(Loki thread) Still Bouncing???

[LokiMo]

I thought I was starting to get the hang of this (just diagnosed last week) but we are at +2 after the PM shot and Loki’s BG is up from his PMPS. I did a just under 0.5u shot. His dinner was a can of Purina Pro Plan urinary turkey (4%) and 1/2 can of Tiki shredded chicken (0%) with some water. SS updated.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

I thought I was starting to get the hang of this (just diagnosed last week) but we are at +2 after the PM shot and Loki’s BG is up from his PMPS. I did a just under 0.5u shot. His dinner was a can of Purina Pro Plan urinary turkey (4%) and 1/2 can of Tiki shredded chicken (0%) with some water. SS updated.

I think he is still bouncing from the very low greens he day before yesterday. Bounces can last from 1 to 6 cycles….he is just on his 4th cycle so he could stay high for another couple of cycles. I wouldn’t increase the dose further until he comes off the bounce. If you see him dropping in numbers make sure you test a bit more often during that cycle.
I would get one more test in tonight in case he starts to drop…..some kitties go up higher just before they start to drop when coming off the bounce.

That is a very large dinner……1 and a 1/2 cans…….are you giving him snacks during the cycle…such as at +3 and +6?

 

[LokiMo]

I think he is still bouncing from the very low greens he day before yesterday. Bounces can last from 1 to 6 cycles….he is just on his 4th cycle so he could stay high for another couple of cycles. I wouldn’t increase the dose further until he comes off the bounce. If you see him dropping in numbers make sure you test a bit more often during that cycle.
I would get one more test in tonight in case he starts to drop…..some kitties go up higher just before they start to drop when coming off the bounce.

That is a very large dinner……1 and a 1/2 cans…….are you giving him snacks during the cycle…such as at +3 and +6?

He has been so hungry the last couple days. We have been giving snacks between.

Tested again +4 and it is lower. SS updated.

This insulin stuff is terrifying. I’m so scared he is gonna go low again. We are very new to this. The vet tech told me to start with 1u twice daily and the first dose made him go wayyy too low. The vet saw us and said to cut that in half to 1/2u. On my other thread it was suggested to dose 1/4u. I’m so anxious about this.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

This is your previous thread for continuity
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/advice-on-bg-readings.251199/

This insulin stuff is terrifying. I’m so scared he is gonna go low again. We are very new to this. The vet tech told me to start with 1u twice daily and the first dose made him go wayyy too low. The vet saw us and said to cut that in half to 1/2u. On my other thread it was suggested to dose 1/4u. I’m so anxious about this.

It is normal to feel anxious in the beginning, especially when you have had the BG drop like you did in the beginning…but thanks goodness you were testing!
At the moment while he is bouncing, it is very hard to know what is the best dose. We need to see what he comes back down to, after he has come off the bounce.

Remember while you are testing, you are in control
If you know what the BG is, you can take action if it is necessary. For example, if the BG is dropping, you can feed some low carb food to slow the drop.
If the BG is low, you feed high carb food and honey or karo to bring the BG up higher.

Here is a suggestion what I would do moving forward……until you understand Feline diabetes more (and you will, I promise), I would keep posting on here and we will guide you through it and teach you as you go along. It doesn’t matter if you post multiple times and ask lots of questions…..many people do.

So tonight because you got a lower BG at +4, I would test again at +7 to see if the BG is continuing to drop. If he is coming off the bounce this cycle, he could drop faster, so we are going to monitor the cycle to keep him safe..
I would also give him a little snack of low carb food now.
It won’t always be like this but at the moment as we have very little data on how he reacts to the insulin, we need to gather as much as we can……does that make sense?
He is a beautiful boy….is he a silver tabby?
Bron

 

[LokiMo]

This is your previous thread for continuity
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/advice-on-bg-readings.251199/


It is normal to feel anxious in the beginning, especially when you have had the BG drop like you did in the beginning…but thanks goodness you were testing!
At the moment while he is bouncing, it is very hard to know what is the best dose. We need to see what he comes back down to, after he has come off the bounce.

Remember while you are testing, you are in control
If you know what the BG is, you can take action if it is necessary. For example, if the BG is dropping, you can feed some low carb food to slow the drop.
If the BG is low, you feed high carb food and honey or karo to bring the BG up higher.

Here is a suggestion what I would do moving forward……until you understand Feline diabetes more (and you will, I promise), I would keep posting on here and we will guide you through it and teach you as you go along. It doesn’t matter if you post multiple times and ask lots of questions…..many people do.

So tonight because you got a lower BG at +4, I would test again at +7 to see if the BG is continuing to drop. If he is coming off the bounce this cycle, he could drop faster, so we are going to monitor the cycle to keep him safe..
I would also give him a little snack of low carb food now.
It won’t always be like this but at the moment as we have very little data on how he reacts to the insulin, we need to gather as much as we can……does that make sense?
He is a beautiful boy….is he a silver tabby?
Bron

He is a Siamese tabby cross. He has the most gorgeous blue eyes and looked more like a Siamese as a kitten. And he is quite talkative.

