6/9 Guiseppe AMPS 56+2-43,+3-39,+3.75-96 +5-68 +6-165 +8-129

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Eliza&Giuseppe

Eliza&Giuseppe

Member Since 2014
This is the second time of having a low AMBG, the lowest yet. He just had a dosage decrease from 2U to 1.75 one day ago so i just need some advice on what to do at this point. I just fed him his LC food and am going to retest him in 30 mins to see if he's going up. Should I give a bit of gravy at this point or just wait and see if it rises on its own? I don't want to skip a shot and possibly ruin all the progress we've made this week. Thanks guys
 
Re: AMPS 56 Shoot or No??

Hi there, sorry no one got back to you on time. Welcome to the TR forum. If you ever see a low number you aren't comfortable with, we recommend waiting 20-30 minutes, without feeding, then test again to see if he is rising. The food can cause the numbers to rise and we want to know if he is rising on his own. We also don't ask new people to shoot low until they've got data to be comfortable doing so. I saw that 78 on the spreadsheet, not sure if you shot or not? We also have a Shooting and Handling Low Numbers sticky that describes a few options for you.

Since Guiseppe is on Levemir, it is possible to have a nadir at preshot time. Neko is on Levemir and often has her nadir around then, so you do have to get used to shooting lower numbers. On the flip side, you have several hours to nadir and can use food to bring them up a bit before onset.

It's also a good idea to get a test in every cycle. Even a before bed test will give you an idea of how the cycle is going to play out and whether you need to intervene with food.
 
Re: AMPS 56 Shoot or No??

It looks like you did shoot.....
did you stall?
if you stalled then the new shot time would be your amps....
if you didn't.... then you have a ambg of 56 instead of an amps.


next time, it would be a good idea to get a +2 because he might have gone back down after onset of getting the next shot.....
onset is usually around 2 hours after the shot.....
Learn how YOUR kitty is responding to insulin:
Onset - the length of time before insulin reaches the bloodstream & begins lowering blood glucose
Peak/Nadir - the lowest point in the cycle
Duration - the length of time insulin continues to lower blood glucose
How to do a Curve - a simple explanation

NOTE: Until kitty is pretty well regulated, the description below is NOT not what you'd consider a "typical" Lantus cycle. It takes time and patience for kitty to achieve a "typical" cycle! The example below is what you're working towards (a nice shallow curve). A relatively flat cycle is the ultimate goal.

Example of an ACTIVE, but NOT necessarily typical Lantus cycle:

+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. You'll probably see an active cycle if the +2 is the same/similar or lower than the preshot number. Continue testing!
+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 (one of the quirks of Lantus/Levemir: some cat's blood glucose numbers dip around +10 or +11... not to be confused with nadir).
+12 - PreShot number.
An active Levemir cycle will have an onset at approximately +4 and a nadir around +8 - +10. However, please keep in mind every cat is different (ECID). Data collection will offer you a better picture of YOUR cat's response to either of these insulins.
Click to expand...

see the new to the group sticky for more explanation.....




eta: looks like Wendy and I both saw you at the same time..... :-D
 
Re: AMPS 56 Shoot or No??

Yes I did go ahead and shoot. I changed the info on the chart too the correct numbers. I now feel like I did something wrong and shouldn't have shot. nailbite_smile I gave him some honey and will continue to test but suggestions on what to do if he keeps dropping? I gave him the shot because someone told me the last time he went low to wait till his number started to rise then go ahead and give him his shot, so that what I did but now I'm thinking I didn't do the right thing… Ugggggg mega stressed here

So since i'm new I shouldn't have given him the shot and I shouldn't shoot him below 100-80?
Also if he doesn't rise to 100-80 should I not shoot him tonight?

His numbers use to stay all around the same and I didn't see much change but now the insulin is really starting to work. So i'm questioning is 1.75 too much?
 
Re: AMPS 56 Shoot or No??

Hi Eliza,

I saw that Guiseppe's last reading was 39. How long ago was that? Did you give him any high-carb food or Karo/corn syrup? At this point, we need to get his numbers up above 50. If you haven't tested again in the past 20 minutes or so, please do so now. If he's still below 50, give another tsp. or so of high-carb food and/or syrup.

If you can, please change the subject line of your very first post here in this thread. You can change it to something like "6/9 Guiseppe AMPS 56 +2-43, +3-39." By changing the subject line of your first post, others will be able to see at a glance that we're dealing with a low numbers situation here. You can keep updating your post as you get new readings.

Wendy provided the link to information about handling low numbers. Make sure you print that out and keep that handy.

Do you have any questions?

