4/2/12-Racci AMPS-312,+5.5-184, PMPS-325 Reduction?

Yesterday: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=67698
4/1/12 Racci-AMPS-286,+6-255,+8-247,PMPS-361+6-121

Racci still has a pink but it's a low one & I think she will have these high numbers until back on her normal schedule which will be tomorrow. Her numbers are lowering and her overnight +6 was blue so as she gets closer to her normal timing she is doing better. Racci is such a creature of habit she just can't take any change. I've come to the conclusion that that is the problem. At least I hope that is the case.

Her ears are sore so I don't want to test too often and don't want to use toes because of her neuropathy. She doesn't want anything done to her feet either so it would be a struggle. I'll have to wait till +6 to test. Unless I have a reason for testing more often, I'm only testing 3-4x a day until she heals, at preshots and nadirs.

I'm feeling a little better, just tired, so it must have just been a 24 hour virus or something, luckily. And the weather is sunny & cool here in central VA. :smile:

I'm feeling really bad about BigMac and hoping a solution has been found. Thinking of Carolyn

Melanie & Racci

Re: 4/2/12-Racci AMPS-312

Glad you're feeling better, melanie!!

and Racci...come down!

Re: 4/2/12-Racci AMPS-312

How are you shifting Racci's shot times? If you are moving in 15 min. increments, it should have a negligible effect on her numbers. She may have bounced off of the blue last night.

I'm not sure I understood the comment on your spreadsheet about "rethinking reduction."

Re: 4/2/12-Racci AMPS-312

Off the pink floor Miss Racci!!! I know you can do better than this!!

I'm glad you are feeling somewhat better Melanie but sending you healing vines to kick the rest of it.

Re: 4/2/12-Racci AMPS-312,+5.5-184

Hi Celi, Sienne & Marjorie,

Thanks for the healing vines and well wishes. Other than a few sniffles and losing my voice now and then I'm feeling better and Racci is sleeping more than normal but eating, pooping and playful when awake. I may have to run into the vet's office for a script for that special neo-predef? powder though. It helped her so much that I'd really like to keep some on hand and continue with that rather than oral ab's since she's almost done with her ab's. I know she'll want to sell it to me but she charged me a fortune for it and I can get it online for $19! I also can't get the cleanser I wanted. The mfr. isn't shipping anyone but she had a little bottle at 10x the price but it's worth it for now.

Sienne, I'm moving her half an hour at a time. I need to get this over with or she will never be done. Every day at her regular time she comes to me wanting to do our routine and I have to hold her off. By tomorrow she can be on her normal routine again and it will be much less stressful for her. I think she has an inner alarm clock. :lol: That's why I wound up giving her a +5.5 today instead of a +6. She was so insistent that she was starving to death. Of course I was also talking to my DIL on the phone and my DH was just coming in the door with groceries for me to put away all at the same time also. ohmygod_smile

DH bought some 3 classic FF to try and little Miss Prima Donna wouldn't try that (#1) either! She's like a little old lady who won't do anything out of her everyday world or try anything new. I just don't know what I will do with this cat! Her eating habits are such a problem. It's back to Wellness Salmon, Trout & Core Salmon mix. Except for her moods when she'll try some meat from DH. I give up. The vet said not to worry about the mercury from fish, at least Wellness is good quality food, but it's hard not to.

Melanie & Racci

Re: 4/2/12-Racci AMPS-312,+5.5-184

There will be no dessert unless you finish your FF Racci!

Re: 4/2/12-Racci AMPS-312,+5.5-184,PMPS-325, reduction?

Hi Serryn,

Do you think she cares, or believes it for that matter? :lol: Oh, I forgot to say the best part of it. She refused the Fancy Feast right after that whole acting like she was starving routine! I had to throw it out and make her Wellness instead or she wouldn't have eaten! Does she have my number or what? She's gotten so spoiled since she's the only one. I just want to savor every moment with her.

Oh, Sienne, I forgot to answer your question about the dose. I'm afraid the decrease might not be working. She had two pinks today! I meant to ask you all what you thought since she had the reduction. It's hard to tell because she had this screwup and she has the infection but it seems like she's been high except for the first few days and I'm wondering if that could have just been a nice full shed keeping her going after all those nice low weeks. What do you all think about that theory or the reduction?

Thanks
Melanie

if she's high at +11 you could just move her back to whenever you need to. punkin has the same issue - i call it the Feed Me Contract. there are no deviations from it. he has a very strong internal clock. one time my son shot him 3 hours late and OHMYGOSH i gave up on working him back. i think i finally skipped a shot to get us back on track - can't remember now. but punkin made my life miserable for 2 days until i bailed and got him back on schedule.

