3/6 GracieD PMPS 140(+12.5), +2 167

Status
Not open for further replies.
Jason & Belle (GA)

Jason & Belle (GA)

Member Since 2010
Hey all,

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=38100

As you can see from my last condo, Gracie has thrown me a low number or two out of the blue, and it's happening again today. Since her AMPS of 64 the other day, her number have been higher. Today, AMPS was 404, exactly the same as yesterday. Yesterday her +4 was 202, today her +3 is 63! Something is happening with her, and is freaking me out. I thought I'd have a nice peaceful day today. What's up with her throwing these low numbers out of nowhere? I wasn't even going to test her during the day today, so I'm glad I did. She's eaten 3/4 of a big can of BG Chicken/Beef, and 1/4 can Soulistic Chicken already this morning. She seems to have a voracious appetite when she has or is about to have low numbers.

Have you guys seen such fluctuations, without explanation before? I'll be around all day and testing her frequently, so we'll be ok today, but this won't always be the case. How can I be comfortable giving her this dose when she's so unpredictable?

Jason
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD AMPS 404, +3-63 What is going on!

Jason: that IS a pretty steep dive but some of us have diving cats who will easily dive 100/hour like your Gracie; look at Mannie, Gabby, Tess, and also my Gracie (altho we're getting it more under control). Your Gracie has had some pretty impressive dives but at higher numbers (I think a 588 to a 398 at +1...or similar). One thing I would recommend is that no matter what AMPS you get, you might want to always do a +2. If the +2 is not pretty close to the AMPS, then you are probably going to see some action. Others might come along with other thoughts but I think getting a +2 always has merit..... Now that you have that 63, you probably should start testing her more...I'd probably do a +3.5 and see what she's doing.
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD AMPS 404, +3-63 What is going on!

Thanks Marjorie. I do test quite a bit, and although she does have steep dives, none have gone this low this fast. She also ate a ton. My hope is that her body is trying to jump start itself since she's a fairly new steroid induced diabetic.

Her +3.5 was 57.

Jason
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD AMPS 404, +3-63 What is going on!

Hey Jason --

Please don't tear out your hair! Marjorie is right -- some of our kitties are notorious for dramatic cycles. (Gabby has gone from 400s to 40s to 400s all in one cycle.) Just remember, we're along for the ride and we're not in the driver's seat. What you are most likely seeing is Gracie's pancreas deciding that it doesn't like these numbers and is kicking in on top of the insulin. In addition, it looks like she's clearing bounces more quickly.

Just in case, you may want to get a second test to make sure this wasn't a meter glitch. My meter will throw me a heart-stopping low number if there's just a tiny bit too little blood for an accurate reading (and apparently, it's enough that the meter won't indicate it's an error).

If this is, in fact, a good catch on your part, I would get a test at +3.5. Gracie may be looking for a dose reduction.

Also, most of our cats are really hungry when their numbers are dropping this way. Be careful to not over feed. You don't want Gracie to scarf-and-barf and, if you do need to steer the cycle, you don't want her to be too full to respond to food.
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD AMPS 404, +3-63 What is going on!

Thanks Sienne.

I fed her all of that food prior to testing again. I figured with an AMPS of 404 and all that food, her numbers weren't an issue. Now I know one of her signs for low BG's. +3.5 was 57 and I'll keep testing every 30 minutes of so since her nadir usually comes 4 hours from now.

I have Karo, but no real HC food. I'm going to run out in a few minutes and grab some. I do hope she'll have enough of an appetite remaining to lick the gravy.

Jason
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD AMPS 404, +3-63 What is going on!

Most cats LOVE gravy!!

In case there's no one immediately around, here's my post on handling low numbers. (In other words, I've got some errands to run in a little while, myself.) There are lots of people here, though, who are pros at the test and feed routine.
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD AMPS 404, +3-63 What is going on!

I'm around and will pop in every little bit. My Gracie LOVES to surf in the 40s so I know about low numbers :lol: Good to get some food as well as the karo because the karo wears off quickly....food will last a little longer. You might want to get a variety; some folks can feed truly HC gravy (18%) and others cannot...depends on Gracie's sensitivity to carbs; you'll have to experiment with that (and it can change).
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD AMPS 404, +3 63, +4 56

Thanks Marjorie. I bought 9-Lives slices in gravy. It was one of the highest carb things I saw at Food Lion. At +4, she didn't drop much and I'm about to do +5. She is acting normally and purring up a storm, and my wife is lying on the couch with her.