EDITED TO ADD: I saw that a reading of 96 was just added to Guiseppe's ss. That's great. Remember that the Karo wears off fast, so it's still important to keep monitoring often. How are you doing now?
 
Re: 6/9 Guiseppe AMPS 56 +2-43, +3-39, +3.40 now 96

I edited, still really new at posting on here so thanks for the tips on how to post and change subject line.

Yes after a few drops of honey he's at 96 and looks fine, he's very asymptomatic. He's usually very difficult for me to test but thankfully today he's being such a good boy. I will test again in 20 mins and see where he is and update. One question, how should I write half hour test numbers on my spreadsheet?

I have printed out the Hypo instructions and read them over. I have a folder of "what to do's" just in case i'm not home and someone else is here and needs the instructions. Along with a syringe marked with his dosage. I am preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
 
Re: 6/9 Guiseppe AMPS 56 +2-43, +3-39, +3.40 now 96

Also one more question, because the honey wears off quickly, do I just keep giving it to him when he starts to drop or is there something else I should be doing instead?
 
Re: 6/9 Guiseppe AMPS 56 +2-43, +3-39, +3.40 now 96

You did a perfect job updating the numbers, Eliza! Like I said, by editing your very first subject line, it helps people see what's going on at a glance. That way, if you need help, they can get to you more quickly.

In terms of the numbers, what you did on your spreadsheet was okay. A lot of people do something like: "39 @ 3, 96 @ 3.75" etc..... You can also change the color if you want to. To do that, click on the box you want to color in and then click on the little paint bucket icon. You can then change the color to green.

You want to keep Guiseppe above 50, and you may need to steer his numbers with food for a while. Do you have any high-carb gravy food, or do you just have syrup/honey? The syrup tends to bring the numbers up more quickly than the high-carb food, but it wears off more quickly, too. If you have high-carb gravy food (e.g., Fancy Feast Gravy Lover's), you can give a tsp. or so of the gravy itself to bring his numbers up if he slips into the 40s. If his numbers are in the 30s or below, I would add in some syrup/honey with the food to get the numbers up more quickly. Just keep updating your numbers here, though, and people will help guide you based on the numbers you're seeing at the time.

I'm thinking Guiseppe has earned a dose decrease today (even though you just reduced a couple of days ago). I wouldn't shoot the 1.75 units again until you get some input from the more experienced users here. I'm sure they'll be along soon to help you with that.

Hang in there - you're doing great!
Shelly
 
Re: 6/9 Guiseppe AMPS 56 +2-43, +3-39, +3.40 now 96

Shelly is right, Guiseppe earned a dose reduction today. The depot of a higher dose can impact a few cycles, but Guiseppe has been at 1.75U long enough. And if the cat hits the 30's, the protocol strongly recommends a .25U reduction. His new dose as of tonight will be 1.5U. But let's see where he is when you get closer to the end of the cycle. Are you going to be able to do any testing tonight? Whether you are able to monitor will help us decide if you should shoot a 80-100 number if that's where Guiseppe is tonight.

How long did you stall after that 56 today? You should either add that as a note to the spreadsheet remarks column or put it in the SS itself. What some people do is put the 56 in the +11 column from last night and write 56 @+12 and any other tests you do before preshot. Then if you had stalled an hour, you'd put the preshot value in the PS column with the time, such as 78 @+13. Not sure if those are the exact times but using that as an example.

Honey can wear off. I'd test again in 1/2 hour. Once you have a better idea how long the effect of honey work for Guiseppe it's better to test a little more. Normally once the cat is over 80 it's OK to back off to once an hour testing.
 
Re: 6/9 Guiseppe AMPS 56 +2-43, +3-39, +3.75-96 +5-68

I see that 68. How about giving Guiseppe a tsp or two of his regular low carb food. That might encourage him to surf here. 68 is safe but no need to go any lower now, he's earned his deduction. If you are feeling nervous, you could give him some high or medium carb food or a bit of honey on his low carb food. I'd test again 1/2 hour after he eats.
 
Re: 6/9 Guiseppe AMPS 56 +2-43, +3-39, +3.75-96 +5-68

Hi Eliza,
You are doing a fine job. I just wanted to add something to what the others have said: don't be alarmed tomorrow if the new, lower, dose doesn't immediately produce the desired result. You may continue to see lower numbers because Giuseppe's "shed" is still at the 1.75 unit level. It always takes a few cycles for a new dose to settle in. On the other hand, you may see a bounce into high numbers. This is normal. After the 39 Giuseppe's liver will try to "rescue" him from the low numbers by sending him soaring.

Welcome to Lantus Land!!

