? May 19, Sinatra, Worried (Lantus increased 4 days ago)

[Gabrielle H.]

Thanks to those that replied to my FB post earlier. Can some of you look at Sinatra's updated spreadsheet? His "600" reading this morning REALLY shook me up. Waking with an astronomical migraine making me nauseus didn't help my ability to manage my emotions about it that's for sure.

We upped his Lantus on the evening of the 15th to 1.5 2x day.

I didn't know about "post insulin increasing wonky BG numbers" until this morning. What is that about? Is there something specific I should read about that?

Also - for now anyway - doing every 2-3 hour readings daily is not working for the well being of the cats or us. We can do 1x weekly curves - but testing round the clock isn't something achievable for now. Maybe when things calm down. Given that - are curves what ya'll do weekly? I thought in the beginning I was being encouraged to check blood sugars every few hours EVERY day. Maybe I misunderstood in my worry.

Additionally - we have no follow up appt with. his vet or any vet as I'm trying to decide if we should change.

Help. Thanks.

 

[tiffmaxee]

You don’t need to test around the clock but you do need at least one test after PMPS. Many cats drop lower at night and Lantus is dosed based upon how low it takes the cat. Often a +2 lets you know if it will be an active cycle. Since you are following SLGS you only need a curve every 7 days and some spot checks.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

I didn't know about "post insulin increasing wonky BG numbers" until this morning. What is that about? Is there something specific I should read about that?

It's called New Dose Wonkiness and we don't know why it happens but often, in the first 1 or 2 cycles after an increase in dose, the numbers go up (when logic tells you they should go down)...but he's been on the 1.5 dose long enough that there's no NDW going on now.

Also - for now anyway - doing every 2-3 hour readings daily is not working for the well being of the cats or us. We can do 1x weekly curves - but testing round the clock isn't something achievable for now. Maybe when things calm down. Given that - are curves what ya'll do weekly? I thought in the beginning I was being encouraged to check blood sugars every few hours EVERY day. Maybe I misunderstood in my worry.

Since you're now feeding dry, that means you can only do the Start Low, Go Slow dosing method. (which you should add to your "Signature"...just add SLGS somewhere)

If at all possible, you should get at least 1 test somewhere mid-cycle on the AM cycle (between +5 and +7 usually) and when you can, it'd be helpful to get tests sprinkled around at other points but it's not required. (but there's no such thing as too much data either)

Then on the PM cycle, it's very important to get at least a "before bed" test...usually around +2/+3. That test can often give you an "early warning" if he might be dropping lower overnight (where you would really need to set an alarm) but that's not going to happen every night.

Once a week, you will need to do a full curve...test every 2 hours for 12 hours or every 3 hours for 18 hours. This usually ends up being after the cat has been on the same dose for 7 days but not always. Once the curve is done, we can help you decide if you need to increase and by how much and then the next week starts.

If at any time you get a test where he drops below 90, he "earns" a reduction in dose so his next shot would be reduced by .25 unit.

Hang in there! We know how head-spinning this disease can be, but you can do this! We're all here to help!

 

[Gabrielle H.]

It's called New Dose Wonkiness and we don't know why it happens but often, in the first 1 or 2 cycles after an increase in dose, the numbers go up (when logic tells you they should go down)...but he's been on the 1.5 dose long enough that there's no NDW going on now.



Since you're now feeding dry, that means you can only do the Start Low, Go Slow dosing method. (which you should add to your "Signature"...just add SLGS somewhere)

If at all possible, you should get at least 1 test somewhere mid-cycle on the AM cycle (between +5 and +7 usually) and when you can, it'd be helpful to get tests sprinkled around at other points but it's not required. (but there's no such thing as too much data either)

Then on the PM cycle, it's very important to get at least a "before bed" test...usually around +2/+3. That test can often give you an "early warning" if he might be dropping lower overnight (where you would really need to set an alarm) but that's not going to happen every night.

Once a week, you will need to do a full curve...test every 2 hours for 12 hours or every 3 hours for 18 hours. This usually ends up being after the cat has been on the same dose for 7 days but not always. Once the curve is done, we can help you decide if you need to increase and by how much and then the next week starts.

If at any time you get a test where he drops below 90, he "earns" a reduction in dose so his next shot would be reduced by .25 unit.

Hang in there! We know how head-spinning this disease can be, but you can do this! We're all here to help!

______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you so much- I have added SLGS to my siggy.
I'll have my daughter get a before bed number tonight for sure.
We have done a few curves from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. - but I thought I read somewhere that that wasn't enough to do a curve. I feel like I stay confused. LOL
His numbers are so high we are no where NEAR that low but we are paying close attention.Thank you so much!

 

[Gabrielle H.]

You don’t need to test around the clock but you do need at least one test after PMPS. Many cats drop lower at night and Lantus is dosed based upon how low it takes the cat. Often a +2 lets you know if it will be an active cycle. She nice you are following SLGS yiu only need a curve every 7 days and some spot checks.

What is an "active" cycle? Thx.

 

[tiffmaxee]

An active cycle is one where he might move into lower numbers. You would want to get a test later in the cycle, around +5-7 to see how low the dose takes him because dosing is based upon that. You might also need to feed him to keep him from going under 50. While falling under 90 will earn a reduction it’s not too low. You just don’t want him hanging out under 50 for too long.