What do we do in the morning? Today AM +6 119

Status
Not open for further replies.
AZJenks

AZJenks

Member Since 2014
The last two days AM +6 have been 174 & 119. The conventional wisdom appears to be not to give anything if under 200. But I'm not here to test, and his other human can barely handle giving him the shot, so having them do a test is currently out of the question.

How much should I have them give? Keep in mind that we only have the screw on tips for the pen and can thus only work in whole unit increments.

Thank you.
 
If you can only give whole units, I'd suggest either skipping the shot entirely or dropping it in half to 2u, whichever you feel most comfortable giving if you won't be around to monitor.
 
AZJenks said:
He's monitored all day. Does that change anything?
Click to expand...

Hiya,

If by "monitored" you mean that you can keep an eye on him but can't test his blood glucose, then no, that doesn't really change anything. Reduce the dose if you're comfortable with that. But if in doubt, skip the shot. We have a saying here regarding blood glucose levels: 'Better too high for a day than too low for a minute."

Some cats show physical symptoms when their blood glucose starts to drop too low. Other cats show no symptoms at all until the blood glucose is extremely low. A cat can look absolutely fine one minute and then suddenly have a seizure (with no prior warning that anything was wrong...)

Eliz

PS. You're doing a great job. The shots and the tests will get much easier soon. Honestly!
 
May I suggest that you purchase U100 insulin syringes (with 1/2 unit markings) so that you have better control on dosing. Depending on the state you live in, you may need to get a scrip from the vet.

You can purchase a box of 100 Relion syringes from Walmart for about $13.

You will have the option of a long or short needle (my personal preference is a short needle).

The pen tips are designed for human use and it makes it harder as you are learning to dose for a kitty. All you do is remove the tip, and insert the syringe into the rubber stopper, so essentially you will treat the insulin pen like a mini vial, as that is really what it is.
 
Gave him 2U this AM. His +6 was 347, up from yesterday's 119. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

A couple of possibilities.
1. He's bouncing from that low of 119 yesterday, 2/7. His body is not used to these low numbers and released compensatory hormones and glucogen to raise those low numbers back to what his body considers a safe range.

2. Fur shot. It's possible that the insulin did not go in at all or only part of it went in. I suggest you always run your hand gently through the area where the shot is given, to check for wetness. Fur shots happen to all of us, even those who have given shots for years.

It usually takes time for the insulin depot to drain, several cycles, so it's extremely unlikely that the highs today were caused by the lower dose this morning.

It's really hard to know what is going on, since your assistant is not able to get those AM pre-shot tests. We don't have any context in which to put those high numbers from mid-day today. I can't think of any solutions to your AM pre-shot test dilemma. It is what it is.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top