Help with Creamsicle!

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Caren and Creamsickle

Caren and Creamsickle

Member Since 2017
Yesterday I was worried about shooting when his bg was 174 and I didn't.
Today I was more confident, gave him 1.75 u and at + 7.5 he is 74 when tested with the Alphatrak 2 (which I consistently use). I retested with the Relion Confirm and he was 48!! I will give him something to bring up his bg , but now what??? Help!!! (Thanks as always).
 
What are you giving him to make him come up? It's late in the cycle so he probably won't drop much more, but it's best to take out an insurance policy to make sure he comes up. Re-test in 30 mins.

Did you get a pre-shot BG this morning? I don't see it on the spreadsheet.
 
I agree with Kris, given this point in the cycle, you can hold off on more interventions for a little while, but I'd still keep testing in another 30 or an hour to keep an eye on him-- he's technically on the border with the relion number.

Caren and Creamsickle said:
whew!!! so this evening I should go to 1.5 ?
Click to expand...

Yes, he's earned a reduction.
 
I also recommend that you keep up with testing for now. Remember that the last test where he came up a little bit is food-influenced; that food can wear off and his numbers could go down again, so you want to stay on top of it.
 
This illustrates the conundrum presented by having two meters' numbers that could lead to different assessments of a dose if TR was being followed. However, this kitty is on SLGS so it's not a problem.
 
I'm going to run through the process of what to do when you test and get low numbers. This is from the Shooting & Handling Low Numbers sticky. The instructions were developed for those using TR but the principle is the same.
  • Depending on how carbohydrate sensitive your cat is, feed approximately a teaspoon or less of gravy from high carb food or high carb food only. (If you have a cat with GI issues, using a couple of drops of syrup plus low carb food is an alternative.)
  • Test again in 15 – 20 min. Depending on the numbers, give more HC food.
  • Repeat the above steps every 15 – 20 min. until your cat tests in the 50 mg/dL (2.8 mmol/L) or above range for 2 consecutive tests. Continue to feed in small amounts to keep numbers in a safe range.
  • Test in 30 - 40 min. and repeat the test and feed process until there are 2 consecutive tests where numbers are stable or rising.
  • Test in an hour and follow the same steps.
DO NOT become complacent. If number have risen after one or two tests, it’s important to continue testing. Numbers may bobble up and down as the HC food and/or Karo wear off. DO NOT get one test where your cat has risen from low numbers into the 50s and go to sleep or leave the house. You are putting your cat in a risky situation. When in doubt, leave HC food out.

I disagree with the information about not testing because of where Creamsickle is in the cycle. A 50 on a human meter is still too low to stop testing. As Amy pointed out, if the influence of food wears off, numbers can continue to drop. While numbers in the 50s are not dangerous, it leaves you very little margin for error. You do not have sufficient date to know how Creamsickle responds to HC food, low numbers, etc. I'm not sure I can definitively say where his nadir is on Lantus and I look at a lot of spreadsheets. KEEP TESTING.

For the future, when you shoot low, you should really get some early tests in. I would encourage you to test at +2 or certainly no later than +3. If you look on Gabby's SS, you'll see I routinely tested early in the cycle. She had an early nadir and was a kitty who liked to plummet early in the cycle. You need to have the data to understand your cat's patterns.
 
Hi I'm back. Sorry couldn't post earlier.

So.. his PMPS was 299 (alphatrak) and 213(relion confirm) so shot 1.5 u. Just tested at +4, 487 (alphatrak), 359(relion confirm). So... would this be a bounce???
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
I'm going to run through the process of what to do when you test and get low numbers. This is from the Shooting & Handling Low Numbers sticky. The instructions were developed for those using TR but the principle is the same.



    • Depending on how carbohydrate sensitive your cat is, feed approximately a teaspoon or less of gravy from high carb food or high carb food only. (If you have a cat with GI issues, using a couple of drops of syrup plus low carb food is an alternative.)
    • Test again in 15 – 20 min. Depending on the numbers, give more HC food.
    • Repeat the above steps every 15 – 20 min. until your cat tests in the 50 mg/dL (2.8 mmol/L) or above range for 2 consecutive tests. Continue to feed in small amounts to keep numbers in a safe range.
    • Test in 30 - 40 min. and repeat the test and feed process until there are 2 consecutive tests where numbers are stable or rising.
    • Test in an hour and follow the same steps.
DO NOT become complacent. If number have risen after one or two tests, it’s important to continue testing. Numbers may bobble up and down as the HC food and/or Karo wear off. DO NOT get one test where your cat has risen from low numbers into the 50s and go to sleep or leave the house. You are putting your cat in a risky situation. When in doubt, leave HC food out.

I disagree with the information about not testing because of where Creamsickle is in the cycle. A 50 on a human meter is still too low to stop testing. As Amy pointed out, if the influence of food wears off, numbers can continue to drop. While numbers in the 50s are not dangerous, it leaves you very little margin for error. You do not have sufficient date to know how Creamsickle responds to HC food, low numbers, etc. I'm not sure I can definitively say where his nadir is on Lantus and I look at a lot of spreadsheets. KEEP TESTING.

For the future, when you shoot low, you should really get some early tests in. I would encourage you to test at +2 or certainly no later than +3. If you look on Gabby's SS, you'll see I routinely tested early in the cycle. She had an early nadir and was a kitty who liked to plummet early in the cycle. You need to have the data to understand your cat's patterns.
Click to expand...


Thanks for going over this information. I keep reading all the info but I'm not at the point where I'm comfortable with the readings and what to do with them.
I appreciate any help you can give me. I'm still a newbie and trying to figure out my kitty!
 
didn't see the specific answer....
Yes.
This is the bounce.....

this is also important data....
because he could come right back down....
or he could stay up for a while.....

some kitties clear bounces quickly....
 
Yes. stay with the new dose until he earns his next reduction or shows that he is failing this reduction.
Others will be able to tell you if it's failing in a few days....
 
Regarding what the dose is, the not so clear answer is, "It depends." If you are following TR, you reduce the dose if numbers fall below 50 on a human meter. If you decide to follow SLGS, you reduce when numbers fall below 90.

While we try to not press anyone to making a decision regarding which method to follow, this is a time when it helps to have an idea of which method for dosing you anticipate using. It's also not an irrevocable decision. You can switch at any point. TR has research to support its effectiveness. SLGS has been used here for many years. Each has its pros and cons. I followed TR from Day 1 and I work a full time job and had a kitty who was notoriously challenging when it came to diving into low numbers so it's feasible if you have a full schedule. Others prefer a less aggressive approach.

Also, don't worry if you don't see this post until after AMPS, especially if Creamsickle has bounced. It's OK to "shoot through the bounce." What this means is if you are following SLGS and need to reduce because numbers fell below 90 but the next pre-shot is over 300, you can shoot your "old" dose one more time. This may help the bounce to clear. You reduce the dose for the subsequent cycles.

 
Remember to start a new thread for each day. It will help you to keep track of information. We also copy and past the link from the previous day's condo (aka thread) into the new post. You don't want to have several days worth of info in one condo. It gets too long and it's too hard to find where questions or information may be lodged.

 
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