Bouncing numbers kinda worried

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If it were my cat I would do a few days at 2 units to stop some of the bouncing. Once the numbers have settled we can see more clearly if the dose should be raised. I don't think it's the insulin that's the problem, I think you haven't found the right dose.

As far as foods, look at the list and pick something that is under 10% carb. Many of us on here feed fancy feast classic or Friskies pate.
http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf
 
I can do two units I did four today cause he was at 390 at 10:30 am but I'll update my spreadsheet tonight. I'm just nervous of him having a super high blood sugar for too long. And it getting him sick. Not sure how much damage his BG being super high for a few days would do to him.
 
trapnurse said:
I can do two units I did four today cause he was at 390 at 10:30 am but I'll update my spreadsheet tonight. I'm just nervous of him having a super high blood sugar for too long. And it getting him sick. Not sure how much damage his BG being super high for a few days would do to him.
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Why? Does he have a history of dka?

Can you update your spreadsheet?

Would you rather try 2.5 for a few days?

I think the high doses you are giving are causing the bouncing. Sometimes too much can look like not enough.
It could very well be that the dose may need to be raised but you won't know until the bouncing settles.
 
Found you! :D I'm with Janet. I think the dose definitely needs to be reduced and 2 units is a good place to start.

I wouldn't monkey with diet right now as that could potentially lower his need for insulin even more and when you already think he's on too much insulin, a diet change could cause an unsafe situation. Until the bouncing stops or at least lessens, and you are closer to honing in on a more appropriate dose, I'd stick with his current diet. Once you have a little better control, then the diet change can be undertaken.

Dosing with insulin should not be determined solely on pre-shot numbers. When a cat is bouncing, the pre-shot numbers may be abnormally high and mid cycle numbers too but the bounce can break suddenly and the higher dose you've given could then cause an unsafe situation or set off the bouncing again. It's difficult but patience is key. You can't throw a hammer at this. The BG needs to be coaxed down so Cloud's body stops panicking even when his BG goes down to safe lower ranges. The extreme lows he hit the other night can also make a cat more sensitive to insulin for a bit. I'd stick with 2u for a few days and see if his cycles don't flatten out a little so that his pre-shots numbers aren't so high and his drops aren't so dramatic.

Better for his BG to be too high for few days than too low for a moment.
 
I'll start on 2u tonight then , if I may ask is there a number I should deffinatly be worried about on the higher end? Thank you janetNJ for the info on high numbers and I'm going to maintain 2 units for at least 4 days promise!
I apologize if I come off skittish about all this I work at a job that has me gone 3 afternoons and two all night grave yards so I can't test if it's going low or not but if high won't hurt him for a few days I can happily maintain it to stop the bouncing. The hypoglycemic scare is what I think has me so skittish. He was so miserable!
 
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trapnurse said:
I'll start on 2u tonight then , if I may ask is there a number I should deffinatly be worried about on the higher end? Thank you janetNJ for the info on high numbers and I'm going to maintain 2 units for at least 4 days promise!
I apologize if I come off skittish about all this I work at a job that has me gone 3 afternoons and two all night grave yards so I can't test if it's going low or not but if high won't hurt him for a few days I can happily maintain it to stop the bouncing. The hypoglycemic scare is what I think has me so skittish. He was so miserable!
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Your "skittishness" is totally understandable. Most if not all of us have been there, felt the same way and understand completely.;)

I wouldn't worry about any number if it is sporadic. He hasn't been extremely high (black on spreadsheet) since you started your spreadsheet so I doubt less insulin, given the low readings you got the other night, is going to shoot his numbers up that much even if the dose ends up being slightly less than he ultimately needs. He may be a bit higher mid cycle but that is ok. I expect his pre-shots and in turn, his mid-cycle numbers will come down.
 
trapnurse said:
I'll start on 2u tonight then , if I may ask is there a number I should deffinatly be worried about on the higher end? Thank you janetNJ for the info on high numbers and I'm going to maintain 2 units for at least 4 days promise!
I apologize if I come off skittish about all this I work at a job that has me gone 3 afternoons and two all night grave yards so I can't test if it's going low or not but if high won't hurt him for a few days I can happily maintain it to stop the bouncing. The hypoglycemic scare is what I think has me so skittish. He was so miserable!
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No no definite number on the higher end. Well with your work schedule you can be less worried about a hypo on this lower dose. We can reevaluate the dose in a few days to see what to do next.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Your "skittishness" is totally understandable. Most if not all of us have been there, felt the same way and understand completely.;)

I wouldn't worry about any number if it is sporadic. He hasn't been extremely high (black on spreadsheet) since you started your spreadsheet so I doubt less insulin, given the low readings you got the other night, is going to shoot his numbers up that much even if the dose ends up being slightly less than he ultimately needs. He may be a bit higher mid cycle but that is ok. I expect his pre-shots and in turn, his mid-cycle numbers will come down.
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Crossing fingers
 
