Blood glucose curve

So I am going to try a curve tomorrow, It has been a very long week. With a big crash for Simke and a big learning curve for me. He is doing well and I am very happy and exceedingly grateful for all the kind support I have received from all the people on FDBM.

I am not sure whether I'll be a tight regulation Lantus user, as I have an incredibly crazy schedule at times and am searching for the balance between obsessive and a maintaining Simke's health in a manner that I can enjoy. As I am hoping he will be with me for quite a few years yet. ( which after Wednesday I am really appreciating).

I still believe Simke Lantus dose is too low, but tomorrow will be his one week mark, although because of all the problems we have had not a typical week. But also probably because if the low Lantus dose.

Thought are always welcome,

He is also Potassium and an antibiotic

Thank you again

Simone --

There are many members here who don't follow Tight Regulation. Rather, they use a different approach called, Start Low Go Slow (SLGS). SLGS isn't as aggressive as TR but it will give you a set of guidelines to follow so you don't feel like you're just "winging it." You hold doses longer with SLGS and decrease when BG is at 90 or below. With either approach, you still want to get pre-shot tests and as best you can, at least one test per cycle.

If you're going to do a curve tomorrow, you can do a mini-curve which is testing every 3-hours vs. a full curve, where you'd test every 2 hours.

Would I still be able to adjust his dose from that?

Just so I'm understanding, you can adjust dose based on a mini-curve. It's not a problem in the least. If you meant can you adjust dose based on SLGS, the answer is "yes," as well.

I meant because, he had a very bad week. Ie spent night at vet on fluids. Is on antibiotics and potassium are his blood values valid? Or do I need to wait until I have had a more normal week?

Thanks for clarifying!

In theory, you can certainly adjust the dose if a cat is ill. In fact, for many cats, an infection will raise BG numbers and it's prudent to increase the dose to offset the effect of the infection and reduce the risk of ketones developing. (Ketones can develop if there's an infection, too little insulin, and a kitty isn't eating.) You just need to be attentive to the numbers since once an antibiotic is started, numbers can drop quickly as the infection is clearing up.

In Simke's case, it's looking like the numbers are improving this morning. I would definitely get a +3 or at the latest, a +4 since you're seeing a substantial drop between your AMPS and your +2 test. (Usually, when you see a drop like that by +2, it means this could be an active cycle.)

I do want to encourage you to always get a "before bed" test during the PM cycle. Even though you may not be seeing a pretty number at PMPS, the only way you'll know if there's a drop in numbers is by getting a test at some point during that cycle. In addition, if you skip getting PM tests, you end up missing half of your data and not knowing if your AMPS is a dropping number.

Maybe that is why he has dropped so much today, although originally when I start I was doing a real 1 unit (touching the line exactly now I a doing a generous 1 as I can see the line and the syringe is a tiny bit below it. Should I be worried, also for some reason today as his appetite is poor. He also originally looks keen on the food,then doesn't really eat, I think his mouth might be hurting him. Can I do anything for him? Do you think syringing potassium in him is causing any of these problems?

Is the potassium a liquid? (If so, it tastes awful.) The potassium should make him feel better. However, if Simke's mouth is hurting, he may need a dental. You can try giving him something like baby food (only protein and broth) and see if he'll eat that. It's not a good solution for more than a few days since it's not nutritionally complete for a cat.