I'm confused about the numbers i'm seeing...Help?

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LBlue54

Member Since 2014
Ok. So, i've had to start my cycle all over yesterday. AMPS my baby was 463 and so I started her out with .5 units because last time (memory is bad but maybe 2 weeks ago?) I was giving .75 and she was down to 48 and someone suggested dropping to .5 units. Ok, her lowest number was around 273 (only tested at the +7) and at the PMPS she was up to 334. Ok, so I gave her another .5 units. I tested her at +8 and she was at 30! I panicked, gave her some syrup, and fed her. 30 minutes later she was 63 and 1 hr later 71. So, I read since she was under 50 to drop her down to .25 units.

Now, i'm not sure what went wrong and so maybe you guys can help me understand all of this. On her AMPS she was 245 and I gave her the .25 units. +3 hrs later she was at 347! I waited until +4 to make sure she was still increasing and she did up to 416. I thought that maybe I just gave her a fur shot, so I gave her the .25 units again. Now, she lowered down to around 342 and what would be the +8 (if I hadn't given a fur shot), but really the +4 from the newest shot. At her PMPS she was at 456! I started to worry about my meter (relion nano). I took it again and she was at 429. So 20+ off!

What i'm confused on is should I have kept her at .5 and keep an eye out for her reaching something like 30 again? Seeing my meter off by 20+ makes me think she might not have actually been at 30.
OR
Should I keep her at .25 and eventually the high numbers will go down?

I'm so scared of hurting her kidneys or anything worse with these high numbers and it feels like I can't get a grip on this.
 
Hopefully, a more experienced member will stop by but you should definitely have reduced with that 30. Good catch on that one! Was she symptomatic of a hypo? Is there any chance you can get an evening test? We like to see at least 4 tests per day: one before each shot and one some time in between shots. You're doing a great job during the day but not much at night. If you could get a right before bed test, that would be very helpful.
Liz
 
Hello and welcome here. I agree with Liz, you should reduce to .25U with that 30 you got last night. What is happening to your kitty now is that she is bouncing. It is the livers reaction to low number to pump out sugars. For a more detailed explanation, read the second post here. Bounces can take up to 6 cycles to go away so just be patient and wait for the numbers to come down.

One other thing, if you think you've given a fur shot, never give a second shot. We never know how much of the insulin got in the first time. You could potentially overdose your kitty by giving a second shot. Since it sounds like you did a second shot at +4 today. Your next shot shouldn't be until 12 hours after that, or if you want to get back on schedule, just wait until 20 hours until your regular shot time tomorrow. Your spreadsheet says you gave .5U. If you did, please do some extra testing tonight to make sure she's OK.

I know the high numbers are scary. :YMHUG: It took the longest time for my Neko to stop giving me really high numbers - she used to do a lot of red and black numbers. But that time with numbers high is much safer than the damage that can happen with hypo low numbers.
 
Ok, i'll definitely work on that. In order to do that I need to raise her am/pmps. I do that in increments of 30 min right? how often?

Also, I didn't know what to do so since it was so high and the .5 brought it down I continued with it. So, it will be ok if I start with the .25 units tomorrow? I'll set my alarm tonight so that I can check her around +7 to make sure she's ok or should I set it earlier? or Later? ha, this is so nerve wrecking.

I'm wondering if I hadn't gave her a fur shot if she would have been in the early 100's instead of 400+. *sigh*
 
Hi L Blue,
Even if you think you gave a fur shot, in the future if this happens do not shoot again until the next scheduled shot. Some insulin may have gotten in and you can put your kitty in danger of going too low if you shoot in such circumstances.

I think your best course at present would be to stick with the .25 unit dose for a few cycles and give it time to settle in. Then, If her numbers are still high, take the dose back up to .5. I hope that one of the very experienced people will be along to advise you.

As Liz says, the before-bedtime test is one that you should always try to get.

Hang in there!

Ella & Rusty

p.s. My post crossed with Wendy's. Yes, you can get back on your normal shot schedule by moving the shot time by 15 minutes per 12-hour cycle, or 30 minutes per 24-hour day.
 
Ahh! Yes, I did give her .5 units. Ok, Ok. Your post just answered several of my questions. I guess i'll be in for a long night then. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Thanks so much guys. I'll get to readying that post you suggested.
 
With that 30 last night, it's likely your kitty would have still been high, whether or not there was a fur shot. Did you smell insulin on her? It smells like bandaids. It's quite distinctive and obvious.

