theory and if Im right or wrong with my observations. We, as you, want sasha to be safe. And we want to help make this as least stressful as possible for you. On that note, ANY spot check you can get today will be helpful...especially in getting you back on your shooting schedule (which I assume will reduce a fair amount of stress).

I can help you set up your ss over the phone later tonight or maybe Tues pm. It will be tough for me to get over there until sometime next weekend if you want help in person. I know you can set up the ss so others can physically comment on it. I could play around and see if I can make one for you on a short term basis.

(((((sheryl))))))

 

10 am 1 hour after 1.5 units Lantus BG 188

 

Fantastic! Thank you for posting the number! :mrgreen:

When is your family gathering today?

What times could you potentially get more tests in?

You are doing an amazing job at testing....it came very quickly for you, especially considering how nervous you were! Big Kudos!!!

 

Anyone with a toddler, let alone other constraints, has their hands full!

How about this as a solution in the interim?
If you can keep a running list of the times you test and the BG reading in one post, or cut and paste that information into your newest post, that will keep all of the information in one place. If you run into a question and aren't sure what to do, it's helpful for everyone who is lending you a hand to be able to see all of the numbers in one place. That will help you, as well, since you won't have to dig through your condo each day to track how Sasha is doing.

The SS serves the same purpose in that all of the info is in one place. It has the added advantage of your being able to see Sasha's progress over time and to identify any patterns.

 

Maybe one of us could set up a SS for her and share it with her to fill in. Or we could help her fill it in every day. That could save a lot of time and stress for Sheryl. I know what it is like to have a toddler in the house... you have no time for yourself. She wasn't kidding about not having time to pee.

 

Just popping in...been keeping an eye on you and Sasha, but I tend to be more of a lurker. ;-)

Just wanted to say I think you are doing fantastically at getting these tests. I can't imagine how you get a test WHILE Sahsa's eating! You are talented!

You have an awful lot on your plate, and kudos for trying so hard for Sasha! Please try to remind yourself when you are getting overwhelmed that these early days are seriously tough. Once you get more familiar with all of it, and the timing, it won't be as over whleming or time consuming. Within a few weeks, it really will be more routine taking only a few minutes every now and again through out the day.

Early days are the most important and that's why we're dumping as much knowledge and advice for you as we can. If your schedule or issues are preventing you from doing something that someone else is telling you needs to be done - post it! :smile: There are a lot of people here with crazy schedules and limited time (Carolynn being one!) They are always willing to offer advice, solutions, work arounds that might be easier, more manageable for you.

Hang in there! You really are doing well!!

 

This is a great point, Amy. I remember how overwhelming it all was in the beginning, and it did seem like it would take much time out of the day. But you will get the hang of it and it will become routine and take far less time than you can imagine now. You're doing wonderfully so far, Sheryl! :smile:

 

Sasha/Seamist's spreadsheet. It may need some updating and correcting, but this is using the numbers that I found so far.

Sasha's Numbers

-CD

 

Thank you for the spread sheet. How do I attach it to my posts, and how do I add info to it?

 

I sent instructions via private message. Can you see at the top of the screen where to click to pick up your message?

 

Look in the Code box below and Copy / paste everything in green to your signature. To edit your signature go to User Control Panel.

Code:

[url=http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tZ7o68bX3BOwZuEEeMHziGQ&output=html]Sasha's Numbers[/url]