Marjorie and Gracie said:
I'm around and will pop in every little bit. My Gracie LOVES to surf in the 40s so I know about low numbers :lol: Good to get some food as well as the karo because the karo wears off quickly....food will last a little longer. You might want to get a variety; some folks can feed truly HC gravy (18%) and others cannot...depends on Gracie's sensitivity to carbs; you'll have to experiment with that (and it can change).
Click to expand...
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD AMPS 404, +3-63 What is going on!

Remember, dose reductions are earned with a drop below 50. The vast majority of cats are completely asymptomatic in the 40s. Gabby has dropped into the high 20s and been completely asymptomatic. (I don't want her there for long but she's been there!) A purry, normal behaving cat tells you a great deal!

A housekeeping note: If you can keep a running list of your latest test data in the subject line, we're be able to spot if you need a hand. It's much easier to see what's going on at a glance than having to check in the condo. It's easy to overlook what may be normal numbers in the subject line and a need for help that's in the text.
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD AMPS 404, +3-63 What is going on!

Sienne and Gabby said:
Remember, dose reductions are earned with a drop below 50. The vast majority of cats are completely asymptomatic in the 40s. Gabby has dropped into the high 20s and been completely asymptomatic. (I don't want her there for long but she's been there!) A purry, normal behaving cat tells you a great deal!
Click to expand...

At 1.25, she stayed to high. Even if I did reduce the dose at some point, it would be by a drop. 1.5u may end up being the right dose when she settles down, so I'll just need to watch her more closely than I have been, if that's possible :) Strangely, on the 5th when her AMPS was 64, while stalling I found her on the couch sleepy and drooling. I got worried because she doesn't drool, but her number was in the low 100's. I don't know what it was but, it seemed too coincidental.

I updated the subject line with her +4 and +5. She seems to be surfing. No real change from +3 to +5.

Thanks again all!
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD AMPS 404, +4 56, +5 63, +6 91, +7 111, +10

If she continues this slow incline, do you guys think I should stick with 1.5u or decrease by a drop or two? Her cycle today was great and I'd love to keep it going. Whenever I've reduced based on a low PS, I've lost momentum, but I don't want her to have any issues overnight. This may be moot based on her PMPS, but I wanted to know for shot time.

Jason
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD AMPS 404, +4 56, +5 63, +6 91, +7 111, +10

Nice day for GracieD. Hope you have a good night and more nice numbers.
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD +7 111, +10 124 PMPS 113

Evening,

Her PMPS was 113. Lower than her +10. I'm delaying her shot to see what happens. Although I think she may just surf through if I give her her shot, the fact that it's night and I can't be with her every second gives me pause.

Edit: Stalled 30 minutes and she was at 140. Shot the full 1.5u 30 minutes late.

Jason
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD +7 111, +10 124 PMPS 113 - Stalling

Jason retest in 30 minutes and don't feed. You don't want the number to be influenced by food.
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD +7 111, +10 124 PMPS 113 - Stalling

Miriam and Putty said:
Jason retest in 30 minutes and don't feed. You don't want the number to be influenced by food.
Click to expand...

Thanks Miriam, that's just what I did. Unfortunately, I don't have the feeding thing down and she started eating dry 30 minutes preshot(it's out for my other many cats) so I stopped her and gave her Surf and Turf. The 140 may be food influenced, but I'm going to watch her closely tonight.
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD +7 111, +10 124 PMPS 113

The 124 at +10 is pretty much the same number as your PMPS. Remember, there's meter variance that's as much as 20%. The other thing to keep in mind is that Lantus onset isn't usually until +2 or +3. What that means is that the number you're shooting at pre-shot is really your +2 or +3 number. (I know, this is a bit confusing so I hope I'm not muddying the waters too badly.)

If you've not shot, I think you should go ahead and shoot.
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD +7 111, +10 124 PMPS 113

Sienne and Gabby said:
The 124 at +10 is pretty much the same number as your PMPS. Remember, there's meter variance that's as much as 20%. The other thing to keep in mind is that Lantus onset isn't usually until +2 or +3. What that means is that the number you're shooting at pre-shot is really your +2 or +3 number. (I know, this is a bit confusing so I hope I'm not muddying the waters too badly.)

If you've not shot, I think you should go ahead and shoot.
Click to expand...

No muddying for me. I did shoot after stalling 30 minutes. To be honest, I just wanted to get a good nights sleep and not worry about her numbers. As I get used to the lower numbers, I'll be more at ease with shooting them.

Thanks!
 
Re: 3/6 GracieD +7 111, +10 124, +12 113, PMPS 140(+12.5)

Given that this is among the lowest numbers you've shot, please get a +1 and a +2.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top