Annie & Craig - Getting too smart!

[CraigM]

Re: Annie needs help

Kathy,
Thanks for the fast reply and info.

The good news is that the 10PM reading was 263! I'll try to take another reading at midnight, but my schedule gets me up at 3:30AM and I need my beauty sleep!

Looking back at my notes (post #12), all I saw were the 400+ readings from 8AM to 8PM. But if you look closer, there is that 4AM reading of 101! I'm wondering if I had taken a 2AM reading if it might have been a VERY low <60 reading? Now, that would make sense to me!

Looks like I better order more test strips! :-)


Craig & Annie

[CraigM]

Re: Annie needs help

Natalie,
Thanks. Looks like I was typing my previous post (one finger typist) at the same time you were posting. I'll keep Annie at 4 units tomorrow.

Craig & Annie

[eyelostit]

Re: Annie needs help

When you have gone five full days with a reduced dose and NO blood sugar below 100 - because she can be going low at times you're not testing - then, only then, will you know what her body is actually doing with that dose of insulin and have a baseline for future decisions.

At that point, I'd do a curve.


Natalie

I'd do the same thing.

Dolly

[CraigM]

Re: Annie needs help

With all the talk about Vetsulin, I am wondering if a switch to NPH is doable. Annie is currently getting only between 5 and 5.5 IU (U-40) of Vetsulin. I'm wondering if the stronger strength of the U-100 would make accurate measuring almost too hard to do? We will be seeing our vet next month, but wonder what "you" think.

Next: a comment / question about exercise. Shortly after a meal and Vetsulin, BG usually rises. So would "you" take a walk shortly after feeding to limit the BG pop? (I read someones comment NOT to exercise near the nadir to prevent possible low BG) The problem with going for walks now is that we are entering "Wet Season" here in the Pacific Northwest!

Craig and Annie

[k9diabetes]

Re: Annie needs help

Actually, one nice thing about the U100 syringes is you can get BD syringes that have half-unit marks. We loved those for Chris and I adjusted his insulin by quarter units. He was getting about 7-8 units per injection.

Some folks who need glasses to read have used a magnifier to fill the syringes. My husband needed one for his genealogy research and got a nice freestanding one that would work well for syringes.

But in my experience it's only when you get down to 1-2 units that it's hard to work so close to the end of the syringe.

I wouldn't hesitate to try Annie on NPH.

Some people have walked their dogs to bring down high blood sugar but I am not sure how well that really works.

It brings the blood sugar down at first but may also cut the duration of the insulin so it doesn't last a full 12-hours and you just wind up moving the higher blood sugar to another time of day.

It's the kind of thing where if you take from one spot you have to give up something in another spot.

I am not concerned about a post-meal spike as long as it's brief and not terribly large. In the grand scheme of things, if the blood sugar mostly is in a good range, an hour or two that is higher than you want to not a big deal.

Only way to know is to try it and test fairly frequently. Do a curve when you try it so you can see what happens right after the walk, an hour or two later, and especially from 9-12 hours when the walk might affect how long the insulin lasts.

Natalie

[CraigM]

Annie is making the switch to NPH

Change Annie's poll vote from "will soon be switching" to "recently switched"!

We started at 20% less NPH than Vetsulin and will let that go for two days and then evaluate.

The first "problem" I had was with the new syringe. She had been using a 29 gauge, long needle. Now is using a 31 gauge, short needle. I wasn't sure the needle actually entered because it was so easy. I actually poked her twice before pushing the plunger! Hope it really went in.

Craig & Annie

[Patty]

Re: Annie needs help

Change Annie's poll vote from "will soon be switching" to "recently switched"!

We started at 20% less NPH than Vetsulin and will let that go for two days and then evaluate.

The first "problem" I had was with the new syringe. She had been using a 29 gauge, long needle. Now is using a 31 gauge, short needle. I wasn't sure the needle actually entered because it was so easy. I actually poked her twice before pushing the plunger! Hope it really went in.

Craig & Annie

Hey Craig,
I pulled Annie's thread up...

Good luck to you! I bet Annie appreciates the new syringes too

Patty

[peggy0]

Re: Annie needs help

Hi Craig, good luck! Forbins been on it a week now, and we're down into the 200 and 300s vs 300 and 400s. I started at 20%of his vetsulin dosage. I've seen a pattern where the numbers actually go up the first day you increase and by day 3 they begin to settle in, so be patient Forbin is back to his Vetsulin dosage. This is only day 2, but he is going to need a bit more NPH. I don't think it will be much, but more.

[CraigM]

Re: Annie is making the switch to NPH

Annie wonders where those who switched from Vetsulin to NPH have ended? The same amount? A bit more?

Annie had been doing OK on 7iu of Vetsulin, and now after two weeks is using 8˝iu of NPH (Wal-Mart's ReliOn). She has been on meds for an eye infection since last Thursday so there might be a change once she gets off these meds.

Craig & Annie

[Taylor]

Re: Annie is making the switch to NPH

Taylor made the switch on January 16th and we are still slowing increasing the dose. He's up to 32am and 29pm and we still have a ways to go. That is 9 units more per day than he was getting with vetsulin, but I have also had to change the food. I had been driving a 50 mile circuit to four different vets, and buying up all their supply of wd and the cost was a bit excessive. A case was only lasting four days. I'm trying to come up with a food that is readily available locally without a prescription. I sure will be glad when I can quit these increases.
Pat

[peggy0]

Re: Annie is making the switch to NPH

Forbin is at 231/2 at the moment. 1/2 unit more twice a day than vetsulin. He has a virus at the moment and his BGs are up so I can't say it we've hit the magic number but I know we are close.

[peggy0]

Re: Annie is making the switch to NPH

I use Blue buffalo weight management and it works great for Forbin. You can get it at petsmart or petco.

[CraigM]

Re: Annie is making the switch to NPH

Think the 8PM reading on 2-16-10 is somogyi overswing? Seems like a large increase in just 3˝ hours.

2-15-10
8:00AM, BG 189, fed & inject
5:30PM, BG 123
8:00PM, BG 108, fed & inject

2-16-10
8:00AM, BG 165, fed & inject
4:30PM, BG 118
8:00PM, BG 438, fed & inject

Wish I had taken another reading around 5:30PM!

Craig & Annie

[peggy0]

Re: Annie is making the switch to NPH

Yes its hard to tell Craig. When forbin is around 100, I take a reading before I give him his shot to make sure he's going back up. 15 minutes can make a difference with him. If he's on his way back up I give him his show and haven't had any issues.

[CraigM]

Re: Annie is making the switch to NPH

Think the 8PM reading on 2-16-10 is somogyi overswing? Seems like a large increase in just 3˝ hours.

2-15-10
8:00AM, BG 189, fed & inject
5:30PM, BG 123
8:00PM, BG 108, fed & inject

2-16-10
8:00AM, BG 165, fed & inject
4:30PM, BG 118
8:00PM, BG 438, fed & inject

Wish I had taken another reading around 5:30PM!

Craig & Annie

Here is newer data that I find perplexing! Annie had been on 8iu, morning and evening, for several days.

2-16-10
11:00PM, BG 418 (OK, coming down a little since 8:00PM)
2-17-10
3:30AM, BG 346 (OK, coming down slowly)
8:00AM, BG 91 (wasn't expecting this big drop!)

We reduced the NPH by ˝iu to 7.5 after the 8AM test/feed.