Low blood sugar 41, got it back up to 71 help

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Ok. Deep breathes. And this IS about you just as much as it is about Scratches. You have to be comfortable with the choices being made.

If you've been changing diet, that is probably part of the reason for the lower BGs. You don't want her BG staying high but I understand your concern. If you'd feel better skipping tonight that's fine but BG may continue to climb.
How would you feel about giving Scratches 0.5u tonight and testing at +3 to see how she is doing. That should give you an indication of what she will do overnight so you have control over the situation and can take action early before BG drops too low IF needed.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Just to be clear....another night without insulin is NOT going to hurt Scratches. If you'd feel better giving insulin tomorrow, then skip tonight and start again tomorrow.
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Thank you so much omg. Thank you a thousand times. I skipped the shot. We both went through a lot last night and I've been a complete mess since. I think I need to regain my composure. Tmr is a new day.
 
Get a good night's sleep. Nights like you had last night take a lot out of the caregiver. This is a balancing act of doing what is best for both you and Scratches. :)
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Get a good night's sleep. Nights like you had last night take a lot out of the caregiver. This is a balancing act of doing what is best for both you and Scratches. :)
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Or half? Idk if I'm comfortable giving her even a full dose bc of what happened last night. I'm panicking a bit about it now
 
You can start off with 0.5u if you choose. As long as Scratches is eating and her pre-shot BG is high enough, you can leave some food out for her to eat in your absence, and she should be fine.
 
I'd stick with the 250 for now. It can be lowered later once you get a little more data and a better idea of how Scratches reacts to the insulin. It gives you a little bit extra cushion for safety. :)
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
I'd stick with the 250 for now. It can be lowered later once you get a little more data and a better idea of how Scratches reacts to the insulin. It gives you a little bit extra cushion for safety. :)
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I was going to start back up with her insulin this am but I was so tired I overslept through her dosage time. I'm going to check her bs and give her breakfast, but no shot. Is it okay for me to start back up at her scheduled dinner time with .5u depending on her level? I feel like a terrible mom right now
 
It'd be fine to start up tonight. You're actually a great cat mom, don't beat yourself up! We have to take care of ourselves to be able to take care of our kitties.

Check the BG, go from there. If it's not terribly late (more than an hour or so) and she's very high, you could always change your mind about shooting this morning and get back on schedule over the next day or so. But it's fine to wait until tonight if that's the best thing for you to do.
 
Nan & Amber said:
It'd be fine to start up tonight. You're actually a great cat mom, don't beat yourself up! We have to take care of ourselves to be able to take care of our kitties.

Check the BG, go from there. If it's not terribly late (more than an hour or so) and she's very high, you could always change your mind about shooting this morning and get back on schedule over the next day or so. But it's fine to wait until tonight if that's the best thing for you to do.
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She's pretty high but it's been more than an hour. I have to work soon and I won't be able to test two hours after her shot at this point so I think it's safer just to wait until later. I have decided to start small with .5 based on everyone's advice and not to shoot under 250 until I know what her body will do. I think it was very early for her to have an episode of bs of 41 and I don't want to risk an emergency like that again. Do you think .5 will be okay to start with? And how long should I continue that dosage?
 
How high is pretty high?

Not sure about dose at the moment, let's see what others like @MrWorfMen's Mom, @Chris & China (GA) , and @Red & Rover (GA) have to say about that.

Going to throw something out there from looking at Scratches' SS. You don't really have enough data yet to say for certain, but I'm really wondering if part of what's going on is that she has a very late nadir (lowest point in the cycle) on Lantus. So that 41 you got was largely driven by that morning's shot, not the shot you had just given.

The other thing I'm getting hints of is that when she "bounces" up high after a low, it seems to only last for a couple of cycles before it breaks and she comes down again. That might have been the other thing happening the other night (breaking the bounce from the afternoon/evening of 10/2). If that's the case, she might be due to come down pretty soon, so it's probably not a bad idea to skip again this morning when you can't monitor, and might be an argument to be more conservative on dose tonight.

Anyway, just throwing those ideas out there to get the discussion started. Have a good day at work!
 
Nan & Amber said:
How high is pretty high?

Not sure about dose at the moment, let's see what others like @MrWorfMen's Mom, @Chris & China (GA) , and @Red & Rover (GA) have to say about that.

Going to throw something out there from looking at Scratches' SS. You don't really have enough data yet to say for certain, but I'm really wondering if part of what's going on is that she has a very late nadir (lowest point in the cycle) on Lantus. So that 41 you got was largely driven by that morning's shot, not the shot you had just given.

The other thing I'm getting hints of is that when she "bounces" up high after a low, it seems to only last for a couple of cycles before it breaks and she comes down again. That might have been the other thing happening the other night (breaking the bounce from the afternoon/evening of 10/2). If that's the case, she might be due to come down pretty soon, so it's probably not a bad idea to skip again this morning when you can't monitor, and might be an argument to be more conservative on dose tonight.

Anyway, just throwing those ideas out there to get the discussion started. Have a good day at work!
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Thank you. I don't really understand it all too much yet so I appreciate any help I can get. She's at 351 now. Was 298 last night. I will skip this am. Get back on track tonight. I can test her at lunch if that'll help any? I'll update her spread sheet later on. Dosing tips will help! Thank you all.
 
I feel like a baby needing to be walked through everything step by step. But it's just me, I'm doing it alone. I live alone. I don't really have family down the street or anything that can come help me through the day when I'm not home. I work full time so I'm gone all day. I have serious health issues. And I try not to ignore my dog while taking care of scratch. It's just a lot. I really appreciate everything you all have done for me.
 
It's Ok to wait till tonight but I wouldn't leave it any longer. You can start off with a smaller dose like 0.5u and go from there. I understand completely about being alone with this as I too did it on my own and had no one else to help on a daily basis. It's tough but you can do this and I guarantee you will get much more comfortable and confident in short order. :)
 
every one of us, except some of those who had done it before, had to be walked through, step by step, and not just at the beginning either

it's much like learning a new language which doesn't obey the rules of any language you ever learned before

every caregiver has to find a balance between cat (or human), family (including other animals) and themselves -- be kind to yourself and know that we are all here and rooting for you
 
Good job shooting tonight. Remember to grab a test before bed to see what Scratches is up to.

It's a good idea to keep your spreadsheet up to date so the info is right there in a structured fashion for anyone helping to see. It also soothes curious folks like me just now checking up on how things are going. ;):)
 
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