Here is some info that may help you in testing mid cycle:
How to do a Curve
Example of a typical curve:
+0 - PreShot number.
+1 – Usually higher than PreShot number because of the last shot wearing off. May see a food spike in this number.
+2 - Often similar to the PreShot number.
+3 - Lower than the PreShot number, onset has started.
+4 - Lower.
+5 - Lower.
+6 – Nadir/Peak (the lowest number of cycle).
+7 - Surf (hang around the nadir number).
+8 - Slight rise.
+9 - Slight rise.
+10 - Rising.
+11 - Rising (may dip around +10 or +11).
+12 - PreShot number.
Also, here are the guidelines for the protocol to be handy for you:
"General" Guidelines:
--- Hold the initial starting dose for 5 - 7 days (10 - 14 cycles) unless the numbers tell you otherwise. Kitties experiencing high flat curves or prone to ketones may want to increase the starting dose after 3 days (6 cycles).
--- Each subsequent dose is held for a minimum of 3 days (6 cycles) unless kitty earns a reduction (See: Reducing the dose...).
--- Adjustments to dose are based on nadirs with only some consideration given to preshot numbers.
Increasing the dose...
--- Hold the dose for 3 - 5 days (6 - 10 cycles) if nadirs are less than 200 before increasing the dose.
--- After 3 consecutive days (6 cycles)... if nadirs are greater than 200, but less than 300 increase the dose by 0.25 unit.
--- After 3 consecutive days (6 cycles)... if nadirs are greater than 300 increase the dose by 0.5 unit.
Reducing the dose...
--- If kitty drops below 40 (long term diabetic) or 50 (newly diagnosed diabetic) reduce the dose by 0.25 unit. If kitty has a history of not holding reductions well or if reductions are close together... sneak the dose down by shaving the dose rather than reducing by a full quarter unit. Alternatively, at each newly reduced dose... try to make sure kitty maintains numbers in the normal range for seven days before reducing the dose further.
--- If an attempted reduction fails, go right back up to the last good dose.
--- Try to go from 0.25u to 0.1u before stopping insulin completely.
Random Notes...
Because of the cumulative nature of Lantus and Levemir:
An early shot = a dose increase.
A late shot = a dose reduction.
A "cycle" refers to the period of time between shots. There are 2 cycles in one day when shooting twice a day.
Sometimes a dose will need to be "fine tuned" by adding some "fat" or "skinny-ing up" the dose.
It is hard in the beginning, to see those high ps numbers, but they are not the ones that you need see to decide on your dose changes.
If you think of a tennis ball and you hit it so that it bounces hard on the ground... you know what happens after that - that ball will soar high in the air. Your ps numbers may be those kind of bounces, and maybe not.
By testing at say +3 +6 +9 on a few days, or some other times in between, you will see a couple things: you will see Whiskers going low somewhere in between am and pm shots, OR you may see Whiskers with all high and flat numbers.
Those two different situations would tell you two very different issues, so that's why it's important to see some numbers in the middle. It really is not that safe to say what you should do with the dose when there are few numbers mid cycle.
Now that you have increased, it would be good if you can get a few tests in. If you see that Whiskers is dropping fast in the first few hours, some people give tiny meals every hour and it will sort of slow down the cat's huge fast drop, and by slowing down the early drop, you are going to minimize another mega bounce. Keep in mind that it may take up to 3 days for a bounce to clear, so don't get discouraged if that's what you see when you get the mid cycle numbers.
If, on the other hand, you see all the tests are just flat with little dip downward, let the dose settle and if it does not improve, move up in dose according to the guidelines I put above. That flat curve is likely saying "more insulin please", but you need to let the Lantus shed fill, and some cats take up to 6 shots or more to start to show they got a dose change. My Oliver has taken up to 7 or 8 shots before I see any change, but my Shadoe will show a change in maybe 3 or 4 shots. With more test numbers, you will see what Whiskers is like.
We know it's tough in the beginning, looking for that good dose, but you will find it.
