More questions on dosing

I forgot how stressful I find caninsulin.

Can someone have a look at Sky's spreadsheet and see what you think of the recent numbers.

If I drop her dose when she is low she has an immediate bounce back up, usually on the following test - not a huge amount but I would rather she be more steady.

i think the only thing I've not tried is 1.25 but that is really hard to see on the syringes (without getting the other ones). When she was on 1 unit it wasn't enough. 1.5 brings it down nicely but sometimes too much.

Just tested now and she is low but not hypo range (and I don't think she will get to that point as it's almost supper time and she is really bright and playful).

Karen

 

Those high greens are perfect! it's exactly what you want to see!

 

can you get more mid cycle numbers? I can't tell if 1.5 is good or too much on those yellow preshots because I don't know what's happening in the middle. Please any day you are home, do a curve.

 

I agree with Janet that it's difficult to see exactly what is happening without more tests during the times when the insulin is expected to be most active. I'm not sure some of those pink pre-shots aren't bounces. Those pink and blue pre-shots could be due to lower mid cycle readings than you are catching. You've also been changing the dose a lot in the last week or so making it difficult to see what any one of those doses is doing for Sooty.

If Sooty is going down lower than the 5.5 mmol (99)/5.3 mmol (95) that you caught today, then she could be more sensitive to the insulin right now or just bouncing because she is unaccustomed to the lower BG. I'd suggest sticking to the same dose (0.75 or 1u) for 3 days (6 cycles) if her pre-shot numbers are over 11mmol (200) and try to get a test early in the cycle (around +1.5 or +2) to see how fast she is dropping. Some cats have their lowest point by +3 and others a little later between +4 and +6. I'm inclined to think the 1.5u may be a bit high and 1u may be a tad low but the only way to see what any given dose is doing is to stick with it for a few cycles (numbers permitting) to make sure any bouncing has cleared and to get some mid cycle tests to see just how low she is really going on the dose. I would also suggest that you don't aim for any BG lower than 5mmol (90) with Caninsulin to give yourself a little more cushion due to the sharp BG drops Caninsulin can cause.

 

Can't do a curve until I'm home at the weekend. Previously when I've tested 2 units took her down 10 points from her start point and 1 unit took her down 5 - it was quite steady. Obviously things may have changed since I last did a curve . She also held the numbers for 4-8 hours before increasing slightly. She was on predominantly one unit last year of caninsulin last year so this is nothing new.

Will get a better idea this weekend when I can test again. I do like her having low numbers but it is quite difficult to stick to the same insulin unit with her at the moment. I've said before as well she seems to have a slow metabolism for medication and somehow stores it in her system. Will try and keep to a 1 unit or 0.75 for a few cycles so can get a decent curve done.

 

The fact that Sky's BG is staying steady for that long with Caninsulin is strongly suggestive that the dose is too high.

Curves are fine if you're sure Sky is not in the middle of a bounce or not having a high or low day for some reason but when you are not sure what is going on, random tests during each cycle over the course of a few days to a week can be more informative and help in a puzzling situation. Is there any way you could get at least one test sometime during each cycle over a week or so to see how low Sky is actually going? The difference between a curve and random tests is somewhat like the difference between a snapshot and a movie. Movies are more detailed. I understand the difficulties of getting mid cycle tests when you are not home during the day all week but if you can snag some random tests whenever you can, it will help you get a better view of what's happening with Sky.

 

Nice seeing those lower preshots

 

Managed a curve today as off work sick. I know she hasn't had 3 days on the same dose but that has proven impossible to do. I do have a number for last night's preshoot just not sure why I haven't added it.

About to do tonight's so hopefully will have a good idea of where she has come back to.

 

Looks good!

 

She is a dosing nightmare. Last night she had gone high for no reason. This morning she was 9.1.

I have given a small dose to try and keep her with some insulin but I can't monitor her as I would like.

Any tips on how to stop her going from extremes?

 

Can you try to get a few more mid cycle numbers around +5? I wanna see how low she goes at that dose when she's in the pinks.

Did she have anything to eat before that higher number?

 

At the moment with work I can only get her checked at weekend. Her evening dose takes it nearly midnight to do a +5 which is way too late for me!

She hadn't had anything to eat since +6 after her original dose - but she had been sick pff that food so it's possible she was slighlty under the weather.

Finding it really difficult to get a dose that will not keep sending her up and down!

Will try for more numbers at weekend.

 

Ok I hear ya... We all need sleep. This weekend run some curves so there's a clearer picture of what is happening.