Re: 5/14 Max AMPS-39(7 am),fed, 46(7:30 am), 86(8:15 am),94
Ok....just back for some lessons learned.
With the +12 of 39, you did great by feeding; usually at the end of the cycle like this, you want to feed 1-2 tsp of LC and retest in 20-30 mins and see where he is. You might need to repeat to get him coming up but stay with LC and just tiny amounts so when you do get to shoot, you aren't shooting a food spike.
IF the +12 had been 46, then from
Dealing with Low Preshots:
When 40’s occur at the end of the cycle, it can be beneficial to withhold food and test in 15-20 minutes to determine if kitty is on the rise or hasn’t reached nadir yet.
If they are hanging in the 40s for a while, or if they are still dropping, it is ok to feed a tsp or two of LC and retest. This is very tricky. You want to avoid feeding too much while you’re waiting for them to go over 50, because you don’t want to artificially inflate the number with food.
--- Example: if kitty is 43 and you feed a whole meal, or feed some HC, and the number bumps up to 52, is that the cat’s natural end-of-cycle rise, or is it food spike? What if it is food spike? Then if you shoot the 52, when the food wears off he might drop back to the 40’s (and when insulin kicks in a couple of hours later, you might have a problem). If the 52 is the cat’s natural rise, then he will probably keep rising for the next few hours until insulin kicks in. If you can’t tell whether the number is food spike or natural rise, it’s safest to wait. Your data will help you here. Study the spreadsheet. How much food spike does the cat usually get? How many hours after the shot does the insulin’s onset usually occur in this cat? At what number is the cat likely to be when onset occurs? If the cat does drop, how easy/hard is it to regain control of the numbers? How carb sensitive is he?
** Test often (every 15-20 minutes, or at most every 30 minutes). You want to catch the rise the minute it starts. With most of our cats, once they start to rise they will really zoom. You want to get the insulin in as soon as possible, because it will be another 2-3 hours before the insulin kicks in and you don’t want to let the cycle get too far ahead of you.
I added the bold. I'd print out that entire post and keep it handy for days when you don't have time to get on the board.
On spreadsheets and in the subject line/condos, we don't use actual times such as 8:15 am because we are all on different time zones. We use the number of hours since the last shot. If you look back at the a.m. shot on 5/8, for example, you would put in the AMPS column "113 @ +14". that tells us right off the bat that you shot two hours late. You can look at Gracie's SS for examples on that although I pretty much shoot on time. Mike had to stall the PMPS shot on 5/12 so you can see how he did it. If you would like help in getting the SS sorted out, please PM me and I can fix it for you since I know you are short on time. Then you would have it as an example.
I just wanted to give you some thoughts on Max's dose and cycles.
You've been skipping or shooting a BCS dose on very shootable numbers. That makes Max's numbers really wonky. Any time you get a number you aren't comfortable shooting, if you can post, we can help you. I know it has to be busy around your house in the mornings and evenings with small children. But the more you can shoot his normal dose, on time, the better for him. It gives him the best chance of going into remission. You are doing a GREAT job of testing during the day and you are getting at least a before bed at night....SUPER!!!
On 5/10, you gave him a bit of a dose on what would be midcycle and then shot again at PMPS. It would have been better to wait until +22 (or what you would probably think of as +10) and just shoot the full dose two hours early. What is your "normal" shot time? I know you have to move it a bit depending on what is going on there but what time would you think of as his "normal" shot time....8:30?
You're a busy mom and I know you are being as consistent as you can. What I want to help you do is get over the fear of shooting numbers that are totally shootable. We need to do it slowly, but we can do it and you'll be a pro. It will make a huge difference in Max's treatment. Of course, safety is always first so if you don't have supplies, are not rested, cannot test, etc., then we just deal with it and move on but I think we can get things a little more stable for him.