Go back to .25U tomorrow, that's the best plan. You can move your shot times either 15 minutes each shot, or 1/2 hour once a day. Your kitty is really responding well to the Lantus. :-D

As for the alarm, you could set it for a +5 or a +6 and check then. A before bed test is a really good one to get at night. I go to bed around +4 at night, and I can usually tell by then if Neko will be safe for the night.
 
So I the last time I tested her was at the +6 mark and I must have turned off my alarm for the last alarm but this morning at her amps she is at 73. I'm About to feed her. What is the best advice to handle her shot? Wait 2 hours or skip it? If I was to give it in 2 hours that means my schedule changes right? And I'll have slowly move it back.
 
This is a tough call. If you feed, then you're going to get skewed/food influenced numbers and you don't know if the numbers will drop once the food wears off.

If you stall, you don't want to feed. The idea behind stalling is to see if the kitty's BGs are rising naturally, without the influence of food. Usually when we stall, we test every half hour, and if we know for sure the number is rising, we'll feed then shoot.

You are right: if you stall, your next shot will 12 hours from when you actually do shoot.

My only thought/concern is that even though you are shooting such a teeny dose, you haven't shot anything nearly as low as that 73. We usually gradually work our way down to shooting numbers that low. As much as I hate skipping shots, I might be inclined to skip this morning.

Let's see if anyone else chimes in, though.

Your kitty is responding to insulin SUPER fast!
 
That is great to see those numbers and such good response to Lantus. :mrgreen: Since you skipped this morning, you can shoot any time tonight, so you can get back on your preferred schedule.
Liz
 
sounds like you had a bit of a crazy day yesterday!

I think you made a good call to skip. We encourage people to shoot lower numbers because it results in flatter cycles, but you don't want to shoot low and leave. you have to be able to monitor. And it seems like Ms. Sanut is doing really well on the Lantus with these dose reductions.

Here's a description of what you saw yesterday when you shot and then the numbers kept increasing. It was a bounce from the 30 that she got earlier. Look at the second post down in New Dose Wonkiness & Bouncing to read what happened in her body. It's very common and you just wait it out.

I'd go back to the 0.25u dose tonight and keep monitoring. I see in your signature line she went into remission before. Do you know what's brought her out? dental issues? bladder infections? did she get into dry food?
 
I have no idea what brought her out. I just noticed that she was drinking alot and just acting slightly off. Normally she is a playful kitty. I tested her and sure enougb she was high. There is a chance she got into some ice cream my hubby left in a bowl, but other than that I'm not sure. Dry cat food is a possibility too since we have an outdoor cat who comes and goes. We have been remodeling so the garage door tends to be open un attended at times. Her teeth are good and the vet didn't find anything wrong so I'm assuming it's our fault somewhere. *sigh*

I was feeding her friskies, but I'm hoping to send her back into remission so I immediately switched her to fancy feast and went through catinfo to find the few types that had the least carbs but also the highest 3 protein and they just happen to have my top choices in a pack together. She as well as my other cat seem to love it so win win.
 
LBlue54 said:
so I'm assuming it's our fault somewhere. *sigh*
Click to expand...

Don't make such an assumption! The kitties (as well as their pancreases) are in control here, and sometimes these things just happen. Fortunately you're the type of bean who is right on top of things...you caught it right away and she is responding so well!! What a lucky kitty she is to have you!
 
i'm with amy - sometimes cats have episodes of pancreatitis, too. it might or might not be anything you can do anything about - i'm just asking because sometimes people know that their cat got into dry food, or they developed a bladder infection. if you don't know that's fine.

looks like she's doing really well already, so just keep it up.
 
Today marked the 3rd day she has been on .25u and I'm not sure if I should bump her back up to .50. Life has been so busy I struggled to get 4 checks a day. What I did see was numbers of high 300's and mid-400's. Opinions? I've read to keep it for 3 days then i read 5-7 days? Are those numbers normal especially since she had that low (30) number? Should I keep her on the .25 for another day or 2 because of that?

Things are settling down and I'm going to try to test her every 4 hours for a few days.
 
I would keep her on the 0.25 for at least another cycle.
And, I'm thinking maybe another day, as you are waiting for the depot to fill again after that skipped shot.
I'm glad you're able to test a little more. A lot of cats will have bounces for 3 days, so maybe she'll come down some today.
Hugs.
 
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