BG a bit low....help/comments?

Status
Not open for further replies.
TheBowHuntress

TheBowHuntress

Member Since 2012
Gobbles got 1 U. of Lantus at 10:15 a.m. Today. I checked his BG at noon was 80, so I checked at 12:15 and was 76. I was supposed to be gone for the day at 12:30 p.m. but stayed home....gave him some wet food and checked BG at 12:45 p.m. and was 74...then again at 1:00 and was 83....then at 2:30 p.m. was 67...took me a total of 17 sticks....so I gave him 2 pieces of treat....I kepy an eye on him and just a bit ago, after he ate 1/3 can of FF (classic salmon--from food list) he is at 335....next shot is due 10:00 p.m....I think I should test him here in a bit and I have put all cat food up (though left him water)...or should I let him eat? I have some fresh hamburger on hand...
 
It's fine to let him eat, as long as it isn't within two hours before his next shot.

Back in a minute...

Carl
 
OK,
First, good job on monitoring the numbers today while they were fairly low. He never got to "dangerous" low, but he may have had you not been there to test, so great job!

The 330s you are seeing now are due to the lows you saw today. He's "bouncing" up higher from that. This is common, and expected, and it's an instinctive reaction by his pancreas and liver to unusual or quick drops in blood glucose. So don't worry about the high number.

Did you test before the shot this morning, and if so, what number did you see?

Carl
 
He did great! As Carl noted - bounce! It may take a few days to level out as his body gets used to the lower glucose levels, so hang in.

How long at this dose of Lantus?
 
It looks like Gobbles has been on the 1u dose since the 23rd of November? You've kept the dose the same since then?

Carl
 
Carl & Bob said:
It looks like Gobbles has been on the 1u dose since the 23rd of November? You've kept the dose the same since then?

Carl
Click to expand...
Yes that's correct...every 12 hours....and thank you for taking the time to look into his info..... :)
 
He hasn't earned a dose reduction because he didn't go too low.

Have you needed to skip any shots because he was too low at pre-shot?
 
BJM said:
He did great! As Carl noted - bounce! It may take a few days to level out as his body gets used to the lower glucose levels, so hang in.

How long at this dose of Lantus?
Click to expand...
since november 23....17 days...THANK YOU!
 
Shot time you said is at 10pm. Is that eastern time?
Carl
 
BJM said:
He hasn't earned a dose reduction because he didn't go too low.

Have you needed to skip any shots because he was too low at pre-shot?
Click to expand...
Last saturday, i withheld his morning shot because he tested 140....then called the vet who told me to give him the sshot (his shot was two houts late)
 
OK. When you have to skip shots because he is too low AND it happens repeatedly, you may do a slight dose decrease.

Otherwise, you stall - wait 15-20 minutes WITHOUT FEEDING, and re-test to see if he's going up. If he's going up (and over 150-200 depending on how much data you have collected), then it becomes safe to do the normal feed and shoot.

Have you had a chance to set up a spreadsheet? It'll help you and us see patterns in what is going on.
 
BJM said:
OK. When you have to skip shots because he is too low AND it happens repeatedly, you may do a slight dose decrease.

Otherwise, you stall - wait 15-20 minutes WITHOUT FEEDING, and re-test to see if he's going up. If he's going up (and over 150-200 depending on how much data you have collected), then it becomes safe to do the normal feed and shoot.

Have you had a chance to set up a spreadsheet? It'll help you and us see patterns in what is going on.
Click to expand...
Yes, I have on in open office calc..... somewhat ashamed to share, but I will....I was doing very good testing him, until someone (not only the vet) told me to quit doing it so often...quit torturing him....WELL, I learned my lesson with that advice yesterday...

I've attached Gobbles spreadsheet (entries previous to 12/3/2012 are on paper only).
!
 

Attachments

A lot of people seem to think it's cruel to poke kitties ear numerous times a day to test them I have heard it often when I tell people I have a diabetic cat and that he gets tested and shot with insulin my comment to them is "Well isn't it crueler to shoot them blind and risk dropping their blood sugar to low and them get sick from it and possibly die? You wouldn't give a child or yourself insulin without testing first and monitoring why would you do it to an animal they are my baby?" Normally shuts them up pretty quick!
 
Its a start on the spreadsheet and you'll get there.

Most of us set our spreadsheets up on Google Drive, so no matter where we are, we can update or review it. Plus, if you follow the template instructions, the numbers are color-coded to help you see patterns.

Maybe add some notes on the secondary monitoring tools (in my signature link) if you're having some trouble getting glucose tests, so you have alternative data assessing the diabetes. Water consumption, urine ketone testing, urine glucose testing, the 5 Ps, etc, will help you generate a more complete view of her health.
 
