Simmie Lower BG preshot 143

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LydetteSimmie (Iceman)

LydetteSimmie (Iceman)

Member Since 2014
Hi All,

Those of you who know of my vet and kenneling issues will understand that it seems Simmie has been bouncing all over the place. I got pretty depressed while I was loading in the numbers from the vet for while we were away, so I didn't write to you all. I think Simmie is trying to level off a bit more (just in time for the NEXT long weekend - :YMSIGH: ).

All of you who gave me advice last week, it really helped me in a number of ways, not only the general support but good ideas on moving forward. While I didn't respond I wanted to tell you that I take all the advise and help very seriously. I sometimes fall into a depression but always bounce back, like bouncin' baby Simmie!

ANYWAY, I am waiting until 9:30 to get another pre-shot for am. I expect it to be higher as he had some 0 carb food about 45 minutes ago. If you want to wait to give me any opinions I'll load in the next pre-shot in about 15 minutes.
 
Hi guys ... not sure I've ever been to your condo before so welcome from us! No advice from me, but that amps isn't looking to shabby! Have a great day!
 
Hi guys,

Ok, I checked Simmie again and he is at 163. I know in this forum we shoot anything above 150 but since his nadir has been going fairly low and we are only now stabilizing from the stress induced vacation/vet activity I am not sure if I should shoot his full 3 units or not. Can I get some opinions please?

Love
Lyd and her Iceman!
 
Hi PeterDevonMocha!

Thanks for the warm comments and believe me, seeing Simmie's fairly low amps made me very happy. He's napping now and has been acting more like a cat again over the past week. He's chasing after toys, playing with his ice instead of just licking it, etc.

Congrats on having your kitty OTJ! Wow. I am so impressed with successes like that!

:thumbup
 
Hello! I cant give dose advice, but since you fed him that rise in number is likely a food spike. Normally we will stall for 20-30 min without feeding and retest to see if he is rising and safe to shoot. When this happens, put "stalling" in your subject line to alert for advice. Hopefully someone can advise soon.
 
Also, keep in mind if you stall, and then decide to shoot, you will need to adjust your pm shot time to be 12 hours after whatever time you do shoot. You can also skip and be prepared for a bounce up higher, or you can shoot a one time reduced dose, but only if you are going to be home to monitor, and have plenty of strips and high carb/karo ready in case you need to get her numbers up.
 
Re: Simmie Lower BG preshot 143 STALLING

ok, HMMMM, not sure what to do. I'll adjust my spreadsheet again when I figure this out. Thanks for the tips again on my ss.

I am leaning towards giving him his full dose in a few minutes then testing in an hour. Unfortunately I can't avoid going out around 3 pm which will be his nadir.

Ugh, what to do. Maybe I really should give him a reduced dose since I won't be home during the critical time!

Sorry to sound so confused but I don't want to lose the good numbers we are starting to see by not shooting but I just realized again that I will be out of town again and have to board Simmie at the vet from this Thursday pm until Tuesday next am. I have not yet found a vet that has a great deal of flexibility with testing and all that entails. And since they are not 24/7 coverage he can only be shot from 8 am till their last in-house tech is there at 8 pm. Then there is no one to watch Simmie. So changing his times means I would have to slowly adjust again downwards so his pm is no later than 8:00 pm.

Did that make sense?
 
If you can be around a little before his nadir you should be fine. Remember the nadir isn't always the same. When I have to leave now I test right before and feed according to the BG I get then.
 
You need to either just shoot now, a reduced dose perhaps to be safe, because you are 2 hours late..I think.. and you only have 2 days to adjust back down to 8am, which is possible if you adjust 1/2 hour each shot time.
 
Thanks Laura and Everyone,

It has been 2 hours since I was supposed to shoot but I did shoot just now but only 2 units. I'll test him during the day prior to my leaving the house. I'll adjust his ss accordingly in a little while.
 
Just my opinion here, but if I were leaving my cat at the vet for that long, and also over the weekend, I would consider a reduced dose from now until he comes home perhaps? On his spreadsheet, I notice there are no test on the pm cycle, and plenty of pinks, which may mean he is going low overnight and bouncing. Better higher for that time than too low and no one to monitor. Just my opinion..
 
I know how terrible it is to not have many tests in the pm cycle, it has to do with health issues and having to take sleep aids at night so I get sufficient sleep to manage my pain. I do feel really guilty about that regardless so if anyone with similar issues has ideas on how to handle this it would be great.

What I will do is start testing until I finally go to bed but when I am 'out' I am 'out' - do you think I should set the alarm though to get a reading around 5-7 hours after his pms? Maybe not until after our next vacation.

Isn't this funny (or stupid). Our 'temp' vet (because Simmie normal vet was away on her vacation) recommended INCREASING his dose. In my gut I felt this was wrong and after reading all the stuff I could on this MB I did not raise it. I'm starting to think maybe going to 2 units while he is at the vet could be a good idea. I am not really sure yet since the stress will tend to increase his BG levels, right?

