? 07/17 - Jaxon - AMPS 311 +4 270 +6 209 +9 142

Allison K

Allison K

Member Since 2021
Just changed his dose from 0.75 to 1.0 (after talking to a moderator in Feline Diabetes Support Group on Facebook) based on his numbers over the last while. I will of course check his BG before his next shot, but it has been going down this curve, a bit concerned over next steps.
 
Are you going to be home this evening? I see no reason not to give a shot unless you have conflicts that would prevent you from testing this evening....?

Does Jaxon have issues with eating? What are the reasons for not giving him a shot - you're seeing some good numbers...
 
Sue and Luci said:
Are you going to be home this evening? I see no reason not to give a shot unless you have conflicts that would prevent you from testing this evening....?

Does Jaxon have issues with eating? What are the reasons for not giving him a shot - you're seeing some good numbers...
Click to expand...

No conflicts ... like last time when he dropped into green ... I just kept an eye on it and made sure to give him food before I went to bed
 
Allison K said:
No conflicts ... like last time when he dropped into green ... I just kept an eye on it and made sure to give him food before I went to bed
Click to expand...

Then if I were you I'd give him the insulin - sometimes when the numbers are going down too rapidly or kitty won't eat or caregiver is going to be out for several hours after the injection - then we would think twice about giving a dose - of course there are all sorts of extenuating circumstances - caregiver is sick, etc. You get the picture - but if you're able to watch him and he eats a good dinner, I don't see anything about those nice blues that would prevent you from shooting.

Do you know why the person on FDSG told you not to shoot?
 
So, if you're referring to the 'time he dropped into the green' as 7/13 - yes, you shot a nice low number - a perfect number - but then didn't check again for 5 hours? Those are the kinds of circumstances that might make you consider not shooting - perhaps you were out for the evening? Since I wasn't there at that date I don't really know what happened...but my recommendation to you for this evening is to give the insulin and then observe to see that he's eats all his dinner - and be sure to get another BG test in a couple of hours - if the numbers are still going down, you'll want to give him a little medium carb food and test again - keep testing this evening to make sure he's in safe numbers before you go to bed - if you need to sleep, set an alarm to get up and check on him in a couple of hours - yep, not my favorite thing to do either...but you want to make sure he's safe before you call it a night.

Sound like a plan?
 
Because the blood sugar was below 11 mmol/L and because they had a scare with the blood sugar dropping very low from 11 to around 2 overnight
 
Allison K said:
Because the blood sugar was below 11 mmol/L and because they had a scare with the blood sugar dropping very low from 11 to around 2 overnight
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what those numbers mean - 11 mmol/L - but I do understand the numbers on your SS, and those look perfectly safe for shooting to me.
 
Sue and Luci said:
So, if you're referring to the 'time he dropped into the green' as 7/13 - yes, you shot a nice low number - a perfect number - but then didn't check again for 5 hours?
Click to expand...

Normally I would have checked him at the +3 mark but I didn't (cannot recall exactly what happened) but the checked it ahead of the +6 check I do before bed and saw the green ... and checked every hour from +5 to +7 to make sure it was climbing again from the food I gave him
 
Since you're following SLGS dosing method - here is a snip of what it says there about dosing:

Hold the dose for at least a week:
  • Unless your cat won’t eat or you suspect hypoglycemia
  • Unless your kitty falls below 90 mg/dL (5 mmol/L). If kitty falls below 90 mg/dL (5 mmol/L) decrease the dose by 0.25 unit immediately.
After 1 week at a given dose perform a 12 hour curve, testing every 2 hours OR perform an 18 hour curve, testing every 3 hours. Note: Random spot checks are often helpful to "fill in the blanks" on kitty's spreadsheet. The goal is to learn how low the current dose is dropping kitty prior to making dose adjustments.
  • If nadirs are more than 150 mg/dl (8.3 mmol/L), increase the dose by 0.25 unit
  • If nadirs are between 90 (5 mmol/L) and 149 mg/dl (8.2 mmol/L), maintain the same dose
  • If nadirs are below 90 mg/dl (5mmol/L), decrease the dose by 0.25 unit
At this point it's kinda hard to see where his nadir is falling...but finally getting those great blue numbers indicates that you're going in the right direction :)
 
I am glad you shot. You could also have stalled without food to see if he came up. You r pmps was within meter variance of the +9. I would get a +1 and +2. If either is lower than the pmps feed a little 10%.
 
I have been having others suggest since I test more regularly, I might want to use the TR method .... I just hadn't gotten to updating my profile sorry
 
I have some of the gravy lovers pate (got it by mistake one shopping trip before I realized it was high carb) .... I don't have anything that classifies as "medium" so am guessing I mix some high and low carb to get something close? I do have honey in the house (almost always do)
 
Allison K said:
I have some of the gravy lovers pate (got it by mistake one shopping trip before I realized it was high carb) .... I don't have anything that classifies as "medium" so am guessing I mix some high and low carb to get something close? I do have honey in the house (almost always do)
Click to expand...

Exactly what I'd do! Just mix in a little HC with the LC and just give him a little if he seems to be dropping too fast/too low for your comfort level. LC is usually best just to keep them surfing...

I'm glad to hear you're feeling ready to switch to TR. It'll allow you to change the dose more frequently than SLGS (like every 3 days)...a bit more testing, but getting Jaxon to remission is worth it!
 
