Need help with BG numbers!

Hi all,

I was hoping to get some help with BG numbers and insulin dosage. So, briefly, the beginning of this year, I took my cat Blue off his dry prescription food and put him on wet food--mostly Wellness and Evo, grainfree. He is doing great, lost some weight, beautiful coat etc. At about the same time I started home testing. His numbers have gone down and subsequently I've been giving less insulin. He has been a pain in the rear about testing, but I did managed to get two tests today which I think seems good, but am wondering what to do next.

This morning his BG was 96 + 12 (was about an hour after breakfast). I decided to give him 2 units instead of 3 (which he received last night) knowing I should be keeping an eye on him for hypo signs. This afternoon he was 88 + 6 (on empty stomach). He has never hypo'ed in his 2 years of diabetes (he's 12).
So, I'm wondering whether he should get a shot this evening (shot time is about 9--morning and evening)?? Could his pancreas be kicking in????

Here are additional details that may be useful:
Blue is on Lantus
syringes are U-100 (hope that makes sense)
He has been acting is usual self today--plenty of attitude!
I don't have a spread sheet of his numbers, I just haven't been able to get enough blood out of the old boy so far!

Any thoughts would be appreciated! Thank you.

 

Hi welcome to Lantus Land, glad u made it over from health.

first off how many hours till your PMPS (p.m preshot) ?

What is the last test u did and the number?

Let's get you straightened out for that, but I will tell u , u will need a spreadsheet.
The TECH forum has instructions for setting that up.

Can u get a test one hour before your shot time?

EDIT TO ADD: please make your subject line to look like this: 01/31 Blue HELP WITH BG #'S

 

BUMP

o

 

Thanks Ronnie and Luna,
Last shot I gave was at 3 pm today (6 hrs after morning shot of 2 units), his BG was 88. I'm going to go down to 1 unit this evening and see if I can get some blood out of him tomorrow morning--he's really not willing now.

I will check out the spread sheet info and see if I can get that going. Thanks for you help!

 

Ackk!! I hope that was a typo... you meant to say his last TEST was at 3 pm, right??? Not a shot.

 

EYES PLEASE

u mean last BG test right?

as for testing before you give insulin - HIGHLY recommended. You just dont know what Blue could be at when u give insulin, please keep him safe and try to get a preshot test before u inject insulin. Very risky.

 

I'm very sorry to say this, but you don't have enough data (BG tests) to be dose hoping.

Lantus takes time and patience and likes consistency.

Please stick around to receive very experienced feedback on this, we want to see Blue safe at every dose and thru each cycle.

 

you really, really HAVE to get a test before injecting any more insulin. Blue could be on his way to remission, and his numbers are way too low to be shooting blind. This could be life or death, I'm not joking.

Some of us here do shoot at low numbers, but it is only after gathering a LOT of data to show us how our cat will respond to the dose. You do not have that data, therefore shooting low could be immediately life threatening.

Please test and post his number here before shooting.

 

Cross posted this in her Health thread

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4710

hopefully she will catch the replies from here...

 

I want to start at the very beginning so forgive me if I'm saying things you are already familiar with.

Lantus is a long acting insulin. It is meant to be dosed in 12 hour increments. You do not give another shot at mid-cycle or, in general, any time sooner than 12 hours after your previous shot. Doing so is dangerous.

For the safety of Blue, you need to get tests before you give a shot (AM/PMPS - AM or PM Pre-Shot). Unlike the shorter acting insulins, dosing on Lantus is based on the nadir or lowest point in the 12-hour cycle. This is usually somewhere around hour 5 - 7 although the nadir can be anywhere and it can change. Pre-shot and spot tests during the cycle are very important in order to have the data necessary to make changes in dose.

At this point, with the information you've provided, I don't think you have the data to make a dose change, other than to reduce the dose in order to keep Blue safe. You are moving doses in large increments -- 4 times the amount that is recommended in the dosing protocol that we use here and giving shots at mid-cycle which is not how Lantus is dosed.

 

I'm sorry to startle, yes, that was a typo. He had a BG test yesterday at 3 pm. I have been giving insulin every 12 hrs. He really put up a fight last night over a BG test--so it didn't happen. I only gave him 1 unit as his test came in at 88 (he had been at 2 units, while 88 seems OK, I didn't want his sugar to really crash during the night.) I just tested him, 12 hours after his 1 unit last night, and he is at 136. He is OK. Thanks for all the advice, I will read over the protocol and work on getting his numbers together on a spreadsheet. Again, I just started this the beginning of the month, and he has not been the most willing particpant with BG tests!. We were coming from not testing at home and testing at the vet occassionally for the past two years, so I'm feeling that even this is a huge improvement. We have been fortunate that he has never shown symptoms or numbers of hypoglycemia. This is a very low dose for him, before I started on the wet food 4 weeks ago he was on 5 units. Thanks for all the help!

 

Hi! Welcome..Just wanted you to know that I had been urine testing my cat for 11 months & am also here 2 yrs...It was always a battle to get blood & shoot Moonie & she was really a wild woman!--Slowly I learned to do both--I give her a treat(boiled shicken or halo livalittles) and as she is eating I test & shoot..She now wants me to go in & test her!!!
You really need to do the home testing, as I believe that is what held my Moonie back in her treatment, and recovery..She is doing well now & I easily test her every day many times--Coming to lantus land here really helps your situation & improves you cat's life-Be consistant & patient & it will all come to you!

 

Thanks for the encouragement Ronnie!

 

Hi Blue and Freddie's Mom!

Welcome! Sometimes, basil gives us a little attitude about testing. What I have taken to doing is taking two very small pieces of dried chicken in with me. One is in my hand, one in my pocket. I give him one right away, do the test, and give him the second piece when the meter beep-beep=beeps to say we have a good test specimen. He likes that a whole lot and his attitude has--erm--improved.

The downside is that I have an Italian greyhound who spends a lot of time sleeping in my lap. He now likes to snuffle madly in my pocket!

 

thanks! Basil looks like a cutie!