01/01/2022 Binnie AMPS 167

Repeat is 194 (10.8 but the SS isn't converting this AM. I did X18 to convert). Still no AM shot. Should I?
 
When following SLGS, you can shoot any number 90 and above even if you only shoot a token dose. The depot will still be in play when you skip a dose so you aren't really keeping him as safe as you may think. "Shoot low to stay low" is a good thing to remember. He needs insulin and needs a consistent dose. Otherwise, he will be continually up and down. Looks like he is coming off a bounce and may have had a late nadir at AMPS. My cat does this a lot, too. While it is nerve-wracking at first, you do learn to read his SS numbers and become more comfortable with how the insulin and food are affecting him. And you learn to shoot lower numbers. Is it possible for you to get more mid-cycle numbers? Especially in the PM cycle. Cats tend to trend lower during PM cycles. Who knows why?

If you can monitor and you have plenty of BG strips, MC and HC food, and syrup--honey or Karo, you've got the tools you need to shoot lower numbers to help him stay in lower numbers. Also, keep reading others' condos and posting. When you have a question, put the ? in your title.
 
OK. I'm off work today so I can do that. I did shoot, at 4.75 (his usual). I will check in one and two hours. Also, his PM dose will be 1/2 hour later this evening, so his food should be delayed to that time too?
Thanks
 
PatinToronto said:
OK. I'm off work today so I can do that. I did shoot, at 4.75 (his usual). I will check in one and two hours. Also, his PM dose will be 1/2 hour later this evening, so his food should be delayed to that time too?
Thanks
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Yes, the procedure is to test, feed then shoot. I usually test, feed and shoot all within about 20 minutes. Although, if Bama is slow in eating, I'll continue to let him eat for a few minutes longer unless he appears to be continuing to drop and I think I'll need to feed him at the next test. Usually, though, he is finished within 10 minutes of getting his shot.
 
PatinToronto said:
Also, his PM dose will be 1/2 hour later this evening, so his food should be delayed to that time too?
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A 30 minute delay in shooting does not affect future shot times. So if you shot 30 minutes late this morning, you can shoot at your usual time tonight.

BTW, could you please move your 2022 tabs to the left in your spreadsheet. Let me know you need help with that.
 
Looking at your SS, you shot a 220 on 12/30, a 211 on 11/21 but you have shot no blue numbers. It is helpful to get at least a +2 or +3 every cycle. Otherwise you won't be alerted to whether he is rising or falling and there is little to go on when trying to determine how the insulin is affecting him. We dose Lantus based on how low the cycles go, not the preshot numbers.
 
OK. That's what I first learned when Binnie became diabetic 2 years ago - my vet says, "no food, no shot". Binnie loves to eat and eats fast, so test-food-shot is all done in minutes (easier to do the shot when he is busy eating). But my vet also says NS under 180, so the SLGS is indeed nerve wracking for me. I haven't told him yet; I suspect he'll be supportive but dubious.
 
Bama Kitty Mom said:
Looking at your SS, you shot a 220 on 12/30, a 211 on 11/21 but you have shot no blue numbers. It is helpful to get at least a +2 or +3 every cycle. Otherwise you won't be alerted to whether he is rising or falling and there is little to go on when trying to determine how the insulin is affecting him. We dose Lantus based on how low the cycles go, not the preshot numbers.
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Yes, I'm learning that. It's tough. My husband is very reluctant to learn testing. I managed on the 26/12 because my daughter came over and did it for me. No problem today - I'm home all day.
 
PatinToronto said:
OK. That's what I first learned when Binnie became diabetic 2 years ago - my vet says, "no food, no shot". Binnie loves to eat and eats fast, so test-food-shot is all done in minutes (easier to do the shot when he is busy eating). But my vet also says NS under 180, so the SLGS is indeed nerve wracking for me. I haven't told him yet; I suspect he'll be supportive but dubious.
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Yes, I was going to ask if your vet told you that and that is good advice when you are first starting out and don't have data in a SS to tell you how he responds. Once you have data, you have confidence to move forward with shooting lower numbers.
 
BTW, could you please move your 2022 tabs to the left in your spreadsheet. Let me know you need help with that.
yes, need help please. I can't see how to do that
Thanks
 
PatinToronto said:
yes, need help please. I can't see how to do that
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Sure. Could you please share the link you use to update your SS?

PatinToronto said:
But my vet also says NS under 180, so the SLGS is indeed nerve wracking for me. I haven't told him yet; I suspect he'll be supportive but dubious.
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Vets tend to be conservative with the no-shot number because they don't expect most of their clients to test their cats. On the other hand, they increase the dose in whole units! Go figure! Like Gina said, as long as you can monitor, you can shoot any number over 90 (5.5) when following SLGS. Neverthless, when you enconter a number you are not comfortable shooting, don't feed and post her for advice. You want to test 20 mins after the first test to see if he is rising without food.
 
