Peanut out of the 400's and into the Blue's dosing question

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Sieden

Member Since 2016
Peanut usually hovers around in the 200's but obviously I've been wanting to get him into the blue for awhile. He recently had that dry food pig out episode but now I've gotten him out of the 400's and down into the blue. I've been checking him all day and you can see his spreadsheet. Should I continue to give 2 units again tonight? I'm a little worried because I'll be asleep and not awake to check him like I did today. I can do a check before I go to bed and if I wake up in the middle of the night which I usually do at least twice, should I go for it?
 
Your shot times seem to be all over the place. Are you shooting every 12 hours?
no I haven't been because I'm in the middle of moving and I'm lucky sometimes if I get to shoot at all I just happened to be able to get both shots in today at the 12 hour mark

Movers were supposed to be here tomorrow so it's turbo time. I pushed them off until the day after tomorrow (the 28th) but I still have a lot to do and I'm finding it hard to keep up.

Peanut went up into the 400's because my ex gave him dry food before he moved out a few days ago in case you didn't know.
 
Well I just tested him and he's continuing to go down but it's been several hours since he's eaten. I put food out earlier and then left to go take some boxes to the house and forgot to feed him when I got back. I don't know if the number is because of not eating or not, it's been about 4 hours. My gut is telling me to only give him 1.25 units. I want to keep him in the blue but I know that the move isn't over and I'm going to probably miss more shots so I have to be rational in this and think of his safety. I'm due to shoot in about 30 minutes.
 
I tested him about 15 minutes after eating and he went from 143 to 147 so I just gave him 1 unit, we'll see what happens here in a little bit
 
If you are able to monitor tonight, I would have recommended going with the current dose, but I see you did a BCS. Keep in mind that, even though you gave less insulin, the depot will step in and could affect Peanut's numbers tonight. One of our favorite sayings here is "shoot low to stay low" - often, when you shoot a lower number, the cat will surf - stay in the same number range all cycle.

I'm sorry, despite asking, you didn't get any input before you shot, but Peanut should recover from the reduced dose fairly quickly if you go back to the current dose in the morning. You have to do what you are most comfortable with. Hopefully your life will calm back down soon and you will be able to give him the same dose consistently. Hang in there!
 
If you are able to monitor tonight, I would have recommended going with the current dose, but I see you did a BCS. Keep in mind that, even though you gave less insulin, the depot will step in and could affect Peanut's numbers tonight. One of our favorite sayings here is "shoot low to stay low" - often, when you shoot a lower number, the cat will surf - stay in the same number range all cycle.

I'm sorry, despite asking, you didn't get any input before you shot, but Peanut should recover from the reduced dose fairly quickly if you go back to the current dose in the morning. You have to do what you are most comfortable with. Hopefully your life will calm back down soon and you will be able to give him the same dose consistently. Hang in there!
I was hoping to keep him low so I was thinking in my mind the "shoot low to stay low" but I didn't know if it was safe. Considering that I just shot him less than an hour ago, I'll go ahead and give him 1 unit more. I have plenty of high carb wet food here to give him in case there should be trouble and I'll get up and check him in the middle of the night. I have been trying to get him out of the 200's for a awhile now and even when I was consistent he just didn't respond so this may be my chance to make it happen.

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I just checked him and he was already up to 197 so I went ahead with the extra 1 unit. I think that he will be fine.
 
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I was hoping to keep him low so I was thinking in my mind the "shoot low to stay low" but I didn't know if it was safe.
Any time you shoot a lower number than you are used to, we recommend monitoring more closely. As long as you do that, it should be safe.

Just for future reference, we don't usually recommend shooting a second dose, even such a short time after the first. I didn't mean to make you feel that you made a mistake in shooting a reduced dose - just wanted to share my thoughts. We like to say "you hold the syringe", which means it's your cat and you are there and you know what you are comfortable doing.

Keep in mind there will be another, later nadir from the second shot. Don't know when you are going to bed, but I would be sure to get up and check at no later than +5 from the original shot, and again at +6 - that will tell you if you need to test further. It's already the "middle of the night", isn't it? I would for sure get another test before you turn in.
 
Okay, I didn't know that I shouldn't do the second shot, I thought that since it was so close that it would be okay. I think that I should just start being more confident in myself. I even pulled up the TR protocol sheets before I gave him his insulin. Everything told me to shoot him at 2 units according to the rules but I'm just not used to it yet and it felt wrong so I just fell right back into my old pattern of changing doses on the fly and when you said "shoot low to stay low" and I had already been thinking that, I couldn't ignore it so I loaded up the second dose. I hope that it will work and since you told me not to be giving 2 shots from now on I've learned from this experience. Please know that if the time had been spread out any further I would not have given that second shot.

You're right, it is the middle of the night, I was up all day and I should have been well asleep by now but I have not even touched the pillow yet and I still need a shower.

I just tested him at +3 and his number was 215. Yesterday his numbers kept going down, down, down and now suddenly up. I don't know when nadir #1 is going to hit but I'm watching out for it. I'm going to shower and then test again. He's NOT happy with the number of pokes today and I feel bad for him but I know that it's for his own good. Thank you for helping me.
 
