Sarah and Baby
Member
My mom is testing sugars and she says that when she got there today, Baby hadn't eaten all day and her blood sugar was 125. What should I do? Also, just upped her dose this morning
PMPS is 125, mom reports not eating. Shoot?
- Thread starter Sarah and Baby
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C
Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)
Guest
Sarah
did she get any other tests during the day? Any idea how low she went?
carl
did she get any other tests during the day? Any idea how low she went?
carl
Sarah and Baby
Member
no my mom is not at the same house as the cat and she works all day.
C
Carl & Polly & Bob (GA)
Guest
Sarah, what time was her shot suppsosed to be? Has Mom given you any more test data since your first post?
Carl
Carl
julie & punkin (ga)
Very Active Member
hi sarah!
i see that you just switched over to lantus 2 weeks ago. you're going to have to learn how to "do" insulin a different way from Humulin. Lantus is a slower acting insulin and the effects linger longer than Humulin. Its actions are significantly different in the cat's body as well.
We do a minimum of 3 tests per cycle with lantus - the preshot numbers are so we know it's safe to give insulin. the midcycle numbers tell us how the insulin is really working on baby's body. really all of the dosing decisions are based upon the low point (nadir) in the cycle. different cats nadir at different times, and even the same cat might have the nadir slide around, but in general, the nadir is somewhere around +5-+7.
So with Humulin, my understanding is you shoot based upon the preshot number - you have to mentally switch to basing your dose now upon the mid-cycle number, making those tests very critical. does that make sense?
also, for people who don't have a lot of data, we recommend you not shoot under 150 or 200, depending on your comfort zone, how much data you have on how your cat responds to lantus, and whether or not you've got strips and high carb food and are going to be home to monitor your kitty. Here's the information on shooting & handling low numbers:
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=147
here are some other essential posts for you to help you learn how to use lantus. This is the Lantus Support Group main page - the starred stickies at the top of the section will be really helpful to you. Start with the "New to Lantus/Levemir" and go from there!
One more point - because of Lantus' gentler action, the obvious signs of hypoglycemia are sometimes not present until a cat falls into the critical range. my own cat has been at 32 with zero signs of hypo. the only way you know is by testing. Also, Lantus requires consistency - every skipped shot or changed dose causes "wonky" numbers that can take up to 3 days to settle down. we try to stay pretty close to that 12hr/12hr shots to help the Lantus work best.
i'm concerned that you shot a 97 and aren't getting mid-cycle tests. Baby could be going critically low mid-cycle and bouncing high by the preshot time - that does happen! so please get some tests in their mid-cycle and come on over to the Lantus Support Group so we can help you help Baby! We can also teach your mom, or be a resource for her, so that she understands how it all works.
edited to fix my error re: humulin insulin.
i see that you just switched over to lantus 2 weeks ago. you're going to have to learn how to "do" insulin a different way from Humulin. Lantus is a slower acting insulin and the effects linger longer than Humulin. Its actions are significantly different in the cat's body as well.
We do a minimum of 3 tests per cycle with lantus - the preshot numbers are so we know it's safe to give insulin. the midcycle numbers tell us how the insulin is really working on baby's body. really all of the dosing decisions are based upon the low point (nadir) in the cycle. different cats nadir at different times, and even the same cat might have the nadir slide around, but in general, the nadir is somewhere around +5-+7.
So with Humulin, my understanding is you shoot based upon the preshot number - you have to mentally switch to basing your dose now upon the mid-cycle number, making those tests very critical. does that make sense?
also, for people who don't have a lot of data, we recommend you not shoot under 150 or 200, depending on your comfort zone, how much data you have on how your cat responds to lantus, and whether or not you've got strips and high carb food and are going to be home to monitor your kitty. Here's the information on shooting & handling low numbers:
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=147
here are some other essential posts for you to help you learn how to use lantus. This is the Lantus Support Group main page - the starred stickies at the top of the section will be really helpful to you. Start with the "New to Lantus/Levemir" and go from there!
One more point - because of Lantus' gentler action, the obvious signs of hypoglycemia are sometimes not present until a cat falls into the critical range. my own cat has been at 32 with zero signs of hypo. the only way you know is by testing. Also, Lantus requires consistency - every skipped shot or changed dose causes "wonky" numbers that can take up to 3 days to settle down. we try to stay pretty close to that 12hr/12hr shots to help the Lantus work best.
i'm concerned that you shot a 97 and aren't getting mid-cycle tests. Baby could be going critically low mid-cycle and bouncing high by the preshot time - that does happen! so please get some tests in their mid-cycle and come on over to the Lantus Support Group so we can help you help Baby! We can also teach your mom, or be a resource for her, so that she understands how it all works.
edited to fix my error re: humulin insulin.
julie & punkin (ga)
Very Active Member
sarah, fyi, people also answered your post in the lantus forum: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=50217
Vicky & Gandalf (GA) & Murrlin
Very Active Member
Just to clarify, Sarah was probably giving Humulin N previously, not R. R is for emergency purposes only and not usually for daily diabetes glucose management.
And I believe her spreadsheet shows she did not give insulin on the 97 preshot. The 97 preshot also occurred because the previous shot had been given at +10, not because of too much insulin.
At initial diagnosis, Baby had ketones in her urine, so it is not advisable to continue skipping insulin. A reduced dose should be considered on lower preshots, rather than skipping the shot.
Sarah works a difficult schedule. She has received assistance for that by a customized schedule I created in order to keep her shots to as close to 12/12 scheduling as possible. She will have to get up at 3AM in the morning sometimes to give shots in order to accomplish that. We have brought up the need for more midcycle testing. She is NOT at home right now, so the pressing issue is merely what she should do about low preshots when her mom is the one giving the shots until she comes home.
And I believe her spreadsheet shows she did not give insulin on the 97 preshot. The 97 preshot also occurred because the previous shot had been given at +10, not because of too much insulin.
At initial diagnosis, Baby had ketones in her urine, so it is not advisable to continue skipping insulin. A reduced dose should be considered on lower preshots, rather than skipping the shot.
Sarah works a difficult schedule. She has received assistance for that by a customized schedule I created in order to keep her shots to as close to 12/12 scheduling as possible. She will have to get up at 3AM in the morning sometimes to give shots in order to accomplish that. We have brought up the need for more midcycle testing. She is NOT at home right now, so the pressing issue is merely what she should do about low preshots when her mom is the one giving the shots until she comes home.
julie & punkin (ga)
Very Active Member
thanks for the info, vicky. someone pm'd & asked me to come and help her - i didn't know all of that. Sounds like it's a tricky situation.
Ronnie & Luna
Very Active Member
Perhaps a suggestion, maybe she can add the key info to her signature, "bean has a custom shot/work schedule" something like that,
because she is posting in up to 3 forums and not everyone is aware of the custom plan much less the dosing assistance she is receiving in the Levemir forum.
because she is posting in up to 3 forums and not everyone is aware of the custom plan much less the dosing assistance she is receiving in the Levemir forum.
Sarah and Baby
Member
Sorry everyone about the lack of information. I haven't started the custom shooting schedule yet, that's why I haven't been posting. Yes, I know I need to test mid-cycle, and I will as soon as I am able to do so. My mom is going to try and get in today and test mid-cycle and I will be back tomorrow to do the same. I do have a couple of +6 tests that show 300's still, but I am pretty sure that her Nadir is later, d/t low ps numbers that i have been getting recently. Thanks for all your help.
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