Chloe at .25

Roberta and Chloe

Roberta and Chloe

Member Since 2020
I sent my vet Chloe's BG readings for October and she said that I should keep her at .25. I almost gave her .5 this morning before I read her email. I hope she'll go down into the blues today.
 
It can take up to 6 cycles to clear a bounce. I agree with your vet ... if it were me, I’d definitely hold at 0.25u a bit longer and continue to collect data. I’m still not convinced that she didn’t drop lower than you caught a few days back, which could have triggered the higher numbers.

If I did decide to go up or down a bit, I might do a “fat” or “skinny” 0.25u rather than going directly to 0.5u.

With the 51, 78, and 84, on Oct 8, and the 76 on Oct 11, she actually would have earned a dose reduction if you were following the SLGS method (I understand you’re doing a freelance thing, but SLGS is a good baseline to start with). I’m really curious what she’d do on slightly less than 0.25u (as counterintuitive as that might sound). You might be surprised.

I just want to encourage you to be patient, as hard as that is, and to try not to get too hung up on one or two BG values or cycles. Slow and methodical usually wins. :)

Just my two cents.
 
Roberta and Chloe said:
Thank you, JL. I thought I was doing the SLGS method since the beginning of October? Anyway, I will stick to the .25.
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Fantastic! I didn’t realize you had officially chosen that option, even though you were doing a lot of things that paralleled SLGS. This will make planning and dosing decisions so much clearer. :)

So yes, you’d want to stay at 0.25u for now, if you’re comfortable with that, and continue to get tests at various times of the cycle to help fill in some blanks. If you see a +2 that’s noticeably lower than the pre-shot (even if it’s not a low number), it’s a clue that you might be on the front end of a cycle that’s going to have considerable movement in the BG (rather than staying relatively flat) so it’s a good idea to get another test or two to see how low the BG is actually going. And then gauge whether even more tests are warranted by what the numbers are doing.

For what it’s worth, I do believe Chloe earned a dose reduction based on the dates/BGs I noted above, but I think it’s fine to stay at the current dose for now. It *is* possible to dose less than 0.25u and many people find themselves doing it, especially if a cat is trying to go into remission. There are a number of folks who can give you tips if it comes to that.
 
Roberta and Chloe said:
It's hard enough getting a .25, how on earth could I measure a .1?
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Oh, it’s very possible, and not uncommon around here. It takes a bit of finesse and practice, but I’m sure others would be happy to give you tips if you’re willing to consider it.

As for today’s AMPS of 95, do you know if Chloe’s BG was rising or dropping at the time? With a PS that low, it’s a good idea to stall on feeding and the shot and retest in 30 minutes or so. It’s a lot different to shoot a dropping 95 than a rising 95. You don’t necessarily want to shoot into a dropping 95, especially on SLGS. Does that make sense?

It’s probably too late now, but for the future, you might want to keep the above in mind and also get some early cycle tests in to see where that 95 is going. On SLGS, I believe you want to reduce if Chloe dips below 90 anywhere in the cycle on a human meter.

I don’t like giving dosing advice, but I know a lot of folks here are masters at navigating lower dosing and helping guide through the bounces that can occur as well as how to dose a cat who (hopefully) wants to go into remission. I’m not sure exactly who can best help, so I’ll tag a few people and maybe that can point you in the right direction as well as post needle pics and tips for micro-dosing. I used to do it with Charlie but it’s been a few years.
@Wendy&Neko Do you know who might be able to help, now that Roberta says she is trying to use SLGS?
@Christie & Maverick I think you were helping before?
Anyone else?
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Pictures of how to draw small doses is in this Sticky Note Insulin Care & Syringe Info: Proper Handling, Drawing, Fine Dosing
Some people move to digital calipers to help with smaller dose. Depending on the type of syringes you use, there may be variability in where the zero line is placed. For a while, Neko's dose on the BD's was under the zero line. There was at least 1/3 of a unit there on some of them.
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Thank you. I've already read this. If you look at the picture, which is enlarged, the .1 and the .25 doses look exactly the same to me. I'll have to find my magnifying glass.
 
