Newly diagnosed and overwhelmed.

Deb & Wink said:
You know your cat better than I ever will. You know Ninja's little quirks and what they mean. You are still learning to use the Vetsulin and what to do if the numbers drop low. We talked about Shoot/no shoot limit back in post #45 (back on page 1).

Here it is again though. For those just starting out giving insulin, still new to home testing, trying to then do a food change to lower carb after they are testing, we suggest a No shoot limit of 200 to start. That will change over time as you gain experience and can be lowered.

Options:
1. You can always stall the shot, and recheck in 20-30 minutes to see if BG level is rising. If you have already fed, then we'll see some food influence in the next reading.

2. You can give a token dose. Usually 1/2 or less of the normal dose. He might be high at the next pre-shot, but he'll get back on track.

3. You can skip the shot entirely.

Ninja has given you low numbers in the past and you have skipped the shot. You will skip the dose again. It's easy to start right back up with the next dosing cycle. No worries. He'll get back on track.

Remember that you took your cat Ninja on vacation with you to visit your sister over the holidays! How many people would do that? Remember that Ninja was only diagnosed 1 month ago. Remember that you put in all that effort to get not only Ninja but Smokey and Jasper eating a better low carb food. It wasn't easy to find foods they would all like and eat.

You've come a long way. You are doing well. It takes time. This is a marathon not a sprint. Tortoise vs hare.

p.s. I don't have to go to work. I'm retired. Still have to do all that normal daily stuff like grocery shopping and laundry. I would have given the normal dose, since I would have been home all day to test. In your situation, I would have given the reduced dose, half the normal amount or less IF (and it's a big IF) I knew the BG was rising with a second BG test AND I knew Ninja was eating well, had a good appetite. No I would not have given Ninja his full dose on a BG of 158 if I was not there to monitor.
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Thank you Deb for all your help and wisdom. I so appreciate your kind words and encouragement. He was high this afternoon and evening as expected. He still had a great night. We had a very enjoyable game of fetch tonight, it made me so happy to see him trot back to me with his little ball in his mouth so I could throw it again for him. A marathon not a sprint, need to make this my mantra. Thank you again. And Ninja thanks you too!
 
Ninja got a 94 last night in the middle of the cycle!!! Whoo whoo! Ninja, are you on a mission?

Thought he might be dropping lower at night. What do you think about trying to lower his dose to 0.5 U? So you can give the insulin twice a day.

I'd do the reduction, starting with the PM dose, 1/14/20.
 
@Deb & Wink With his numbers last night do you think that was a bounce? Or maybe he nibbled on some food before I woke up at 3 to check him. Or maybe it is just diabetes!! LOL. Gave him 0.5 this morning. Hoping he will be ok. Below is a picture took last night, he wanted food but it wasn't time yet!! LOL . Tough love!!
 

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Partially from the skipped shot. Which you had to do with that low AMPS. Twice (both 1/13 and 1/14). You only have so long to try the stalling technique before you head off to work.
Partially from the low numbers he has been getting.
Partially from 'bouncing'. Takes time to settle the BG's back again after bouncing. Patience.

Maybe he ate a bit before your +6 last night. Who knows for sure. Medical treatment of any type is not an exact science. Never will be. Let's see how Ninja does on this reduced dose of 0.5 and then we will reevaluate. Adding that +6 test in the PM cycle has really helped us to see what is going on.

Since Ninja is relatively new with getting insulin, a BG at nadir of 90-100 mg/dl, it's a good idea to reduce the dose. If the dose needs to go back up, that is easy to do.

p.s. What is your favorite color?
 
Deb & Wink said:
Partially from the skipped shot. Which you had to do with that low AMPS. Twice (both 1/13 and 1/14). You only have so long to try the stalling technique before you head off to work.
Partially from the low numbers he has been getting.
Partially from 'bouncing'. Takes time to settle the BG's back again after bouncing. Patience.

Maybe he ate a bit before your +6 last night. Who knows for sure. Medical treatment of any type is not an exact science. Never will be. Let's see how Ninja does on this reduced dose of 0.5 and then we will reevaluate. Adding that +6 test in the PM cycle has really helped us to see what is going on.

Since Ninja is relatively new with getting insulin, a BG at nadir of 90-100 mg/dl, it's a good idea to reduce the dose. If the dose needs to go back up, that is easy to do.

p.s. What is your favorite color?
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Ok, Thank you. Just wanted to be sure I was thinking on the right track. Purple?
 
Patience pants Dana. I wanted to give you patience pants in your favorite color.
purple patience pants.jpg
For when Ninja just isn't cooperating, Smokey is begging for food even though there is some in the dish, Jasper has curled up in the laundry basket on top of the blouse you were going to wear to work and you are ready to give up in frustration, remember to pull on your patience pants.

Treating diabetes is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time and trying different things, with dose, with the food, with learning how to test. Cats never read a "rule book" on what they should be doing during this diabetes journey. Or any other time in their life if you think about it. Their plan is there is no plan. Kind of like teenagers. Parenting is hard.

One of the many "jobs" I have done in my varied and interesting life was as a dorm parent in a high school age boarding school for the arts. While I had another full time job. Daytime, teachers and staff were the ones in charge. Shared responsibilities with 2 other people, but nighttime and every third weekend, I was the responsible adult.
 

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Hi Dana. This post is getting really long, 2 pages now. You can start a new post here and link your old post at the top.
Maybe use a more relevant title for the new post too.
 
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