9/20 Shooter AMPS 337 +9 60

Heather & Shooter

Member Since 2009
9/17 Shooter AMPS 234, PMPS 261 | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

I decided to increase Shooter's dose yesterday back to 2f. I'm not actually sure if that's what it is. I put the top of the black stopper to the bottom of line 2. I think if it were 2.25 there would be just a tiny space of clear between the stopper and the bottom of the line, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I decided to increase it to try to get him down into the mid greens then try to "feed him thru the curve" to see how he would do. I think so far it seems pretty good? It will be interesting to see how much he bounces tonight from being at 60. IF he doesn't bounce much, I should still give the full 2f and carefully monitor him tonight, right?
 
Surprisingly, Shooter is low for him for PMPS. I usually shoot at 6:30 and it's 7:00 now and he's at 123. What to do? Shoot all or less or what?
 
I know everyone is busy but it's very disappointing when I put a question mark on my thread and even say "help please" and still no one replies. I went ahead and did a small decrease. I gave him 2 units instead of 2f or whatever it is. Hopefully he doesn't end up sky high or hypo low. Time will tell...
 
Hi Heather, sorry no one got back to you. Shooter never went below 50 today, so I'm not sure why you lowered the dose? He's not new to low numbers and any number above 50 is good to shoot.
 
I'm sorry you didn't get a response previously, sometimes it gets a little quiet on the board. With Levemir, you may find that nadirs are often later in the cycle, and it seems that Shooter was on his way back up by the time you got to PMPS. If you ever find that you aren't sure whether the number is rising, you can stall, not feed, and retest in another 20 minutes.

I think you would have been fine giving 2f dose, since you have shot similar numbers before :) The other good thing with Lev is it tends to onset later than Lantus for most kitties, which means you have plenty of time until next dose kicks in, and you may find that occasionally you'll get nadirs right at preshot, so getting used to shooting lower numbers will be necessary.
 
I think what made me most nervous was that it was already a half hour pushing towards 45 minutes when I just decided to go ahead and shoot 2u. Now watch. He'll probably skyrocket. :(
 
getting used to shooting lower numbers will be necessary
Totally agree with Christie on this, especially since you're supposed to be following TR. You won't get the benefits of the protocol if you will not shoot a green number or reflexively lower doses each time you get a number that makes you nervous. I know it's easier if someone is holding your hand and tell you what to do. Hopefully someone will be here next time. You should take a gander at other people's spreadsheets. They shoot green and their cats are fine. You can too! :bighug:
 
Oh dear, you didn't screw up, not at all! When you haven't had a blue (or green) preshot in a while, it can be a little offputting, that's where your data of your cat comes in handy, look back to some cycles where you didn't hesitate, but shot ...what did those cycles look like? :) .
 
Yep, I screwed up. I know better but... too late now.
We're not here to criticize or judge you, so turn that frown upside down! I find that shooting a low number is like riding a bicycle. It's scary when you've never been on a bicycle or have had your training wheels on for a long time, and then once you get going you wonder how it ever was that you never tried it before. Same thing with shooting lower numbers. You can't know how it is until you do it. Having the FDMB and knowing that hundreds if not thousands of other people have been in your shoes also helps, at least it does for me.
 
Oh dear, you didn't screw up, not at all! When you haven't had a blue (or green) preshot in a while, it can be a little offputting, that's where your data of your cat comes in handy, look back to some cycles where you didn't hesitate, but shot ...what did those cycles look like? :) .

You're right. Out of the probably 20 times I shot blue he only went under 40 about 7 times. He almost always goes up.
 
We're not here to criticize or judge you, so turn that frown upside down! I find that shooting a low number is like riding a bicycle. It's scary when you've never been on a bicycle or have had your training wheels on for a long time, and then once you get going you wonder how it ever was that you never tried it before. Same thing with shooting lower numbers. You can't know how it is until you do it. Having the FDMB and knowing that hundreds if not thousands of other people have been in your shoes also helps, at least it does for me.

Yes, it's been tough for me because Shooter has been so all over the board. He was doing so well several months ago and now I just can't seem to get him back to where he was. Am I crazy to want him to go into remission at 14 years old? I know my mom seems to think so. "He's probably too old to ever go off insulin." :(
 
Yes, it's been tough for me because Shooter has been so all over the board. He was doing so well several months ago and now I just can't seem to get him back to where he was. Am I crazy to want him to go into remission at 14 years old? I know my mom seems to think so. "He's probably too old to ever go off insulin." :(
I don't know that there is any age correlation with remission. Have you ever seen Tyler's spreadsheet? @Diane Tyler's Mom was giving him insulin for over two years before he kicked the juice. Ruby was nearly in remission until steroids entered the picture and now she is also all over the board. One day she might get off the steroids and also off insulin. I haven't given up hope and neither should you.

Shooting low can help you. I've seen situations where once the caregiver learns to shoot low, a switch goes off in the cat and they start careening down the dosing ladder towards remission. Ask for help when you need it, get a +10 or +11 so that you give yourself enough time to make a decision about what to do when shot time comes around, and trust the protocol as well as the many experiences of other people here. You've got this, Heather! :bighug:
 
You're right. Out of the probably 20 times I shot blue he only went under 40 about 7 times. He almost always goes up.
And...have a look at those cycles where you started in red or pink and hit under 50 and or under 60. I bet you didn't wonder then, hey, should I shoot a reduced dose? I'm just saying don't be afraid of the lower preshots. ;)
 
I don't know that there is any age correlation with remission. Have you ever seen Tyler's spreadsheet? @Diane Tyler's Mom was giving him insulin for over two years before he kicked the juice. Ruby was nearly in remission until steroids entered the picture and now she is also all over the board. One day she might get off the steroids and also off insulin. I haven't given up hope and neither should you.

Shooting low can help you. I've seen situations where once the caregiver learns to shoot low, a switch goes off in the cat and they start careening down the dosing ladder towards remission. Ask for help when you need it, get a +10 or +11 so that you give yourself enough time to make a decision about what to do when shot time comes around, and trust the protocol as well as the many experiences of other people here. You've got this, Heather! :bighug:

Thank you! It's easy to feel defeated with all of this. Plus I have a LOT going on in my life right now, so that doesn't help. lol Thank you for the encouragement! :)
 
Heather I agree with everything Katherine ( Perfumed CatMom ) said.
You will become more confident shooting lower numbers. I know I did.
As long as you are able to monitor , have enough tests strips you will be fine.
You can always ask for help . :cat:
 
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