Low number 58? shoot or not?

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Daphne#5 GA

Daphne#5 GA

Member Since 2011
Hi,
Daphne's been on the new EVO food for 5 days now. This is the lowest number so far @58 PSPM. I think I'm supposed to wait a half hour and then insulin?

I don't know if its too soon to make a judgement on the new food, but her numbers have been so consistent, I think. I just came back from the store and got the EVO 95%, so I will be watching for any difference with that too.

I can read through the stickys again, just wanted to post this.

Barb and Daphne
p.s. anyone that was giving me advice about taking a trip, thank you, can you all imagine if I was away and her number was this and the person didn't test!! :oops:
 
since you are still pretty new at this we recommend stalling half an hour WITH NO FOOD, so you can see if the numbers are starting to rise. Post agin w/ the new test.
 
Ok, but how about if I already fed her. We tested, then feed. So should I still wait a half hour and then test?

Barb and Daphne
 
Hi Barb, While you are stalling, you could read the section "How to deal with low pre-shot numbers" in the Sticky at the top of the Lantus forum: "Shooting and Handling Low numbers": http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=147 This will give you an idea of what you are doing by stalling. Like Ann says, post again in 1/2 hour with the new reading.

Ella

p.s. just read your response to Ann. We don't feed while stalling because food will raise the bg numbers and the reading will not reflect the situation. As soon as the food "spike" passes, the kitty might go back down. The goal is to get 2 rising numbers before feeding and shooting. If it takes 2 hours of stalling and Daphne still is not rising, skip the shot.
 
How long after food was that last test? And what did you feed? It takes about 15 minutes for food to start effecting numbers, so if you took the test right when you fed it looks like Daphne may not still be dropping. It will take a little longer to get a good idea of where she is going w/ food on board. W/ such a low number for a preshot , we often advise beginners not to shoot. Let's see where she is in another half hour.

Don't worry we all feed while stalling the first time. :? ;-) You just won't get as clear a picture of what is going on.
 
The number hasn't changed: 59 is the same as 58. How much did you feed? Can you stall some more? (keeping in mind that if you shoot tonight your shot tomorrow morning has to be 12 hours after you shot this evening; if your work schedule cannot accommodate a shift in your morning shot schedule, you can skip tonight's shot (and feed your kitty). The other possibility is to shoot a smaller amount (for example, half your normal dose). This is called a BCS ("big chicken shot"). If you choose to do this, please be sure to get a +1 and a +2 test so that you know how Daphne is trending. And be vigilant in keeping an eye on her numbers at least until a little after the nadir.
If you shoot your normal amount after stalling to make sure that it is safe to do so, or if you shoot a BCS, your shot time tomorrow morning will be 12 hours after this evening's shot. (You can gradually shift the time back to your normal time by moving the shots 1/2 hour a day: either all at once or 15 minutes per cycle.)

Ella
 
If you stall, you will need to shoot 12 hours from whatever time you shoot tonight. Do you have that flexibility in the AM? Do you have a stock of strips and HC food if needed and can you stay up to test?
 
Ok, I'll try to answer the questions as clearly as I can understand.
1. Yes, I can shoot 12 hours from a stall.
2. I have enough strips and everything, and the food, well, its wet, but does have rice and oats, probably not real HC.

How long do I stall again?

Barb and Daphne
 
If her numbers didn't change 40 minutes after half a can of food she probably would have continues to drop with out it. It's hard to tell though. You may want to consider skipping tonight, especially as Ella and Sienne have said you need to keep your shot time the same for work.

If you think you may still try to shoot, get another test in half an hour from the last one. If you do shoot you will need to stay up and monitor closely. We'll be here with you.
 
You wait 20 - 30 min. and re-test. You want to see that numbers are coming up. Right now, you don't really have the data to shoot this low. I'd like to see that Daphne's numbers are on the rise before you shoot.
 
Just saw your last post. Don't feed again until you see a rise, test every 20 to 30 minutes. We usually only stall for 2 hours. If numbers are not up by then it is awfully late to shoot.

Usually in a situation like this we want to see number up into the 70s before shooting.
 
I can stay up with her for at least 5 hours, and my husband is off this week from work, so he can shoot her late tomorrow.

So if I test her in a half hour and the number is going up, then can I shoot, or wait longer?

Barb and Daphne
 
So her PS was 58, then feed, then 20min. 59, then 45min. 58. If that makes it any clearer…

Barb and Daphne
 
So, here's the scoop. You have 3 options:

You can continue to stall and wait until the numbers start rising.

You can shoot. It takes about 2 hours for Lantus onset to start so numbers may be rising by then. You haven't gotten very many early tests so we can't really be sure when Daphne's onset begins.

You can skip.

It's your call.
 
I think so Does this look right?

  • +12~58, fed half can of EVO 95%
    +12.3~59
    +13~58

If you haven't shot yet you just continue w/ the + number times.

So still not coming up, if you still want to try shooting tonight, retest in another 30 minutes. Right now you are seeing the overlap from the previous shot, it should start to wear off soon, but her shed could still be overly full. As you stall the shed drains and will need to be rebuilt in future cycles.
 
OK, so I think I will skip this shot. The last check a half hour ago was 60 and my husband will keep her on her regular time (for this week anyway) @ 8:30AM. Of course he will test before, and I'll probably get in a test or two tonight.

Thanks everyone for the advice and help.

I'll post with the new numbers tomorrow.

Barb and Daphne
 
If you can get a couple more tests tonight and catch when numbers start going up, you'll have a good idea of what to expect the next time you get a low pre-shot.
 
Hey Barb, I think you made a good call. 58 to 60 is really the same number and that is a long time to just sit there. Dont be discouraged if you see a bounce in the morning, Daphne's shed will be depleted and will take a little time to refill. get a good night's sleep tonight, tomorrow you shoot at your regular time, unless you want to readjust when you shoot. This is the perfect time to reset your shot time.
 
Yes, thats a good idea… just wished I had more data of what her numbers do… Now I get it, test, test, test, instead now, I'm just guessing.

Thanks,
Barb & Daphne
 
Your situation is almost an instant replay of my last couple of weeks. I bit the bullet on Monday night and shot the low number (and lived to tell about it!). Scary stuff...but Tiki took it like a trooper and probably wondered what all the extra fuss was all about! :roll:

Hang in there! You're doing great!
 
Just wondering Kismettt, what was the numbers before (I assume in the green), and then what happened after you shot the low number, did it keep going down? Oh, I'll look at your spread sheet if I can figure it out that way.

Thanks for sharing! I just tested and she was @ 65 now, so she is still going up really slow.

Barb and Daphne
 
It went down as low as 35! Oddly Tiki never acted funny in any way so I wasn't terribly worried but gave him lots of gravy and mixed karo into his regular food to bring him back up. If he had been acting funny I would have been more of a wreck but he seemed to be fine. Which makes me wonder what is normal (for the cat) and how accurate our testing devices actually are.
 
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