Thank you all!
 
couple of things - first, try not to get depressed about Simmie's blood sugar. As sure as the sun rises and sets, his blood sugar is going to go up and down. Some of us have done this for years, and even though it's hard, if you can see it as a normal thing your life will be easier. As the saying here goes - it's a marathon, not a sprint.

second, you really do need at least one evening cycle test. without that, it becomes risky to increase the dose, and uncertain about shooting low. But looking at his spreadsheet, if i was certain from seeing data that he wasn't going lower at night, i'd recommend an increase. but without that certainty, it's pretty impossible to know what to do.

experienced members following TR will shoot everything over 50. we encourage new members to ask for guidance for anything under 150 - but the sooner you get enough data that you can shoot lower numbers, the greater the possibility of remission for Simmie. Shooting lower numbers (50-120) is the path to going off of insulin - honestly, i haven't seen it happen any other way. If it does, it's unusual and it would only be in a very newly diagnosed cat. Here's one recent discussion about shooting normal numbers. I think you said earlier that remission is your goal, so i'd read that post, and this post on Shooting & Handling Low Numbers to try to understand how to get to that point. Of particular interest to you in this situation, in the last link, is the section on "Becoming Data Ready." Ask lots of questions and we'll try to help you understand.

Stalling allows the depot to drain a little and acts as a slight dose reduction. When you stall and reduce the dose, it's a double-whammy, if you could call it that, ;-) in reducing Simmie's dose for today. He may be high today, but he'll get back on track before long.

Hang in there, lydette! Looking at what you've got on his ss since you got home from vacation, he doesn't look too bad at all. :-D Blue nadirs are good and it's not at all unusual to see pink preshots in someone starting out. Often, shooting even one blue or green preshot number can entirely change the game - it can reduce the entire range of numbers. Once you've had a lower preshot like today happen, chances are very good that you'll get a lower preshot again. I'd use this opportunity to get some of those oddly timed tests and a night cycle test every night (ie, become data ready) so that the next time he gives you this chance you can take it!

As far as your vacation dose, I'd reduce when you leave, or at the earliest, one shot before. Post here on Wednesday and we can help you choose a vacation dose so he's safe while you're gone. I hope you're doing something fun for yourself!
 
Hi Julie,

I really appreciate the pep talk.

I will try to get some number tonight and weds night for the night cycle and will post again at that time.

I just realized that I probably should have shot his std 3 units but I was too nervous about leaving before nadir today for an appointment I cannot miss. I guess I just 'chickened out'. :smile:

Thanks again everyone. I'm going to update his ss now and get another shot in about a 1/2 hour.

As for doing something for myself...this week I hope to get a pedicure. I know that sounds really trivial but this weekend is a family reunion and I will be seeing some people I have not seen for at least 30 years! My toes look like Eagle talons (sorry for any gross-out) so if I want to wear sandals :lol: something MUST be done.
 
you're not alone in this, lydette. everyone starts where you are - it is nervewracking to shoot lower numbers and it's hard to get up at night.

I solved the night cycle issue by shooting punkin at 7am/pm - i don't usually go to bed til 11:30pm so that let me get at least a +3 and if i needed, a +4.5 at night. His nadir was around +5.5 so at the worst, I usually only had to keep getting up til 12:30 or 1am.

The difference between shooting a high number and shooting a low number is like the diference between mini golf and regular golf. The only thing they have in common is both have a club and a ball. Shooting low is like mini-golf. the ball doesn't move much and it stays flat. Shooting high numbers actually has the potential for huge drops and then huge bounces from it - it goes far, it's harder to know where it's going to land, too. I think shooting higher numbers is actually riskier than shooting low.

that said, of course you can't shoot low without monitoring or having supplies to bring up numbers.

i do want to encourage you - there's no way to understand the intricacies of this Sugar Dance if people don't explain it. Others certainly explained it to me until I got it, too. When you understand how things work, it's easier to step forward into unknown territory.
 
That explanation is wonderful. I am a logical thinker with a heavy emotional side. I like both the scientific data along with metaphors. You are particularly good at it. I also really appreciate Laura's 'poop or get off the litter box' advice earlier - I was churning too long about 'what to do' and that wasn't really helping Simmie. Everyones' advice has helped me find the way to make Simmie a happier and healthier kid!

I hate to use the alarm only because I have a DH who works long days and I don't want to wake him and this house of fur! But he will sacrifice as he has always considered Simmie 'his' kitty.

Simmie is sleeping now so I am going to take a break too.

Thank you, everyone.
 
when i had to test punkin in the night, i slept on the sofa in the living room with the lights on and cell phone alarm set. That way I didn't disturb my husband and the lights made it a little easier to sleep lightly. Then when punkin was done for the night and on his way up, i went to bed and slept the rest of the night.

having the shot time at 6am or 7am makes the night cycles much easier. you can go to bed knowing how the cycle's going to play out with some certainty and knowing that your kitter will be safe all night.
 
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