2/28 Punkin PMPS 270

Status
Not open for further replies.
julie & punkin (ga)

julie & punkin (ga)

Member Since 2011
his BG this morning was 96, I gave him the same 3.25 u, and at +3 it's 34. i'm feeding him now. I think i should test him again in a little bit, can someone confirm if just feeding him the usual fancy feast is enough? how long til i test again?

should i give him more volume of the FF?
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

i gave him 2x the normal fancy feast before i saw your response, and now have given him a tablespoon or so of gravy. jeesh. this is nerve-wracking. i don't know how you all do it.

i'll check his BG in a minute - it took me literally 8 pokes to get it last time, poor little pincushion. i wonder if it was a bad lancet.
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

I have not posted in your condo before so welcome to LL. I saw the 34 and wanted to respond to that first.

Since you are new it might be a good idea to post your AM number before you shoot especially when you get a number you are not used to shooting. You don't really have a lot of data yet on shooting low.

You seem to be handling this pretty well but you need to keep up with testing today to make sure Punkin does not drop again and only feed small amounts. You may see a food spike number but don't let that fool you Punkin can still drop since it is still early in the cycle.
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

oh how funny - i didn't know what condo meant and i've seen it in a lot of posts.

ok, it's 59 now. Miriam thank you so much for your help. i have printouts of all the hypo glycemia pages and the regulation pages .. . but somehow none of it seemed to address exactly what i needed in that moment. can't tell you how much i appreciate your quick response.

this morning i'd checked the papers and it said if the nadir hadn't dropped below 100 to stay the dose . . .

i can also see how important it would be to get the profile done. i'll get that figured out.

for now, how often do you think i need to test and for how long?
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

he's 59 at +3.25? I would test again in 30 minutes. Then depending on the numbers, keep testing until at least +6. It is not unusual for the numbers to wobble back down after the initial food spike wears off, so you'll want to be prepared to keep feeding small amounts until it is clear that Punkin is on his way up for real.

In case nobody is around, this should help: Dealing with Low Numbers
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

How long after the 34 did you test...what + number was it the 59?

Since Punkin is new to this we do not really know what his nadir is so you need to test more often today.
I think you can get a test 30 minutes from the 59. It is best if Punkin does not surf the 50's.

As far as the word condo....I remember my first few days here and somebody told a few people they would watch their condo's. I thought it was a little wierd that so many people lived in the same condo complex and had cats with diabetes. Condo is your daily thread....I guess you kind of live in this little community now. :-D
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

What Libby said!!

You will need to keep testing for a bit. The HC food will bring the numbers up. However, as it wears off, numbers may wobble around. I'm at work and won't be able to keep a close eye on your condo so I'm hoping that some of the others who have been through low numbers will lend a hand. If not, Libby linked the post on handling low numbers for you.

It's really not that nerve wracking after you've done it a few times. The first couple of times, low numbers get your heart racing! Congratulations on the dose reduction. That low number will allow you to reduce Punkin's dose.
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

I'm working from home and can check in with you every 30 minutes. To give you an example, look at Gracie's SS (attached) on the 26th...you'll see how she wobbled and she is infamous for this; at one point I had her up in the 70s, waited one hour and she was 37. I'll get her up, she'll drop back down and frequently she will do this to me all day so I test alot. Until you know whether Punkin does this or not, you need to test often. I'll check at what time you got the 59 and then check back in with you 30 mins from that time.

ETA: looks like your last test time was probably at 20 after the hour so I'll be looking for another number in about 5-10 mins ...say 55 after the hour?
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

just tested again and it's 57.

so it was 10:45am (+3 from injection) 34 gave him FF + some gravy
11:15am 59
11:45am 57 (now +4)

guess i'm not taking that friend out for lunch for her birthday after all. but punkin's worth it. just glad he didn't go lower.

i'll test again at 12:15. at least the last poke bled on the first try.
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

oh yeah, and i was going to say that he has an ability to eat a huge amount - he'll be able to eat more if i need to feed him more. he loves his food. ;-)

this is sure a nice neighborhood to have a condo in!
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

