Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
I think one unit is going to set you back quite a bit. You could do a standard reduction of .25 units. Or even.5 unit if it makes feel more comfortable- especially if you are not able to test at all tonight.
New again and struggling. Need help with dosing
- Thread starter Linda and Newman
- Start date
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
Low carb food like Fancy Feast pates won’t normally give much of a food bump.
But wait - let me get this straight- the 238 was before eating - and then he ate - and what’s his number?
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
But this is why we say to get a test, if it’s lower than expected you can stall and not feed and retest in 30 minutes.
Linda and Newman
Active Member
So, that would be 1.5 or 2.0 units. I wish I could feel confident about staying up and testing but I don't.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
1.75 would be a half unit reduction. 1.5 a little more. If you are too exhausted to test, I understand.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
Did you get a number after the 238?
Linda and Newman
Active Member
I tested him at 4:30 (+7.5) when I got home from therapy. He was 211. By 5 pm they were all ready to eat so I fed them. The cats eat about 1/3 can and leave. I cover the bowls until they come back. He gets one can AM and PM, so he was eating on that one can up until 6:30, so that I had two hours until shot time. At 8:30 he was 238 which was 2 hours after eating probably 2/3 of a can.
Linda and Newman
Active Member
No, 238 was the last test actually between 8:15 and 8:30, anticipating shooting at 8:30.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
Well, you are in control here and We want to keep Newman safe. Hopefully you shot a reduced dose by now. We will see where he goes from here and it will all be useful data to add to his picture. You’re doing a great job for just starting up and I am pleased with that.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
Thanks for explaining that.
Linda and Newman
Active Member
No, I have not shot yet. I guess I will shoot 1.5 units. Thanks for the encouragement and of course the help. I wish things were going better. I do appreciate the visual aid of the spreadsheet!
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
Okay. Thanks. I just thought that since you were uncomfortable with the 238 that you might retest to see if he was rising on his own without food - to help you make up your mind about how much insulin to give tonight.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
Yes. I remember being really intimidated by other people’s spreadsheets before I started my own. But after I got used to it, I found it so helpful to give me a picture of what was going on.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
It will be okay. And you will gain confidence as you gather data on what Newman’s patterns are. I hope you have a restful night.
Linda and Newman
Active Member
Gosh, I see it is after 10 pm and I have to draw a new syringe, The old one sat too long and the insulin separated in it. This sucks. What happens to the schedule tomorrow morning? Maybe I should shoot 1 unit and then be able to get back on schedule by 9:00 am.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
No matter how much you shoot you should space it out by no less than 11.5 hours. Sorry
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
So that would be 9:30 am tomorrow
Linda and Newman
Active Member
I\Okay, I shot a skinny 1.5 units at 10:15. I had the meter out so I poked him at that time, he is 386. I'm sorry for melting down. I think I am feeling mentally exhausted. Thank you so much for sticking with me.
Linda and Newman
Active Member
What is the earliest I can test in the morning if I am not going to shoot until 9:30 - 9:45? I normally get up, test, feed and shoot.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
No worries. I know how it feels to get a number you're not comfortable with at evening time when you're really tired! You worry about what will happen while you are asleep.
Please update your spreadsheet with that 386 (which I guess will really be the PMPS number since that's when you shot, right? It's helpful to put a few notes in the comments section about what he ate and when. Like, the 238 was after he had eaten, wasn't it? So there may have been a slight elevation in that number because of the food (what we call a food bump.) No.... wait... you said it had been two hours since he had finished his dinner about 6:30... so scratch that part about the food bump.
You could write that and write about how long after eating the 386 was. I guess my point is that any information like this is helpful to note in the spreadsheet.
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Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
You can test him whenever you want. Let's say you tested him at 8:15 a.m. this morning -- whatever number you get would go in the +10 column for the PM cycle of 5/6.
What time do you plan to feed him though? This could complicate things. What time do you usually feed the kitties?
