Pmps 60, what insulin dosage?

[CrazyCatLady85]

Pmps tonight is 56-60 after 2 tests on both ears.
I'm updating the spreadsheet numbers now, but history has been higher numbers.

What dosage of insulin to give? Usually we do 8.

I'm definitely going to check bs in an hour or two, and hover over tons for th me evening to make sure we're ok

 

[Sharon14]

Do not give insulin. If you’re using the alphatrac meter you’re actually in hypo range and should get another test to be sure he’s not still dropping.
Looking at your SS, it’s hard to tell what’s going on without any midcycle tests. He will probably hi in the AM. Have you posted in the prozinc forum? I’ll tag a couple prozinc users to help you @Djamila @Rachel

 

[CrazyCatLady85]

Hi Sharon, thanks for the reply. By mid-cycle test, do you mean the bs 6 hours after shots?

We're very very good at getting food/shot at the same exact time every day (AM and PM) It would not be possible to do the halfway testing at least once daily since both hubs and I are at work and difficult for the late night one since its sleep time.

 

[Sharon14]

Yes any tests you can get during the cycle will show us how well the insulin is working. Some cats drop low during the cycle then bounce back up to high numbers by the next shot. Also if you can cut out the Natures Recipe dry food that may help. Although it’s grain free it’s not low carb. If you need a dry there are better options.

 

[FurBabiesMama]

I second that what Sharon said! No insulin on 56-60, and that is actually within the range consider hypo when using AlphaTrak. So, I would test a gain in maybe 20 minutes and be prepared to give carbs/syrup if needed if it drops any more.

Without any tests taken between shots (mid-cycle tests), you cannot see what impact the insulin is having. I see that the vet changed the dose to 8u back in October. Was a curve or something done to decide that?

 

[Callie & Patches]

Try to get some extra tests on the days you are off work. It's important to have some idea how low the BG might get at it's midpoint once in a while.

 

[Rachel]

Whoa definitely no insulin with that preshot! Good news is that with no shot, you can take the night off and relax and not worry about him. He might be high in the morning, but that's okay. Please feel free to post in the ProZinc forum in the AM and we'll be happy to take a look at his preshot to help you figure out a good dose.

Yes, any tests you can get are great. I would frequently get a +2 or +3 in the evenings since I couldn't stay up all night to test. And then if I happened to wake up in the middle of the night, I'd run downstairs to grab one sometimes. I'd usually get a halfway point test at least one day of the weekend. You just gotta work with what you've got and get what tests you can...any data is good data!

 

[CrazyCatLady85]

Thanks ladies.

2 hours after food, and his number is up to 100

I see that the vet changed the dose to 8u back in October. Was a curve or something done to decide that?

The vet was working up the dosage - small increases - after his hypo episode. We have a few more weeks at this dosage before recalculation occurs.

Try to get some extra tests on the days you are off work

This is much much easier said than done. Both hubs and I work 2 jobs, and have no days off. I have structured my life around the 530am/530pm shot every single day. My husbands job doesnt allow him to be reliably home (which is why no kids!)

Also if you can cut out the Natures Recipe dry food that may help. Although it’s grain free it’s not low carb.

This is the only dry he will tolerate. It has to be grain free bc of his skin allergies. And he has to have some type of dry, because the others do and "monkey see monkey do"

And then if I happened to wake up in the middle of the night, I'd run downstairs to grab one sometimes. I'd usually get a halfway point test at least one day of the weekend.

yeah i can barely function enough to go to the bathroom mid sleep. I am pretty sure I would epically fail at trying bs shenanigans while not fully awake!

 

[Djamila]

Sorry I'm late! Looks like the original question has already been sorted. So onto the other things: I'm not great at middle of the night tests either. Also, +6 isn't needed every day - it's actually better to get a scattering of testing times. My cat most often hits nadir at +3, so it can vary by cat. So maybe one day you grab a +2, another day a +9, another day a +4 and +5, another day....and on and on. Some days you'll just get AM/PMPS times. Other cycles you might be able to grab an extra test here or there. And maybe DH can grab a test at random times when he's able to come home. If you look at a few of our spreadsheets, you'll see how they get scattered around. 4 tests/day is great, but even three can be helpful.

Based on the PS numbers, it's possible that the dose is too high right now....or....the other cause of numbers like that is the carb content in the food since carbs cause instability in the BG. Both of my cats were kibble addicts when Sam was first diagnosed. It was quite the process to transition them to low-carb food because they didn't recognize wet food as being a food source right away. If you decide at some point that you'd like to transition your kitties, it is possible and lots of folks here have gone through it and can help with strategies. It takes awhile, but if you decide you want to do it, we're here to help.

If you don't want to change the food, we can still certainly help with dosing, it just makes it a little harder to predict the results .

Oh, and here is the link to the Prozinc forum: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/prozinc-pzi.24/ if you want to post in there with prozinc-y type questions!

 

[Sharon14]

It’s great that you’re getting the shots in at 12 hour mark! Would it be possible to get a test just before you leave in the AM, and one right before bed at least occasionally? That would go a long way to figuring out if your cat is dropping lower than you think and bouncing up.
As for the food, is the dry Free fed or just at shot time? I know about the monkey see syndrome, I have several cats and it took me quite awhile to get the feeding schedule sorted, but I now have Colin on wet food only and the other cats get wet and a couple times a day I lock them in the bedroom with some dry so they get their dry fix. There are also a couple of grain free dry foods that are low carb, Dr Elseys and Young Again Zero Mature. Both companies will send free samples if you request them.

 

[Rachel]

If you can't function at night when you happen to be up, then definitely don't worry about testing then! The last thing we want is a zombie-fied bean attempting a test.

We definitely aren't trying to be pushy about testing...I know how tough it can be when you both work a lot and can never be sure when you're home. Honestly ANYTHING you can do on any days you can get it will help. I used to usually get just the preshots each day...and then the occasional before bed test. It doesn't have to be every day, and it doesn't have to be the same time every day, but anything you can do WHEN you can is helpful. I only push at this because we always base dose on how low the shot takes our kitties...so the preshot is only half the puzzle. If we don't have a bit of data just to show us what's going on mid cycle, we can't really assess how well it's working. But honestly, don't stress about it. Do what you can when you can.