In midst of First time curve

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The Mum

The Mum

Member Since 2020
Doing Gracie's 1st curve. She is 8 yrs., 10 lbs. Getting 2 units Lantus 2 x a day for the past 7 days. Here is how it is going.
8:14 am 248
8:39 am 2 units Lantus
11:17 am 305
2:54 pm 122
5:18 pm 46

Can someone please comment and tell me how we are doing?
Thanks.
 
You want to stay above 68 on the AlphaTrak, so Gracie’s numbers need to come up a bit. Assuming she is acting normally

“LOW NUMBERS – WITHOUT SYMPTOMS
Retest glucose using a large blood sample to make certain you have enough blood, and if you still get a low number (40 – 60mg/dL or 2.2 – 3.3mmol/L) give food or treats until the blood glucose numbers rise to an acceptable level. If the cat refuses to eat even his/her favorite foods, you can syringe feed or administer a small amount of syrup”

You want to test every 15-20 minutes to make sure she’s coming up
 
I agree the 46 warrants some higher carb food. That's a big drop. How is the cat's behavior? Normal, sluggish? Right now, you need to feed your kitty, and test again in 20 minutes to make sure that number is coming up. No need to feed a ton, in case you need to feed again in a little bit, but do feed some higher carb food it you have it.

When you have the time, after this low number event is over, you may need some dosing advice from more experienced members. For that, it would help enormously if you could get a spreadsheet set up, which is super easy to do. If you have trouble with the spreadsheet, give a shout, there's members who can help you with it. Basic info in your signature would also help. Take a look at mine for an example.


If you try this link, New? How to Help Us Help You! it has everything you need to know. But take care of that low BGL first.
 
I have FF Marinated Morsels chicken in gravy. I am not seeing it on the list. She also seems to have lost her voice. This was a big (best yet) blood sample.
 
She's acting fine. Great even, but she is looking for more food. After test, she had 1/2 3 oz. can FF tuna.
 
I’m not sure about that one but gravy might be higher carb. Feed a tablespoon or two and retest. You don’t want to fill her up because you need her to want to eat if you need to keep steering with food
 
Hungry is good. Her body is telling her that her blood sugar is too low. As Sarah said, don't feed to much all at once, but be prepared to feed a little more after the next time you check.

Do you usually feed many small meals a day, or two times a day?
 
Ok. Fed her the gravy chicken. Phew, then big sting poop. Normal though not runny or pellets.
 
We don’t mean to seem pushy, but can you retest Gracie? The 46 reading is too low and you need to be sure she’s coming up
 
Yes, please test again. You need to know the food is bringing her BGL up and it is not going lower. Lower is dangerous and can require emergency care.
 
Yes, please test again now.

You may not understand the severity of it right now but hopefully, as you post more on here and read more about feline diabetes, you’ll understand.
 
have you given insulin since this morning? At 8:39 your time
AMPS 8:14 am 248
8:39 am 2 units Lantus
+3 11:17 am 305
+6 2:54 pm 122
+9 5:18 pm 46
 
Deb & Wink said:
have you given insulin since this morning? At 8:39 your time
AMPS 8:14 am 248
8:39 am 2 units Lantus
+3 11:17 am 305
+6 2:54 pm 122
+9 5:18 pm 46
Click to expand...

No more insulin has been given. Now she is at 547 after feeding chicken in gravy and tuna pate.
 
Whew! That’s quite a bounce plus the gravy kicking in.

I would stop feeding her high carb foods now and stop feeding 2 hours before it’s time to give a shot.

I would also reduce the dose to 1.75 units tonight.
 
Crista & Ming said:
Whew! That’s quite a bounce plus the gravy kicking in.

I would stop feeding her high carb foods now and stop feeding 2 hours before it’s time to give a shot.

