Not sure how to regulate shots

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Shana Martin

Shana Martin

Member Since 2017
Abby's numbers have been ALL over the place. I am trying my best to understand the shooting information but honestly it is so confusing to me... I feel like I am so close to getting her regulated with all these green and blue numbers but I get scared or miss a shot, and she shoots back up to 300's... Am I supposed to shoot in the AM when she gets into the numbers like this morning? I am not home from 7:30am-6:30pm. I have no one here to help and see if she dips or goes high during the day.. So I back out of giving her the shot when she is low, especially after the scare she had on Sunday!!
Any advice, please.. thank you all so much!!!
 
I am far from an expert, but from what I see, it appears 1.5u may be too high of a dose. His #s are all over the place partly because the dosage amount is varying too much. Hopefully others with more experience will chime in.
 
I know... and my vet told me to do 1u if she is between 100-200... 2u if she is higher than 200...
So I kind of settled at 1.5 because the 2 was so high.
 
Shana Martin said:
Abby's numbers have been ALL over the place. I am trying my best to understand the shooting information but honestly it is so confusing to me... I feel like I am so close to getting her regulated with all these green and blue numbers but I get scared or miss a shot, and she shoots back up to 300's... Am I supposed to shoot in the AM when she gets into the numbers like this morning? I am not home from 7:30am-6:30pm. I have no one here to help and see if she dips or goes high during the day.. So I back out of giving her the shot when she is low, especially after the scare she had on Sunday!!
Any advice, please.. thank you all so much!!!
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It might be worth reducing the dose to 0.75 u (eyeballed if your syringes have half unit marks) to see if you can get a shootable number AM and PM. Right now 1.5 u seems too high. You could have given 1.0 u on that PS of 124 with guidance from someone on this forum.

Lantus works best when the same dose is given AM and PM.
 
Is it possible for you to get a shot somewhere between +5-7 for a few nights to see if you can get a nadir? We also need to find a dose that you can shoot every 12 hours and keep her safe. Can you do a curve over the weekend? That might help a lot. In the meantime I agree that 1.0 or .75 might be a dose to try if you can get extra tests tonight.
 
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I can try tonight to get a couple of tests.. I will set my alarm. I just gave her the 1u. Pretty sure I got a fur shot but not 100%... I smell it on my hands. ugh! I have the smaller syringes so if needed I can always go down.. She was on 1u for 2 weeks and it was barely even moving her numbers so I think that is why she said to go up.. I thought 2u was too much.

Kris & Teasel said:
It might be worth reducing the dose to 0.75 u (eyeballed if your syringes have half unit marks) to see if you can get a shootable number AM and PM. Right now 1.5 u seems too high. You could have given 1.0 u on that PS of 124 with guidance from someone on this forum.

Lantus works best when the same dose is given AM and PM.
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I thought about doing 1u that day and I'm not sure why I didn't.. I did it the night before. I think I am just so nervous for her to drop again. But I know that her spiking like this isn't good either :(
 
It's hard at first but it gets easier I promise! Where do you inject? I found the side or stomach easier than the scruff. Just a thought. As mentioned above we usually increase or decrease in .25 increments so as not to miss a good dose. It can take up to 10 days to see what a dose will do for some cats depending on how long it takes to build the depot. So after two weeks it was right to increase. It just was too big an increase. Vets don't realize we can measure amounts that small. Mine didn't
 
Hi Shana. Your spreadsheet shows you shot 1.5 tonight. Was that correct or a typo, because you mentioned 1u in your post above.
You were right to skip the shot this morning, as you are using an AlphaTrak and I don't think you have enough data yet to be shooting that low of a green and leaving for the day. You'll get there.
 
tiffmaxee said:
It's hard at first but it gets easier I promise! Where do you inject? I found the side or stomach easier than the scruff. Just a thought. As mentioned above we usually increase or decrease in .25 increments so as not to miss a good dose. It can take up to 10 days to see what a dose will do for some cats depending on how long it takes to build the depot. So after two weeks it was right to increase. It just was too big an increase. Vets don't realize we can measure amounts that small. Mine didn't
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I inject at the scruff of the neck! Next shot I can try another area that you mentioned!

Dyana said:
Hi Shana. Your spreadsheet shows you shot 1.5 tonight. Was that correct or a typo, because you mentioned 1u in your post above.
You were right to skip the shot this morning, as you are using an AlphaTrak and I don't think you have enough data yet to be shooting that low of a green and leaving for the day. You'll get there.
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That was a typo! I shot 1u for tonight. So if she is green again in the morning, I shouldn't shoot? I am going to try to get as much data as I can over the next few days.
 
injsitesforcats1.jpg
 
Shana Martin said:
So if she is green again in the morning, I shouldn't shoot?
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I think, if you're not going to be home to monitor, if he is green in the morning, I would skip the shot, for right now.
Others may have different opinions, but I think since you are using the AlphaTrak which tend to read higher than the human meters which most of us are used to, that you should skip or give a very reduced dose until you have more data. If you are unsure what to do, don't feed, and post for advice.
One thing I used to find handy was to get a PM +11 in the morning, and then compare that test to my AM pre shot test to see if my kitty was rising, falling, or surfing.
 
