QUICK Assistance, PLEASE - Hershey BG 43?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Great job and glad you had so much help. The first low number is very scary but gives you more confidence going forward.

Going forward, I am fascinated at the difference we got between .8 and .9. I know the shot into the 200 (and his tendency to go lower at night) contributed to the low number, but that tiny amount of insulin probably contributed too.

Does anyone else think we might look at the difference in his day/ night numbers and adjust?
 
No crystal ball to see the pmps, but I think holding the .5 might be the way to go? I'll try to check in around 3 from work..
Carl
 
I'm still having alot of internet problems so I'll put this out here as a guideline. I don't know when I can check back in.

There is not alot of wiggle room for Hershey. I think you have been on a roller coaster of lows causing liver dump to highs, which looks like it takes him 3 cycles to clear.

So this scale is not very aggressive but I'm hoping that it will stop the swings and give him some nice even cycles. Then we can re-evaluate and tweek the doses up to push his PS's down.

This scale is based off of Hershey's reaction to insulin and is meant for Hershey ONLY.

Over 375 - .9u
350 to 374 - .8u
300 to 349 - .7u
250 to 299 - .6u
200 to 249 - .5u

I know that these are tiny adjustments but Hershey seems to react to a drop more or less. I hope this helps.
 
Just home from church and a quick Costco run. Latest issue - the new automatic feeders we bought - Oreo's opened (with only a small amount of food because he hasn't been eating much) and Hershey's didn't. Good news is they eat the same food, Bad news is we don't know who ate it.

We're about 1:10 from shot time and his BG is 501. So, should we go ahead and feed Hershey or wait until shot time? He isn't asking for food, but that's not always an indication of anything...
 
I am thinking if he is not asking then I would hold off...
are you changing your shot time to 2:30 today?
 
I was thinking we should leave the shot time at 3pm, after last night. Doug called in to say he'd be late (since he's the one who gives the shots). His cpl told him nobody was off and asked if he wanted the whole day - well, DUH! (I know I'm going to have to get used to giving the shots, but I'm trying to get better at the testing first...one thing at a time...)

Okay, we'll hold off on the food. I asked because I didn't want to throw off his numbers with him eating this close to shot time. Thanks -
 
Reading/processing the posts while I was gone -

Teresa - Thanks for the encouragement. You're such a good cheerleader :smile:

Denise - Thanks, again, for hanging with us last night!

Donna - No worries about last night - lots of help - but thanks for checking in on us today. I don't really understand the token doses, but will try to do some reading today, now that I'm feeling calmer!

Sue - Yeah, I was super glad to see that first response - and then another - and another - not nearly as scary when you don't feel all alone! I don't know what to attribute the difference to - I read Dr. Lisa's post that Carl shared with me and felt better about upping the dose. Then, the lower PMPS that we didn't really know what to do with - never heard of a sliding scale...so much to learn...

Robin - Thanks for the sliding scale. I was going to send you a note asking you to take a look. I would've sent it last night, but just didn't have good sense after all was said and done. So, we should start using your scale with the next dose, right?

I hope I didn't miss thanking anyone. If I did, please, know how much Hershey and appreciate everything y'all did/are doing for us!!!!
 
Looks like I missed all the excitement last night. Good job, Libby. Hershey is lucky to have you for his momma.
 
and NOW he starts begging for food...it's going to be a l-o-n-g :20...going to test a few min before so he can eat PROMPTLY at 3pm...exercise won't hurt, so maybe I'll start walking him early to keep his mind occupied...
 
Since he's in a bounce from the low last night we usually say "don't shoot the bounce" meaning not to increase the dose because of the higher number, the bounce will clear by itself.

For tonight I would go with a .9u.

I know it's alot to take in at the beginning but you are doing great.
 
PM +3 (322) - lower pink numbers look much better than black!

Can anybody give me a heads up on what to expect tomorrow?

Also, can you point me in the right direction to learn more about token doses and/or bounces?

Thanks for any help you can give!

Libby (and Hershey, too!)
 
