Suddenly Seeing High Numbers at +2 to +4

[Ali and Gem]

Hi everyone,

I thought I was finally getting some good numbers for Gem, but then last night at +2 she was up to 458. I retested immediately and it was 498. She hasn't had numbers like this at all since her diagnosis. This morning tested at 271 AMPS, that's fine, but just tested her at +3 and she was at 397. Why such high numbers all of a sudden? She's eating fine, doesn't seem lethargic or seem any different than she has been. Wondering if anyone has experienced this and can help me understand why this would be happening.

Thank you!

-Alison and Gem

 

[Hshray]

My guess is that this is due to either a late onset or a bounce (possibly both). It seems like your onset isn’t normally until +2 or later and that she typically goes up at that point, and a lot of times you even have higher numbers through +4. That was quite a high number though compared to her usual increases, so it could be that she bounced from the lower numbers/reduced dose yesterday morning and that, combined with a late onset, caused the higher number. It’s good that she came back down this morning though. @FrostD is really good at reading these and providing insight on what may be happening.

There’s also another member on the ProZinc forum who has been experiencing quite late onsets and bouncing if you want to check out her posts/spreadsheet or the advice that was given to her:

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/help-to-understand-skippers-values-part-two.249287/

 

[FrostD]

I agree with Hilary. I think you're seeing a combination of things - a cumulative effect of inconsistent doses (though I understand why you did them), late onset/nadir, and bounces from blues.

It looks to me that you can shoot your full dose if above 150 and flat/rising. It will help if you can get +10 or +11 tests to see how she's coming into shot time and make decisions. 120-150 and flat/rising I'd lean towards 0.75U if you can monitor.

If you keep seeing lows at preshot and you're nervous to shoot full dose, it may make sense to perhaps drop down to 0.75U for a time to let patterns settle out (basically find a dose you can consistently give). She does need a bit more insulin from what I can see, but it's better to first get as consistent as possible and go from there.

 

[Ali and Gem]

Super helpful, thank you to both of you. I panicked a little last night when I saw that 496. This is so hard!! There are just so many things that can happen or go wrong and affect her levels. I just tested her again (+5) and she's down to 312. Good. I'll test her at +7 and +11 and see where she's at. The good news is, she seems fine. She hasn't been super active but she at least seems comfortable today, laying in the sun and hanging out.

I am wondering about changing up her dose, but I'd like to get some consistency first. I am nervous to shoot < 200 but if reducing the dose is going to make her numbers wonky for a few days, maybe going with .75 or 1 unit even if under 200 would be okay. Especially since she consistently goes up from shot time to about + 4. We'll see how things look this afternoon.

Thank you again you all are amazing!