10/4 Zeke AMPS=325. STEROID/DOSING QUESTION

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MrZ

MrZ

Member Since 2013
Good morning LL

Well, not sure what's going on with Zeke's BGs. Ever since the failed reduction and the day I accidently feed him 15% carb food, his numbers have been worse than when we first started insulin. It's really upsetting to see the blacks and reds that have since popped up, especially when he hadn't been going that high (and so often) before the failed reduction. Do these look like bounces to you or is this just an indication that the dose is too low? I guess we just have to keep trying the dose increases and see what works, huh? We just increased to 1.25u six cycles ago so I guess we should give this dose another (what) four days?

Well, Zeke has a vet appt today. I noticed some bumps/lumps around his neck/throat area. DH thinks they're just bug bites but I'm a little more leery as the 2 civvies living with Zeke have been diagnosed with cancer. Just in case the vet suggests a steroid shot, is there a steroid that's particularly non-FD friendly? Which we you recommend and which would you suggest we absolutely avoid?

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

Regards,
Laura and Zeke

Zeke's condo on 10/2
 
No steroid is FD friendly. Prednisolone tends to be a little better than prednisone. If it is allergy to the bites or whatever, you might ask about an antihistamine.
 
Oops, meant to mention. The insulin we're using is about 7 weeks old. Is it possible that it's effectiveness is weakened even though it is kept in the refridg and is still clear without any signs of cloudiness/particles? Should we get a new vial?

I also have some questions around feeding. How critical is it that we not feed 2 hours before injecting? Does the protocol actually address this practice/requirement? Also, is it crucial that we know when he ate last prior to a shot? Zeke free feeds so knowing exactly at what time he ate last can be problematic. Is it not sufficient that he eat within 15 minutes of his shot?
 
The 2-hrs prior to shot time issue with food is one related to safety. If Zeke is eating close to shot time, you won't know if the pre-shot number is inflated due to food. What could potentially happen is that you think it's safe to shoot and it's really not. Is it possible to pick up the bowls 2 hrs prior to shot time?
 
I'm sure the insulin is fine as long as you've been keeping it refrigerated, but the only sure fire way to know is to buy a new vial or open a new pen and see if it makes any difference, but most of us can get 6 months out of a properly stored vial/pen.

As for feeding...Yes, it's very important to not feed for 2 hours prior to your Pre-shot tests. The reason is that you always want to know what number you're shooting without having food influence it. What I've done is set my cell phone alarm for 2 hours prior to shot times to remind me to make sure all the food is up.

While you don't need to know when Zeke last ate, you do need to try to make sure he didn't eat in the last 2 hours. It doesn't matter if he ate 2 1/2 hours ago or 4 hours ago...it's just important he hasn't eaten in those 2 hours prior to shots.

I think most of us follow something like this schedule:
Pick up food 2 hrs prior to AM Pre-shot tests. (my cats have eaten it all by 4am so I don't need to get up to do this...my shot times are 6am/6pm)
Do Pre-shot test. Shoot. Feed (all within about 5-10 min)
Feed small meal at about +6
Pick up food 2 hrs prior to PMPS
Do PMPS test. Shoot. Feed
Feed small meal before bed

It IS important that Zeke eat after getting his shots, but if you test/shoot/feed, you should be able to see that he's eating.
 
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