Here's a thread on how to measure mini doses


http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=34424

Here's some more info on how to mini dose


When your cat is consistently in numbers too low to shoot at shot time and in numbers in the 100 range and below during the cycle, you can consider micro dosing. This process should be guided on the forum by experienced members and will require more frequent testing.

You may be shooting at times other than the 12/12 schedule, when the blood glucose levels rise enough to require a small dose of insulin. You will need to pick a number somewhere near the 150 range at which you will plan to shoot, being sure that the number is indeed rising. The dose at these low numbers will vary with each cat and its patterns, so advice should be solicited. But you may be considering doses below .25 and even considering a “drop” of insulin. At this point, U100 needles and the conversion chart will be necessary.

It is important during this period to offer small frequent meals. You may want to experiment with the lowest carb foods to help bring down the numbers, staying away from seafood more than once or twice a week.

Note the 150 range may be too low for you to consider because he is so new and it is still hard to predict how he will react. You might want to pick 180 or even closer to 200.
 
+6 (176) - YAY for blue!!

Tried both auto feeders again since we were home to watch and both opened, so this morning it must have been (brand new) user error
 
Hi Libby,
Are you up for a little bit of reading? Here are two posts in particular that talk about "bounce/rebound". Both have a good bit of input from Dr. Pierson discussing the topic specifically. I refer to these posts a lot!
Both threads involved Lori and her kitty Copper.

http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=57769&p=629006&hilit=warranted+bounce#p629006
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=58009&p=630707&hilit=unwarranted+bounce#p630707


A lot to absorb, but very enlightening.

Carl
 
Yes, thank you, Carl. I'll scan it tonight and read it again tomorrow and then keep it to refer back to. :smile:

I'm still unclear, too, as to how such small doses help sometimes and other times it takes larger ones, but I guess that may just be part of the mystery that is diabetes...

Libby
 
Yes, Libby, there are at least a dozen "other factors" that affect BG over the course of a day. When they all align, big results from a tiny dose. When they don't, that's when "wonky" takes over. I think most of the "wonky" has very little to do with a specific dose of insulin.
I think one of the reasons that people are encouraged to "hold a dose" for a length of time is to try to put at least one thing in the equation into the "constant" column, to remove just one of the variables. Same with food amounts or flavors. The more things can be kept the same, the less influence the random things may have. At least that is my general theory.

The way I think about it is that if this "sugardance" was simple, and there were clear cut "if this, then that" answers, places like FDMB wouldn't even need to exist. You'd go to the vet, he'd say "here, give this twice a day and we'll see you in 6 months for a checkup", easy peasy. But then, feline diabetes changed my life (for the better), so I'm sort of glad it is the way it is, in hindsight.

Carl
 
PM +9 (421) - kind of worried about what the AMPS will be...

Ginny - Thank you for the kind words. Yes, last night was...exciting...I could really do without that kind of excitement, though :smile:
 
Carl,

I understand what you're saying and I guess nothing in life is ever really that cut and dry. You mentioned flavors of food - I had been wondering if flavors mattered. Hershey eats 5 different kinds, all under 7% carbs, was thinking that might be a factor to compare?
 
Libby,

Please. Do not worry. It is just one data point in a countless series of data points. One dose, one reading, one cycle, one day. Not important in the overall scheme of things. A high number is just a high number. Low numbers get our attention. High numbers just get dealt with moving forward. If this was a dance contest, and you stepped on Doug's toe once in a ten minute tango, you'd still probably get a 9.9 on the judges' scorecards, right? And Doug would get over it quickly, right?

Just keep dancing!
Carl
 
Doug N Libby said:
Carl,

I understand what you're saying and I guess nothing in life is ever really that cut and dry. You mentioned flavors of food - I had been wondering if flavors mattered. Hershey eats 5 different kinds, all under 7% carbs, was thinking that might be a factor to compare?
Click to expand...

If the carb content is the same, flavor doesn't matter, unless he won't eat it as much. If there is a 5% and a 7% in the mix, then some cats are that sensitive to carbs where it would make a little difference.

Carl
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top