9/13 Annie AMPS=101, +4=49***, +9=124, PMPS=203, +2=230

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Re: 9/13 Annie AMPS=101, +4=40, +9=124, PMPS=203, +2=230

Hi there.

Annie dropped to 40 today. That means she earned a reduction. I see you still shot 2 units at PMPS. She's telling you that is too much. According to protocol, you should have reduced to 1.75. I am concerned about the fact that your spreadsheet doesn't indicate any follow up tests until +9. When a kitty drops that low, we urge you to continue feeding and testing until she is safely over 60 and going up without the aid of food. Please read the sticky at the top of the page on Handling Low Numbers.

I know you are fairly new to the sugardance, but low numbers should not be taken lightly. You are fortunate that Annie came through this safely, but please, please, don't do this again! If you are unsure what to do when you get a low number like this, post and ask for help, but please don't leave her to fend for herself at such a low number. Perhaps you did do something and it just isn't reflected on the spreadsheet or in your condo? I'm not trying to scare you or make you feel bad, but this is really serious and my heart just stopped when I saw this.

When a kitty that isn't use to low number drops that much, it can make them feel strange, and they do things they wouldn't ordinarily do. That might explain the peeing around the litterbox. And yes, that probably explains the bounce.

You are in the best possible place for getting help with Annie's FD. I hope you will take advantage of all that is available here. If you can follow the protocol, you have a good chance of getting Annie healthier and possibly even off of insulin! We are here to help you. Use us!
 
Re: 9/13 Annie AMPS=101, +4=40, +9=124, PMPS=203, +2=230

Hi Julie - I agree with Tricia that it's a good idea to reduce Annie's dose to 1.75U tomorrow morning. Although Annie's spreadsheet just says 2.7 (49), your subject line says 40 so I'm guessing there are more tests and she got lower. Longer term diabetics get a .25U reduction for under 40.
 
Re: 9/13 Annie AMPS=101, +4=40, +9=124, PMPS=203, +2=230

Err... this morning:

+4= 2.7mmol/L = 48.6mg/dL

I got this reading when I had raced home from work for my break, so that's right... I was unable to get another reading until +9. I'd left her with a big bowl of food and some dry DM kibble, and checked her as soon as I got home from work. I'm afraid that this was the only option available to me today. I really do the best that I can with the time and the resources available to me.

Suppose I should have skipped her morning dose because she had already started off relatively low this morning, and because I wouldn't be around for the whole duration of her cycle to monitor her. It is difficult to know what kind of 'lows' her preshot number will produce.

Also, I thought I was looking for 3 values under 50 before she earned a reduction... ? I will reduce her dose for tomorrow morning to 1.75 so I do not have a repeat of today.

Thank you for your concern, I understand how my initial post came off as apathetic, maybe even careless...? I still have some learning to do for sure and I do try to consult with the forum as often as I can.

G'night
 
Hi Julie.

Please do not feel I am criticizing you. That 40 in your subject line with nothing after really shook me. I totally get your situation. Not everyone has the ability to hang around and keep testing. Based on her previous cycles, you couldn't have known she would go that low. Forgive me if I am totally ignorant of your status. Based on your spreadsheet, I assumed Annie was just diagnosed in August. Wendy mentioned the criteria for a long term diabetic. When was Annie diagnosed? If it was in August, she would be considered a short term diabetic and the rule is a number under 50 earns a reduction. I always thought the three under 50 applies to long term diabetics, but I could certainly be mistaken. I just reread Tilly's page which is, I believe, where you got that from. It doesn't indicate a difference between long and short term diabetics.

There is so much to consider and so much to learn here, it is easy to get overwhelmed, and when you don't have a lot of time to spend reading and absorbing it, it's that much harder. That's why it's great to have this forum to help you. I know I wouldn't have made it this long without these people - they saved my kitty's life! Not to mention my sanity.

Now you know that Annie can drop like that, you can watch for signs that she might do it again. A lot of people try to get an "out the door" test - a +1 or +2 before they leave for work - that can give you a head's up on where your kitty is heading. Not knowing your schedule, I don't know if that's even possible for you, but if it is you might want to try it. FYI, dry kibble isn't the best tool for bringing her up. It takes longer to work and takes longer to get out of her system than moist MC or HC. That could have also played a role in how high she went tonight. If you suspect she's going to drop, leaving some MC or HC moist is a better option. Do you have a timed feeder? They are very helpful to people that can't be home to test and feed for long stretches.

I'm not usually an advice giver, and I don't mean to overstep any boundaries, but I just wanted to make sure you understood what was at risk here, and help if I could. Please forgive me if I misunderstood or offended you. Annie's numbers are getting better, and I'm sure she will continue to do so - maybe faster than you were expecting! I wish you both nothing but the best.
 
Good morning, Julia! ~O)

I must have already been in dreamland, drooling on my pillow, when you posted last night. Great job catching that 49 yesterday! You did the perfect thing by leaving food out with her since you couldn't stay.

I still have some learning to do for sure and I do try to consult with the forum as often as I can.
Click to expand...

You were rushed into TR, and I take complete responsibility for that. Usually, with new members, we try to answer most of their questions on Health before seeing if they want to move to a specific insulin-support group. Since you were already shooting low numbers, I wanted to make sure you were posting here in TR because of the amount of experience the members here have with shooting low. I didn't want you to get "lost" on the Health board.

I would imagine you still have a ton of questions. Please don't be afraid to ask them. I remember when I first joined FDMB. I tried to scour the site looking for tidbits of information, which just overwhelmed me even more. Finally, I just started asking questions in my post. It was a lot easier - and saved me a lot of time - to have people point me to the info I needed. I think I asked the same question about bouncing 15 different times. ohmygod_smile Thank goodness the people here are patient. :lol:

I know Annie has neuropathy and Marje mentioned that Zobaline could help. If you haven't started that, other members might be able to provide you with some info about Zobaline or other meds that might help, dosing, etc. I don't have any experience with neuropathy, but I know lots of people here do. Just ask if you need any help with it.

One more tip that might help - you can always add info about Annie in your signature line. Most people here will put their kitty's name, date of diagnosis, other health issues, type of meter used, type of insulin used, etc. in their signature line. That helps us remember important information (like Annie being a long-term diabetic). You can take a peek at the signatures of some of our posts to see what type of info we include. To add information to your signature, click on the user control panel. Then click on profile and then edit signature. There's a limit to the amount of characters you can have in your signature, so you may have to play around a bit to figure out how much info you can include there. If you run into any problems with it, just give a shout out.

I know the constant shooting and testing is overwhelming, and our schedules don't always allow us to test when we want or need to. You really are doing a fantastic job, though, and Annie's numbers really are looking good (well, except for that bounce last night. You were right about that - that's exactly what was happening.)

Hang in there! I know you're overwhelmed. Just let us know how we can help. :YMHUG:
Shelly
 
i was in between jobs when punkin became diabetic and it still was overwhelming.

Tricia, you're right that if you have canned food that you can leave out, it's likely to be enough, but while we usually discourage dry food because it's so high in carbs, if you have to leave her alone in the 40's, i'd leave out whatever it took to keep her safe, including dry food if that's what i had. For the exact reason that it does last longer in the body, in this case, it probably was the best choice. It's such a balancing act, isn't it?

It's hard to manage a diabetic cat even when you're home - much less when you have to be gone for long stretches of time. i can't imagine!

overall, Annie's sure responding well! have you noticed there have been no pinks on her ss for an entire week!?!

i would reduce her to 1.75u tonight. and celebrate a dose reduction! dancing_cat dancing_cat
 
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