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
I just want to add that sometimes in the middle of a cycle you will get a number that you're not comfortable with and you will want to feed Newman little bits of food (a tsp. here and there usually) to keep his numbers up, or to prevent steep drops. We don't really know Newman's patterns yet, so we don't know if he's a "diver" (I hope not) or a bouncer (I also hope not). I'm not seeing him as a bouncer yet, but we will see. When you do this, it is helpful to put something in the cell on the SS and note it right there in the cell... something like 1 t. LC (low carb) or 1 t. MC (for medium carb).
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
Okay, I was waiting until about 9:30 to see if you were shooting/testing. Newman was probably high and you didn't need any help. I hope all is well with you, too, Linda. 
Linda and Newman
Active Member
Oh, I am so sorry that I kept you waiting. I did act this morning, and planned to fill in the spreadsheet to catch it up to post what I actually I did. So, yes I tested him this morning for a fasting BG at 8:15. I got a 515 which was in fact +10 from last nights injection. Knowing that would be high enough to shoot, I went ahead and fed him his usual 1/2 can FF, then held off to 9:30, rechecked for insight, got 572 and shot 2.25.Okay, I was waiting until about 9:30 to see if you were shooting/testing. Newman was probably high and you didn't need any help. I hope all is well with you, too, Linda.
Personally I am okay, except for working with Newman and those restrictions, generally speaking everything takes me twice as long. Thanks for asking.
Linda and Newman
Active Member
I usually test between 7-7:30 am. Then I feed all three of them, Newman, Ozzie and Minnie. I monitor the feedings closely as I have been successfully dieting Ozzie. Minnie eats and she is done, whereas the cats are grazers, so I cover their bowls. At that time, based on the AMPS, food intake and usual dose, I shoot. That entire process takes about one hour to complete.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
Well, we have learned a few things about Newman from last night and this morning. One is that he will go really high without enough insulin. The other is that he doesn’t go up a lot from the low carb food, but he does go up some (although he had about two hours to digest his food by APMS reading of 572). On another evening when you are not so tired and after you have adjusted his shot time back to an earlier time, you can hopefully get a few evening tests.
Linda and Newman
Active Member
Yes, normally I would be able to get some evening tests.
Since he is a grazer, it's good to know that it's not having any great effect on his BG.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
Actually since he’s grazing on low carb food, it’s probably a good thing.
Linda and Newman
Active Member
Suzanne, I hope you will see that beautiful blue AMPS on the spreadsheet. I went ahead and fed the usual FF pate figuring it will not effect that number by a lot, or so it seems. That first test was at 8 am, so I will test again at 9.
On a side note, when is it time to start a new thread? Has this one gotten too long? I don't want to lose you.
The 9:00 test is 222.
On a side note, when is it time to start a new thread? Has this one gotten too long? I don't want to lose you.
The 9:00 test is 222.
Linda and Newman
Active Member
Did I make the wrong choice?
Based on 'how to handle a lower than normal PS number there are 3 options' I chose #3 to feed as usual, test in a couple of hours and make a decision based on that value.
Then I remembered stall feeding and retest in 30 minutes.
Well, I blew it.
Based on 'how to handle a lower than normal PS number there are 3 options' I chose #3 to feed as usual, test in a couple of hours and make a decision based on that value.
Then I remembered stall feeding and retest in 30 minutes.
Well, I blew it.
Linda and Newman
Active Member
I plan to test again at 10:00 and decide on what dose to give. I'm thinking 1.0 unit, based on the limited info on my spreadsheet, his response is not rapid.
Change of plan. I am shooting 2.0 based on the 222 after seeing it charted on the spreadsheet.
Change of plan. I am shooting 2.0 based on the 222 after seeing it charted on the spreadsheet.
Shelley & Jess
Very Active Member
You didn't blow it, just something to remember for next time
Stalling lets you see if/when he's on the rise and what kind of duration he's getting. As you learn his patterns it'll help you feel more confident and comfortable shooting lower PS numbers.
Prozinc onset for most cats is around +2 so you're really shooting what the BG will be in 2 hours. As the last shot is wearing off the next shot is kicking in and this is part of what helps to keep the overall BG down.
Linda and Newman
Active Member
Thank you.You didn't blow it, just something to remember for next time
Stalling lets you see if/when he's on the rise and what kind of duration he's getting. As you learn his patterns it'll help you feel more confident and comfortable shooting lower PS numbers.