I would also reduce the dose to 1.75 units tonight.
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She has been off of high carbs for a week. Upon the advice from folks on this forum, I gave her the gravy chicken and then tested. In retrospect, I think I should have tested after just the tuna. That may have done the trick.
I HATE THIS DISEASE! I am freaking out now! It is 6:42 pm now.
The insulin is due at 8:15ish. She is now sound asleep. Should I test one more time before insulin?
 
Also, that 46 could have been a bad BG test. In the future, if you ever get a number that doesn't seem right. Please test again right away.

Please. Please, please, pretty please with sugar on top update you signature and set up that SS (spreadsheet) we have been asking you to do.

Directions are here. New? How You Can Help Us Help You!

I was replying to you in your other thread earlier today. Guess you aren't so scared about BG testing now. Or at least I hope not. That was scary in case you didn't realize it. Very, very scary.
 
The Mum said:
She has been off of high carbs for a week. Upon the advice from folks on this forum, I gave her the gravy chicken and then tested. In retrospect, I think I should have tested after just the tuna. That may have done the trick.
I HATE THIS DISEASE! I am freaking out now! It is 6:42 pm now.
The insulin is due at 8:15ish. She is now sound asleep. Should I test one more time before insulin?
Click to expand...
Crista just meant stop giving high carb foods tonight to bring her BG up. It is okay that she is high right now, it could from the all the food, which will wear off, or it could be a bounce from being in low numbers. Either way, it is just temporary and being too high for a little is safer than being too low.

In the future, when you get a low reading you should restest to make sure it’s correct. If it is, feed a few tablespoons of medium or high carb food then retest in 15-20 minutes. It is a learning curve, but you will get the hang of it!
 
Sarah&Soph said:
Crista just meant stop giving high carb foods tonight to bring her BG up. It is okay that she is high right now, it could from the all the food, which will wear off, or it could be a bounce from being in low numbers. Either way, it is just temporary and being too high for a little is safer than being too low.

In the future, when you get a low reading you should restest to make sure it’s correct. If it is, feed a few tablespoons of medium or high carb food then retest in 15-20 minutes. It is a learning curve, but you will get the hang of it!
Click to expand...

Retest as in repoke or just a new strip if there is enough blood. I am getting better at poking. The warm rice bag really makes a difference.
 
The Mum said:
Retest as in repoke or just a new strip if there is enough blood. I am getting better at poking. The warm rice bag really makes a difference.
Click to expand...
I think if the drop is big enough, you could probably use the same drop with a new strip. Sometimes a strip can be wonky or if you get too much or too little blood on the strip it can give you a weird reading as well.
 
The Mum said:
I HATE THIS DISEASE! I am freaking out now! It is 6:42 pm now.
Click to expand...
Perfectly understandable. It's a hateful disease, and you had a scare. Yes, things could have gone smoother, and you will know better what to do next time, but you did it! You did it and you rock! Don't fret that high number. It will even itself out, as others have said. It's to be expected after a hypo event and the high carb food.

Do get the spreadsheet set up. I can't tell you how much it has helped my Billy. Click on his spreadsheet in my signature and you can see how well he's doing because of good advice I got here.
 
welcome, I feed my cat Fancy Feast Classics either chicken or beef,other are 3% carbs
If you go to the
Feline Health ( Main Forum you will see Dr Pierson's food chart
It will give you names of pet foods, their carb content, protein etc
For the higher carbs I use Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers
I use 15 % for medium carbs and 20 % for higher carbs
You can look and decide what foods you want.
Also have some honey on hand
 
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The Mum said:
I have FF Marinated Morsels chicken in gravy. I am not seeing it on the list. She also seems to have lost her voice. This was a big (best yet) blood sample.
Click to expand...
Hi I just found the FF Marinated Morsels Chicken Feast In Gravy on Dr Pierson's Chart it says 13% carbs its right above the FF Gravy Lovers List
 
I will work on the spread sheet and profile tomorrow. Right now I am emotionally, physically and mentally exhausted. One more poke and insulin and my day is done at 8:15 pm east coast time. Gracie is fast asleep right now.
Thank you all for your guidance.
 
