New to diabetes- first week of testing question

[CassWTribby]

hi there,

I am very new to this! I was able to get BGT last night it was 14.1 and
I gave 1 u of caninsulin. This morning - 12 hours later- her BGT showed 16, I gave the 1 u of caninsulin. She is also on medication for the diarrhea she has had for several weeks. An antibiotic and a dewormer, both liquid, both once a day. She has 2 days left. She is on WD canned 2 x a day and ID pellets free fed. She has lost some weight so my vet recommended she eat whenever she wanted of the pellet.
I am hoping to test tonight before bed to get a 3 Rd result and one closer to her injection.

My question is:
How long before her glucose level will come down and hopefully stay down?
Should I increase the caninsulin based on her glucose level now or wait a week or so?
Will the diarrhea be relieved when her blood sugar goes down or does her diarrhea need to be gone in order for her blood sugar to go down?

My vet wasn't sure but wants me to finish the oral meds.

Her blood glucose tests are MUCH easier now with all your great tips. Thanks again everyone!

Cass and Tribby

 

[Kris & Teasel]

How long before her glucose level will come down and hopefully stay down?

That's called regulation and it can happen quickly for some cats but takes longer in most others. The important thing for now is to follow a good testing routine and log the data. Would you be willing to set up the spreadsheet we use here? After there's a lot of data on it, more experienced people can look at it to see what's going on and offer advice.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/

Should I increase the caninsulin based on her glucose level now or wait a week or so?

No, you need to accumulate data on how this dose is working. So far you know she's high-ish when you test before feeding and injecting. What you don't know is how low she's going in the middle of a cycle (the 12 hours between shots). That low point is called the nadir and is one of the key reference points needed to evaluate a dose. When you have a day at home, aim to test BG at +3, +5 and +7 at this dose. These time designations mean 3 hours after a dose, 5 hours after a dose, etc. We don't use actual clock times because members are in many different time zones.

Caninsulin acts quickly to drop the pre-feeding BG down to the lowest point. The nadir can happen anywhere in the +4 to +6 range and then the BG slowly rises as the insulin gets used up. That's called the duration of a dose. Caninsulin generally has 8 to 10 hours of duration in cats. If you were to make a graph of BG values over a 12 hour cycle, it would give you a curve shaped like a smile. The goal is to get a symmetrical smile that isn't too deep or too high on the ends. Make sense? Ends that are around 11 or 12 mmol/mL BG and a bottom (nadir) around 5 or 6 mmol/mL are great. If that was sustained over time with the same dose, that's regulation.

Will the diarrhea be relieved when her blood sugar goes down or does her diarrhea need to be gone in order for her blood sugar to go down?

Hard to say. Any number of other issues can affect BG. The main factors that will affect BG levels in a positive direction are: 1. removing all dry food and feeding low carb wet food and 2. finding a good dose of insulin.

 

[CassWTribby]

Thank you!
I am recording her levels but do not have a computer at home right now. I am going to print a copy of the spreadsheet at the library and hopefully use it that way. Bad ice storm here yesterday so I couldn't get out after work.
The challenge right now is my work day is a long one. 10-12 hrs typically. I get up early to test/treat before I go. I'm going to try a test before bed- 3 hrs after her injection to see if her BGL is down. It's only day 3 since diagnosis.

Thanks!!

 

[Kris & Teasel]

Thank you!
I am recording her levels but do not have a computer at home right now. I am going to print a copy of the spreadsheet at the library and hopefully use it that way. Bad ice storm here yesterday so I couldn't get out after work.
The challenge right now is my work day is a long one. 10-12 hrs typically. I get up early to test/treat before I go. I'm going to try a test before bed- 3 hrs after her injection to see if her BGL is down. It's only day 3 since diagnosis.

Thanks!!

On workdays, a before your bedtime test is good to do and then fill in the testing gaps on the weekend or whenever you're off.

 

[JanetNJ]

Thank you!
I am recording her levels but do not have a computer at home right now. I am going to print a copy of the spreadsheet at the library and hopefully use it that way. Bad ice storm here yesterday so I couldn't get out after work.
The challenge right now is my work day is a long one. 10-12 hrs typically. I get up early to test/treat before I go. I'm going to try a test before bed- 3 hrs after her injection to see if her BGL is down. It's only day 3 since diagnosis.

Thanks!!

The spreadsheet can be done on a smart phone or tablet as well. You just would need to download Google Sheets.