Dyana said:
I think, if you're not going to be home to monitor, if he is green in the morning, I would skip the shot, for right now.
Others may have different opinions, but I think since you are using the AlphaTrak which tend to read higher than the human meters which most of us are used to, that you should skip or give a very reduced dose until you have more data. If you are unsure what to do, don't feed, and post for advice.
One thing I used to find handy was to get a PM +11 in the morning, and then compare that test to my AM pre shot test to see if my kitty was rising, falling, or surfing.
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Okay, I will skip the shot if she is tests in the green again. This morning she tested at 358...
 
Okay. Have you decided what dose you are going to try so you can shoot twice a day?
I have to run to get ready for work, so may not be around for your answer, sorry.
 
Dyana said:
Okay. Have you decided what dose you are going to try so you can shoot twice a day?
I have to run to get ready for work, so may not be around for your answer, sorry.
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I did 1u last night.. I did 1u for 2 weeks and it wasn't enough. Should I try 1.25 for awhile?
 
Okay so I went with 1.25u.
I'll try this for a few days and see what it does in her system..
I'm also leaving for work! Thanks :)
 
As you shot 1u, last night rather than flip about with the dose, I would suggest sticking with that for at least 6 cycles.
(unless he's too low to shoot at some point)
 
Shana Martin said:
Okay so I went with 1.25u.
I'll try this for a few days and see what it does in her system..
I'm also leaving for work! Thanks :)
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Ooops looks like we cross posted, never mind, think it's a good plan to try and stick to that 1.25u now, while you try to gather some data and figure out what her nadirs are.
 
Shana Martin said:
I did 1u last night.. I did 1u for 2 weeks and it wasn't enough
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Based on the data on the ss, with the limited number of tests, it's impossible to say if this is true, the curve you did when he was on 1u doesn't give the full picture, if that was a bounce cycle the nadir might not be indicative of how low the dose was getting Abby.

Shana Martin said:
So I kind of settled at 1.5 because the 2 was so high.
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I think you were wise not to stick to the 2u. Given some of the results you've got onthe 1.5u, taking the dose back a tad is probably a good move and will hopefull allow you to shoot consistently.
Keeping our paws crossed that 1.25 is the goldilocks dose for abby.
 
Gill & George said:
Based on the data on the ss, with the limited number of tests, it's impossible to say if this is true, the curve you did when he was on 1u doesn't give the full picture, if that was a bounce cycle the nadir might not be indicative of how low the dose was getting Abby.


I think you were wise not to stick to the 2u. Given some of the results you've got onthe 1.5u, taking the dose back a tad is probably a good move and will hopefull allow you to shoot consistently.
Keeping our paws crossed that 1.25 is the goldilocks dose for abby.
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Yeah it's hard for me to get a curve.. I'm going to try to get one Monday.. That way we can kinda see what she's doing..

I'll stick with the 1.25 now! I'll keep you posted!

Paws crossed!
 
Dyana said:
Hi Shana. Can you update your spreadsheet, and maybe get a couple of tests in for tonight's cycle?
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Updated! I will try to get a couple numbers tonight. I will be home for a little more time tomorrow for almost four hours after the shot. I will log what I test!
 
That's good. The more data the better.
I used to get most of mine at night and on the weekends, since I work long days like you do.
 
It can be tough sometimes! I go to school full time too so usually on my days off I'm not even home either.
But I am definitely going to get a curve on Monday, I shouldn't need to leave the house that day.
 
Hey guys! I haven't gotten as much data as I could have over the past few cycles :(
I am thinking about bumping her up to 1.5 units.
Vet said to keep her on 1.25 for 2 weeks but I feel like she is staying in the high 300's with this current 1.25unit.
What do you think?
 
Without mid-cycle tests, you can not tell how low the insulin is taking her. Lantus dosing is based on how low the insulin is taking the cat.
Your spreadsheet says you are on June 21st and today is the 20th.
 
Shana Martin said:
Hey guys! I haven't gotten as much data as I could have over the past few cycles :(
I am thinking about bumping her up to 1.5 units.
Vet said to keep her on 1.25 for 2 weeks but I feel like she is staying in the high 300's with this current 1.25unit.
What do you think?
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I'd try to get a curve in before changing her dose. There's not enough data to know what she's doing.
 