Ella & Rusty
 
Re: 6/9 Guiseppe AMPS 56 +2-43, +3-39, +3.75-96 +5-68 +6-165

I am will to stay up and test as long as I need to tonight so that won't be a problem. I gave him a bit of HC food and I guess it took awhile to get in his system and show on his numbers.

I stalled for 13 1/2 hours today so does that mean I have a new time to give him his insulin? Also how do you go about changing the time back to your normal time after situations like this?

I want to thank everyone in here for getting me through this today. I was a bit stressful but with everyones help I had some peace of mind knowing I was in good hands.
 
Re: 6/9 Guiseppe AMPS 56 +2-43, +3-39, +3.75-96 +5-68

Hi again,
I think you mean that you stalled for 1 and 1/2 hours? So yes, your next shot should be 12 hours later than when you shot. You can get back to your usual shot time by moving the time of subsequent shots by 15 minutes a 12-hour cycle, or 30 minutes a 24-hour day.

Have a good night. You are doing well.

Ella & Rusty
 
Re: 6/9 Guiseppe AMPS 56 +2-43, +3-39, +3.75-96 +5-68

Great job on fixing the spreadsheet. Looks like he might be bouncing tonight. I guess we'll see when he gets to PMPS.

Your new shot time tonight is 12 hours after this morning's shot. To get back on schedule, you can move shot time 15 minutes a shot, or 1/2 hour once a day. So you should be back on your old shot time in three days. Marje wrote a post on Getting back on schedule that may help.

We are just paying it forward - we all had someone help us when our cats went low the first time or two. It does help to have someone around.
 
Re: 6/9 Guiseppe AMPS 56+2-43,+3-39,+3.75-96 +5-68 +6-165 +8

LOL yes Ella I did mean 1hr and 1/2. I think I have worn my brain out for the day with testing and second guessing my actions haha
The treat trick is working like a dream with testing. I know you guys can see I wasn't testing much in the beginning and that wasn't for lack of trying. He was a very very difficult one to train to love the testing. All the videos I watch on YouTube the cats just laid there like sweet little fur babies, well NOT my little man. He's a spunky one, its one of my fav traits of his but not when it comes to pricking his ear for the safety of his life. I mean look at today I would have killed him had I not found a way to make home testing work. Perseverance and the helpful tips from the FDMB have saved my little babies life. My vet told me nothing, wrote me a RX for Humulin and sent me on my way. Nothing about diet or home testing or what to do in case of hypo or anything… so thats why I say big shout out to all y'all out there giving guidance and direction to those of us in need.

So I will continue to test him and see how his numbers look but unless something goes really wacky I believe he will be at a good number to shoot him tonight. I'll keep with the updates
And I read somewhere to sing to your cat as you do the testing and it helps calm both of you, wellll if y'all could hear some of the original songs i've come up with today in our journey hahahaha :lol:
 
Re: 6/9 Guiseppe AMPS 56+2-43,+3-39,+3.75-96 +5-68 +6-165 +8

hi eliza! just want to say great job today handling the low numbers! you're getting lots of experience right from the beginning!

i'm noting that at least as of +8/129, Guiseppe hasn't bounced from that 39. I'm wondering if he kept going up tonight. If you don't see a bounce (at least over 200, possibly much higher) that says that he's used to fairly low numbers. So I'm REALLY glad you're getting the hang of the testing down.

did you see Shelly/Wendy's comment that you need to reduce his dose tonight to 1.5u? just want to make sure you did - it can be easy to miss posts sometimes, especially if you've got a big deal going on, like dealing with low numbers!
 
Re: 6/9 Guiseppe AMPS 56+2-43,+3-39,+3.75-96 +5-68 +6-165 +8

I did see that dosage change to 1.5U. He did hit the 200's but only for a short time and hasn't gone up that high since right before his shot and +2 after.
He seems much better today, he was playing with me outside and has been acting like a kitten today. Was 166 AMPS and +2 124. So I think today is going to be a better day *fingers crossed*

On the plus side from pricking his ear so many times yesterday his ear is bleeding like a dream boat! Should I alternate ears for his comfort? I don't know if I should stick with the one good bleeding ear or switch it up and both will become good bleeders...
 
Re: 6/9 Guiseppe AMPS 56+2-43,+3-39,+3.75-96 +5-68 +6-165 +8

Guiseppe looks like he handled those low numbers yesterday really well. Could you create a new post for today? It helps to have less to read for the day if you create one new post each day.

Good to hear he's acting like a kitten today. :-D I alternate ears for testing, some people do one for a few days then switch to the other. Some people only test one ear for various reasons. You'll have to experiment to see what works for you.
 
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