Good...57 is the same as 59 so he's surfing. I would definitely test again at 12:15. If he goes any lower at that point, I'd give more gravy but he might be one that will surf here this late in the cycle....although..Miriam said not to let him surf in the 50s so you might want to give him a little gravy if he's in the 50s still at 12:15. I do let Gracie surf there but I know her...Punkin doesn't have enough data yet. Since it's only 15 mins away, it will skew your test if you give gravy now and then test at 12:15.
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

Gracie is the same way but remember two things: (1) if he stays low a while, you might have to keep this up quite a long time and he might get full when you still need to get some carbs in him and (2) more food=more calories so unless he is thin, it's something to consider. I have to really watch Gracie's weight and I can't steer her all day with unlimited food or she'll gain weight so I have to use gravy/karo with a little food here and there to hold her bump up. So, again, it's knowing thy cat.
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

12:15 (+4.5) = 51

gave him a spoonful of gravy food and wondered how in the world you all manage jobs with diabetic cats. i quit my job a year ago and have been thinking how i would've ever managed this if i were still working.
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

Ok...you need to feed/give gravy to get him up and then retest in 30.

ETA: At 51, I would give Gracie one fingertip of Karo...but she is not that carb sensitive. If you give him karo, there's the chance he'll skyrocket if he is. Looks like he responded well to the FF/gravy you gave him before but keep in mind that karo is an option, too.
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

i have the karo ready - i was editing my post as you were posting. he's now finishing the other kitty's gravy too - i give her treats when he gets one.

perhaps i should hold off on the karo since he's just eaten this with gravy? it's probably about a heaping tablespoon by the time he finished hers.
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

Yes..you can hold off and see what he does. Many cats are controlled well with MC food/gravy and I would hate to skyrocket him if you can bump him up into the 60s/70s without karo.
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

I'm here too if you need a hand. I'll be in and out, working on preventing a flood. :shock: Marjorie knows what to do, you're in good hands. ;-)

I would hold off on the karo unless he keeps dropping after you give him gravy....then just add a drop to the gravy. You're doing great!
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

I'm still here for you. I can keep checking in every 30 mins until you have him up to safe numbers.

Thanks, Laurie...always good to have two sets of eyes and thanks for the vote of confidence. Lordy knows I've dealt with my share of low numbers :lol:
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

Absolutely!!! I might tend to give him just a little more than one drop. At this point, he's earned his reduction so he has nothing to prove and he needs to be up in safer numbers.

Eta: I might also give him a LITTLE bit of food with this...just a little to help keep him up as the karo/gravy wear off a little faster esp the karo. Then retest in 30. I'll be here.
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

laurie, i just looked at Mr. Tinkles (great name) picture - he looks a lot like punkin!

test again in 30 minutes, i assume, although he's still eating so it won't be 30 minutes since he ate. does that matter?
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

Thank you! But no worries....we've had lots of help, too, and continue to ask and learn from the wiser ones. One day you'll walk someone through this and numbers like this will not be so nerve wracking.

Just to add a few things while we have a second:
1. don't forget he gets a .25u dose reduction tonight per Sienne. That is because he went below 40 BUT as a newly diagnosed kitty, if he had gone below 50 and not into the 30s, he'd still have earned a reduction.
2. until you get alot more data regarding low numbers, it's important to post before you shoot a lower number; I believe that for newbies, they say 150 and you can see why. If you post first, then we know who will be around to help you. If no one is going to be able to stay with you to walk you through it, they might suggest you shoot a reduced dose; or if you won't be home to monitor/test frequently, they might have you give a reduced dose.
3. sometimes when we get a low number, they'll want you to stall before shooting. If you have to stall, DO NOT FEED unless he is in the 40s or below. Always feed the 40s or below on PSs but anything above 40, don't feed until you get the go ahead to shoot. Then they'll have you test every 15 mins or so to catch him on the rise. There may be a time where he does not rise and you may have to skip a shot...this has happened to many of us but take it a step at a time starting with posting your PS number if below 150 and putting "HELP" in your subject line.
4. at some point when you have enuff data, you'll get comfy with when to shoot as you will know what he does. Important things to look for are whether he gets a food spike at +1 or +2 which gives you some cushion in shooting low numbers. I know that if Gracie does not get a food spike, I'm in for business. If she does get a food spike, she's not going anywhere that cycle. I also know that if I get a low PS and she doesn't get a food spike, her numbers are going to go really low so I start her on higher %carb food from the get go.
5. numbers that are good to get if you can are +1, +2 and +10 or +11. The first two tell you about his patterns with food spikes and onset. The second two tell you whether your PS will be a dropping number. Again, using Gracie as an example, she usually gets a "double dip" from lantus so she will drop again at the end of her cycle; so I usually know if I am shooting a low AM number, it's a dropping number.

