Shoot at 83 PSAM test?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Claire and DeeDee

Claire and DeeDee

Member Since 2019
This morning the test was 83 (fasting). I started giving DeeDee .75 yesterday. Should I give her.75 this morning for the a.m. or skip this shot? Her PSPM last night was 91. Thanks.
 
You can re-test if it's been a half-hour or so (fasting) since the initial test, and post the number. If she's going up by a lot, it may be safe to shoot, but I'm a little hesitant because you don't have a lot of data with her at these green numbers, so we don't yet have a clear picture of what she might do.

Nice to see the green, though!
 
OK, I'd definitely skip.

"DKA" is diabetic ketoacidosis-- very very serious consequence from ketones. I asked because the recovery period from DKA requires insulin, so it would influence my advice if she were just coming out of that. Luckily, she isn't!

So, skip this morning!

Is it possible to get another test sometime in the middle of the day today?
 
DD is eating Friskies, wet, w/gusto! She may be tired of Chicken(human food) daily. Should have offered Friskies sooner. Sure, I can test her mid-day. I think she's leveling out since I reduced insulin, thanks to advice of Chris's et al. DD was tested a while back for ketones -- negative. Thanks for asking.
Thing about Friskies is most of it is w/fish. I read that fish isn't good for Hyperthyroid. So I try to give her the Chicken or Turkey Friskies. You guys deserve honoray DVMs, really! Gratefully. P.S. I'm originally from Philly, PA. and hung out in NYC.
 
Glad she has an enthusiastic appetite!!! Good girl.

I'll be interested to see where she is later today-- will be watching out for your updates!
 
Yes, Start Low Go Slow is my choice. Your advice seems wise. 0.5 u is easier to eyeball than .75 on the syringe. I'm testing her in a few min. per Nan/Amber's thought. Thanks for your help. I think I forgot to thank you for the previous reply--thanks much for your sound tutoring and your concern.
 
From the new thread you just started:

Claire and DeeDee said:
DeeDee just tested at 220. Hasn't had a.m. shot. Should I shoot now at 0.5 or 0.75 u? Or wait until p.m. shot? She hasn't eaten since late morning. Acts lethargic.
Click to expand...

I'm going to answer here, just so we have the history of the day in one place.

1) Don't shoot early, unless you are willing to change this to your regular am and pm shot time.
2) It's not surprising that she's higher now. She likely went lower than usual last night when you shot the green number and then bounced back up. She may be higher still by shot time :(.

I'm a little worried about the "lethargic" comment, as well as her not having eaten for a while, but she did eat well this morning, and the higher numbers alone can make them feel kind of yucky. However, under the circumstances, it would be wise to make getting a ketone test a priority, just in case.

I know it's frustrating and hard when the numbers bounce around like this, and worrying when you see her not seeming to be feeling well. It'll just take some time for her to settle down some more. I like the idea of the lower dose tonight.
 
I agree with Nan. What you are seeing is a bounce from lower numbers last night and Dee Dee is reacting to the BG fluctuations. It's a natural and totally normal reaction and can take several cycles to clear so just stick with the 0.5u dose for the moment unless you get a pre-shot too low to give insulin.
 
Next time I'll add to the previous thread for the same day. Couldn't she also be higher because she didn't get her a.m. shot?
She had a ketone shot 3-4 yrs. ago. But things may have changed. Not eating this a.m. was caused by being tired of chicken, chicken, chicken. She ate as soon as I offered Friskies. Ate age 15, it must be a drain of energy to have diabetes and to bounce around. At least she not getting super high readings since I lowered the doses and took her off dry food.
Comforting that Linda agrees w/Nan. Please inform if this thread isn't a response to both Nan and Linda.
Confirming - even if DeeDee tests 220 or higher, I guess she still gets 0.5 u. tonight and for the future.
Much gratitude to Board cat moms/dads who are so caring for other moms' cats . :bighug:
 
Claire and DeeDee said:
Next time I'll add to the previous thread for the same day. Couldn't she also be higher because she didn't get her a.m. shot?
Click to expand...

Yes, this is also quite possible.

Plan on 0.5U tonight, but just like this morning, if your pre-shot test is low (below 150), don't shoot yet, post here with the number and for advice.

It is definitely rough on them to be in all different numbers all the time-- hopefully we can get her settled down soon!
 
Her PMPS was 368. Gave 0.5 u. She ate afterward. Re Ketone test--Correction: I said in previous post that she had a Ketone "shot." I meant a Ketone test which was negative. Thanks for reminder about not shooting below 150. Moral support invaluable. It means a lot to not feel alone and worried. You're DeeDee's guardian angels, Chris too, i.e. heaven sent!
 
