Max's SS since we first started

Status
Not open for further replies.
MayBTheresHope

MayBTheresHope

Member
Hi Everyone,

I'm a newbie and I just wanted to post Max's SS chart since we started with the testing on my AlphaTrak. The first few days, I only tested at night during feeding. The past couple of days, I've tried to test more often. I am confused about the eating part, though. Should we test before they eat anything or after (or both). I have been testing him after he has had a bit to eat, but the day before yesterday, I tested before he at his breakfast and got a lower than usual number. Yesterday, things got hectic and I forgot to test him before he ate breakfast, so that reading is higher obviously. Please take a look at his chart and tell me what you all think. It is linked below.
 
You always want to get the amps and pmps before food, and don't feed after +10 so the food doesn't show up in the numbers. Dose is always based on a non food influence pre shot with this insulin.

My only concern is that your dose is a little high to start, normally starting dose would be .5-1u. Don't know if anyone has discussed this with you. So far it doesn't look like you're getting much of a drop midcycle, you will want to get tests at +6 at least whenever is possible (even at night, it stinks but set an alarm).

Do not give insulin if your preshot is below 200. If you run into this come online and ask for help.

And Welcome!

Cathy
 
Hey, you made it over here! Welcome! We are a much smaller forum than Health and are usually busiest in the am and pm. But everyone has had experience with ProZinc or PZI and can help.

Your spreadsheet looks pretty good for a beginning diabetic. Looks like you use an AlphaTrak - good info to have since we usually figure it runs about 30 points lower than human meters. He seems lower in the am than the pm. It could be he has lower numbers at night - that can be fairly common. Sometimes it is the lower activity level at night or that the difference in the feeding schedule. Some night when you can, set the alarm for around +6 and see where he is. If he is going pretty low at night, that might better explain the flatter numbers during the day.

The best system is to test before feeding because food can elevate blood glucose numbers within 20 -30 minutes for some cats. So our mantra is test, feed and shoot. Lots of people shoot while the cat nose is deep in the food dish and they don't notice. How often and what do you feed? Most of us find smaller, frequent meals help the insulin work best. Other cats do well with the two meals a day and maybe a snack near nadir. Depends on the cats; so many things do, so the more you learn about how Max reacts to different foods, schedules and doses, the more you can help him.

Welcome! Keep checking in for more responses, particularly late afternoon EDT.
 
Welcome, Sandy -

We're still fairly new here, too, but it seems we've been here forever. Glad you found our little group. :smile: Sue's right, it's usually busiest first thing in the morning and then the evening, but there are those of us who are either home during the day or check from work, so you can usually find someone around should you need something.

Start low - Go slow - has been really beneficial for us because it seems Hershey is sensitive to those low doses. Until recently, we would test/feed/shoot (while he's eating) and test at +6 (more if we thought something was going on or whatever). We started a TID trial today, so all of that is out the window and I won't confuse you with what we're trying now. :lol: We didn't feed after +6 (or +9 on that rare occasion) to make sure it was all gone before we tested for the next shot.

There are a great bunch of people here! So, again - WELCOME and I look forward to getting to know you and Max.

Libby (and Hershey, too!)
 
Catannc said:
My only concern is that your dose is a little high to start, normally starting dose would be .5-1u. Don't know if anyone has discussed this with you.
Click to expand...

Hi Cathy,

We were on 1.0u for a week before I got the meter, so we did not start out that high. My vet also did a BG curve at his office all day the day that the meter arrived and I continued that evening. Our readings were between 315-387; hence vet wanted me to increase the dosage of insulin. He wanted me to go up to 2.0u, but I only increased to 1.5u until I tried the 2.0u two nights ago. We woke up the next morning to a low 217 number AMPS (which was before he had eaten anything), so that is when I increased the testing frequency and dropped back to 1.5u. I'm just wondering when I would need to try to increase again....even just to 1.75u. Vet is adament that he needs more and really wants me on 2u. I'm just scared to do that. Any thoughts?

Everybody, thanks so much for clarification on the feeding/shot schedule. I figured testing was supposed to be premeal. I have been testing as I feed him, so my readings are all probably still okay. Max and I were both super stressed the first few times I used the meter on him, so maybe that made his initial numbers higher. I can't tell you how many time I had to poke his poor ears, to no avail. Sigh. This morning and afternoon, he sat on my lap and I petted him for the longest time before I poked him and got blood in one and two pokes. That was a vast improvement and he didn't even seem to know that I was doing anything to him. Maybe all will be better from here on out. I hate poking and prodding him so much! One final note, I have been feeding him 3-4 cans of FF classics 3-4 times during the day. Still trying to figure out the eating schedule.
 
Right now I would not give more insulin than the 1.5. Just keep getting tests to see what happens, I know the vet ran a curve-but that is only how your cat did for one cycle of one day on that dose. What if he was bouncing the day of the curve? That's why daily testing at home is better, you're looking for a pattern not a one time event. Also we recommend the "start low and go slow" approach because it is safer to work your way from the bottom of the dosing scale up.

Check out my ss if you want to see what .5u/1u can do if the dose is too high, and my vet wanted me to increase and not test!

Cathy
 
Hi and Welcome Sandy and Max,

The testing definately gets easier as you go along and find the position and treats that work the best for you two.

Good job on the spreadsheet.

I'm going to agree with Cathy. A curve done at the vet clinic is usually stressfull for kitties so the results in bg's are higher. With Prozinc we expect to see a smile curve during each cycle but you aren't getting a smile, at best it's flat.

Since you are just starting out I would start over and begin at .5u, from there you can increase in small increments to make sure that you don't miss the right dose along the way.

Looking forward to getting to know you.

Robin
 
I certainly wouldn't increase the dose at this point - not till you have more data. He is in safe numbers but we need to watch those midcycle numbers to make sure he stays safe. It is always easy to increase as the number guide you, but you can't get the insulin out of the cat if you give too much!

I know vets think people will worry too much if they test often. For me, the testing was always a relief because I knew he was in safe numbers, and I knew the dose I planned to give would be safe.
 
Here is a prelim test, feed, shoot schedule for Max. I wish it could be tighter, but our lives are in total chaos at the moment and this is about the best I can do. Feedback, please?

Max Schedule​
Test, Feed (1 can FF), Shoot (AMPS) 7:30-8:30am
Test/Feed (1/2 can FF) 12:30-1:30pm (+4 to +6 hrs AMPS)
Feed (1/2 Can FF) 4:30pm
NO FOOD BETWEEN AFTER 5:30PM UNTIL AFTER PMPS​
Test, Feed (1/2 can DM), Shoot (PMPS) 7:30-8:30pm
Feed (1/2 can DM) 11:00pm
Test 1:30-2:30am (+5 to +7 hrs PMPS)
NO FOOD BETWEEN AFTER 5:30AM UNTIL AFTER AMPS​
 
Looks good!


I really do advocate starting over on the dose too, as Robin said you are not getting a curve that suggest this dose is behaving correctly and it's much safer (and quicker in the long run) to go back to the beginning and test increasing doses to make sure you're not skipping past the ideal dose. Too much and too little insulin can look the same sometimes.

I know that you expect the vet to always know what is best....but here we see way too often that is not the case. My vet would have killed my cat eventually, told me there was no change at remission, and yet 4 weeks after I dumped her and used the resources here my cat went into remission.

Cathy
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top