2-21: doing the curve thing today

Status
Not open for further replies.
NadjaAndSam

NadjaAndSam

Active Member
It breaks my heart to poke my little Sam 2very 2 hrs :/
I eyeballed 0.25U this morning and I just tested him 4+ and he is 428. I wonder if 0.25 is too small of a dose but I guess we'll see because 0.5U dropped his levels too much 12+ after his 1st shoot!
 
Re: Sam's dosage fiasco

I don’t want you to feel ignored this morning. I just know little to nothing about mini dosing. Let me see if I can get someone to help you out.
 
Re: Sam's dosage fiasco

Don't feel discouraged! This is a wonderful problem to have. Yes, I would reduce to .25. Do you need to wait 2.5 hours for your schedule to work? You don't have to. - you can shoot any time.

Check out Grayson and Lu's spreadsheet. They went almost immediately to mini dosing also. It makes it hard because you are just learning and then have this new wrinkle.
 
Re: Sam's dosage fiasco

thank you! so mini doses aren't bad then?

I just feel drained. I have a test tomorrow and I don't know jazz. :-|

yes I have to wait to to give his insuline in a couple hrs so it works with my schedule. It's almost 7am where I live and i've been up since 5 am because I lost sleep worrying too much..! I Don't want to have to wake up super early if I shot him now :D

I'll look up for their spread sheet to have an idea :]

I also need to get new syringes because the ones I got although they are 100u it holds 100 units so that's why I don't have half marks. Gosh even this syringe thing is complicated :mrgreen:

It will be my dream to see Sam off insulin. According to the vet very few cats do but she wanted me to blind shot him and increase dosage so what does she know :lol:
 
Re: Sam's dosage fiasco

You are doing good!

I would go with the .25 as well. lower is better if you don't know what to do.

And there are quite a few cats that do get OTJ- we've had them this month even.

You are doing good!
 
Re: 2-21: +2 470 0.25U

I just tested Sam it's been 2 hrs since what I believed was 0.25U, had to eyeball it but plan on getting a 100u syringe later.
He was munching this morning but I put his food away.

I'm trying to do the curve thing today, so I don't know if 470 2 hrs after his shot is a good thing or not!
 
Re: 2-21: +2 470 0.25U

That is still high but he dropped way down at the end of the cycle earlier and it can be a food boost.

I am concerned about your syringes and if we are sure talking the same thing re doses. I never had to use 100U needles. How about waiting for your shopping trip until we get some one who can show you a label or exact description for the pharmacist?
 
Re: 2-21: +2 470 0.25U

Nadja
Can you type the description of the syringes you have from the box, or take a pic and post it?
I ask because I can't remember seeing any that hold 100 units before.
Carl
edit to correct spelling
 
Re: 2-21: +2 470 0.25U

I have attached a picture of the syringes. I haven't used the one with the orange cap i purchased at Walmart yesterday, just the red cap, u40 syringe from my vet and I eyeballed 0.25U from that one.
 

Attachments

  • 001.JPG
    001.JPG
    443.6 KB · Views: 720
Re: 2-21: +2 470 0.25U

so at what time should I feed him then? the vet wanted me to feed 2 x a day. I don't want him to eat all day either otherwise he will be testing high all the time. that is true 2 days in a row he tested very low towards the end of his cycle.
 
Re: 2-21: +2 470 0.25U

No, you have to feed him after the shot. It's just his pattern. He may be a kitty whose numbers stay flat or go up in the first 2 hours because of the food carbs. Most do. It'll just be something to be aware of.

Most of us feed either twice daily, often with a snack mid cycle or free feed . Some cats do well with one, some the other. It's that Every Cat is Different thing. Are you giving him a low carb snack every time you poke? That's a good idea too.
 
Re: 2-21: +2 470 0.25U

Wow
it looks like there is only a mark for every two units. Those would be very hard to deal with.
See if you can exchange them for U100 3/10cc or 1/2cc with hakf unit markings? Humans on high doses could use those but they aren't sugarkitty friendly...

Carl
 
Re: 2-21: +2 470 0.25U

yes he ate after the shot and went to the bowl few times after that. He ate a good portion before his shot and after that he was just munching.
I ordered Halo chicken treats and I'm still waiting for it to arrive so I don't have any low carb treats right now :-|
After I do the curve will I know what the best thing for him is, if it's to eat small portions during the day or 2 x a day?
 
Re: 2-21: +2 470 0.25U

I know this whole thing is overwhelming but you have to take one thing at a time and generally it is best to make one change at a time.

Today's curve should give us some insight into what .25 does as a dose. I would stick with your meals am and pm, maybe a small snack mid day if you want (or he wants :mrgreen: )

You can give plain cooked chicken breast, cooked without the skin or any spices and cut into tiny bites and frozen till needed, as a snack till yours arrive. Even a few high carb snacks can move the numbers up.

As soon as you get a picture or exact description, I would take these back, ask to see the same pharmacist and show him what you asked for and what you were given and ask if they look the same. He should let you exchange them. But they can be difficult with medical supplies.
 
Re: 2-21: +2 470 0.25U

thank you will do that until mine arrives and see if he will like it. He has only few teeth left so I will maker sure to cute it very small :D
I have attached a picture of the syringes. I haven't used the one with the orange cap i purchased at Walmart yesterday, just the red cap, u40 syringe from my vet and I eyeballed 0.25U from that one.
 

