Buff-puff lowest AMPS yet - 298

I know I'm looking for 200 as no shoot, but how should I approach this number? She hasn't had anything to eat except some Wellness chicken (wet, no more dry for her) that she nibbled on through the night. She's due for shot at 8:30. I'll feed in a minute -Wellness again - and test in half hour but would like some experienced PZI input if you're out there. Thanks!

Anyone available?

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

298 is pretty close to the 326 you had at pmps. Based on that, it looks like a good dose. But you really want to know what the nadir is, the lowest bg of the cycle. It happens for most cats on PZI or ProZinc between +5 to +7, but that varies from cat to cat.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

What concerns me is the PMPS of 326 was lower than the +8 of 342. She continued to drop at +1 307, then it went up drastically to 378 at +2. Lori thought, since it was dropping steadily, maybe I could have waited to see if it would go lower (the sudden rise may have been "panicky pancreas"), which makes sense.

I'm getting ready to test again and will post back the results. She'll be 1/2 hour late on her shot so I'll wait a full 12 from this point, I believe that's how it's done, please correct me if wrong. Thanks!

Edit: Re-test was 386 - shot 2.2 units. Recheck +1 369.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

I've read here on fdmb that the accuracy of meters vary by anywhere from 10-20%.

You might test your meter this way: if you ever get a really sizable drop of blood when doing a test, then sip up what you need with the strip in the meter. Then, this can be tricky, try to catch the blood drop on the side of the strip, pull it out (after the meter has given the result), insert another strip, then sip the blood off the first strip. Do you get exactly the same number?

I've also read here (and you can search the site to and read about it) that meters tend to be less accurate at high bg levels and much more accurate at normal or low levels.

Not sure what meter you use, but here are some Consumer Reports reviews: http://docs.google.com/View?docID=dd5ck ... on=_latest

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

Thanks for the testing tip. I use Bayer Contour, not on the list. I did notice on the different boxes of strips I have, the lots are calibrated differently and normal lows to highs can vary by a few points.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

The Bayer Contour is the same as the Ascensia Contour. I think both names are listed on the box. I use one too. Ocassionally, mine gives me wonky numbers, but over all I'm pretty happy with it.

I've always wondered about that. You'd think that test solution would give you a value instead of a range of values. But anything within that range is considered good. I think one can get high or low control solution, but I've never had any or tested it with my meter.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

sorry, posted on yesterdays thread. what a drop +2..keep an eye!

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

When I see a large drop in bg with my kitty, I will often feed a bit of his regular (lc wet) food to help soften the drop. He'll often tell me he's hungry at those times too.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

yep donna, tom does the same thing when he drops fast...mom, feeeeeed me!

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

nancy with the uber amount of testing your doing and i just saw you tested again after snack i thought i would mention you may not want to waste a strip on a test immediatly following a snack....it's not worthy. unless of course your heading for hypo...somewhere below 70 at +2...

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

I know :mrgreen: I'm obsessing a little.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

I know. I've started keeping the log a little differently so I'll know what's going on at a glance. You'll notice there are 2 rows for 5/18, one is AMPS pre-food, the bottom one is AMPS 1/2 hour after food. So the 239 is a drop from 298, or should I not look at it that way?

She helped herself to a snack so I tested to make sure she wasn't going too low.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

She won't eat and is +6 at 165. Should I force her, offer kibble, or wait? She's behaving very normally - just got back in from a 20-min walk --- she mostly ate grass and rolled in the dirt.

Edit: Forcing a tbsp of Wellness.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

165 at +6 is great! If she's not hungry that's fine. Definitely NOT a dry food situation.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

I'm hoping to get into the greens but I'll be patient. And since her numbers are based on an AMPS a half hour after eating, I think her numbers look pretty good - and she's acting normal :smile: I'll refrain from dry food, although I was tempted when she didn't want a snack - afraid she'd drop lower.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

yes nancy +6 165 is great....but you could afford to go down another 100 points and still not get too worked up. +6 is generally the nadir. now if she were 65 at +6 you might want to test again in oh, 1/2 hour.
do we have to handcuff you when you reach for the dry :lol:

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

just took a peek at your ss..i think you are doing a fantastic job.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

After the numbers she's had, I'm grateful for the baby steps :smile: I'll keep in mind not to panic, but it'll probably happen when no one is on line! nailbite_smile 65 would worry me!

