? When is it not necessary to test ?

AngelaMiao

AngelaMiao

Member Since 2019
Hello!

So I recently switched from SLGS to TR and usually test my cat before each shot and at +3, +6 and +9 during his AM cycle and +2 or +3 during his PM cycle.


If I understand correctly, a +2/+3 reading that's similar/slightly lower than pre-shot suggests that it's going to be a normal cycle, if it's higher, it's likely a bounce cycle and if it's quite a bit lower than pre-shot then I should pay close attention to make sure he doesn't go too low.

So I have two questions:
1) If his +2/+3 is higher than his pre-shot, does that mean I might as well skip his +6 and +9 since he's not at risk for hypo and a bounce cycle shouldn't be considered for dosing

2) If his +2/+3 is similar or slightly lower and I am not doing a curve that day, can I skip his +9 (or +6 if I'm not home or running low on test strips).

Obviously the more data, the better but it's hard to run errands when I have to come back in time for a test - I also have a baby at home, so I'm constantly looking for opportunities to nap or get stuff done around the house.

Basically I just want to know when it isn't particularly necessary or useless to test so that I can make my life easier and not have to poke kitty when he doesn't need it.

Thank you!

SS is in signature. I'm aware that I should have gone from 0.25u to 0.50u instead of 0.25u to 0.75u. Was a noob mistake but he's been on 0.75u for 7 days now.
 
The first thing to bear in mind is that ECID (Every Cat is Different)

You have grasped the info on the usual patterns a cat will follow. But so far you haven't got a lot of data to support if Jack is going to be 'usual'

A bounce cycle is a good opportunity to take a break. This morning, amps 370 +3 397, he's high flat and pink, looks like a bounce from last nights drop into yellow, he dropped 100 or so pts early in the cycle enough to trigger a bounce.
Today is a day when you can both take a break, and if you have errands to run I would go ahead and do them. Don't worry about getting the +6. I would still get a +9/+10/+11, I always liked to get a test toward the latter half of the cycle so if I could see if the PS was falling. It's good to know if you PS is rising/flat or dropping as it can also give you an indication of how 'active' the next cycle will be.

As a general rule I would tend to follow up with tests more closely if I was seeing a downward trend, only easing up when I see the rise, or if they flatten out in the second half of the cycle.

I was just looking at Jacks ss when you posted, when he hit that green a few days ago he had a yellow cycle very much like last nights and then two cycles later he hit green, I'm wondering if he may do that again???
If you don't see green today/tonight, I would take the dose up to 1u tomorrow morning. Sometimes they have a strong reaction to a dose increase, so just be aware of that when you do take the dose up.
 
Thanks Gill! Will check him again around +9/+10 and if I don't see green post shot tonight, I'll try 1u tomorrow.
 
You switched to FF (Fancy Feast) have you checked the Food Chart to see how many carbs you're feeding? Fancy Feast has a lot of variety & each one has different carbs.
You want to keep it low at about 3-4% carbs. Some of FF is 15% & can go as high as 23% The high carbs can keep Kitties BG up. (Some of us write the carbs on the can so we know)

Best of luck to you :)
 
JoyBee&Ravan said:
You switched to FF (Fancy Feast) have you checked the Food Chart to see how many carbs you're feeding? Fancy Feast has a lot of variety & each one has different carbs.
You want to keep it low at about 3-4% carbs. Some of FF is 15% & can go as high as 23% The high carbs can keep Kitties BG up. (Some of us write the carbs on the can so we know)

Best of luck to you :)
Click to expand...
Yep! I checked Dr. Lisa's chart before buying. All the ones I got are 0-3% or less.

He was originally on both FF and Special Kitty and was alternating between good and bad BG and then suddenly he was only having bad BG. Looked back on it and realized that the consistently bad BG started around the same time I ran out of FF and only had Special Kitty left and remembered that the day he had a reading of 62 was the day I found a few FF cans underneath the pile of Special Kitty (I prefer the smell of FF so I was happy). Hadn't realized that Special Kitty had wheat gluten in it either - I bought Special Kitty because of a thread I found but then found out its been reformulated since due to a recall :/

He went into yellow yesterday within 10hrs of me taking away the Special Kitty so I'm hoping the FF had something to do with it.
 
This section of the Tight Regulation sticky on becoming data ready may be helpful:

Becoming Data Ready:
Are you data ready to handle a lower preshot number?