You'll want to hold the .5 dose for 14 continuous cycles unless she drops below 90 again (for SLGS)

On SLGS, you hold the dose for 7 days ….the positives are that it's a little less stressful for the caregiver....the negatives are that you're holding a dose that may not be getting her into better numbers. We want them to spend as much time in "healing numbers" as possible (50-120)

On TR, you only hold the dose for 6-10 cycles (depending on how low she goes)...the benefit is that if the current dose isn't getting her where you want her, you can increase as often as every 3 days....the negatives are that you have to test more and it can be more stressful on the caretaker (as well as probably losing more sleep) We don't decrease the dose on TR until they drop below 50.

You can also start on SLGS and if you want to try TR later when you're more experienced, that's fine too! If you find it's not for you, you can go back to SLGS.

I'll add SLGS to your signature for now so people giving advice will know which dosing method you're using. If you decide later to switch, send me a PM and let me know and I'll change it again.
 
OK, I'll start on SLGS (I believe is short for Go Low Go Slow) for 7 days. Thanks Chris for adding it to my signature. Appreciate your concern about my well being and stress level.
 
Thanks Chris, I was braindead yesterday (and past few days) trying to re-educate myself w/how to take care of DeeDee. Message Board Slang? -- I love learning new languages. If you wanted you guys could open up a brick and mortar grass roots vet business(es) specializing in feline diabetes, relieving some pro vets from fumbling that area of medicine . Or maybe offer diabetes seminars to vets. But I don't think that's where you're at. ;)Just kidding! Anyway, I owe you.
It looks promising. Last night her PMPS was 368. Shot 0.5. The AMPS today was 145. Shot 0.5 (Oops). I forgot about no shoot under 150. Will remember for tonight. Still catching up with the learning curve.
 
Claire, the 150 is not carved in stone....it can be adjusted when you have lots of data to know how your kitty reacts. The 145 is close enough to 150 that BG could be a bit lower or higher with meter variance so just make sure you test Dee Dee during the day today to ensure she doesn't drop too low.
 
since you're on Lantus you should be okay -- remember the meter variance, the true reading might be within the limits -- LOL -- make a note on the remarks section of the spreadsheet -- for the next time you get a result like that and wonder about shooting ;)
 
Thanks much for reassuring and for those practical suggestions! Good idea to make a note in the spreadsheet.
Question: are there re-usable syringes for cats?
 
Claire and DeeDee said:
Question: are there re-usable syringes for cats?
Click to expand...

No...syringes are meant to be single use only. The needles are made so sharp and tiny, they break down quickly.
syringe after 6 uses.jpg
 
Thanks for your reply Chris. I just thought there was another syringe that I didn't know about that was sturdy enough to use over and over. Thanks for the photo.
Dee Dee's PMPS test was 109. At 5pm tested 89. Should I hold the PM shot? I gave her some food, then realized I was advised to hold food and test again in 30 min. Thanks for guidance.
 
Yes I think it would be best to skip for tonight. You can do the stall tactic next time she hands you a great pre-shot like that! ;)
 
Wow Linda, you were right on it! Ok, will skip. Understood--I wrote down the stall tactic. DeeDee will be happy to get a break from another test and shot. Thanks for being there and relieving my mind. I'll get the hang of it.
 
How sweet! So appreciate the moral support in this lonely journey. She is doing better already since I reduced the insulin. Hope we're not keeping you up past bedtime. :oops: :bighug:
 
I've been staying up checking in on a few folks/kitties on the west coast the last week or so. I tend to be a bit of night owl anyway so no worries. I'll be heading off to LALALA land soon! :)
 
Technically Dee Dee earned another reduction of her dose to 0.25u yesterday when she dropped to 89 in the day cycle. That high reading this morning is a combination of the skipped shot last night and a bounce from that low yesterday. Back to back reductions often fail so I think you could shoot the 0.5u today and monitor her as you have been doing and then we'll see about the reduction tonight depending on what she does today. Can you test her around +3 post shot today?
 
Gave her 0.5. She ate an hour later. Yes, will test again per your advice. If she is heading for a reduction that's super after being on 1.5u (Before I joined Forum). If she is reduced once more to 0.25, is there a glimmer of hope that she could go off insulin entirely? Or it's pie in the sky.
Probably mentioned that the last 2 vets had me do a curve every few months, after which they determined the dose after averaging out the curve. The dose stayed the same until the next curve. No testing was prescribed before shots. She was on 2u until I proactively reduced her to 1.5.
Thanks for being there. :cool:
 
DeeDee went down to 366 at noon; 213 at 5pm, and 378 for PMPS. Surprised she went up again. Was low energy most of day, but did eat. Guess she should get 0.5 for pm shot.
When she's as high as 378 and 477, it isn't a good idea to feed her or have food available? Thanks much.
 
DeeDee's AM reading - 495. Bedtime last night 128. She was howling, briefly, when it was time for AMPS. Just try to be patient while she adjusts to new protocol? Am worried how she must feel bouncing around.
 
Concerned about staggering gait, weaker. She's had high readings past 3 days. Been on 0.5u Lantus. Not a lot of appetite but ate some. Also posted on Lantus forum.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top