I was effectively handcuffed after last night with her weird numbers :lol: it's Buffy that's begging for the Whiskas. I suppose I'll have to make her go cold turkey - unless she drops to 65 :razz:

Thanks for taking a look. BTW - I'm not sure if I'm being accurate with recording the dosing amount. I'm giving her the skinny line just below the ProZinc 2 unit level on a U100 syringe - 2 units being at the 5 mark on the U100. I'm calling it 2.2, but not sure. Can you clarify as I'm confused and need to record it correctly.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

nope not even then...that would be defeating your purpose. 65 is a good #. would you give your child a sugar donut if he was at the right # at the right time. that's how you overburden a diabetic pancrease. you wait and see if it's still going down. you don't "fix" it until you see like 40 or so.
and depending on how soon you see 40 you either fix it FAST or you fix it gradually.
a 40 at +8 all you'd do is feed a high carb wet. like a gravy food. a 40 at +3 you take more seriously and rub a little caro and encourage high carb food, but slowly as you don't want your cat to fill up so much that he'll be not eatting as he reaches his nadir 3 hours later.
sense out of that?

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

i think that would be 1.9 or 1.8 if i'm understanding.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

Do you have the U100's with 2 unit markings or the U100's with 1 unit or 1/2 unit markings?

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

They are ReliOn 3/10 mL - doses up to 30 units - if that helps. There are micro lines that I believe are 2/10 unit markings, so I've been saying she's getting 2.2 of U40, but that couldn't be a true conversion since 2 units of U40 is at the 5 mark on the U100 syringes confused_cat

Edit: I believe they're 1/2 unit markings. I have a pic saved but don't remember where I found it here, but there is an arrow pointing to that micro line and says it is 0.2 (2/10) unit of ProZinc. But to me, it looks like 2/10 unit marking on the U100s, so I'm confused as to how that could still be 2/10 unit of ProZinc :?

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

Yes, it makes perfect sense while I'm calm, but when something happens, good sense leaves and I forget - that's when I panic and you have to slap on the cuffs

It's 2 units ProZinc (which is to the 5 mark on U100s) and the first micro line (? 2/10) below that - going toward 10 - just a smidgen more.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

Yes, pulling the insulin up to the 5 mark = 2.0 units of U-40 insulin. Each 1/2 unit mark = .4 units of insulin.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

Each 0.5u on a U100 syringe is = to 0.2u on a U40 syringe actually

http://www.felinediabetes.com/insulin-conversions.htm

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

Thanks. Yes I finally figured it out and just was not looking at it right. The small line is a 1/2 unit on the U100 syringe and is 0.2 unit of U40. The full line of 1 unit on the U100 syringe is 0.4 unit of U40. So I am giving 2.2 units ProZinc.

Terri and Lucy - Your cat looks amazingly like my Buffy. And I'm :lol: because my husband wanted to name her Lucy... :lol: :lol: I've gotta show him this! He teases me once in a while and says "she still looks like a Lucy to me"..... :mrgreen:

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

good to see terri here, my mentor from back when.....(the good old days)
buff puff you really amaze me with your restraint and i think it's paying off. you had a perfect curve today and even though you keep hitting that red at +12 your on the right track...even if you may have to raise dose...but lets not think of that now.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

You gotta watch out for "Lucys" though--they're wild girls. :lol:

If you are pulling insulin to the 5.0 hash mark, you are giving 2.0 units. Each 1/2 unit = .2 unit of insulin (my bad above). To give 1 unit of insulin, you pull to the 2.5 mark on the syringe. Count each hash mark as .2 as you'll be fine.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

She looks like a wild thang all right :lol:

I need to figure out how to post a pic of Buffy and you'll see how much they look alike!

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

Lori - can you take a peek - she's been in the blues from at least +6. She's at 193 +10. I realize she still has a couple hours before shoot time but I'd like your thoughts if you're available.

This is her 4th day of the .2 increased dose - she hasn't had a crumb of dry for 2 days and I'm thinking something may be kicking in. There seems to be a curve, but it's lopsided. Is this overlap?

