1/29/2015 1Off the juice trial going great

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Cindywith4cutecats

Cindywith4cutecats

Member Since 2014
Looking for advice on how to do a trial of off the juice...When you look at my SS there is a red line, everything prior to that red line I was using ALPHATRAK METER , metered for Cats. I changed and WENT TO HUMAN METER (the SS was coloring to human ranges by default. (ie: some of your AT numbers were actually blues and greens (in human), etc.. not reflected as such because of the SS color coding being formatted for human)

I am looking for specific information. DO I wait till hits a 50bg for a number days. I have no appointments tomorrow so I plan on testing him all day....I get afraid of taking him down to 50 for a BG cause like today he eats and eats when his numbers are low.....
 
I'd say he's ready for his trial now!

He's gotten normal numbers for the last 16 cycles on the .1 dose

While doing the trial, you want to test at your normal PS times, both morning and evening

If he throws you a higher number than "normal", test again 3 hours after food....if the number goes down, then his pancreas is working! A few higher test results don't necessarily mean the trial is failing, so don't panic!

If he can stay in mostly normal numbers for 14 days, it's party time!!
 
Hi Cindy..Norman is looking SO GREAT!
I glanced quickly at your SS...looks like he has been under 100 the last 10 cycles with only a couple of times even in the low 100's prior to that.
BTW, wonder why your SS isn't color coding these last few weeks?...you know you can go in there and do it manually, just click o the square to edit then on the color box above.

I don't see many recent daytime mid-cycle tests but you are getting them in the eve. When we went OTJ I tried to drop down one more level from .10 to a drop before starting our trial, but mostly because we had not been on insulin all that long and I wanted to give him his best shot and his pancreas to have more time to heal. I will tell you there were times I wondered if any came out anyway... we joke at that point it is like essence of insulin!
For us it was almost as scary stopping insulin as starting it.

I would love to see what some of the others think..is Norman ready for an OTJ trial? ..or should Cindy try to maybe dial it down to a drop for a few more cycles first? Thoughts?
 
BTW Cindy, let's see if we can get some more eyes and feedback to decide if it looks like a go....
but whenever it is you do start a trial, you still want to test twice a day in the beginning, and post numbers here. AN OTJ trial lasts 14 days then if he stays in normal #'s at that point it is official.
 
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Cindy, another question. Are you still feeding D/M? or have you switched to other LC canned.
It helped us so much to be on LC mini meals....spread out throughout the day. I know I've told you this but it really is key and makes such a difference. It's easier on their pancreas and keeps their levels more even...plus adding the T or 2 of water also helps in so many ways. Hank remained diet controlled for the rest of his life eating this way.
 
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He is not on d/m he is on M/D.....I will be home during the day for the next week so more testing will on my part will be ok... My color coding went away when I added rowes and I can't figure out to get the color coding to come down on those rows
 
going to try a trail since I am home for few weeks during the day now.....can anyhow tell me how to get the color coding down to the other rowes on my SS
 
For the color coding - I'm not 100% sure if this will work in a Drive SS as my experience is all Excel and before that MS Spreadsheets. But it looks like some sort of conditional formatting. What you might need to do is copy all the data from the rows you added AND the last row that worked properly and save it to a new ss, then delete the added rows and the data from the last row that worked. But make sure you don't delete that last row that worked properly - just take out the numbers.. At the bottom of the page, there's a box that says add another 1000 rows. Change the number of rows to the number you actually want to add and click the Add box. This should add rows while still keeping the conditional formatting that makes the numbers show a color background. I just tried adding rows on Rosa's using the add button and it did carry the colors over to the new rows.
 
I don't think you need to do all that...as I recall I used to just click on the square I wanted to color, then select the color I wanted, click and that was it.
 
You can definitely do it that way, but it's more work every time you put in a number than having the color come up automatically. I'm lazy - I like to set it up and have it do as much of the work for me as possible! ;)
 
There's an easier way to get the formatting back. Go back to the last row that worked, and select it and the rows as far down as you've got data entered. Under the Format menu, select Conditional Formatting, then select Save Rules. Or you can manually color them as Betty suggests.
 
Thanks! I wasn't sure if that would work in Drive and didn't want to suggest it if it was going to mess up any of the existing data.
 
He is not on d/m he is on M/D.....
Click to expand...

My bad..I was thinking MD but wrote DM..but even so we decided that was 14%..so a medium carb. I think it's best if you keep Norman on LC < 10%
going forward. Try some from the charts. http://www.catinfo.org/docs/FoodChartPublic9-22-12.pdf
I know you worry about his sensitive tummy, but you really want him on low carb to stay diet controlled. Just ease him in so no changes are made too quickly. There is no magic in the RX foods, plus they are expensive, and in this case carbs too high.


going to try a trail since I am home for few weeks during the day now....
Click to expand...