I didn’t see this last night before I fell asleep so I didn’t get a +7 reading but his AMPS was back in the 300s so I gave him a 0.5u shot and plan to monitor more often today (I’m off work). What readings are best? +3 and +7?

Thank you for the reassurance about being in more control because I test at home. That helps me feel better. I have my hypo kit and we have plenty of LC canned food as well as dehydrated chicken treats.

Is it better for me to keep replying to the same thread or start new ones?

 

[LokiMo]

Loki continues to be very hungry and I read that while he balances out that is normal and to feed him snacks and mini-meals. He cries at me every couple hours. His numbers seem to be staying in the 300s-400s the last couple days and my vet continues to check in every couple days to see how he is doing. The vet wants me to keep him at 0.5u and not change dosages.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

He is a Siamese tabby cross. He has the most gorgeous blue eyes and looked more like a Siamese as a kitten. And he is quite talkative.

How lovely!

What readings are best? +3 and +7?

Yes they are good times. Any tests inbetween the cycles are good but from +3 to +7 is the most likely time you will see nadir (lowest point). If you see the numbers have dropped quite a lot rom the last test, I would suggest getting another test in to see the drop has stopped and Loki is in safe numbers.

. I have my hypo kit and we have plenty of LC canned food as well as dehydrated chicken treats.

Great you have the hypo kit set up!

Is it better for me to keep replying to the same thread or start new ones?

You can stay with this one for the moment as it is not very long. You can change the subject line anytime to reflect the current situation.

Loki continues to be very hungry and I read that while he balances out that is normal and to feed him snacks and mini-meals. He cries at me every couple hours

How often are you feeding him? Is he over or under weight?
Unregulated diabetic cats are hunger, because they can’t absorb all the nutrients in the food.

numbers seem to be staying in the 300s-400s the last couple days and my vet continues to check in every couple days to see how he is doing. The vet wants me to keep him at 0.5u and not change dosages.

He could very well be still bouncing from those very low numbers on 8/10. Wait until 6 cycles have gone by and see if he comes back down after that before increasing.

You are doing a good job!

 

[LokiMo]

How often are you feeding him? Is he over or under weight?
Unregulated diabetic cats are hunger, because they can’t absorb all the nutrients in the food.

He could very well be still bouncing from those very low numbers on 8/10. Wait until 6 cycles have gone by and see if he comes back down after that before increasing.

You are doing a good job!

He has struggled with weight his whole life but currently he is underweight. Normally we fed him twice a day (strictly because we were trying to get his weight down) but since he was diagnosed things changed. First we went through a few days where he didn’t want to eat and then when we started an appetite stimulant he ate at weird times and got off schedule. He is eating again now and starving! The plan is two regular meals a day @ 8a/8p and a couple smaller meals in between and treats when we test him or if he cries.

I will have to read more about the bouncing. His numbers are still staying high.

Thank you.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

An unregulated diabetic cat will be starving (and one who is part Siamese will let you know!). Most of the caregivers here do not stick to a 2 meals a day plan. What many people do is divide up what would be that morning or evening meal into smaller portions and feed in several installments. It helps to keep the BG levels a bit flatter. It's also fine to be giving your cat more food especially if he's lost weight.

 

[LokiMo]

An unregulated diabetic cat will be starving (and one who is part Siamese will let you know!). Most of the caregivers here do not stick to a 2 meals a day plan. What many people do is divide up what would be that morning or evening meal into smaller portions and feed in several installments. It helps to keep the BG levels a bit flatter. It's also fine to be giving your cat more food especially if he's lost weight.

Thanks! He looks better already but could gain about a pound to look how he should.

 

[LokiMo]

Updated with last couple day’s numbers. Is he still bouncing? When the numbers are high, does it make getting blood more difficult? The last two days he isn’t bleeding as well again and it has been difficult to get the tiny blood drop when we test. Using 28g lancets which were working really well on his feet.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

He could have dropped low last night and that black today could be bouncing but without a test I can only guess. Try and get a test in every cycle. I’ll tag @ panic and @JanetNJ about the dose as they are prozinc users.

Are you warming the area before testing. High numbers shouldn’t make it harder to test

 

[JanetNJ]

Interesting. See what happens tonight. Be sure to get a before v bed number. You may need to try 0.75

 

[LokiMo]

He could have dropped low last night and that black today could be bouncing but without a test I can only guess. Try and get a test in every cycle. I’ll tag @ panic and @JanetNJ about the dose as they are prozinc users.

Are you warming the area before testing. High numbers shouldn’t make it harder to test

We usually try to get a reading around midnight but everyone fell asleep last night. Will try to be better about it and plan to do a curve next weekend.

We are making sure his toes are warm and massaging his foot a bit to get the blood flowing there again before we poke him.