Cats have very few nerve endings in their ears (less than people have in their fingertips, and you wouldn't say you were harming a diabetic child testing him/her). Testing most certainly does not torture or hurt cats. What they don't like at first is being restrained, having something new and strange done to them, and sensing the fear and frustration in their human. The more frequently you test, the sooner the cat will adjust and accept it as routine. A low carb treat after every test helps a lot getting them to accept the testing. My cat was a holy terror the first two weeks of testing, growling and clawing and biting--I had to wrap him in a blanket to test him. Today, when he hears the glucose meter beep on he runs to his testing basket, jumps in, lies down and starts purring (which he does through the whole process). If that's torturing the cat, well, I'd hate to see what people would think of me when I trim his claws or give him a bath. :-D

With Lantus, you want to test at least three times a day--once before each shot to make sure it's safe to give insulin, and a test about halfway through either cycle to see how the insulin is working. This is the minimum number of tests you need each day to administer Lantus safely and effectively. Also, you want to do a curve (every two hours for a 12 hour cycle) at least once a week until he's regulated. Once you start collecting this data, you're well on your way to getting him regulated and then hopefully into remission. The high remission rates with Lantus and Levemir are only valid when they're dosed according to the recommended guidelines, and you need those tests to do so.
 
BJM said:
Its a start on the spreadsheet and you'll get there.

Most of us set our spreadsheets up on Google Drive, so no matter where we are, we can update or review it. Plus, if you follow the template instructions, the numbers are color-coded to help you see patterns.

Maybe add some notes on the secondary monitoring tools (in my signature link) if you're having some trouble getting glucose tests, so you have alternative data assessing the diabetes. Water consumption, urine ketone testing, urine glucose testing, the 5 Ps, etc, will help you generate a more complete view of her health.
Click to expand...
The spreadsheet I uploaded starts on 12/3/12, however, I have BG numbers since 11/26/12...I can't figure out how to move the December dates down so I can add the November dates (so they are in order)...any help? Also, attached is an updated spreadsheet from my last upload.
 

Attachments

It's much easier for people here giving advice if your spreadsheet is formatted the way we usually format spreadsheets here, and published online instead of as an attachment (not everyone may have MS office on their computers). I know this may be a little bit of a pain for you, but would you mind starting over with the spreadsheet using the instructions here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207? That way you can also add all your earlier data which will help us a great deal to figure out what's going on. I'm pretty sure you should be able to just cut and paste the values you have already in your excel sheet right into your google doc.
 
Julia & Bandit said:
It's much easier for people here giving advice if your spreadsheet is formatted the way we usually format spreadsheets here, and published online instead of as an attachment (not everyone may have MS office on their computers). I know this may be a little bit of a pain for you, but would you mind starting over with the spreadsheet using the instructions here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207? That way you can also add all your earlier data which will help us a great deal to figure out what's going on. I'm pretty sure you should be able to just cut and paste the values you have already in your excel sheet right into your google doc.
Click to expand...
I started a google doc a few weeks ago, then resorted to my own spreadsheet....I'm going to go update it....
 
TheBowHuntress said:
Julia & Bandit said:
It's much easier for people here giving advice if your spreadsheet is formatted the way we usually format spreadsheets here, and published online instead of as an attachment (not everyone may have MS office on their computers). I know this may be a little bit of a pain for you, but would you mind starting over with the spreadsheet using the instructions here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207? That way you can also add all your earlier data which will help us a great deal to figure out what's going on. I'm pretty sure you should be able to just cut and paste the values you have already in your excel sheet right into your google doc.
Click to expand...
I started a google doc a few weeks ago, then resorted to my own spreadsheet....I'm going to go update it....
Click to expand...

Wonderful! I know that this will make things much easier in terms of the folks here giving you advice. :-D
 
Julia & Bandit said:
It's much easier for people here giving advice if your spreadsheet is formatted the way we usually format spreadsheets here, and published online instead of as an attachment (not everyone may have MS office on their computers). I know this may be a little bit of a pain for you, but would you mind starting over with the spreadsheet using the instructions here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207? That way you can also add all your earlier data which will help us a great deal to figure out what's going on. I'm pretty sure you should be able to just cut and paste the values you have already in your excel sheet right into your google doc.
Click to expand...
OK...got that done...and put the google link in my signature....can you test it for me?
 
Spreadsheet is looking OK.

Catching tests in the 5 - 7 hour period after giving insulin helps identify the nadir (lowest glucose level) during the cycle. You may be at the optimal dose, if it results in a nadir between 50-120.

Snagging a test before you go to bed will let you see if the downward drop is going fast - which may help you spot incipient hypo issues. Many cats go lower overnight than during the day.

And now that you're home testing and you've got your spreadsheet up, you may want to post in either of the the Lantus forums. :smile:
 
BJM said:
Spreadsheet is looking OK.

Catching tests in the 5 - 7 hour period after giving insulin helps identify the nadir (lowest glucose level) during the cycle. You may be at the optimal dose, if it results in a nadir between 50-120.

Snagging a test before you go to bed will let you see if the downward drop is going fast - which may help you spot incipient hypo issues. Many cats go lower overnight than during the day.

And now that you're home testing and you've got your spreadsheet up, you may want to post in either of the the Lantus forums. :smile:
Click to expand...
He gets his first shot at 9:30 this morning, so I'll do a second test at 2:30 and see where's at....
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top