Help! Not sure if I just did the right thing...

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Marvin

Member Since 2012
Hi everyone,

I'm sure many of you have seen my recent posts about my kitty Marvin. Thanks to those who have offered advice and support thus far.

I did something this evening that I'm not sure was the correct protocol. Marvin's PMPS at 7:45 pm was 6 so I did not give a shot. About 2.5 hours later, I tested and he was up to 17.2 so I gave his usual 0.5 unit. Was that the correct thing to do? I imagine that if I had not given him a shot this evening, his AMPS would be through the roof.

If I did do the correct thing, his AMPS is now moved to 10:15 am, right?

I don't have a lot of data as I just started an SS but please feel free to take a look and any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Carolyn
 
it's ok to do that, just know that your next shot will be 12 hrs after you gave the one tonight. you can work it backwards about 1/2 hr per day.

when you're confronted with the situation at the moment, it's a great idea to post and ask for help, or refer to the information on what to do if you're faced with a low preshot number, and get advice at the time that the shot would ordinarily be due. here's the link for that: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=147

the advantage is that can keep you more on schedule. remember that lantus takes a couple of hours to take effect.
 
Hi Carolyn, I haven't visited your condo before so first I'll welcome you to LantusLand! You are doing a great thing for Marvin. That was fine to give him the 0.5u when you did and you are absolutely correct that the next shot is 12 hrs later. You can move it up 15 mins at both shots or 30 mins at one shot per day to get back to your regular time.

I would put the 17.2 as the PMPS for today. The 6.3 is actually at +14.5 and you can add that to the +11 box. You might make a note in the Remarks column that you stalled the PM shot for 2.5 hrs.

Nice greens today! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Liz, Zener's other mom (I sign my posts, Anne doesn't)

ETA: Correction, the 6.3 would be at +12 (which you can add to the +11 box)
 
Hi Caroline, you are right that the next shot will be 12 hrs after the previous.
Lovely green! :mrgreen: Enjoy the sugar dancing!
 
Carolyn:

I need to ask a favor. We use certain conventions. It helps so we are all speaking the same language and numbers mean the same thing. I saw a "6" and started reading really, really fast. We do NOT use mmol/L notation -- the more international format. Because the members here are largely US based, we use mg/dL. In other words you need to convert your 6mmol/L to 113mg/dL. You do this by multiplying by 18. Since you're using the World template, the conversion is done automatically for you. When you post numbers, please use the US format or you will be giving us all panic attacks.

We also don't really use the actual hour of the day. People here are from all over the world. It tells us more if you use the +time since we're all in different time zones. So, when you tested at +12 (your usual PMPS) Marvin's BG was at 113. You re-tested at +14.5 and his numbers had risen to 310.

When you get a lower than expected number it will help if you post. We would have encouraged you to re-test in 30 min. intervals until Marvin's numbers were clearly on the rise and/or above 150. I think you did the right thing by stalling. You don't yet have enough data to shoot low. However, 2.5 hours is a long time to delay and it puts you way off schedule. We try to have you wait just long enough to see numbers on the up-swing.

Just a note on your SS... To my eyes, it's confusing to have numbers on two lines. Generally, if you're stalling, you can stack the numbers in the +11 box and include the time and the number. (You can look on Gabby's SS for those times when I'm testing every 30 min. to see what I do.) If you put more than one number in a cell, you'll have to manually color the cell. Alternatively, you can put the information in the "Remarks" section and just list the 310 as your PMPS.
 
Welcome, Carolyn and Marvin!

I second what Sienne wrote - when you posted you got a BG reading of "6", I started speed-reading :mrgreen: Because I'm based in South Africa, I too started out posting the BG numbers in mmol/L rather than mg/dL, but members scattered as far and wide as Africa are the exception around here and as you can see, it makes a real difference, especially in the event that you do need assistance fast at any point. (You'll see on our spreadsheet that we just post *both* the mmol/L and the mg/dL numbers, but that's just us. It'll be much less SS-maintenance work for you, and much less potential for needless stress for everyone else, to stick to the majority vote. :smile: Lucky there's an SS template that converts for you!)

When you have time, maybe you'd like to set up an FDMB profile, too? Here's How It's Done

It's great that you're here! I'm excited to see how Marvin progresses.
Jane
 
The backwards date thing takes a little bit of getting used to when you're not used to it too :lol:

You'll probably notice it yourself when you put more than one BG number in a box on your world ss but just in case - as well as needing to add the colour manually you will need to enter the US numbers manually in that page of the ss, it won't convert for you automatically. As Sienne said you just multiply by 18 - I kept a calculator next to my computer since it happened a lot.

Welcome to Lantus Land Carolyn and of course to the marvelous Marvin too :smile:
 
Thanks everyone! I think I get the concept of stalling now in shorter increments of time. I just didn't expect him to shoot up from 111 to 310 in just two hours. It's starting to look like his lower numbers come late in the cycle.

Also, thanks for the tips on following the forum's conventions and SS formatting. There's so much to learn! :)
 
I just want to make sure you know this...

Given that you stalled 2.5 hours, your shot time is now 12 hours from when you gave Marvin his last shot. You can move the time by 15 min. each shot (i.e., twice a day) or 30 min. once a day. If Marvin's numbers are high, please get a +11 and post. You may be able to shoot early.

Also, you'll want to start a new thread (we call a thread a "condo") for each day -- one condo, per cat, per day. The format for your subject line is:
date Cat's name AMPS-#, +time-#, etc.​
 
Sienne and Gabby said:
I just want to make sure you know this...

Given that you stalled 2.5 hours, your shot time is now 12 hours from when you gave Marvin his last shot. You can move the time by 15 min. each shot (i.e., twice a day) or 30 min. once a day. If Marvin's numbers are high, please get a +11 and post. You may be able to shoot early.

Also, you'll want to start a new thread (we call a thread a "condo") for each day -- one condo, per cat, per day. The format for your subject line is:
date Cat's name AMPS-#, +time-#, etc.​
Click to expand...

Thanks Sienne! I tried to do Marvin's AMPS 15 minutes earlier but couldn't get to him in time (I also have a 10 month old baby:) so I did the shot exactly 12 hours after. His numbers are actually quite low today. I'll start a new condo for today.

Cheers,
Carolyn
 
That 47 would earn Marvin a reduction in dose. Usually, at lower doses, the change is 0.25u. Since that is half of his current dose, you might not want to decrease by that much. It would be good to get Sienne's or Marje's input. In your new condo, you could use the ? icon and include "dose question" in the subject line of the initial post to get their attention. Great job, Carolyn!!! Go Marvin! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Liz
 
Anne & Zener said:
That 47 would earn Marvin a reduction in dose. Usually, at lower doses, the change is 0.25u. Since that is half of his current dose, you might not want to decrease by that much. It would be good to get Sienne's or Marje's input. In your new condo, you could use the ? icon and include "dose question" in the subject line of the initial post to get their attention. Great job, Carolyn!!! Go Marvin! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Liz
Click to expand...

Thanks Liz! I don't feel like I'm doing a great job; I just feel confused :s

Marvin has been going very high near the end of the cycle. Won't reducing the dose make that even worse?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top