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Roberta and Chloe said:
Chloe was eating her breakfast, so I assumed it was rising. Does it ever drop after eating? I do stall and let her eat before giving her insulin.
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The idea behind the stall is to get another BG test before feeding or shooting — that way you can see which way the BG is heading without any other influences.

Yep, BG can continue to drop even after feeding, so in the situation above it’s a good idea to get another test or two in to prove (rather than assume), what is happening. This is especially true when you’re shootings a lower than normal number.

I see you shot a full 0.25u into a BG of 124 tonight. I’m not clear whether that was a rising number, so I strongly suggest you get a +1 or +2 to see what is happening. Next steps after that depend on where her BG is at at that time.

In you do get more than one test in within the same hour, it’s helpful if you put all of the values in your spreadsheet (you can “stack” them in the same cell).

Looks like Chloe has a pretty good day. :-)
 
JL and Chip said:
The idea behind the stall is to get another BG test before feeding or shooting — that way you can see which way the BG is heading without any other influences.

Yep, BG can continue to drop even after feeding, so in the situation above it’s a good idea to get another test or two in to prove (rather than assume), what is happening. This is especially true when you’re shootings a lower than normal number.

I see you shot a full 0.25u into a BG of 124 tonight. I’m not clear whether that was a rising number, so I strongly suggest you get a +1 or +2 to see what is happening. Next steps after that depend on where her BG is at at that time.

In you do get more than one test in within the same hour, it’s helpful if you put all of the values in your spreadsheet (you can “stack” them in the same cell).

Looks like Chloe has a pretty good day. :)
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I didn't receive your message until now. I thought I was kicked out of the site. (I still have PTSD from getting kicked off FB). Anyway, I finally figured it out somehow. Chloe's behavior is normal. She was very hungry this morning even though her BG was high.
 
@Roberta and Chloe hope all is well with you and Chloe.

I noticed you shot the full 0.25u dose with an AMPS of 80 today. I’m not clear of this is a rising or dropping number, so please get a +1 or +2 test to see where this cycle is headed, and please keep testing if the numbers continue to drop.

Chloe has had multiple instances where she dropped below 90 in the past 10 days, so on the SLGS method you’ve chosen, she has earned a dose reduction. I realize it sounds nearly impossible to go lower than 0.25u but many of us have done it, and I assure you, it’s not only possible, it can be very beneficial to the cat. I encourage you to read more about using calipers and other tricks here:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dosing-with-calipers-updated-w-videos.79851/

Please keep a close watch on those numbers today. Even if she doesn’t keep dropping, it will be very valuable to capture the data about how this cycle goes.
 
JL and Chip said:
@Roberta and Chloe hope all is well with you and Chloe.

I noticed you shot the full 0.25u dose with an AMPS of 80 today. I’m not clear of this is a rising or dropping number, so please get a +1 or +2 test to see where this cycle is headed, and please keep testing if the numbers continue to drop.

Chloe has had multiple instances where she dropped below 90 in the past 10 days, so on the SLGS method you’ve chosen, she has earned a dose reduction. I realize it sounds nearly impossible to go lower than 0.25u but many of us have done it, and I assure you, it’s not only possible, it can be very beneficial to the cat. I encourage you to read more about using calipers and other tricks here:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dosing-with-calipers-updated-w-videos.79851/

Please keep a close watch on those numbers today. Even if she doesn’t keep dropping, it will be very valuable to capture the data about how this cycle goes.
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The 80 was at 6 am and I gave her the .25 at 7:30 am. In between, she ate breakfast, but I will test again at +1.

239 at +1. She was very hungry.
 
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Hi Roberta, Would you mind starting a new thread today?

Use this as the format for the title please: 10/18 Chloe AMPS ### - Should I lower dose??

Many more members will be logging on soon and that + using the '?' in the little pull-down menu on the left will help get more eyes on your condo :)

Also, copy and paste your url from this post into the new one to add continuity and history. This is your url: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/chloe-at-25.236828/

That would be so helpful and allow many more people to see your questions.

Thank you! :bighug:
 
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