WooHOo congratulations!!! It looks like others are thinking it looks good and like a go.
But it's called a trial for a reason, you can always jump back on if needed. I do encourage you to post his numbers daily during this 2 weeks and ask any questions. That way others can help you if anything gets off track.

BTW the beauty of OTJ trials (and OTJ) is you don't HAVE to be home at any certain times. You try to test at their usual times..but you can always change it up if you are running around. You will learn what he runs at different times in relation to food, etc..
And as Chris said, if he ever throws a number that seems a bit on the high side, feed him and re-test in 3 hours or so to see if he comes down on his own. That's called a food test, and how you know his little pancreas is working!
 
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I am so scared . I was so afraid of him being insulin and now it seems like I am just afraid to take him off. Better for him if his pancreas works on his own...
 
I started a whole new SS for him being the juice. I put the link in my signature. I marked each one....I bet thats confusing but I really don't know what I am doing with Google Docs at all
 
Did you see me say the very same thing in my post above?
it is a little scary, but I promise you will get the hang of it just like you did learning how to treat him. It is just a trial. If it doesn't work, you can get him a little extra help. You now officially have some new free time and don't have to watch clocks. And no you can't stare Norman down to death for 2 weeks..you both get to have a little break. So, SO EXCITING!!!


ETA: You want to keep his Trial numbers together with his other numbers Cindy.
no need to have to switch between the two. It helps to be able to see the whole story together.
 
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Did someone post the instructions??

Congrats!

Here are the instructions.
  • Test at your normal AMPS and PMPS times.
  • Feed multiple small meals throughout the day as much as possible (small meals are less likely to overwhelm a newly functioning pancreas).
  • If Norman is green at your normal test times, no need to test further until the next "PS" time, just feed small meals and go about your day. If he is blue, feed a small meal and test again after about 3 hours. If her number is lower 3-4 hours after a meal, then his pancreas is working!

Sometimes the trial doesn't work the first time and we have to give a little more support in the form of resuming insulin. It's not the end of the world if that happens, we just give him the support he needs. Our goal is a strong remission and it's better to take our time to get that than to rush into remission just to have it fail later on.
 
there have been some updates made in the OTJ trial directions. Here's the most recent:

Start the trial on the next green pre shot.

If he/she is green at your normal test times, no need to test further until the next "PS" time; just feed small meals and go about your day. If he/she is blue at your normal "PS", feed a small meal and test again after about 3 or 4 hours. If his/her number is lower 3-4 hours after a meal, then the pancreas is working!
Post every day so we can monitor your progress and see if any tweaks are needed. He/she may have a sporadic blue number. Don't panic but post before you decide whether to shoot so we can have a discussion.

After 14 days of no insulin, we have a party!!

Sometimes the trial doesn't work the first time and we have to give a little more support in the form of resuming insulin. It's not the end of the world if that happens; we just give him/her the support needed. Our goal is a strong remission and it's better to take our time to get that than to rush into remission just to have it fail later on.
Good luck with the trial!!!

Once he/she is through the trial successfully, you enter a new phase. Your cat is still diabetic but has now become diet-controlled. Continue feeding low carb food in the manner successful for your kitty. If you decide to change his/her feeding schedule, let your meter be your guide to the best times to feed. Avoid medications with sugar in them and steroid medications unless they are medically essential. Continue testing blood glucose weekly for the first month and then monthly forever. It's a good idea to weigh him/her monthly. Weight should remain stable. If he/she seems "off" or sick, or is showing signs of diabetes (excessive drinking, eating, urinating, weight loss), test his/her blood glucose right away. Keep the teeth and gums clean and healthy; dental issues can bring a cat out of remission. If you see rising blood glucose numbers, it's time for a visit to the vet!​
 
So glad you did that Julie..I just searched and copied pasted from a previous thread...then found them in a more recent post with some tweaks.
I was just about to add these updated ones or edit my earlier post and you beat me to it!
 
Congrats and good luck! I had "test anxiety" too with Henry's OTJ trial a few weeks ago, but it all worked out! We're rooting for you and Norman. :D:D:D
 
Cindywith4cutecats said:
I am so scared . I was so afraid of him being insulin and now it seems like I am just afraid to take him off. Better for him if his pancreas works on his own...
Click to expand...

I was just the same. It was like I was losing control of his pancreas and having to hand it back to him. Fingers crossed:D
 
We started our day at 80 BG for our first day off the juice.....AM 80 +4 81 then PM we missed cause I was not here bummer but got a +4 89 ..not to worried over 89 , both were tested at only 1 1/2 hours after food. Excited for tomorrow now
 
WOoHOO!!!!:woot:

~ GO NORMAN!!!!

............Happy TRIAL DAY 1 :D:D:D:D:D:D




try a food test when you can...test before he eats then +3 after to see if he brings himself down
 
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