Attachments

  • 001.JPG
    001.JPG
    443.6 KB · Views: 715
Re: 2-21: +2 470 0.25U

I asked someone to post a picture of the syringe you want in another thread. (U100 needles is the thread name.) Watch it for a picture of the right kind to buy to take to the pharmacy.
 
Re: 2-21: +2 470 0.25U

got it :D I promise I'm not too dumb :mrgreen:

thank you a lot and will be watching for the picture!
 
Re: 2-21: +2 470 0.25U

this is very helpful thank you!
I had written in a paper 3/10ML but the chick kind of ignored it and I thought she knew more than I did. so no one will fool around with me now :mrgreen:
 
Yes, it is looking high. Just keep testing and we'll see what the end of the cycle looks like and adjust as needed.

Not a fur shot this am? You can usually tell because the fur is wet or smells like insulin.

The picture is confusing right now but we'll help you figure it out. One of the mantras here is better too high for a day than too low for a minute. We had to try a lower dose for those strange lows you were seeing.
 
so fur shot is when the fur smells like insulin and is wet after being shot? No this hasn't happened yet.

I will keep you posted with the numbers when i'm done testing hi for the day because I don't think I will know what to do will all the date I am gathering :oops:

thank you!
 
My Ruby has taken pretty well to all the testing I do on her because I bribe her with little freeze dried chicken bits. She's never been big on treats so she looked at me like I was crazy the first time I gave them to her. Now all when she sees me coming with the meter in my hand I make sure to show her the chicken bit and she totally relaxes. She gets a freeze dried fish bit after her shots. Its gotten to where I sit down on the floor and when she smells the fish bit, she's pretty willing to put up with the shot. I also learned that the shorter "ultra fine" needles make a huge difference.
 
hm thank you for your suggestion ! I had ordered halo treats and they just arrived, although I think I can make it myself next time lol I will start doing that to Sam because he recognizes the beeps of the meter an all that! he is sleeping right now and I wanted to test him every 2 hrs but I think I will skip 1 more hr since he is snoring and all that good stuff :-D
 
I tried the "Pure Bites" at first, but they're really powdery. I found "Thrill" treats at PetCo and really like those. They're more expensive, but I'm ok with that.

I turned the "beep" off on my meters. I know Ru well enough that she would NOT want that happening next to her head regardless of the treats.
 
My cats don’t mind the beep. We call it the chicken beep :lol: Actually the civvie comes running because he knows he gets chicken too.
 
chicken beep that's funny! I just received my halo treats and Sam didn't care for them :/ I'm glad my other cat liked it cause I know it won't go to waste!!
 
true maybe he will like it better..

ok so I just tested him and he is 334. I don't know if I like this new dosage 0.25u but then it will take him few days to get used to it? I'm lost.
 
I have to admit I am pretty confused about your spreadsheet. You got those early green numbers late in the cycle before. Your numbers look much different today. I wonder if your numbers today are more accurate now that you're more confident with the meter?

I would like to see the number going up, not down. But it is generally high enough to shoot. Maybe try .5 tonight. Can you get a before bed test.
 
gosh I wish I had read your msg before i gave him his shot :/ I gave him 0.25u. Heather walked me through the conversion.

I thought I was getting the green numbers because I gave him 0.5u and maybe that was too much. One of those numbers on Sunday, I think 78 he was tested at the vet's office.
I will see what his numbers will be like tomorrow morning now that I gave him his pm shot. I didn't give his shot on Sunday night or last night.
On Sunday night the vet told me to skip it because he tested so low 78. I'm thinking a reason why he tested high this morning is because it had been about 34 hrs after his shot.
 
That is fine, Nadja. I was debating the dose advice. His numbers aren't making much sense yet. I want him in decent numbers but don't ever want to put him in danger. Let's hope tomorrow his numbers follow a more common pattern of higher to lower to higher again - that smile curve.

I like your dose and think it was a good choice.
 
thank you Sue. How long do you think I should try this 0.25U dose? for few days or for a week? or plan as we go?
so the smile curve: his numbers should be lower during the day and higher early morning at at night?
 
Let's see how the numbers look. Hopefully he will help us figure it out. :mrgreen:

Yes. For example, a regulated curve might start at 250 at morning preshot, at nadir (lowest point 5-7 hours later) might be in the low hundreds, then back up around that same 250 in the evening. It's why his curve is so confusing. It took him several hours to go down from his am preshot. He continued to drop, but very slowly and not much.
 
hmm interesting. So food also plays a big part then. I need to go back to setting a set schedule for him to eat 3 x a day hopefully, I just melt when he asks me for food :?
but if his pancreas work fine food doesn't have too much to do anymore right? for the levels to go up a lot?

well I will start another thread tomorrow and let you know what his am pre-shot test is. He also fasts all night. i can't leave food out otherwise my other furry fattie will eat everything and he needs to loose some weight :lol:
 
Food is an important part of this. It is an Every Cat is Different thing. It will take some time and data to help you figure out how food/schedule impacts his numbers. You might start keeping track of what/how much he eats and when in the remarks column.

If a cat's numbers go down after eating, it usually means that the pancreas is helping out a bit. If the numbers go up after eating, usually not.

You guys have a great night. I'll watch for you in the am.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top