I started the slow one because I have NEVER dealt with giving meds to a cat before, never mind keeping track of sugars etc. I have checked my OWN BS before (insulin resistant myself due to another condition). So going slow sounded safer to start off.
 
tiffmaxee said:
I hope you do but no pressure.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you're here Elise - if you're around can you check back on Jaxon and Allison? I've got to test Luci and go help DH...and I'm worn out...8 o'clock is The End for me.... :)

Have a great evening ladies! I hope you guys (Allison/Jaxon) have a very successful surf evening tonight :)
 
Allison K said:
I started the slow one because I have NEVER dealt with giving meds to a cat before, never mind keeping track of sugars etc. I have checked my OWN BS before (insulin resistant myself due to another condition). So going slow sounded safer to start off.
Click to expand...

Me too! I started with SLGS ... it's like learning to walk before you run...whenever you're ready you can switch - life happens and sometimes we have to switch back...you can do that too :)
 
But as his BG is now at 104, I did give him a 1/4 can of the Friskies. If it continues to fall before I go to bed I will give him a portion including some high carb mixed with his low carb before I go to bed (at +6 or +7)
 
If you look at his numbers, from this morning it has been falling almost all day. Right now I am checking every hour. Will feed him again before I go to bed, testing before to decide if I add a little HC food, would rather him a little high than crash.
 
HC is kinda like breaking out the big guns, and that might bump him higher than he needs to be. I agree with Elise. Do you have something MC or a higher LC, like 7-9% carb? We want him to surf these lower numbers so that his body can get more used to them and not bounce.
 
PerfumedCatMom said:
HC is kinda like breaking out the big guns, and that might bump him higher than he needs to be. I agree with Elise. Do you have something MC or a higher LC, like 7-9% carb? We want him to surf these lower numbers so that his body can get more used to them and not bounce.
Click to expand...
I am not going to give straight HC, going to add a tiny amount of HC with what I usually give him before bed (a portion of of LC)
 
Your tests tonight are all within meter variance. He’s flat and not dropping right now. If you want to add a little hc to the lc that’s fine. Just wanted you to know he’s not really dropping so far.
 
Umn how do you figure, I see them all declining ... not huge amounts, but all getting lower. Flat to me would be all the same number or within like 0.1 or something similarly small.
 
Meter variance means that there can be a +/- 20% difference in meter readings on the same drop of blood. If the cat stays within that range, it's flat. If he dropped to 55 at +2 from his preshot of 121, then that would be cause for concern as that goes past the 20% allowed for meter variance. But he's at 104, so there is a very high probability that he will not go low.

You're fairly new at looking at numbers so it's understandable that it would seem alarming, but Elise has been looking at spreadsheets for years. You can trust her. :)
 
What got me upset sorry was saying "oh the numbers are flat" ... it sure don't seem flat to me .... I understand the meters (even for testing people) are not perfect, but the numbers have been going down since 7am (except when given a bit of food, it goes up a little). There was others saying I should not have given the shot earlier with the number he had at PMPS so you can hopefully see why I am a bit nervous out leaving him if the BG keeps going downwards before I go to bed in a couple hours.
 
So as long as his numbers are above 100, I have no need to be concerned .... at least that is what I am understanding (sorry if I am totally misreading things, text sucks for emotional context)
 
It's entirely appropriate for you to feel nervous if you're seeing numbers you're not used to. Sue was commenting that it would have been fine for you to skip that shot on 7/13 because it was the lowest number you'd seen at that point, but 183 is a safe number to shoot as is 121. It's good that you posted and great that you shot tonight. The more you can get Jaxon into these lower numbers, the more his pancreas will get the opportunity to heal. I was so very nervous when I shot my first green number. After that, all I ever wanted were green numbers. You will get used to it and it won't seem as nerve wracking after a while.

What I was trying to say is that it's not the numbers themselves that are concerning but steep and rapid drops over a short span of time. Jaxon has been dropping, yes, but this evening he has flattened out a bit which is very good. :)
 
Sorry if I upset you. By flat tonight I meant it’s a good thing. When lantus is at its best you get nice flat cycles. You have not seen much fluctuation. Normal numbers are 50-100. Granted with SLGS you reduce if there’s a drop under 90. I see Jaxon’s numbers improving a lot. Tonight is a really good cycle.
 
Being new to diabetes and doing this well he has a very good chance at remission. It’s scary to see lower numbers but as long as you are testing and have hc food to bring the bg up if it drops under 50 he will be fine. How is he acting tonight? He’s been in healing numbers. Is he purring, playing, preening, peeing, and pooping normally? Do you think he’s feeling any better since diagnosis?
 
He played when I brought out the rod with feather toy .... but sleeping (which for him is NOT unusual, even before diabetes), going potty normally so far today and lounging on my lap whenever he can ... he is a mommy's suck. He is peeing IN the box all the time (except when we suspected he had a UTI) ... got a shot, and back to potty normally ... no sign of issue jumping up on the couch, the bed, the dog's crate where his food is .... is grooming himself (except his paws which get a bit caked sometimes or just wet and then I wash them off)
 
So to recap from yesterday and so far today ....

07/17 - AMPS 311 +4 270 +6 209 +9 142 PMPS 121 +1 122 +2 112 +3 104 +4 103 +5 97 +6 88 +7 126 (after about 1 tsp of HC food mixed with his usual 1/4 Friskies can)
07/18 - AMPS 238 +3 229 +6 229 (next check in 30 mins). Day 2 of the 1.0 units Lantus
 
Looks like he has a late nadir recently. Yes those are the 5 p’s.

In the future start a new post each day so you don’t get lost in the shuffle. I wondered how it was going so I checked. In fact how about starting a new one now and linking to this one? Thanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top