Yes to what the others said :). Don't let the high PS numbers determine your dose because we don't want to drop him down to hypo territory while you are at work:bighug:. Let's see if the lowered dose helps him from bouncing back so high on the trampoline :cat:. Keep in mind insulin is a hormone, not a medicine that works like ibuprofen so more is not always a good thing. We are here with you :bighug:
 
I updated my spread sheet right now as I got home and checked him before his shot, i just got off work. Im concerned as his blood sugar was high thigh morning and it seems as if he hasn't really eaten any thing out of his food dish, or if he did it was very Little food he ate. I have a second cat who is also eating that food. since its just better for them. any advice about this Not eating ordeal? Hopefully this 2 units ever single time two times a day will balance him out. But Im still concerned about the no eating and he's drinking a LOT of water. like constant water dish visit. at least as Ive noticed while being home.

Edit:: He's eating a bit. nibbling on warmed up wet food. I am less concerned.<3
 
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trapnurse said:
I updated my spread sheet right now as I got home and checked him before his shot, i just got off work. Im concerned as his blood sugar was high thigh morning and it seems as if he hasn't really eaten any thing out of his food dish, or if he did it was very Little food he ate. I have a second cat who is also eating that food. since its just better for them. any advice about this Not eating ordeal? Hopefully this 2 units ever single time two times a day will balance him out. But Im still concerned about the no eating and he's drinking a LOT of water. like constant water dish visit. at least as Ive noticed while being home.

Edit:: He's eating a bit. nibbling on warmed up wet food. I am less concerned.<3
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I'm glad he started eating! You can add a little warmed water to the food too to get extra water in him.
 
I notice Cloud was way down pre-shot last night. If you get a reading close to or under 200, then we recommend not feeding and stalling for 20 minutes and retest to see if BG is rising on it's own. If it is rising as of the second test, you can then decide depending on how much he's risen, whether to give a full shot or a reduced one. If BG has stayed the same or is lower, then skipping the shot may be the best choice. If there are any questions about what to do, please post for assistance. Right now we don't know how far 2u is going to push Cloud's BG down, so getting mid cycle tests when possible will help you make dosing decisions going forward. I'm sure you were heading for bed when you got home but if you can get a test in even +2 post shot, it will give you a clue as to how fast BG may drop in that cycle and it's the drops (difference between pre-shot and mid cycle readings ) that should determine dosing.
 
I got a test in before bed, I'll update the sheet as often as I can usually before work or after work. But at breakfast today pre shot he was at 391. His eating fine now .
 
Chances are good that Cloud went a little lower than he's used to last night since he was already down at pre-shot so he's bouncing a bit this morning. Nothing unexpected. Will be watching to see how things go in the next couple of days.
 
The 2U twice a day is actually making me extremely hopeful right now. He's eating regularly and drinking regularly. his numbers are starting to seem consistent. I wanna keep him on this for a few more days maybe a week? to really get a good handle on this but he's acting MUCH happier today. Spread sheet updated to tonight before work~
 
Cloud is looking good. Holding that 2u dose barring any really low numbers (which I don't anticipate) as long as pre-shot is 200 or more is a good plan. :) Glad to hear he is acting happier. Just seeing them improve a bit does the heart good! :joyful:
 
trapnurse said:
The 2U twice a day is actually making me extremely hopeful right now. He's eating regularly and drinking regularly. his numbers are starting to seem consistent. I wanna keep him on this for a few more days maybe a week? to really get a good handle on this but he's acting MUCH happier today. Spread sheet updated to tonight before work~
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Hold it a good 5 days at least so the bouncing will stop, then we can reevaluate and raise it in small (0.25-0.5) increments if needed. So glad he's feeling better!!!!!
 
Definitely looking much better. :joyful: No worries about the pink PMPS tonight...it's still lower than it has been. It's likely a little bounce from the 169 mid day and not unexpected. Stay the course for another few days on the 2u barring any PMPS below 200 or mid cycle tests below 90 and then re-evaluate. If you get a PMPS below 200, don't feed him and post in Health for assistance because there are several possible options to follow in that situation and we can walk you through them. In the event that you don't get a timely response, (the board is sometimes very quiet at night), you can always skip the shot just to be on the safe side as long as Cloud doesn't have any history of ketones.
 
Updated My cats spread sheet. His BG tonight worries me. its very low. Due to that I am not giving him his shot because i don't want to give him a hypo episode. Im not sure what to do from there...but he seems fine...so Im jsut being a bit jumpy im sure but he read at 176 tonight PMPS. :(
 
trapnurse said:
Updated My cats spread sheet. His BG tonight worries me. its very low. Due to that I am not giving him his shot because i don't want to give him a hypo episode. Im not sure what to do from there...but he seems fine...so Im jsut being a bit jumpy im sure but he read at 176 tonight PMPS. :(
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Good call,... No sad face about a blue preshot!!! That a great thing! That's what we want to see!! Holding steady all day like that may indicate his pancreas kicking in on its own! Good!!!!
 
trapnurse said:
Updated My cats spread sheet. His BG tonight worries me. its very low. Due to that I am not giving him his shot because i don't want to give him a hypo episode. Im not sure what to do from there...but he seems fine...so Im jsut being a bit jumpy im sure but he read at 176 tonight PMPS. :(
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In the future what you can do when you get a lower than expected preshot test is stall the shot without feeding for 30 min and retest. If it's the same or lower no shoot. If it's rising give a reduced dose (like 0.5).
 
