Getting Better

Mphair84

Mphair84

Member
Tuffy's numbers have been getting lower. I'm excited, however, that leads me to wonder what the next step is. Will it be me testing and shoot or don't shoot or am I supposed to fine tune this even more?

Last night I test and he was at 165 @ 5:30 pm. I did not feed, left and tested at 6:45 pm. He was at 1:39. I fed him as usual, did not shoot. Now, tomorrow when I get up he will most likely be high. It was suggested that I could have given him a small does so he has something in his system. I did not. I do not know enough about this to fine tune him.

Now, should I be doing something different? Should I give insulin under 200? I don't even know how to look at my day to figure out what's a good working does if I had to give him enough to "get by". How do I get better?
 
Yes, that increase to 2.5 u had longer duration so it *can* be an indicator that it's too much right now. Go back to 2.25 u this AM.

Once you begin to get more PSs below 200 you can try a variety of things:
  • if close to 200 (maybe 180 and above), stall without feeding for 30 minutes and retest. If BG has risen try the full dose.
  • if in the 150 to 180 range, try stalling up to an hour and if rising do the above. If BG isn't rising much give a reduced dose. How much to reduce is always a conundrum. Maybe try a 2/3 dose.
  • if BG is much lower (say, 100 to 120) give token dose - size depends on what the normal dose is. It's best to avoid skipping if you can.
 
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Yes to what Kris said. It can be a little stressful when you first start shooting below 200. Keep in mind that the rule to only shoot above 200 is there for folks who are new and not comfortable home testing, or who aren't testing enough to be safe. You and Tuffy are already pros at the testing part, so you can start to experiment and see what works for Tuffy. Every cat is different, so it's really a matter of giving a dose, testing, and seeing what happens. In the process you'll learn what Tuffy will do at different levels.

Prozinc typically lasts between 10-14 hours, so what happened last night was that you got a longer duration than normal. You can see where it wore off and his numbers jumped up. The duration gets longer as the kitty gets better, so that's a good sign, even if it did mess with your schedule a bit. As you try shooting on some lower numbers, you can start to use that overlap between doses to keep Tuffy in healthy numbers for more of the day.

You do still want to be careful, especially at first. Kris has given you some good guidelines for some things to try, and you can always post and see if anyone is around to help out.
 
Okay, so tonight at PM shot if needed I will put him back in 2.25. ( I didn't get this message until after & I leave early).

Now I need to make sure I'm monitor and being careful on dosing.

How fast or slow is a dose when it's rising? Where does variation come in. I can test the same blood drop and it's one number, then when I retest a drop it's lower.
 
How long after can make a difference in the reading as well. If you do them right in a row, they will be closer. The longer you leave the blood drop sitting there, the more of a difference you'll get. Or at least that's what I've found on double tests here.
 
I just mean what should I expect if the dose rises, but I honestly think I'm over thinking it. I've taken Tuffy's BG and I was like 545. Then I've tested again right after and it was like 475. (I can't really remember the numbers).

So where it lasts longer, and Tuffy is getting better then he should be needing less insulin?

Also, so I kept Tuffy on a dose too long? Did I mess him up. I just updated his chart. I feel like now I could have probably gave him a full dose, but I gave him only 2 units.
 
Mphair84 said:
So where it lasts longer, and Tuffy is getting better then he should be needing less insulin?
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A variety of factors can affect how long a dose lasts. If the dose is on the high side it can last a bit longer. If kitty has eaten less over the cycle it can last a bit longer. It can vary a little day to day.

We say a diabetic is doing better when the clinical signs have improved (less peeing, more normal appetite, good energy level, etc.), BG is in a good range more hours of each cycle and is relatively stable. That doesn't necessarily correlate with a need for less insulin. The good dose range can fluctuate a little bit over time but short of kitty going into remission it doesn't always drop lower.

Good BG range:
  • PSs in the low 200s
  • nadir in the high double digits to low 100s.
 
Mphair84 said:
I just mean what should I expect if the dose rises, but I honestly think I'm over thinking it. I've taken Tuffy's BG and I was like 545. Then I've tested again right after and it was like 475. (I can't really remember the numbers).

So where it lasts longer, and Tuffy is getting better then he should be needing less insulin?

Also, so I kept Tuffy on a dose too long? Did I mess him up. I just updated his chart. I feel like now I could have probably gave him a full dose, but I gave him only 2 units.
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I gave you some things to try if PS is lower in my post #2 above.
 
A common phrase around here: A kitty needs as much insulin as he needs.

Don't worry about the size of the dose, as long as it's the right dose for Tuffy. For a long time Sam was only needing 0.3u or 0.4u. Now he needs around 2u, and has gone as high as 4u. It doesn't matter as long as the BG numbers are doing what they need to be doing (as best you can get them -- they are fickle little numbers!). :bighug:
 
I am learning so much. So the other day when I did not shoot him he didn't like his food as much. Today he wasn't that crazy about it either. So it's a possibility that had something to do with his lower numbers.

Thank you all once again! :)
 
Kris & Teasel said:
if BG is much lower (say, 100 to 120) give token dose - size depends on what the normal dose is. It's best to avoid skipping if you can.
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I tried "quoted" you, but it don't know if I did it right.

So I should not be skipping insulin doses, just make sure I lower the insulin that is needed. The insulin that I give will help his pancreas make insulin on his own?

I posted a doseing question I. The Prozinc forrum.
 
Mphair84 said:
I tried "quoted" you, but it don't know if I did it right.
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You did it right. :)

Mphair84 said:
So I should not be skipping insulin doses, just make sure I lower the insulin that is needed.
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Yes but ask for help if you're unsure. If you don't get an answer try those guidelines I gave you in post #2 above.

Mphair84 said:
The insulin that I give will help his pancreas make insulin on his own?
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No, actually you're replacing insulin his pancreas isn't making but if you give enough insulin to keep BG in a good range most of the time his pancreas might heal. Cats have the ability to start making insulin on their own again even if they're diabetic. That's why some cats go into remission and can become diet controlled diabetics. Many won't get there, though.

I'll go check your dosing question.
 
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