Just things to think about when you get past this....you might want to bookmark this condo today so you can look back at what you did.
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

Hmm..he doesn't want to come up there does he? I'd give him a little more gravy and retest in 30. You okay with that and are you doing ok? I think you're doing awesome!
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

i'm doing ok - trying to eat lunch inbetween testing.

between the 2 cats (and punkin is just about twice as big as anya) i've given them about 80% of the can of gravy food.

i'll give him a little more gravy and retest in 30 minutes.

thanks again!!!! i feel surrounded by experts.
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

i'm wondering what to do about tonight - i've been sliding him a little later in the day so that tonight he would get his insulin about 7:45pm. I'm supposed to go to a potluck at 6, and then i intended to come home, test him, give him his shot and then go to my regular quilting group - and i'd probably ordinarily stay til 11, although i can come home earlier.

my husband will be home with punkin during the quilting group, but he hasn't done the testing alone. we are still having to burrito punkin. should i just skip my group tonight? of course i'd like to go, but we get together every week, if not twice a week, so i can easily skip it if i need to be testing him.

what do you think?
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

You're welcome. I'm not an expert (Miriam and Laurie are) but have had lots of low numbers; working with it myself with Gracie today as we do this :lol: :lol:

After your lunch, quick housekeeping:
could you please update your subject line so it looks like this (this is so folks will know the 34 is handled):

2/28 Punkin AMPS 96 +3 34 +4 57 +5 48 +5.5 59

Thanks!!
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

On going out....you need to see what he's doing as he gets closer to PS if you can. He's almost at +6 and he might start coming up. There is a chance that he might bounce meaning he'll pop up really high and in that case, you can safely go. But he might also decide to stay low; I, personally, would be reticent to leave Gracie if my husband wasn't testing/feeding, etc. Even with a reduced dose, what is in his shed now could carry him through tonight with lower numbers. How long do you have until you have to decide?
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

You're doing great!

As far as tonight goes, I would see where he's at before you have to leave for the potluck. You are able to test him by yourself? Any chance you could give DH a crash course on how it's done before you leave? He may bounce and that will make the point moot...we'll just have to wait and see.
 
Re: punkin ahhhh +3 = 34

i can decide at the last minute - just before 6pm for the potluck (which would be +10) and whenever for the quilting. women understand, you know, when you've got a sick kid!
 
Re: 2/28 Punkin AMPS 96 +3 34 +4 57 +5 48 +5.5 59

Good...glad you can be flexible. Let's see what he does. Standing by :-D

Nice fix on the subject line!! Thank you bunches!!! You can continue to add as needed.
 
Re: 2/28 Punkin AMPS 96 +3 34 +4 57 +5 48 +5.5 59

Great!!! Here's my recommendation but you need to be comfy with it since I don't know how he's doing with all these pokeys. If it were my kitty and this was the first time with low numbers, I would not feed and would retest in 30 mins to make sure he continues up....they can turn around once you pull the food/gravy. If he's starting to be unhappy, then spread it out to 45 minutes but no more than one hour. If you retest in 30 and he's still going up, then post....depending on how high up he goes, you could test a couple hours later but we'll do a step at a time.

Can you let me know what you decide please so I know when to check back in on you? You have done fantastic!!
 
Re: 2/28 Punkin AMPS 96 +3 34 +4 57 +5 48 +5.5 59

sorry marjorie, i just now saw your response. i'm going to go ahead and test him one more time - getting organized now.
 
