Betty 7/20, AMPS 10.2, +3 9

Betty'sMom

Betty'sMom

Member Since 2021
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/betty-6-27-amps-12-2.249111/#post-2810257

Hi everyone,

It's been a while since I posted and updated my spreadsheet. I went back into my meter history and did that.
Overall, we've been doing well. Seeing more blues and some greens, a few yellows.

Betty seems to be doing pretty great, to be honest. Her fur is shiny and thick, she has more energy and seems to feel good.

Lately I've been seeing her morning numbers lower than her typical nadir point (i.e. when I test her at +5 she may be a bit high (e.g 10.4) and then in the morning she is at 5.9... which means she dropped after I went to sleep. Those readings scare me because I don't know why she drops so much over night, and whether she got dangerously sick and I didn't know it.

In any event... I think we're doing well overall. I don't panic so much on a low reading... I just test and treat and we rebound. :)

I wanted to thank everyone here for their support in getting us going. If you see anything weird in our data, let me know. <3

Hope all is well!
 
Hi! Quick question: on 7/12 you got a 49 but didn't reduce? Why? Also, Betty has gotten 50 a few times on this dose, at those times did you test more than once? It is possible she's gone under 50 a few more times than on 7/12. Just curious, just trying to get my bearings!
 
Margaret (and Pearl) said:
Hi! Quick question: on 7/12 you got a 49 but didn't reduce? Why? Also, Betty has gotten 50 a few times on this dose, at those times did you test more than once? It is possible she's gone under 50 a few more times than on 7/12. Just curious, just trying to get my bearings!
Click to expand...

Well... she's on a half unit now, so what would I reduce her to? I thought that maybe it was a low day where she hadn't had as much to eat in the morning. (It's been hot and humid here, so her appetite is a bit lower). All the other numbers are higher and above green, so I thought it was just a blip.
 
Betty'sMom said:
Well... she's on a half unit now, so what would I reduce her to? I thought that maybe it was a low day where she hadn't had as much to eat in the morning. (It's been hot and humid here, so her appetite is a bit lower). All the other numbers are higher and above green, so I thought it was just a blip.
Click to expand...
If you are following TR, you reduce when she goes under 50. I don't know the answer to your question about not eating enough and it being a blip, I don't tend to think in that way as it introduces the variable of doubting whether she earned her reduction or not. I always have just reduced when my cat goes under 50. You can always bring her back up if needed.

Also, those few other times she was at 50 - did you get another test at the same time to confirm she was 50 or above and had not fallen under? (good practice to do!).

Whenever you do reduce, her next dose will be 0.25U. Do you have calipers? Super easy to use and accurate dosing! They have saved my life!

PS - whenever you have a day when you doubt whether Betty has gone under 50 for whatever reason, you can get help by posting here. The extra opinions have really helped me with Pearl along the way, highly recommend! :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Whatever is in my spreadsheet is what I've tested. I confess... with working, single parenting, two kids and three cats... it's challenging to test her more than 4-6 times a day some times. (Not to mention the cost of the strips - it's $88 for 100)

If she is in the "green" at her nadir point (5, 6 or higher) then I have been feeling like we should be ok.

Given all her other numbers, she seems to be sitting slightly high most days, so I thought 0.5 units was the right dose for her. I've also been worried that when you're dosing in the half and quarter units, it's so easy to give her more or less than half a unit (if there's a bubble, or your eyes are blurry).

I don't have calipers right now and am kind of struggling financially with the cost of the lancets and test strips, so I don't know I can invest in some right now.
 
I am trying to suggest that, at the same exact time you get that 50, if you are at or close to 50, just do another test strip in that moment to make sure. Oftentimes, cats will really test under 50 the second/third time, so you can be confident you've got a reduction at that point! :) I know you want to conserve those test strips, but this is a time to double-test.

You can get some good calipers at Harbor Freight for $15 when finances allow, and they will allow you the flexibility and confidence of a lot more doses - 0.25, 0.125, 0.37, 0.625, etc. It will really help you fine tune your Betty girl as you go!

I know you're in Canada and I'm not sure about the cost for strips there - I've heard people talk about the Bravo (?) meter but don't know if the test strip cost is anything cheaper than what you've already found.

I'm so happy you've got the greens and blues and look forward to see how Betty's journey continues!
 
ohhhh you mean a second test right away? I have done that a couple of times and usually the number is within 0.2 of the original reading. usually if she is close to the 50 mark, I will snack her and retest in 15 - 30 mins to see where she is at anyways. I don't know if we have harbour freight in canada... I'll do some searching. I admit... with my eyes, even my glasses make it hard to see the 0.5 unit accurately and I always worry I'll give her a drop too much or too little.

edit to add: I am searching online and am not sure what I am looking for. If you have a moment to drop me an example, it would be amazing!
 
If she is at 50 or hovering just above it, I always retest right away. Because you need to check if she is really dropped under 50. Because that is a reduction if so. And if Betty has earned a reduction and you do NOT take it, what happens over time is that she is on a higher dose than needed and glucose toxicity will set in where her body starts throwing out wonky (higher) numbers because it's too much insulin, and then you're increasing and increasing but what she really wanted was a decrease but it was missed. This is why I am really focusing on making sure you know when she has truly gone under 50 and take those reductions when she does do that. She has given you several really close to or at 50s, and then afterwards her numbers don't come close to 50 again for awhile. So this is why I am wondering if she has really gone under 50 those times.

I am not trying to suggest to reduce her now - an admin would need to mention that. I'm just trying to say these things for awareness.

I totally understand about the eye thing - I am no good, especially in the morning! The calipers really help me.
 
Ok... thank you for this info, I really do appreciate it!

Given that she was at 50 last night (and for quite a while)... does that mean I should reduce to 0.25 units now?
 
Calipers are a recent thing for dosing. I started out not using them. People used to always eyeball the 0.25 unit doses. There are pictures in this Sticky Note on the smaller doses:
Insulin Care & Syringe Info: Proper Handling, Drawing, Fine Dosing

Harbour Freight is not in Canada, not sure they ship here, and prices are in US$. Any metal or woodworking tool stores has digital calipers in the $20-25 range. You can get more expensive ones at Canadian Tire.

When reductions are earned with newly diagnosed cats, they should be taken immediately. Regardless of eating habits.
 
Ok.. thank you, I will reduce her to 0.25 and will (at the very least) buy a magnifying glass so that i can be more precise with my dosing. I bought a new box of syringes and couldn't find the brand I started with. I find these ones so much harder to read and feel like the precision is off from syringe to syringe. Does anyone (particularly from Canada) have a brand they trust the most? My vet said it doesn't matter as long as I get the u100 kind... but i find it strangely challenging to find 1/2" u100 syringes with half units online.
 
idk the answer to your question, but it might help get attention from more members if you change your post title to include the question and the question mark.
 
Betty'sMom said:
Ok.. thank you, I will reduce her to 0.25 and will (at the very least) buy a magnifying glass so that i can be more precise with my dosing. I bought a new box of syringes and couldn't find the brand I started with. I find these ones so much harder to read and feel like the precision is off from syringe to syringe. Does anyone (particularly from Canada) have a brand they trust the most? My vet said it doesn't matter as long as I get the u100 kind... but i find it strangely challenging to find 1/2" u100 syringes with half units online.
Click to expand...
You can get BD Ultra II syringes with half unit markings in Canada. The calipers will help you immensely with dosing smaller units. It makes all of the doses I give Ruby super consistent. Here is a post on using them: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dosing-with-calipers-updated-w-videos.79851/
 
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