2. Java, elder cat

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337 PMPT? That seems wrong. I should try on the other ear.
I'm pretty sure he's dehydrated. That I didn't see until now. I'm warming up the Ringers.

327 on the other ear, juicy drop. I have to review things, he still gets 1.75?
@Yong @Djamila @Steph what do you think? Reduce from 1.75 for pm shot? Do 1.5? Fat 1? I don't understand why it's down this low. I'm grateful but I wish it made sense.
 
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Lois and Java said:
337 PMPT? That seems wrong. I should try on the other ear.
I'm pretty sure he's dehydrated. That I didn't see until now. I'm warming up the Ringers.

327 on the other ear, juicy drop. I have to review things, he still gets 1.75?
@Yong @Djamila @Steph what do you think? Reduce from 1.75 for pm shot? Do 1.5? Fat 1? I don't understand why it's down this low. I'm grateful but I wish it made sense.
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Sorry, Lois, no sense to be made of a single number with a bouncy cat. Maybe try 1.5 u? You could leave it at 1.75 u if you want to be brave but they tend to go lower at night. Don't drop the dose too much. You know what to do if he gets into green too early.
 
No, not yet. Just reading these posts.
I'm leaning g towards fat 1, but was seriously considering a 1.25.
Kris, et al., it's such a bummer that the none of this makes sense.
 
I wish I had a better decision tree. I still feel like I'm stabbing in the dark on this! My rationale for a fat one is that I've only had a handful of other pre-shot magentas, and he's gone down into Greens on all of them.
 
Whatever makes you most comfortable. And you can monitor and you know you can steer with food...and even if no one is in this forum, you'll almost always have company on health if you just want someone to chat with while you steer (if you needed to).
 
I'm going to go with a fat one, and give him ringers. Just hope it doesn't end on a big cycle lots of blacks again.
I was reading that Yong and Djamila have been here for 2 months. I think I have too. You guys are so much more confident I am!
 
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It's hard to say, Lois. Looking back, you have gotten some low numbers shooting fat 1 on magenta numbers before. If you feel most comfortable with that, go with it.
 
Rachel said:
It's hard to say, Lois. Looking back, you have gotten some low numbers shooting fat 1 on magenta numbers before. If you feel most comfortable with that, go with it.
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Yep that was my thought process too. He's eating a fair amount, mostly YA, I'll get some FF in him too. I'm so grateful he has an appetite.
Thanks very much, all. Omg, it took me almost an hour to decide on this. I think I'm just really slow, dumb, scared!
 
Nah, it's a hard thing to deal with! Doesn't make you dumb or slow...as for scared, heck you fit right in with the rest of us!!
 
Every time Gypsy went low, I was terrified. And when she was high I was terrified. I think it's natural since they are our babies. But you gotta learn to savor the sweet moments and not let the disease scare you too much. That's why you have this forum. You're not alone with it. :bighug:
 
Lois and Java said:
It scares you too?
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Oh my goodness, yes. Did you see my post earlier about how I was second guessing Sam's dose?

And as for confidence....look at my spreadsheet: Sam is pretty simple and consistent (antijinx). I'd be curled up in a ball crying if I had one of the many, many complicated cats on here. I'm in awe of you all every day. Also, this is my second time here. Sam already had FD once and then went into remission. And during the year he was in remission, I still logged in and read posts fairly regularly. So it's really more like two years that I've been here.
 
Wow, Sam's SS is beautiful. You're so lucky! Good work, Sam!
Thanks Rachel, Djamila, Kris.

I just gave Java 100 ml of Ringer's subq. When I went to give him a shot I realized that his skin was tenting. Gotta grab some dinner myself, it might be a little longer g night.
 
Sorry I wasn't around, and again I had no alert I was tagged. Just unchecked that setting and re-checked, hoping it will fix. Luckily, the others were on:cat:. Looks like he was ok with the fat 1.0U last night. I get SS envy too, Lois ;)
 
I'm inclined to say skinny 1.0U. Just basing that off his previous yellow AMPS cycles with yellows. I tend not to treat AM and PM cycles as acting the same, if that makes sense.
 
It was convenient just now to test ketones (none) and you know how there's a glucose strip too? It read "none" also. Blood test more reliable, he's got glucose! And just had some FF.
Well, I appreciate the low numbers. It would be great if they stayed! (No Jinx!)
I just shot a fat 1 and reread your post @Yong (we can test it) and realized you suggested a skinny 1. Confirmation bias on my part.
 
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As they say, you hold the syringe :). I was just looking for previous AM cycles with yellow PS numbers. Yeah the I think the lowest on glucose strip after 0 is like 250. So if 243 is his blood glucose reading, there isn't much excess left to go into urine, if any, so it will probably read 0 if their BG is under 250.
 