Re: 2/28 Punkin AMPS 96 +3 34 +4 57 +5 48 +5.5 59

Ok...I'm here. Getting ready to test Gracie as well. Just post when you got it! Thanks, Julie.
 
Re: 2/28 Punkin AMPS 96 +3 34 +4 57 +5 48 +5.5 59

up to 75 - and i looked at your posting today on Gracie - hope she's settling down as well.
 
Re: 2/28 Punkin AMPS 96 +3 34 +4 57 +5 48 +5.5 59

Julie: good...but 71 and 75 are the same number so he's surfing! YAY!!! Great job. Again, if it were me, I'd retest in an hour but I have a kitty who likes to go up to 76 and drop to 45 in an hour....late in her cycle. Punkin may not do this but you don't know yet. Up to you. I'm happy to check back in if you like...I'm here and still posting Gracie's numbers so just let me know how I can help.

Aaah....Miss Gracie....she loves the 40s and 50s for surfing :lol: :lol: Thanks for stopping by our condo!
 
Re: 2/28 Punkin AMPS 96 +3 34 +4 57 +5 48 +5.5 59

The last time you gave food was an hour ago, is that right? If so, I would retest in an hour.

:lol: I see Marjorie said the same thing already!
 
Re: 2/28 Punkin AMPS 96 +3 34 +4 57 +5 48 +5.5 59

ok, i'll recheck him at 3:15 my time (west coast USA) and post the number then. i'm sure he'll be happy to have a reprieve. that 30 minutes sure goes quickly!
 
Re: 2/28 Punkin AMPS 96 +3 34 +4 57 +5 48 +5.5 59

I'm around too if you need any help with anything. I concur with the last few posts from Marjorie and Laurie. You've been in good hands.

nicely done today. :-D
 
Re: 2/28 Punkin AMPS 96 +3 34 +4 57 +5 48 +5.5 59

Laurie said: The last time you gave food was an hour ago, is that right? If so, I would retest in an hour.
I see Marjorie said the same thing already!
Click to expand...

At least we're consistent :lol: :lol: :lol: But then I learned from the BEST!

I'll check back in at 3:20 PST and see how he's doing. BTW, when he's up and staying up, extra love and scritches are great (which you are probably already doing) and once you don't have to test for a couple hours, I'd put some neosporin for pain on his ears. You'll just have to be sure to wash it off really well before you test again or it will cause the blood to smear. Great work...pat yourself on the back and have DH give you a big hug....and learn how to test so you can go out :lol: :lol:
 
Re: 2/28 Punkin AMPS 96 +3 34 +4 57 +5 48 +5.5 59

he's up to 93! is there a special "we survived the day" dance that you do?

what he really likes is if i *grimace* let him lick me. he's kinda compulsive about it, but i'm letting him do it. he's a sweetie.

ah, breathing, grateful for all of you. i posted on facebook how great the people here are - you stop what you're doing to help someone you don't even know. yup. you're awesome - all of you. thank you so much.

we're at +7.5 - when do you think i should check again?
 
Re: 2/28 Punkin AMPS 96 +3 34 +4 57 +5 48 +5.5 59

Wonderful!!! I'd get a +10 if it were me. The reason I say that is if he gets a double dip, it may be around that time and it would give you a chance to give him just a tad bit to eat to bump him up for his PM shot if he's low. You really don't want to feed in the time period of two hours before his shot unless he is below 50. So if you check him about 10 minutes before +10, if his numbers are still coming up, fantastic...no food. If they are going down, you can give him a little to eat (because it's still more than two hours before PM shot)...but only a little because you don't want him to be full for this evening in case he does the same thing tonight. Can you check in with us after you do the +10 test?
 
Re: 2/28 Punkin AMPS 96 +3 34 +4 57 +5 48 +5.5 59

i think i'll do it a tiny bit before then, because if we're going to the potluck, we need to leave at +10.

Do you think it would work for me to test at +9.75 and be able to make a decision then about whether or not we're going? If his numbers are still going up, would it be likely ok to leave him for 2 hours?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top