Corduroy...+7=106, +9=60, +9.75=41

[blove7]

Hi all,

Here we go again! I went ahead and raised his dose to 1.75 this morning (using a new Lantus pen) and as you can see on his SS, his numbers have been plummeting all day. I know that everyone says that we should stick with the same dose, but how am I supposed to give him 1.75 again tonight in two hours from now when his BG levels only keep falling? I am sooo worn out from this! I hate to complain, but I have been so stressed out ever since that shot of Convenia he was given last week at the vet. This is why we didn't stick with the shoot low to stay low thing way back when...his numbers never make any sense. They go from not coming down no matter how high I raise the dose to this.

I just gave him a wee little spoon of HC food because as far as it looks now, it's only going down...at +9.75. If it raises even a little, should I really give him a whole 1.75 units? I just have a hard time seeing how this will work...and not take him into a complete diabetic coma.

Any advice/help would be very, very appreciated nailbite_smile

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Here's the link to your previous post. Did you use a new pen this morning? Normally I'd try a new pen for a cycle before increasing the dose, just in case the pen's juice has gone stale. I also find it useful to mark on my SS when I started a new pen so I know how long I've been using it. An unexplained increase in numbers can sometimes be the result of a pen going off.

I'd go back to 1.5U tonight. But wait until you see his numbers constant (a surf) or go up a bit. Are you OK stalling a bit tonight if you need to?

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

the good news is that he's come down out of the 300+ numbers.

I think I'd stop worrying about the convenia. Just a reminder of what sienne said last Saturday:

I would be tempted to have increased last night to 1.5u.

In all honesty, I tend to think that if Corduroy was having an allergic reaction to the Convenia, you would have seen it pretty quickly. My concern isn't that this is a reaction but that he has an infection and this is the wrong antibiotic. I really do suspect there's something brewing and that's the cause for the high numbers. BG level is an incredible early warning system that a cat is stressed or the system is stressed from some sort of illness.

I agree about going back to 1.5u tonight, provided he has come back up high enough that you feel comfortable shooting. stalling until he's risen high enough (which would depend on your comfort level) to shoot is a good option.

Have you talked with the vet yet about the possibility that he needs a different antibiotic? If the vet thinks there is an infection in his mouth, i'd try to get clindamycin for him. It works on anaerobic bacteria, which is frequently in mouth cavities. If you go that route, it would be a good idea to give a probiotic (fortiflora) at the same time to prevent diarrhea.

 

[blove7]

Hi Wendy and Julie,

Thanks for responding

I'm worried that, with the new pen, 1.5 units will be too much tonight. In hindsight, I feel like the old Lantus just wasn't working and now that it is, it will send him into a coma. I feel like these coincidences occur, and it's impossible to prove what they're really the result of. For instance, last week when he got the Convenia shot, then at the same time, his BG levels went high and stayed high. Now, I find it odd that this whole week, his levels don't go down below 300 with the old Lantus pen, but the very same day (today) I start the new Lantus pen, they go shooting down to 38.

It's been FOREVER since he needed anywhere near 1.5 units. Do you think that I should even give him that much, given the new pen circumstance?

I'm so sorry to be such a worry wort. I'm just so nervous.

 

[blove7]

And, honestly, I don't know at what number I would feel comfortable shooting at this point. I know everyone says as long as it's above 50, but ...?

It's now his PMPS time (9:00 p.m) and it has risen back up to 55, from 43 at +11.

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

brigitte, you can always skip the dose, or just give a token amount. Since you have the question about whether or not this Lantus is more potent than the last pen, perhaps waiting til he's 80 and giving 0.75u, just to have something in there. you know that as you stall the depot is draining and it acts like a dose reduction, so this would be a "double" extra cautious choice.

some of the choice depends on how you're doing - are you able to monitor if he goes low tonight? do you have strips and high carbs? if so, you could shoot on time and give a partial shot, or you could stall a while. i don't think there is a clear answer.

i would say that i kinda doubt that the old Lantus was bad, given that he was seeing great numbers in the week before the dental. my guess would be that if the lantus was going bad, you'd have seen a gradual increase in his numbers rather than the sudden change that it appears like. but . . . we can't know. so i think if you want to err on the side of cautious, that's ok.

 

[blove7]

Thanks so much Julie for your reply and understanding I think I will wait until he's 80 and then give him .75 units, like you mentioned. I feel a little better doing this. Again, thank you for giving your advice. I really appreciate it more than you know. :smile:

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

you're so welcome! sometimes knowing we're not alone and having someone help us see our choices is all it takes. :YMHUG:

i think you've got a good plan. if it's not enough, you can go back up in dose in the morning.

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

just wanted to check back with you and see how Corduroy is this evening. what did you end up doing about his evening shot?

by the way, i didn't say, but i think you know that whenever you shoot a number lower than you've shot in a while, you want to get a +1 and a +2 to make sure his numbers aren't diving. I see a 55 in the pmps column but am thinking you probably didn't shoot that.

 

[blove7]

Hi Julie,

Sorry for the late response! I actually didn't end up shooting last night because his numbers were kind of up and down. I thought it was better to skip. When I just tested, his BG was 305 again at +10.5, so I suppose I'll go ahead and shoot the 1.5 units. Does this sound correct? Well, as correct as can be, I guess... :?