Turn that frown upside down.:D That pre-shot was beautiful!! Much better to have that than to be battling back pink numbers.

I think Cloud is coming out of a bounce and is just now starting to show you what the 2u can really do. I know it can be scary when you start seeing lower numbers all of a sudden. It's happened to all of us! Soon you will learn to appreciate them instead of worrying. Monitoring when you can is now key so that you can keep Cloud in those better numbers as long as possible through each cycle without having him go too low. A further adjustment of dose may be needed in not too distant future or 2u may be his ideal dose. Hold the dose and see what he does today.
 
It's 10:30 am can't give him his shot., he was st 33!!! I gave him honey I'm testing every thirty minutes I don't understand what I could be doing wrong!!! I didn't put the wet food bowl down last night and I'm starting to worry, I don't have money for a vet right now.
 
Ok Breathe! We'll help you,

Give him some high carb food with some honey mixed in. Is he showing any symptoms of Hypo like stumbling, strange head motions?
 
No, he's acting normal. I gave him some honey and he's eating his food pretty happily ( I put it down incase he would be enticed to eat. the only thing he's done is pee on the floor when I held him but thats kinda normal for him if he's scared. Im updating my spread sheet now. But i dont understand why he went from 200 some thing to 33 like this...like how does that even happen.
added:: he is going at that food like its air. I am pretty sure He'll pull right up and i still have a window till 11 30 am to give him his shot if thats even suggestable? but im not sure if I should and He's acting fine so Im way less nervous, its sad how used to this situation im getting.
SS updated Ill keep updating it like every hour.
 
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Good to know he's not having any other symptoms and is eating. Retest him now. Maybe it was a bad strip. ??

With no shot last night, it may just be that his pancreas has kicked back into action but that's just a guess.
 
I regret to embarrassingly say it was a bad strip now that Ive fed Him he's at 438 and i gave him his 2 units but ive also fed him honey after that initial thought that he was hypo...I feel really embarrassed right now, that slight worry for nothing....now all i have to worry is do I hold 2 units or up it to 3 after having given him honey on the reaction to hypoglycemia. :banghead:
 
:D No worries! The first time is always hair raising. That high number now is probably compliments of the honey and food so just keep an eye on him because you've now shot on an artificially raised pre-shot. Don't give more than 2u. Retest again in about an hour to see what Cloud is up to. :bighug:
 
who knew diabetes could be so insane to monitor and handle. I can't imagine how hard this would be is he had ketones....ill keep my SPread sheet updating frequently today Im off work and relaxing at home today.
 
Not a good start to what was supposed to be a relaxing day! :rolleyes: Got some chocolate to soothe those frayed nerves? :woot: No doubt it would be a bit more complicated if ketones were involved but we all get to a point where we take it in stride. I remember the first time I got a low reading from my girl and I didn't think to retest immediately either! Practice makes perfect and these little furballs can throw curveballs sometimes so use this as a learning experience because you will laugh about it in the future. I'll check on you guys a bit later. :)
 
Just checking in. Have you tested Cloud again lately? It's been a couple of hours and the honey should have worn off a while ago.

On your spreadsheet, I'm not sure but I think you might have somehow copied the 33 you originally had in the Pre-shot box for the 16th into the +1 box on the 12th. Can you please put the 438 into the pre-shot box so we know that's the number you shot even if it after your usual shot time. Just keeps it clearer as to how far out from the shot you are and how much he has dropped. :)
 
Just updated his spread sheet and yeah sorry I think I got a little confused while doing the thing but I corrected it and he's seemingly jsut fine now. so to be sure. blue numbers is good yes?
 
I found out a few minutes ago how the strips could have been damaged. I had 3 left in that container and my room mate accidentally place the container on the stove for a while after having baked some fish. the container says ' keep out of heat' . I think i found the wrench in the machine! those last two in that container are no longer going to be used.
 
trapnurse said:
I found out a few minutes ago how the strips could have been damaged. I had 3 left in that container and my room mate accidentally place the container on the stove for a while after having baked some fish. the container says ' keep out of heat' . I think i found the wrench in the machine! those last two in that container are no longer going to be used.
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Good thing it wasn't a full bottle!
 
spread sheet updated. Things seem to be getting back to good after last night and this morning. Hoping for blue numbers tomorrow. Ill know before work mid cycle if he's blue numbers but i can't update his cycle till after my work lets me out at 11 pm.
 
updated spread sheet for the last time tonight, time for some sleep but he's back in the blue as for tonight. heres to hoping he doesn't go TOO low before i wake up and check him.
 
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