1/3 BuddyM: AMPS 135 | +2 110 | +5 49 | +11 76 | PMPS 77 | What do I shoot?

Mariette

Mariette

Member Since 2020
Yesterday I was a bit cranky:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/1-2-buddym-amps-136-2-61-exhausted.240891/

Even though I took a reduction yesterday morning to give myself a break, I had my hands full trying to keep him afloat for AM cycle. So I took him to 4 units for PM hoping to get a good night's sleep. Of course he had a drop at the 'I can't possibly stay awake longer' +4. So I had to feed and stay up till I got the 68. When he's in danger of dropping too low I just can't get back to sleep. I've tried.

But I actually think 4 might be a good dose for him right now. My preference would really be to have him above 60 so there is a bit of a buffer. So I want to take a reduction in future if he drops below 60. In an ideal world he'd be 60 - 100 range all the time but I don't think he wants to be that flat right now. At least if he stays above 60 I can get some peace.

To my understanding the AM cycle could have still been pushing him down for the PM cycle. So I thought that 4.25 is still too much.

I wanted to try him at 4 units again today, but of course the plunger resisted and then he reacted, resulting in quite a bit of insulin on the skin. I'm really annoyed. But he'll get a poke break today, and I was able to get an extra two hours of sleep after the shot knowing he's not going to drop like a sack of potatoes again.

I am going to try him at 4 tonight and tomorrow morning. I am hoping the fur shot didn't completely derail us.

I know this isn't strictly the TR way so I understand if you guys don't feel comfortable advising me on dosing, but I'd appreciate any thoughts on how to keep him above 60 but as green as possible.

Thanks!
Mariette
 
I think it’s better to take reductions at 60 than switch to SLGS. See if this works better for you. Sorry about the fur shot but it happens. The :bighug:
 
Sorry about the FS :bighug: And that depot can be pesky even with taking reductions. With that said, hopefully the depot will help today with the FS :) Buddy sure is looking great, especially looking back to early December! Hope you have a wonderful day :bighug:
 
Well the depot is doing something, that's for sure!

I just did a mid cycle test and he was 49?!

I swear that was probably about 3 units he got today. It looked like more than half a unit on the skin after for sure.
 
Mariette said:
Well the depot is doing something, that's for sure!

I just did a mid cycle test and he was 49?!

I swear that was probably about 3 units he got today. It looked like more than half a unit on the skin after for sure.
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So the reduction was actually earned ! :D:)
 
No. You took a reduction from 4.5 even though he hadn’t dropped. The depot caused him to drop under 50. Keep the 4.0 dose. I actually would have gone down to 4.25.
 
JaxBenji said:
The depot post (linked here) at the top of the board is a good one.
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Thanks Susanne! I've read that a few times and still don't know how to apply it. Except don't attempt to understand or predict anything because the depot. lol.

I do notice this nugget that could apply to Buddy today:
"A dose reduction will usually result in a need for less stored insulin. The excess may be released into the bloodstream faster than usual, especially if several dose reductions are done back-to-back."

So maybe because of the reduction yesterday, the depot released some extra so that's why he was much lower than I would have expected today after the fur shot.

But what happens tonight depot - wise? What can I expect if I give 4 units... Will it have to build again after the fur shot? So will his numbers be higher than the last few nights, or will it be lower?
 
I'm really scared to give him a shot tonight. He's not really going up. He was 76 at +11 and now 77 for PMPS. Buddy has been dropping so much in the first couple of hours after the shot and at this number there's no room for error.

I really don't know what to do :(

@tiffmaxee, @Bandit's Mom, @Wendy&Neko any advice?
 
He has been flat since +11. For the last 1.5 hours. Whether you shoot depends on whether you can monitor tonight or not.

If that was indeed a fur shot this morning, a token or skip again tonight could cause quite a jump in his numbers. But you hold the syringe and it is your call.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
He has been flat since +11. For the last 1.5 hours. Whether you shoot depends on whether you can monitor tonight or not.

If that was indeed a fur shot this morning, a token or skip again tonight could cause quite a jump in his numbers. But you hold the syringe and it is your call.
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Thank you for replying Bhooma! It was definitely a fur shot this morning. I saw insulin on the skin.

I can monitor for a while but I won't be able to be up all night as I'm back to work tomorrow.

I'm going to give a smaller dose to just get something in him. I not only hold the syringe, but also his life in my hands. And I can't take a risk with that.
 
I just looked at his SS- looks like he’s getting into really nice surfing numbers compared to a couple or months ago. It’s so nice to see blues and dark greens. It makes the SS page look so happy!
 
Mimis mom said:
I just looked at his SS- looks like he’s getting into really nice surfing numbers compared to a couple or months ago. It’s so nice to see blues and dark greens. It makes the SS page look so happy!
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Yes, his numbers have changed dramatically in the past week.
The lower numbers are nice but also way more stressful! I hope I'm not totally messing up his progress with my clumsy descent. Going up in doses is so much more straight forward than going down!
 
He’s flat. With TR you would shoot the full dose. If you can’t monitor then I guess you can shoot less. With a fur shot this morning he will likely be high in the morning. He might have gotten some this morning but not much.
 
tiffmaxee said:
He’s flat. With TR you would shoot the full dose. If you can’t monitor then I guess you can shoot less. With a fur shot this morning he will likely be high in the morning. He might have gotten some this morning but not much.
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Thanks Elise!

I don't understand why you say he didn't get much this morning? Is it because he was flat for PMPS?
 
Now I’m confused. Didn’t you say he got a fur shot this morning? Being flat leading up to PMPS was depot action.
 
tiffmaxee said:
Now I’m confused. Didn’t you say he got a fur shot this morning? Being flat leading up to PMPS was depot action.
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Yes, I did have a fur shot this morning.
But I don't understand why you say 'he might have gotten some this morning but not much'? Are you concluding that from looking at the spreadsheet?
 
Oh. Sorry. What I meant was often when we think we gave a fur shot they actually often do get some insulin.
 
tiffmaxee said:
Oh. Sorry. What I meant was often when we think we gave a fur shot they actually often do get some insulin.
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Oh right. Yeah he definitely got most of it, that's why I was puzzled by the comment. o_O
I estimated that it might have been a 3 unit dose based on what was left on the skin.

Lately when I'm giving the shot the plunger resists. I don't know what that's about. So I have to start applying more force and then the insulin goes in too quickly and he jumps. I don't know why this is suddenly happening... I didn't have this resisting problem in the beginning. I could try a different brand, but I got to like the flat top plunger of the Branszig syringes. The dose line is less ambiguous to me.
 
Mariette said:
Lately when I'm giving the shot the plunger resists.
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Do you "prime" the plunger before pulling insulin into it? So I take off the caps and then pull the plunger up and down a few times to lubricate the inside of the syringe. Once the plunger is moving smoothly then I go about inserting it into the insulin pen and measuring a dose. Hope that may help :bighug:
 
JaxBenji said:
Do you "prime" the plunger before pulling insulin into it? So I take off the caps and then pull the plunger up and down a few times to lubricate the inside of the syringe. Once the plunger is moving smoothly then I go about inserting it into the insulin pen and measuring a dose. Hope that may help :bighug:
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Yes I do! Thank you :)
I actually remember that the sticking did happen the first few days before I learned about priming. But I had it under control until recently.
I read there's a silicon coating. Not sure if it's on the syringe or the plunger. I wonder if the amount of coating varies per syringe, and the ones I'm using now don't have enough.
 
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