This morning she is 121. First test I took said 87 which I was like there's no way, so I took a second one. I don't understand how her numbers can be all over. The dose I'm using has stayed consistent. Still shoot 1.25u?
 
Shana Martin said:
This morning she is 121. First test I took said 87 which I was like there's no way, so I took a second one. I don't understand how her numbers can be all over. The dose I'm using has stayed consistent. Still shoot 1.25u?
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Yes still shooting 1.25u.
Have you shot yet?
If you haven't grab another test just before you shoot as it's been 20min since you posted.
 
Shana Martin said:
This morning she is 121. First test I took said 87 which I was like there's no way, so I took a second one. I don't understand how her numbers can be all over
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If you took the second test immediately, it's unlikely that it's her numbers, but rather the inaccuracies inherent in any glucometer, remember they are allowed to have upto a 20% variation.

Add to that if you have a bum strip, or got too much or not enough blood on the strip, that sort of thing can affect the reading.
 
If you are deciding to shoot, you really need to be staying with her and getting some tests in today, she is clearly a lot lower than she was last night, and her numbers may continue to drop through the early part of the cycle, combine that with onset at arround +2 she could go quite low.

If you can't stay with her and monitor her BG's (you must have enough supplies) I think a skip would be best
 
Gill & George said:
If you are deciding to shoot, you really need to be staying with her and getting some tests in today, she is clearly a lot lower than she was last night, and her numbers may continue to drop through the early part of the cycle, combine that with onset at arround +2 she could go quite low.

If you can't stay with her and monitor her BG's (you must have enough supplies) I think a skip would be best
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Ok I am going to skip. I am leaving for work and won't be home for another 10 hours. I'm going to get a curve on Friday.
 
Shana Martin said:
Ok I am going to skip. I am leaving for work and won't be home for another 10 hours. I'm going to get a curve on Friday.
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Good choice because you have to leave, I really think you have been missing some lows with Abby, and shooting this morning if you can't stay is too risky.

FWIW, I don't think you should be taking the dose up to 1.5u
There are a couple of reasons:
  • You haven't indicated which dosing method you want to follow, but given that you are not able to test much, I think that SLGS is possibly the better fit for you. On that method you would hold the dose if you got BG of under 150u, so this mornings amps of 121 would see you holding
  • The 1.5u (although) this was a while ago saw her get to 50 ont an AT, that's pretty low, at this point I'd be worried she'd go that low again if you went back up to that dose.

A couple of other things (sorry to be a nag) but this morning illustrates perfectly why it could prove disastrous to not get a PS test every time, shooting blind is so risky, I really can't emphasise it enough. As you can see the previous amps and pmps were high and you can see how a low PS can seemingly materialise out of the blue.

To get a better handle on her BG I would suggest the following, it will also allow us to better guide you.
  • Always get amps and pmps test
  • always get at least one test in each cycle (doesn't matter when it is all data will be useful to help you build a picture)
  • Always get a test just before you head to bed
  • get additional spot checks at anytime in the cycle as and when your schedule allows you to.
  • get a curve done once a week (be aware that if you run a curve when she is in a bounce cycle the info you gather will be of limited use, ie if she were to be bouncing you might get all pinks, but if you've had 120 in the previous week, it's that 120 that will influence your dosing decision, not the high numbers of the bounce)
 
You aren't naggy at all! I need someone to guide me like this because this is so hard for me to grasp for some reason. So thank you, I appreciate you!! :)

Okay, so yes I think I should follow the SLGS as well. I'm barely home and there is no way I would be able to follow the other one. I'll go and read up some more on it and try to familiarize myself with it more.

I will always always always get a PS moving forward. I can't believe how low she dropped. I would have just given her the shot if I didn't test her. I'll start getting some more tests mid cycle while I'm home at night and before bedtime.

With a curve and some more data, hopefully we can come to a good dose for her.
 
Alrighty guys! I did a curve on Abby today. Things got a little weird at +8...

When I tested at +8, the first test I took said 312, (i tested again bc i was conerned about the big spike) second 449, third 228 (new ear and new spot), fourth 336, fifth 413. Can't believe how many numbers it read. went with 228...

Then I also tested for PM shot and the first test said 417.... I didn't believe that so I tested again, 286. Do you think something is wrong with my meter???

Should I keep it at the 1.25u For another week? The vet wanted me to wait 2 weeks to do a curve but I felt like I needed one sooner.
 
Those are some decent numbers in your curve today. I think I would stick with the dose and try to get another curve when you can. Would you have any time this weekend?
Hopefully, someone will reply about your meter troubles. I am not familiar with the Alpha Trak. I thought I saw someone else recently (within the past month or so) that was getting numbers all over the place using an Alpha Trak. You could start a new thread and / or change the Subject Line to ask about the wonky numbers.
 
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