Ok, gotcha. One of the other members asked me to keep on eye on you. If you are going to bed, than I can do the same and won't have to stay up "pulling an all nighter." Getting too old for that.

Stay safe Gracie and The Mum.

I'm on the east coast too, down in MA.
 
Deb & Wink said:
Ok, gotcha. One of the other members asked me to keep on eye on you. If you are going to bed, than I can do the same and won't have to stay up "pulling an all nighter." Getting too old for that.

Stay safe Gracie and The Mum.

I'm on the east coast too, down in MA.
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Can you hang out with me until the next blood poke? I am not comfortable changing the dosage without my vets instruction.
 
Of course I'll still be here with you. It's one thing we do.

How long until the PMPS blood poke?

Grabbing a late dinner, fed my cat, haven't put my jammies on yet, but soon.
 
Deb & Wink said:
Of course I'll still be here with you. It's one thing we do.

How long until the PMPS blood poke?

Grabbing a late dinner, fed my cat, haven't put my jammies on yet, but soon.
Click to expand...

I am an IDIOT! Just scrolled through the memory on the Alpha Trak and it was 461 not 46!
 
Please post your PMPS BG reading before giving the Lantus insulin tonight. I want to see the number before you give the insulin. To double check if the BG is high enough for insulin. With an Alphatrak meter, just started on insulin, I want to see a number above 200. That number can be lowered in the future, but let's be conservative for now, and keep it a bit higher.

Here is a recap of what I have from earlier in the thread. Did I get things right?
Using an Alphatrak 2 (pet meter)
0 is your pre-shot test time. +1 is 1 hour after shot of insulin, +2 is 2 hours later, +3 is 3 hours later and so forth.

AMPS 8:14 am 248
8:39 am 2 units Lantus
+2.75 11:17 am 305
+6.25 2:54 pm 122
+8.75 5:18 pm 461
+9.75 6:26 pm 547

PMPS x:xx pm xxx
x:xx pm 1.75 ???? units Lantus
 
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Deb & Wink said:
Please post your PMPS BG reading before giving the Lantus insulin tonight. I want to see the number before you give the insulin. To double check if the BG is high enough for insulin. With an Alphatrak meter, just started on insulin, I want to see a number above 200. That number can be lowered in the future, but let's be conservative for now, and keep it a bit higher.

Here is a recap of what I have from earlier in the thread. Did I get things right?
Using an Alphatrak 2 (pet meter)
0 is your pre-shot test time. +1 is 1 hour later, +2 is 2 hours later, +3 is 3 hours later and so forth.

AMPS 8:14 am 248
8:39 am 2 units Lantus
+3 11:17 am 305
+6 2:54 pm 122
+9 5:18 pm 461
+10 6:26 pm 547

PMPS x:xx pm xxx
x:xx pm 1.75 ???? units Lantus
Click to expand...

Those numbers are accurate. I feel so stupid right now. I will poke in about 10 minutes. Thank you again.
 
There's a reason why many of us keep a "human treat" (chocolate bar, etc.) in our hypo kits! Caregiving for this disease really is stressful, remember to take care of yourself, too.
 
AMPS 8:14 am 248
8:39 am 2 units Lantus
+2.75 11:17 am 305
+6.25 2:54 pm 122
+8.75 5:18 pm 461
+9.75 6:26 pm 547

PMPS 8:23 pm 508
x:xx pm 2 units Lantus
 
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Don't sweat the mistake reading the reading. I think we've all been there. Now, you have experience with how to treat a hypo event, should you ever need it, and that's not a bad thing at all.
 
Okay. So I am going to do another curve on Friday. Gracie wants to eat every 2 to 2 1/2 hours. My vet has advised to feed only in the morning and evening on the test day. 1/2 3 oz. FF for each meal.
What to do all day when she is begging for food and staring at her eating area? Please define "a little food" and /or "snack".
 
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