8/02 Harley 218 PMPS, +4 56, 265 AMPS

[KKL]

Had blues and greens the last several days, but then suddenly 8/1 he went to 350 AMPS and then late last night the dropped to 56...is it possible once I increased the dose that it slowly built up his reserve and now his dose is a hair too high so he's dropping and thus bouncing a little?

 

[Amy & Papaya (GA)]

The AMPS on 8/1 definitely look like a bounce from the greens during the night. The 73 may have kept dropping because it was only at PM +3.

Again last night, 56 was a pretty low number. When you see one that low before midcycle, it's a good idea to test again soon (even half an hour later) even if you feed just to keep him safe and make sure he's not still dropping. Today's AMPS looks like another bounce from last night.

Next time you see green before midcycle, try testing at least hourly, or half-hourly if he's in low greens, until you see Harley starting to rise again. Then if you do see a lower number you will know if the dose is too high and needs to be adjusted. It's nice to see those greens, it just may need a little fine tuning to see whether you are too high or not.

 

[KKL]

That's what I thought...unfortunately I have been shooting at about 9:30 PM so these late night drops happen somewhere between 1-4 am...I did get up in the middle of the night the last two nights and stumble out to take his blood sugar. Unfortunately I haven't been getting much sleep lately and working a ton, so it's been kind of rough. I might just slightly decrease his dose and see where he goes. I did give him a medium carb treat twice last night when I took his blood sugar (6-8 carbs, whereas he usually eats 4 carb food).

 

[Amy & Papaya (GA)]

I did give him a medium carb treat twice last night when I took his blood sugar (6-8 carbs, whereas he usually eats 4 carb food).

Is that what you were referring to on your spreadsheet when it said you gave medium carb at those low numbers? Do you mean "treat" as in a tiny little treat, or "treat" as in a serving of medium carb food? If a cat gets as low as 56 and it isn't late in the cycle you should be giving some actual food to keep him surfing (even if it's only a couple teaspoons full). I understand the need for some sleep, but low numbers really need some extra attention. Are you familiar with the guidelines on how to handle low numbers? The full sticky is here. Here is some information for next time you see a number approaching 50:

If your cat is testing in low numbers and you are not getting a quick response to your post, there are several things you need to do. (Low numbers are under 50mg/dL or 2.8 mmol/L.)

Depending on how carbohydrate sensitive your cat is, feed approximately a teaspoon or less of gravy from high carb food or high carb food only.
(If you have a cat with GI issues, using a couple of drops of syrup plus low carb food is an alternative.)
Test again in 15 – 20 min. Depending on the numbers, give more HC food.
Repeat the above steps every 15 – 20 min. until your cat tests in the 50 mg/dL (2.8 mmol/L) or above range for 2 consecutive tests. Continue to feed in small amounts to keep numbers in a safe range.
Test in 30 - 40 min. and repeat the test and feed process until there are 2 consecutive tests where numbers are stable or rising.
Test in an hour and follow the same steps.
DO NOT become complacent. If number have risen after one or two tests, it’s important to continue testing. Numbers may bobble up and down as the HC food and/or Karo wear off. DO NOT get one test where your cat has risen from low numbers into the 50s and go to sleep or leave the house. You are putting your cat in a risky situation. When in doubt, leave HC food out.

I totally sympathize with the need for sleep - I give shots at 4:30 AM, get up again at 6 to feed more, then up for real at 7:30, and for the last couple of weeks my Papaya has been dropping into low greens late at night so I end up staying up to make sure she doesn't go too low. But it's paying off because she's working her way down the dosing scale. There are often a lot of sleep-deprived people hanging out here in the evenings cheering each other on as they keep an eye on cats who feel the need for a "pajama party" :lol: so if you see low numbers you can find some support here, and if you just can't stay awake please leave food out for Harley and set an alarm to check again soon. That way you will be able to get the information you need to get the correct dose and will keep him safe, as well as hopefully avoid bounces from dropping too low.

 

[KKL]

I gave him a tablespoon of a medium carb food with a dab of Karo on it.

Unfortunately, this happened after a night of not sleeping, working 14 hour day and having another one scheduled for the next day, I was completely drained after waking up at 3:30am to take his BG.

I did decrease his dose last night but he did get a little low again last night, then bounced and was high again this morning. I am going to scale back his dose more.

Does anyone ever do a different dose AM and PM to match the bodies natural swings?