Prozinc onset for most cats is around +2 so you're really shooting what the BG will be in 2 hours. As the last shot is wearing off the next shot is kicking in and this is part of what helps to keep the overall BG down.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
I am glad you shot 2 and nothing less. No worries.
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Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
I did think that you were trying to work his shot time backwards though. 
I got excited kooky for the blue amps but it’s yellow!
I got excited kooky for the blue amps but it’s yellow!
Linda and Newman
Active Member
Right? He heard me say I was trying to get back on schedule. The 152 was what I thought was the pre-shot, but you are correct, it moved back to +11 and 222 is yellow. I'm still thinking positively in that it was't black! Maybe we can just have a good day.
The 152 was what I thought was the pre-shot, but you are correct, it moved back to +11 and 222 is yellow. I'm still thinking positively in that it was't black! Maybe we can just have a good day.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
I wish you had shot 2.25 whole dose this morning. It looks like he needed it. But it's okay... now you can see that the yellow AMPS would be safe to shoot, if you get one again.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
How's it going this evening? I hope you had a nice Mother's Day, Linda.
Linda and Newman
Active Member
I had a nice day, how about you?
I am having a hard time figuring out how to post on the spreadsheet properly. It will be easier once I get on a more consistent schedule, I'm sure. Today for instance, I poked him when I got up this morning at 8 am and got that 152 so I entered that at +11 on yesterday's PM record. Then I tested at 9 am he was 222 but, I shot him at 9:45. First check was at 11:30 he was 366, then 3 pm he was 335. I can't get the hang of changing real time to the shot + time. And, can numbers that aren't on the half hour like 9:45 be bumped up or moved back to the half hour? Yikes.
I am having a hard time figuring out how to post on the spreadsheet properly. It will be easier once I get on a more consistent schedule, I'm sure. Today for instance, I poked him when I got up this morning at 8 am and got that 152 so I entered that at +11 on yesterday's PM record. Then I tested at 9 am he was 222 but, I shot him at 9:45. First check was at 11:30 he was 366, then 3 pm he was 335. I can't get the hang of changing real time to the shot + time. And, can numbers that aren't on the half hour like 9:45 be bumped up or moved back to the half hour? Yikes.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
I had a very nice day today. We went to church this morning and went to a lovely French Restaurant afterwards. Sometimes you just have to cram a few numbers/times into a single cell. Sometimes, you have to put it into an adjacent cell.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
Sometimes you just have to pick a box that is closest to the hour and then note in there the + time. It can be tricky
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
What time were you able to shoot tonight?
Linda and Newman
Active Member
I shot him at 9:00. 2.25 units
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
Yes. I saw that you shot on the spreadsheet- I was just hoping that you had been able to advance his shot time a bit.
Linda and Newman
Active Member
Perhaps I did not post it properly, I shot him this morning at 9:45 and this evening at 9:00.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
That’s good.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
You did fine. I didn’t see the post about how you shot at nine. My phone (and even when I was on my laptop) has been acting weird for me tonight with the FDMB. I will get an alert, and when I click on it, there’s nothing there. Sorry to ask you when you already told me!
Linda and Newman
Active Member
I'm not looking for an apology. I am in the learning phase and I'll take all the questions and double checks you care to give!
Have a good night.
Suzanne & Darcy
Very Active Member
256 this morning? Maybe you can shoot at 8:30 a.m.
you know, about the spreadsheet — some people like to put the time that they shot in the comments section of the spreadsheet. Some people actually have made a column next to the AMPS and PMPS where they put in the actual time of their shot. I think it helps keep them straight.
you know, about the spreadsheet — some people like to put the time that they shot in the comments section of the spreadsheet. Some people actually have made a column next to the AMPS and PMPS where they put in the actual time of their shot. I think it helps keep them straight.
Linda and Newman
Active Member
My plan was to shoot at 8:30 and maybe I still can. I tested at 7:30 and fed a few minutes after. Newman sometimes regurgitates and of course that happened this morning! As usual he is back, unphased to eat again. I have given him 1/4 of the can and he ate most of it. What do most people do, can I go ahead with the planned 2.25 units?