I couldn't find how to measure a drop dose. Red has earned himself another reduction from 0.1 U. Is it important to give the drop dose, or should I stop dose & keep testing? On the FB group for this group, I'm seeing some kitties going into remission with a higher BG level than what Red is getting. This is confusing me on whether to keep giving his shots.
The drop dose is when you hold the syringe in your hand and press down on the plunger. This is before you insert it into your pen or vial. Then, while holding the syringe with the plunger depressed, insert the syringe into your vial or pen of insulin and release the plunger. This action will draw up the tiniest bit of insulin— the drop dose.
I looked at his spreadsheet not too long ago and said to myself, geez he's reeeallllllyyy milking that 0.1U! I too would try a drop dose and see what he does. Given how long he's held each dose recently I think he may benefit from a little extra support.
Lol I thought the same. I thought he'd be on that 0.1U forever. He's doing so well though. I gave him the drop dose this morning. Certainly feels like nothing there. Does he stay on this drop dose until his levels go under 65 again or can he come off sooner? I wasn't sure how to code that dose in the spreadsheet or if DD was correct.
I'm glad I explained that so you could understand it. We definitely want Red to have a durable remission, so hopefully the drop dose will help with that. I'm proud of you for being sensible and not rushing the remission as some people do; it can make a difference and numbers can start to creep back up again.
I wo I would try to keep it as long as possible. We sometimes say a week in all green and you can try a reduction but I think for him it's better to go as long as possible. DD or drop is fine!
Red has been on the drop dose for 4 days today. He has been doing very good, and has dropped to 63 this afternoon. Since 65 was my reduction point for him, and there's nothing to reduce to after this dose, do I just keep him on the drop dose for the rest of the week? Then try taking him off? Can they still go hypo with a drop dose?
They can still go hypo yes. I would do an OTJ trial, congrats! 2 weeks without insulin, continue to test at AMPS and PMPS...and whatever other random tests you feel like getting. Don't need many, just one midcycle here or there
This is great news! Paws crossed for a successful OTJ trial! Keep your spreadsheet updated and keep us posted!
Woohooo!! Red will be so happy! We were just getting to the last page of his notebook that I manually write in! I'll keep testing as usual and keep up with his spreadsheet for the 2 week trial. I'm hoping it can last a lot longer! Thank you for your help!
While we never know for sure, you did everything right and I have a good feeling about this! Let's hope the patience pays off
Good Morning! I always write down the data in a notebook, then transfer to the spreadsheet. I just finished updating through this morning. Red is still doing well, only his AM numbers are a little bit high. Every few weeks or so, we travel by car about 3 hours, so sometimes he is not tested twice that day. I always mark "travel day" on his spreadsheet in the comments.
@FrostD I read BellaBlue's post you tagged me in and I wasn't sure if you were saying to think about giving an evening dose? Red seems to be hovering right above 100 in the AM. I still have a 1/2 vial left of ProZinc so I could easily do that if needed. The insulin is at it's 5 month mark though.
Oh no I was just mentioning you since your spreadsheets look similar, sometimes.it helps people to see others that were in a similar situation. AMPS usually is higher since they're nocturnal (like how our BG is higher at night as we wind down for the day). His other numbers are really nice so no I wouldn't give insulin
@FrostD Good Morning! Today is day 14 for Red's OTJ trial. He's been doing very well except for two recent mornings when he hit AM BG levels of 127 and 120. I noticed that both evenings prior I had given him FF Fish & Shrimp flaked feast before bed. He hasn't had this cat food in months. Even though it is very low in carbs (I think zero), could it be the reason for these numbers? Could it be too little carbs overnight?
Sometimes the fish doesn't agree with them and raises BG. Have you tried a meal at PMBG+9? So a few hours before the morning "shot". A lot of people find that helps bring that AMBG down. He's still doing well! And not giving you room for a drop dose.
I never thought about doing an early morning meal. That might be a good idea. Other than those 2 mornings though, his numbers have been good. I'm going to keep an eye on him and watch if I give that fish/shrimp meal again. Thank you again!
@FrostD Hi, can I consider Red to be in remission? His last insulin shot was on May 22 in the morning so he has been 2 weeks without insulin since this past Monday. Do I keep testing him twice per day, or can I reduce that? Since his PS levels are good, I thought maybe just test in the AM?
Yes I would, congrats! At this point you can just test weekly if you like, depends how closely you want to watch that AMPS. You will of course want to keep him on low carb food forever. Past some point (3-6 months) people gradually shift to every other week or monthly spot checks.
Oh my gosh! This is awesome news!! Both of my kitties will be on low carb forever now. I will definitely keep once or even twice a week testing for a bit longer. It will feel odd not to test. Then I'll reduce from there afterwards. I want to thank you so much for helping me and Red achieve this!! I am so happy for him! This site is a Godsend!