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

nancy i don't see anything lopsided. looks like she peaked out at +8 and doing very well.
once again you'll dose based on a lower number if you get one. now that the dry is gone i would'nt be surprised..

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

Thanks - I'm just concerned thinking I'll dose her and she'll fall low at night.

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

nancy is she gives you a blue # or a low 200 definetly reduce dose. you can cut it in half....

 

Re: Buffy's lowest AMPS yet - 298

pm'd you

 

Thanks! I had to use this info this a.m. She's at 205 after eating!

 

:RAHCAT flip_cat dancing_cat :dizcat cat_pet_icon hip hip hooray!!!!
all your good work paid off nancy, that is beautiful....but you only put a question mark?
that is still a shootable #, you don't have to wait for that to go up you know. a skinny 1u or something to keep the momentum going.

 

I have to 2nd Lori on that. 200 is awesome and a shootable #.

 

maybe she's waiting becuase it was a post meal test and she thinks buff's # was actually lower. what was the # before eatting?

 

My computer crashed - having to use my husband's and that means up and down stairs and his keyboard is higher and non-ergonomic, so it's tough to type.

I'll update the graph as soon as I can.

Her BG changed only a few points 1/2 hour after eating, so apparently she was still dropping from the night before. Called vet who wanted me to watch her and not shoot yet (which is why the ?). I called her back when number was just over 300 +15 from last night's shoot. This was a fasting # as Buffy was not hungry. She suggested to go ahead with insulin and watch closely, which I have been. At 12:30 she ate 1.7 oz FF and here we are at +3 and she's 165! Vet wanted an update so I'm getting ready to do that.

Thanks everyone!

 

That is truly amazing,,,who would have thought the buff puff might be heading for the falls? i am sooooo happy to see that. you did'nt say what you shot so now i have to go look. with his pancreas kicking in you really have to start dosing accordingly...
2 most scary times in diabetes
when you start
when they start heading for the falls.
off i go to check

 

Just wanted to do a quick update. Still haven't had time to fill in her numbers, but here's the latest in a nutshell:

On 05/18 I stopped ALL dry food - not even crumbs that had been hidden in case she had a low in the night - instead I put out wet.

Almost immediately I noticed something about her numbers - couldn't put my finger on it - and I was pestering Lori endlessly. :razz:

On 05/19 at +11 her BG was 202 - so I knew better than to shoot. Called vet who told me to hold off unless she goes past 300, because 2.2 units seemed to be dropping her by 150 to 220 points and she was afraid that once she started dropping she might drop too low. At +15 and after eating she was at 317, so she got 2.0 at vet's request. At +1 she was at 311. By +2.5 she was at 165. By +3.5 she was at 85. By 4.5 she was at 65 dropping fast as vet had warned. So I gave her carbs to stop the drop and she slowly began rising.

05/20 morning BG nonfasting at +19.5 was 317. Called vet who lowered her dose to 1.0 unit and told to watch closely once again. At +1 she's at 315. Will check as I did yesterday at about 1.5 to 2 hour intervals and watch for drop. If this occurs, vet may take her off insulin - says she may be a transient diabetic and can be controlled on low carb food, as it seems she's having normal fluctuations of BG following meals - since she's having portion controlled free feeding during day and night.

I realize it's much easier reading the graph than deciphering the above, and I'll get to it as soon as I can. I'm having to do a lot of catching up on my work or I'll be out on the street with my cats! :mrgreen: Not really, but you know what I mean. :razz:

Thanks everyone!!!!

 

yay! and also darn it too. the vet i'm sorry to say made a mistake. she did not need the 2 u's she only needed 1u. and then when she headed for a hypo and you fed the carbs and got the next amps (or was it pmps) that was a result of the hypo and hig carbs...that was the time to let the dose ride because after dipping that low the cat is particularly sensitive to insulin...let him fall himself at THAT point. skip the dose.
and now is not the time to stop shooting altogether but to shoot mini doses on your amps or pmps.
hate when i disagree with the vet but so often diabetes does not seem to be their specialty.
sorry to put a damper nancy.
but you probably are headed for the falls, just don't want you to mess that up by letting the pancrease get overload suddenly.