GIDEON BLUE - +6 = 600!!! He has never been this high!!

Shiloh567

Member Since 2020
Good Morning-

Recently, Gideon Blue is having a lot more YELLOW and BLUE numbers lately. He remains on Lantus 2 units BID. He is not drinking quite as much, and he is his normal social self. My question is how low should a PMPS be before I not give him the entire 2 units? I know the motto is to shoot low, but I am concerned with a hypo episode in the night. At PMPS last night he was 134. He rec'd the full 2 units, because I was going to be home. He hung out in the BLUES until 12MID when he went to the high PINK. I did feed him LC food during this time. I know it also depends on ones comfort level with shooting low, and every kitty is different. I am surprised that without increasing Gideon's dose that he is hitting nice YELLOWS and some BLUES.
 
Since you are following TR, the ultimate aim is to be able to shoot any number above 68 (on AlphaTrak). That comfort comes with time and knowledge of how your kitty behaves on insulin.
Also, like you rightly pointed out, you want to shoot a lower than usual PS number when you are around to monitor it.

Any time you encounter a lower number than you have previously shot, stall, do not feed and post here for advice :-)

Any reason you've held the 2 unit dose so long on TR?

Here's the link to your previous post - https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...e-amps-380-3-356-6-220-9-349-pmps-354.235294/
 
I do think an increase is needed if still following TR. What higher no shot number you choose has to be based on your comfort level and ability to test which I know is limited when you work nights. I forget whether you are using an auto feeder. If so it could be filled with a little higher carb food in the event that when your hubby does his test at night it’s lower than safe to stop testing.
 
No we do not have an auto feeder. Food is left out until 2 hours before test time. I am just really concerned that Gideon will go low in the middle of the night, and then we will be back to bouncing, bouncing, bouncing. At least at this point we are seeing some better numbers than previously.
So, if I am not following TR, I would not necessarily increase?
Do kitties usually not go in remission on SLGS?
He was diagnosed in May, so is our window of opportunity closing in on possible remission?
Would increasing the Lantus put him in a better place for remission, or would the constant bouncing put more of a strain on him?
I want to do what is right for my boy.
Thank you for your guidance.
 
I just spoke with my husband and we reviewed the spreadsheet together. He is willing to try 2.25 units again in the AM. We tried this before on 7/7 and Gideon went to the low GREEN at 47. Very scary for sure. This is on the AlphaTrak. So, if he goes into low GREEN again with the 2.25 units, even once, we would increase back to 2 units? What about just regular GREEN...just hold steady? Perhaps since his body is getting used to YELLOWS and BLUES, he will not plummet to low GREEN. TY!
 
From the TR sticky:

"Increasing the dose:
  • Hold the dose for 3 - 5 days (6 - 10 consecutive cycles) if nadirs are less than 200 before increasing the dose by 0.25 unit.
    • if your cat is new to numbers under 200, it is recommended to hold the dose for at least 8-10 cycles before increasing.
    • when your cat starts to see nadirs under 100, hold the dose for at least 10 cycles before increasing."
From what I have read here (no personal experience myself), cats have a better chance of remission on TR. But I believe cats on SLGS have also gone into remission in the past.

A cat's insulin needs vary and a dose that may have been too high/too low 2 weeks back may not continue to be so. So 7/7 is ancient history in kitty terms! :-)
Bouncing is normal and some cats are bouncier than others. My Bandit is still bouncing after nearly a year of insulin but I've seen some cats here flatten out pretty soon. ECID. The idea should be getting them to a dose where they see normal numbers and safely at that. Ignore the bouncing - I am still trying to do that! Bandit is making me work hard on that front!

So yes, I would increase to 2.25 and if Gideon dips below 68, you would reduce to 2. If you could get him to eat smaller meals in the first part of the cycle, that could prevent diving to low numbers.
 
I can’t help but think that the recent SS entries look more stable and like you are making some progress - with less wild rides and bounces. Maybe the small increase could help gently guide him down another level?

Cosmo is in the same boat-seeing less wild rollercoasters, thank goodness!

I think that what happened in July will be different than now. I think I heard once that data more than 2 weeks old becomes less relevant as things change over time.
 
I thought we were doing so good with the pretty YELLOWS and BLUES. He just test at 600!!!! I am devastated!
 
He is probably bouncing from those blues yesterday. He hasn't gotten into any contraband, right?

Hang in there. I know how disheartening it is to see those ugly high numbers. He will come down. Some cats go high before going low. My Bandit is one of those. So these days, when I see a higher number, I tell myself she is going to go down now.
 
Try not to focus too much on what is a normal reaction to a new low number. His liver has stored supplies of glycogen(sugar)...and it perceived those nice blues as a dangerous situation. His body is not used to normal numbers any longer. So his liver dumped a big load of sugar into his blood stream. It's a very simple, natural defense mechanism.

Time for that increase that was suggested above - as you increase and get him accustomed to lower numbers, the highs won't be as high and eventually he'll level out...
 
You say "he has never been this high!" so I say "hmm, what was he doing before that bounce. Looks like Gideon had a lovely long stretch of blues. Sometimes hours in numbers they aren't used to will cause a bounce, as well as the classic reasons of lower than used to or fast drop.

Agreed with the others, Gideon needs an increase. What he did over two weeks ago is ancient history in terms of dosing. The goal is greens/low blues. More juice will also help lower those high numbers as he gets more used to normal numbers.
 
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