AM dosing opinions after 51 +6 night

[Jenna Josie]

Tonight has been more exciting (and longer) than planned! (She had no symptoms whatsoever, btw. Mostly just curious about why I was making her sit on the bathroom floor with me for so long )

Josie was 51 at +6. We were perhaps a little overzealous in the food steering and let her eat *too* much, so that is a lesson learned, but now we're trying to anticipate what that means for tomorrow's AM shot (6:30 CDT).

It will be interesting to see if her AMPS is high from maybe a bounce or all the extra carbs she got tonight. In which case, normal dose (1.5u).

Or maybe it will be low b/c she was low, and all the extra carbs will have cleared? (Her food spike typically seems to clear before +3.) In which case, as long as it's not too low, is a reduced dose (a fat 1.0? We have U40s) better than no dose?

I know the general rule is not to shoot below 200 early on, but is that different after a 51?

(I am actually going to be able to be home all day tomorrow to watch her. I had planned to do a curve, but now maybe tomorrow's not the best day.)

Thanks for any insights!

 

[Rachel]

Hi Jenna! Sorry we were all asleep when you posted. I'll most likely be driving in an hour when you're shooting...but I'll try to stop and check in.

Most likely she'll be high this morning. The food spike might have cleared but usually they'll be higher from a combo of carbs/bouncing after a low. 51 isn't actually bad...she usually seems to nadir around +6 so she was most likely going up on her own after that anyway (not a bad idea to do a bit of steering though as you're right there at the take action number!). Next time, especially at that point in the cycle you might try a small snack of regular low carb food...it might be enough with the nadir happening to gently steer her up. Not saying you did wrong last night though! You gotta do what you gotta do and that late at night, most of us aren't around...so it's scary and lonely especially the first time!

The 200 rule changes as you get data and know what your cat is likely to do. The 51 wouldn't really affect that.

As for dose...hard to say. My gut tells me to stick with 1.5 because while she got low, it wasn't SUPER low...and she was probably headed back up. Plus, she, like a lot of cats, runs higher during the day. HOWEVER, if she's not at 200 or above I wouldn't shoot that much (I think she will be, but you never know!). If she lower than 200, I'd be tempted to give her a lower dose...maybe 1 unit since you're home to watch. And I wouldn't give anything if she's too low...like when you hit that 105 the other day.

However, your gut can weigh in too! If 1.5 feels like too much given that 51 last night, lower the dose. If she'd hit that number earlier in the cycle I probably would have suggested lowering the dose, so it won't hurt me at all if you think it's best. Mama sense is a real thing and it has a lot of weight around here. And there is no way to know if I'm right and she was heading back up on her own or not (again, you did the right thing steering at that point). So it's definitely up to you. If someone else chimes in with a different opinion, I'm open to that too...I'm still waiting for my coffee to kick in so I'm a bit rambly and less decisive than normal!!!

 

[FurBabiesMama]

One of the symptoms of feline diabetes is that mama (and/or daddy) no longer gets much sleep. The greens are looking good though!

 

[Jenna Josie]

Fortunately, she decided to make it easy on me and have an AMPS of 258, so we went with the regular 1.5 dose, especially since I am home today.

And yes, FurBabiesMama, this sleep deprivation thing is one nasty side effect! There appear to be four custom emoji on FDMB, and I very clearly understanding why one of them is a coffee cup!

Here's a question: although I don't have much day-time data, what's there is higher than what we have for PM data, and Rachel says most cats run lower at night.

I've seen in many threads that its important to hold the same dose for several cycles, yet at any given point, because of the day/night differences, there's an in-between BG range where you'd decide one way for day and a different way for night. For example, if Josie's AMPS were 200, I'd feel comfortable with her usual 1.5, but if her PMPS were 200, especially after last night, I would definitely not feel comfortable.

That's not actually a question! I'm pretty sure I have one in my brain somewhere, but it needs more coffee to come out. It's something to do with sensing the line between being too consistent and being too *in* consistent.

 

[Djamila]

You can try a "skinny" 1.5, or a 1.25 for the PM cycle if it's making you nervous. A skinny dose is part way between 1.25 and 1.5. You just have to eyeball it and try to be as consistent as you can from cycle to cycle.

 

[Jenna Josie]

PMPS = 251, so we went with 1.5 although we did figure out that a 1.25 on a U-40 is where the very top of the fat (2nd) wide part of the black plunger is aligned with the "2"-line.

I did pop by the pharmacy today and learned that in this state (MO), one can't purchase U-100s greater than 1ml without a prescription. So that's not going to work for now, but hopefully one day!

P.S. to Djamila. Thanks also for the treat suggestions. Josie LOVES those minnows. (I confess, though, that I could do without their blue eyes staring at me when I cut them up for her! They are a little creepy. )

 

[Djamila]

Josie LOVES those minnows. (I confess, though, that I could do without their blue eyes staring at me when I cut them up for her! They are a little creepy.

So much yes. They are creepy. The hearts get me more than the minnows though. Ah, the things we do for our kitties.