Bailey got his wings... June 26, 2014

[Geoff]

Hello, anyone got any comments on the curve below?

Thanks,
Geoff

[sophia]

I'm reading. Can't help, but would if I could. Gearing up soon to do my first curve.

[Patty]

Geoff,
I missed this. Glad you brought it back up. I'll try to look at it in more detail tomorrow. Heading to bed.
Patty

[CraigM]

Originally Posted by Geoff

Hello, anyone got any comments on the curve below?

Thanks,
Geoff

Annie also gets a bit of rise after meals that takes several hours to work back down. I usually add a small amount of fast acting insulin (Novolin-R), not sure what it might be called in your neighborhood.

Craig

[Rubytuesday]

Hey Geoff, I think what you are seeing is similar to what I see with Ruby. I try to correct her food rise with humalog, but the disadvantage, as you are seeing, is that it doesn't last as long as Bailey's food rise. I have tried to work with R, but in Ruby it isn't as predictable as the humalog and doesn't last much longer. Ruby only gets fed once a day and her stomach starts to grumble if her BGs are shifting quickly. She gets fed around 8pm so by the time we go to bed she sometimes needs another humalog shot to carry her through the food rise. She sleeps up by my head so I can hear her belly grumbling if she needs the extra shot. It is a labor intensive approach, but....

So in the below curve, I am assuming the insulin was given at 8 with food, right and not at 9:30? It would be really nice to know what the fasting number is in the am to know if the .5 increase of humalog in the evening is keeping that number down.


Time Date mm/ol mg/l units humalog units protaphane (Basal)
8-Dec-12 9:30am 19.6 352.8 1.5 14 Fed at 8am and tested at 9:30
8-Dec-12 12:09pm 23.1 415.8
8-Dec-12 2:10pm 21.3 383.4
8-Dec-12 4:03pm 13.2 237.6
8-Dec-12 6:03pm 11.8 212.4
8-Dec-12 6:45pm 13.5 Fed Early 243 2 14
8-Dec-12 11:18pm 19.8 356.4

[Geoff]

Hello Tara, yes 8 was food. Your right of course, no way to compare it just I usually (when I am rushed!) have trouble getting blood, when I am not rushed, well, much easier?! Go figure! I am getting better though, almost 100% success rate now whereas before, sometimes 8 (%$@#$#) strips I would go through! ha-ha.

Geoff

[Geoff]

Hello Sophia, thanks and good luck with your home curve. I would of said to begin with let the vet handle it but no, not anymore, Bailey was always going low at the vets because he would try to dig his way out of his cage god love him. So he would chew up the insulin and BG's would go nice and low. But at home, he was always much higher (200+) So I would 100% recommend home testing to see the difference (if any of course all dogs are different!)

I personally prick just at the base of his tail then gently milk out a drop of blood, yes I have heard that doing that can cause weird readings but really, how much other bodily fluids can be squeezed out at the same time?! I honesty don't think it's a problem, sometimes the blood comes out in a nice big blob, other times I have to coerce it a bit.

Geoff

Originally Posted by sophia

I'm reading. Can't help, but would if I could. Gearing up soon to do my first curve.

[k9diabetes]

Time Date mm/ol mg/l units humalog units protaphane (Basal)

8-Dec-12
8:00 fed, given 1.5units Humalog, 14 units Protophane (NPH)
9:30am 19.6 / 352.8
12:09pm 23.1 / 415.8
2:10pm 21.3 / 383.4
4:03pm 13.2 / 237.6
6:03pm 11.8 / 212.4
6:45pm 13.5 / 243
6:45pm Fed Early 2 units Humalog, 14 units Protophane (NPH)
11:18pm 19.8 / 356.4

Doing this for my benefit while making a chart...

[k9diabetes]

Following is something I wrote earlier and it could be a good description of the curve you just posted.

I would hold steady at the current amount of Humalog until you can do a fairly substantial curve and track the blood sugar throughout the 12 hour period. As I think it was Tara mentioned, when you chew up some of the excess sugar with the Humalog, that can leave more NPH around later, dropping the blood sugar more later in the afternoon when the food is mostly used up.

In other words, the Humalog could make the curve flatter during the first four hours, then deeper afterward.

Leveling out a curve like this last one, where there is a substantial drop in blood sugar between hours 6 and 10 after injection, would probably best be combatted by a mid-day meal. I can't recall if that's possible for you to do.

I think you also could try, as an alternative to a mid-day meal, more Humalog and less Protophane.

That may give a more level response. From this curve, you're still needing more insulin early and less later. And it sure seems like there is room for more Humalog.

Our Chris was on Regular insulin only. He too was slow to put insulin to work so faster acting Regular worked well for him - didn't drop him hard and fast like it does for some dogs. I suspect Chris might have had a response similar to Baileys to Humalog.

This curve was very helpful in getting a good idea of what's happening with the two insulins. Makes it possible to make an educated guess about what to change next.

Natalie

[Patty]

Originally Posted by k9diabetes

I think you also could try, as an alternative to a mid-day meal, more Humalog and less Protophane.

That may give a more level response. From this curve, you're still needing more insulin early and less later. And it sure seems like there is room for more Humalog.

Sorry I didn't get home in time to get back to this but was so glad to see the responses Geoff.

I agree on holding steady for a substantial curve. And I believe as Natalie said, more Humalog and less protaphane will likely help level things out more.

Patty