Everyone focuses on the +6 spot check to find the cat’s nadir, but there is a reason to collect data in the very early and very late part of the cycle. The +10s and +11s and +1s and +2s are often the “neglected spot checks,” but they can be almost as important as the nadir.

Why the +1s and +2s? Let’s say you have a lower than usual preshot. If you have collected the data to know what usually happens after you shoot and how long it usually takes for the insulin to start having an effect (onset), you may see that shooting low is actually very safe for your cat. If your cat typically rises through +1 and +2 before the insulin starts to work between +2 and +3, then you can feel comfortable knowing that your cat will actually be much higher before the insulin starts to work. If your cat typically has little to no food spike or an early onset, then you may need to be more conservative with low preshots. You are not shooting the number your cat is at now – you are shooting the number your cat will be at when the insulin kicks in. You need to know what that number will be. You are then using the lag time (aka overlap and carryover) to your advantage. It is important to note that while Levemir may typically have a later onset than Lantus or Basaglar, that is not true for every cat. Know thy cat.

Why the +10s and +11s? These spot checks will help keep you out of trouble. Again, let’s say that you have a lower than usual preshot. If your preshot is higher than +10 or +11, you know the insulin from that cycle is waning, the cat is on his way up, and the number is probably shootable. If you have a preshot that is much lower than your +10 or +11, knowing why will help you decide whether or not to shoot. Some Lantus, Basaglar, and Levemir users notice a dip at the end of the cycle, meaning that the preshot is always a bit lower than +10 or +11 (but usually still higher than the nadir – the cat dips to a nadir at mid-cycle, then rises, then dips again). If this is your cat’s pattern, then this type of dip is not a reason to delay a shot. On the other hand, if your cat has a bounce clearing and is still careening downhill at shot time (usually characterized by numbers that drop for the whole cycle, without a clear nadir), then you will want to take that into consideration as you make a decision about shooting. Know thy cat.

Knowing whether your cat is one that dips at the end of the cycle can also help you with dose increases. If your nadirs are not that great and you are considering an increase, but then he dips again at the end of the cycle, you might be tempted to delay the increase. If you know that this is a usual pattern for your cat, you will know that you can ignore that dip and go ahead with the increase.

Do not forget the “neglected spot checks.” They are more useful than most realize.

Know thy cat. Be data ready to handle the situation.

~ written by jojo and bunny(GA) and Y, edited to update and clarify by Libby and Lucy
Click to expand...
 
Gill & George said:
The first thing to bear in mind is that ECID (Every Cat is Different)

You have grasped the info on the usual patterns a cat will follow. But so far you haven't got a lot of data to support if Jack is going to be 'usual'

A bounce cycle is a good opportunity to take a break. This morning, amps 370 +3 397, he's high flat and pink, looks like a bounce from last nights drop into yellow, he dropped 100 or so pts early in the cycle enough to trigger a bounce.
Today is a day when you can both take a break, and if you have errands to run I would go ahead and do them. Don't worry about getting the +6. I would still get a +9/+10/+11, I always liked to get a test toward the latter half of the cycle so if I could see if the PS was falling. It's good to know if you PS is rising/flat or dropping as it can also give you an indication of how 'active' the next cycle will be.

As a general rule I would tend to follow up with tests more closely if I was seeing a downward trend, only easing up when I see the rise, or if they flatten out in the second half of the cycle.

I was just looking at Jacks ss when you posted, when he hit that green a few days ago he had a yellow cycle very much like last nights and then two cycles later he hit green, I'm wondering if he may do that again???
If you don't see green today/tonight, I would take the dose up to 1u tomorrow morning. Sometimes they have a strong reaction to a dose increase, so just be aware of that when you do take the dose up.
Click to expand...
Hi Gill!

He went into high yellow numbers yesterday but no green or blue so I brought him up to 1u
 
Some cats are pretty stable. Look at Amethyst - swimming is a sea of BG regulated blues and greens
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/amethyst-02-27-2019-pmps-120.211262/
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...waWOKOhoA0sFxKDmBnoS1dNK4/edit#gid=1575648352

Then there are cats like your Jack, and my Leo. Bouncy little boys who can get the same dose every day and bounce around.

For Leo, I have learned to test frequently. You are trying to avoid hypos. Test strips are cheap, but hypos can kill. So I would say test fairly frequently until Jack is having real stable BG curves.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top