Ohh, @Bandit's Mom I did just figure out how to move the 2022 on the SS. One more SS question: my repeat BG (10.8) at 30 mins appears on my world SS but did not convert and does not appear on the US counterpart. Is it something I'm not doing?
Bandit's Mom said:
Neverthless, when you enconter a number you are not comfortable shooting, don't feed and post her for advice. You want to test 20 mins after the first test to see if he is rising without food.
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Good to know. This is exactly what I needed. Thanks,
 
Hi Pat, I know it sounds really scary right now but I follow TR and shoot any number above 50 unless cat isn’t eating or I know from previous experience that it’s not safe to do so. The wonderful thing about Lantus is that it keeps lower numbers really steady. A cat may drop from 300 to 150 in a short amount of time, but if it’s at 80 it won’t drop to zero after a shot. I shot a PMPS of 63 last night and all was well, Ruby went up after that. You will learn from experience soon enough that shooting low will help the cat stay low and still be very safe. :bighug:
 
PatinToronto said:
One more SS question: my repeat BG (10.8) at 30 mins appears on my world SS but did not convert and does not appear on the US counterpart. Is it something I'm not doing?
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Looks like a formula might be missing in the US sheet. I can fix that if you share the edit link to the SS :-)
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Looks like a formula might be missing in the US sheet. I can fix that if you share the edit link to the SS :)
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Sorry, you must think I'm a complete moron. I'm still shaken up about Binnie's morning. How do I share the link? You don't mean post my email address here in the forum?
Thanks
 
Katherine&Ruby said:
Hi Pat, I know it sounds really scary right now but I follow TR and shoot any number above 50 unless cat isn’t eating or I know from previous experience that it’s not safe to do so. The wonderful thing about Lantus is that it keeps lower numbers really steady. A cat may drop from 300 to 150 in a short amount of time, but if it’s at 80 it won’t drop to zero after a shot. I shot a PMPS of 63 last night and all was well, Ruby went up after that. You will learn from experience soon enough that shooting low will help the cat stay low and still be very safe. :bighug:
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That's so reassuring, Katherine. Thanks!
 
@Bandit's Mom I have other SS questions. I know mornings are a busy time, and your advice is in high demand, and I see there's an SOS in the forum as well. Later, when you have time: I repeated Binnie's pre-shot this AM, so I actually have two AMPS numbers. Having nowhere else to put it, I put it in the +1 column. Now that I've done a repeat BG one hour after his shot, I've had to put it in the +2 column. You see my problem? How do I correct this?
 
PatinToronto said:
Yes of course, but share how?
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You can copy and paste it here on the condo or send it via a personal message to me.

PatinToronto said:
I repeated Binnie's pre-shot this AM, so I actually have two AMPS numbers. Having nowhere else to put it, I put it in the +1 column. Now that I've done a repeat BG one hour after his shot, I've had to put it in the +2 column. You see my problem? How do I correct this?
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You would put both the numbers before the shot in the AMPS cell as "9.3 @+12, 10.8@+12.5" and put the +1 test in the +1 cell.
 
PatinToronto said:
Sight drop: 176 at U+1, 158 at U+2.
Continue hourly checks?
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Sorry I had to be away. Looks like you are doing fine, though, and he came back up in the +3 hour. You may want to get a +9 or +10 to compare with your PMPS to see if he is rising or falling. I take a +9 to see if Bama is continuing to rise after his morning lows. If the +9 is lower than my earlier tests, he may be on the way down. If my +9 is a great deal higher than my PMPS, then I know I'll most likely be shooting a falling number and I'll need to monitor more closely after I shoot. I have never found it helpful to stall and re-test at pre-shot as it always seems if Bama is low, he is headed lower and I need to feed and shoot as soon as possible after testing to avoid shooting an even lower number. Hope this is helpful and not too much detail. You'll get better at this the more you test and fill in your SS.
 
Hi there! Waving to you from Calgary! One of the things you'll discover here is that every cat is different. Since you are just beginning to gathering mid-cycle data, it will take time to get a feel for how insulin and carbs affect your cat.

With SLGS random spot checks now and again at different times can help to fill in the missing pieces, and get a better picture of how the insulin is working, and how low the dose is taking the kitty. Take a look at your SS, and try and find different times to test where you normally don't. Sometimes even those +10 or +11s can be very informative.

If I could also make a suggestion for PM cycles, I would try and get some before bed tests in the evenings. These will help gauge things - at the moment you are getting only half the picture, and many of us have found that their kitties like to go lower at night. Your blue AMPS makes me wonder what he might have been up to last night ;). Don't necessarily assume just because he is pink at preshot that he's not up to much. I've had pink preshots and had I not tested in the pm cycle, I would have missed the lower numbers.

With time and more data you'll get a better sense of:

  • Onset - the length of time before insulin reaches the bloodstream & begins lowering blood glucose
  • Peak/Nadir - the lowest point in the cycle
  • Duration - the length of time insulin continues to lower blood glucose
 
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