Hey Sieden, gosh what a night and a busy time for you. Moving is an awful experience even it the best of circumstances. This FD stuff is hard on the nerves and we have all made mistakes in the dance. Giving a second shot is never advised because as you mentioned above you will be dealing with two nadirs. Glad you are able to monitor and keep posting for help and asking questions. We will help you all we can. And good luck with the move. :bighug:
 
Hey Bobbie, hey Lizzie.
Yeah I had no idea that the second shot would be such a big deal if it was with in an hour of the first one. I wish that I had just gone with what the protocol said and dosed 2 units but I was scared that I would kill him.
I will be able to keep you guys updated for awhile but at some time I will have to go to sleep. It's now the 27th and I have the movers coming on the 28th and I still have a ton of stuff to do. It would seem that I should just do it now but let me tell you lol... I've been up since 12pm on the 26th so.... yeah I need some sleep unless I'm gonna suddenly pick up a drug habit and that's not going to happen lol. I still have yet to get into the shower, about to do that in a few minutes and then I'll check Peanut when I get out and we'll go from there.
 
OMG I never even made it that far, I was sitting here at my computer waiting for the next time to test and before I knew it I was waking up here at my computer desk. I slept the entire night sitting straight up. It doesn't completely surprise me though, I've done it before. I've also sleep drove and sleep cooked.

Good thing is that Peanut is still alive this morning and he's still in the blue. Number was 153 so I went ahead and shot 2 units. I'll check through the day.
 
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I was waking up here at my computer desk. I slept the entire night sitting straight up
Poor thing. How long until you are settled? (Relatively speaking) :p

You could reduce the dose to easy that stress. I know several have done it here when they have to go out of town for work/vacation and then once you are moved go back to this dose. If you are interested change your title and ask for dosing advise. I am sure someone could help.
 
The movers will be here tomorrow 28th sometime between 1pm and 3pm. I have a very large bathroom with a huge walk-in closet attached that I plan to let the cats stay for the duration of the time that the movers are here. When 3pm rolls around I'll be dosing Peanut and my friend will be guiding the movers. I won't be able to get any spot checks in during that time but chances are that his numbers would run higher due to stress so I'm less concerned. After we get everything moved into the new house we're going to come right back over here and pick up the cats and their boxes to take them to the new house. The next day I'll come back to the apartment to lightly clean and turn in the keys then I'm done. I'll be over this turbo portion in a few days and I can relax. It will still take a few weeks to a month to settle in and unpack, I like to do that stuff slowly but I won't be stressed during that part. I'm almost over the stressful part so I'm going to stick it out with Peanut and hope that I can continue to see these blues.
 
well dang it, I know I didn't get to see what happened during the cycle last night or during the day today but I did get in 1 last night and it was in the yellow and then 1 in today which was at +7 and the # was 135 so I had really good expectations. I picked up his plate of food at midnight tonight and then checked him at 3am and his number was 257, I don't get it.

OHHH I guess I should mention just IN CASE this might be having an effect on him. I ran out of his raw food that I usually blend into his canned food. So he is eating a little bit of a higher carb now. Here's the difference. The raw food has 2.5 carbs and I think the canned food has 5 carbs, it's Friskies pate turkey and giblets. I usually blend the 2 at a 50% ratio so he's getting only 2.5 carbs either way you look at it but now he's getting 5 carbs. Do you think that could be making a difference?
 
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He just isn't used to the lower numbers and his body reacted by bouncing him a bit higher, perfectly normal. The bouncing should lessen over time (should). I think you are fine on the food. If it does raise his BG a bit just consider it your safety cushion while you finish this move.

I don't envy you at all. I hate moving. Only positive is, it isn't August and 100* with 98% humidity :bighug:
 
He just isn't used to the lower numbers and his body reacted by bouncing him a bit higher, perfectly normal. The bouncing should lessen over time (should). I think you are fine on the food. If it does raise his BG a bit just consider it your safety cushion while you finish this move.

I don't envy you at all. I hate moving. Only positive is, it isn't August and 100* with 98% humidity :bighug:
Okay thank you for the reassurance. I have some raw food waiting for him at the pet store, they ordered it for me. I'll go pick it up on the 29th.
I do expect his numbers to be a little raised today because he's going to be locked in my bathroom with his brother but they'll be able to hear people moving around and doing stuff. There will be 3 other men in my house and I'm sure that they will be pretty freaked out so just that stress alone will increase his number but I'll keep in mind that it's not like a true number so I can just carry on.

I don't envy myself either lol but thanks for the hug, I can use all the hugs that I can get right now. The NIGHT before last I walked outside and it felt like I was walking into an oven, it was awful. I checked my phone to see how hot it was and it was only 80 but said "80 but feels like 92" and I said "sure but I bet that the damn humidity is like 80% or something" and I checked and it was only 35%
I swear, as a woman, the older I get the more I hate this weather :bighug:
 
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