That's exactly what Racci has been doing, Julie, driving me nuts. I'm glad she's not the only one like that. I mean she knows to the minute! :lol: I only had 2 hours. I can't imagine having an extra hour to have to make up. yeek! At that point I think I probably would have shot early on a high +11 too. She's been high since! Even her +6's are high.

At this point it doesn't matter any more though. Tomorrow she's back on normal time, thank goodness. It's not been fun.

I hope once she's on schedule her numbers go back down again, even if it takes a couple of days! Otherwise I have to reconsider her reduction or take her to the vet to see if her infection got worse in spite of the ab she just finished.

I don't think the shot time has anything to do with Racci's numbers.

How often are you giving Racci Petromalt? The primary ingredient in Petromalt is corn syrup (aka Karo) and is very high in carbs.

It also sounds like you're giving Orbax Oral Suspension (i.e., a liquid). I cannot find the ingredients anywhere other than a note that there is a taste masking agent whereby cats only taste the malt flavoring vs. the bitter taste of the antibiotic. You may need to talk to your vet or ask him/her to find out whether there is any form of sugar in the oral suspension. Many oral meds do include some form of sugar. If Racci has been on this form of Orbax before without a problem, then it's probably fine.

I think you need to sort out some of the above issues before you make a decision regarding dose. I also think Racci may be bouncing off of some of the blue numbers. Rather than look at whether she's in the pinks, I think looking at the pattern may give you a better sense of where those numbers are coming from. It looks to me like if Racci has a drop from pinks into blues, she bounces back into the pinks.

(I also don't think you gave a fur shot on 3/31 given that Racci was back in the blues by +5 and that was a drop from a 340 at +1.)

Thanks for your input on Racci's dose Sienne. I only give Petromalt when I know she has furballs. Those 2x are the first time since her last time trying to get them up several weeks ago. At that point (weeks ago) it didn't seem to bother her bg's much. The Orbax is a different story. Like you, I was unable to find info about the sugar content and will put that on my list to ask vet when I talk to her. Good idea. This is her first time taking it.

I don't read the charts as well as you so would have to go with your reading but know that was a fur shot on 3/31. If you look at Racci's history you'll see that she is known for super high bg #s leading into blue +6's. I don't think that has anything to do with it. If you knew Racci you would also be sure of it. Her activities & signs are very exact all the time after a shot and weren't there. She also didn't want to move like she was still waiting. It was obvious to me.

If it's a case of too large a drop, Would you suggest feeding more at +3 so the drop is more gradual? I've been feeding at that time usually but don't push it if she isn't hungry.

Thanks!

Melanie

So I'm confused. If you gave a fur shot, other than what I'm going to presume is a food spike, why would Racci's numbers continue to come down? For most cats, if you give a fur shot or skip a shot the numbers rise over the course of the cycle. The AM cycle on 3/31 has a very clear and marked nadir. I wouldn't expect that to happen unless some, if not all of the insulin got in.

Managing the cycle with food isn't an exact science. If anything, it's more of a matter of trial and error. What you can do, is try spreading Racci's food out a bit more. For example, dividing her food at pre-shot, +2 and +4. Unless she has a problem with acid stomach and vomiting, I wouldn't feed after nadir. It does look like Racci vomits a bit. I'd suggest giving a small snack no later than +9. It may be that the food at +10 is causing pre-shot numbers to reflect the influence of food. However you opt to change the feedings, I'd keep really good notes on your SS and hold the change for several weeks to at least a month. It sometimes takes a while to really see the effect of any changes.

I have to look at the ss again to see if I put it on wrong date by accident. there was no +6 that day. The numbers went up continuously. BRB

Ok. I see what you're looking at. She had an AMps of 261, her next +2 was 342 and that's when I gave the shot. That's why the other numbers went down. If it had been a duplicate shot she would have been a hypo but she wasn't even green. The time before when she had a fur shot and I didn't shoot was 3/20 and she went up the entire day until her pspm when she got her shot again.

I usually feed at the 3rd hour because if I get closer to test time I get a food spike shot. I might be okay with a 2 hour difference but only if she eats fast. sometimes she's really slow. I might have to play that by ear. Thanks for the advice I'll see what I can do unless you have another suggestion in light of the above.

BTW, I just put up today's post and she is on schedule and has a blue amps!