Yong said:
As they say, you hold the syringe :). I was just looking for previous AM cycles with yellow PS numbers. Yeah the I think the lowest on glucose strip after 0 is like 250. So if 243 is his blood glucose reading, there isn't much excess left to go into urine, if any, so it will probably read 0 if their BG is under 250.
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I know I blew that. I'm now wired to be hyper to get insulin into him asap to get those high numbers moving down, and should have paused.
There are so few PT yellows. I'm coming up with myriad explanations for the yellows, which I should just let go, too little info.
 
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At least half the time, my normal IS panic. The other half is, I'm trying my best, his body is doing its best, it's okay to be calm. Sometimes it isn't even on my mind for awhile, and I feel so guilty when I realize that, "omg, what if something bad happened while you weren't worrying!"
 
Lois and Java said:
At least half the time, my normal IS panic. The other half is, I'm trying my best, his body is doing its best, it's okay to be calm. Sometimes it isn't even on my mind for awhile, and I feel so guilty when I realize that, "omg, what if something bad happened while you weren't worrying!"
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We think that if we worry it'll prevent bad things from happening. Magical thinking. Problem is, it just robs us of coping energy and has no influence on events whatsoever. ;)
 
Yong said:
Does he seem to be feeling better today with lower numbers? :cat: May be too soon to tell.
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It's hard to tell, and I've also learned I have both accurate observation, and confirmation bias based on his numbers. Something interesting to me is that he didn't have an excessive amount of peeing overnight, which I might have expected with the ringers. The vet had told me, variously, to give 125 ml twice a week, and more recently, 125 ml daily - alternating with the NaCl fluid. I shut that down after yet another reading through Tanya's website. So that 100 ml last night was my best guess for an adequate amount of fluid, and I didn't want to go up to 125 in the hopes that 100 wouldn't "wash away' whatever is causing the streak of yellows... Even though Tanya's site, with references, says there is no such thing as "washing away."

Well that was an elaborate answer to a simple question! He did do this thing that I love, he paws at the ground when he first drinks water, that I haven't seen him do in a while.
 
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Kris & Teasel said:
We think that if we worry it'll prevent bad things from happening. Magical thinking. Problem is, it just robs us of coping energy and has no influence on events whatsoever. ;)
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Exactly.
I'm normally much calmer about medical things. Lots of first aid etc training and drills.
With all this stuff with Java, it's as if none of ever happened, except that I'm comfortable with medical equipment. Because it's Java, no doubt, and he can't talk.
 
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Lois and Java said:
Starting a new thread...
It's been an awful day for Java.
634 amps
Fat 1 unit
549 at +4
555 at +8.5
125 ml subq fluid at +9.5.
I'd swear that wasn't a fur shot.
I don't understand why it's so high. From eating FF? Is a fur shot the only explanation for something like this?
I'm so sad about it. I want to help him feel better right now, yet don't know how.
More immediately, it's an hour to PMPS. Should I use more than fat 1 unit?
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I hope your kitty feels better! I'm wondering though, what is a fur shot?
 
Cherish Gallagher said:
I hope your kitty feels better! I'm wondering though, what is a fur shot?
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I'm hoping that he does, and thinking that he does, because his numbers are between 100 and 300 this morning.
A fur shot is when the insulin doesn't get into the body of a cat. The needle goes through and out the other side of the skin tent, or something about the injection goes awry, and insulin isn't delivered inside cat. The safe protocol is to wait out that 12-hour cycle without giving any additional insulin. The reason is that going low, a hypo, is dangerous and potentially life-threatening, but a cycle or two of high BG is not life-threatening.
 
Or what Yong said much more succinctly!
I can't stop coming up with reasons for the yellow! I wonder if it has anything to do with changing the way I'm doing injections. That would be terrific, and horrible, all at the same time!
 
243, 231, now 152. Nadir in an hour or so. Unbelievable. His eyes have stopped weeping brown goo. He let me clean the crust off with contact lens solution and tissues. He's happy to eat, well, he always is.

Now I understand why sports people have all kinds of superstitions. Special socks, special ties, touch this touch that. Man if there is anything that I could do to keep this this way I would do it. Knock wood that it continues!

After the last fur shot a few days ago, which I would swear was not a fur shot (evidence-based rather than observational), I've been bringing him to my lap in the dining room where I test him, and injecting insulin in a tent on his side belly. It's the same thing I've always been doing, but on my lap. I was taking the needle to him, and shooting into a tent on his side or belly while he was lying on his pillow. So, I don't know.

And yeah, I'm getting way too excited about this. Steady on the expectations, girl.
 
Better socks than underwear!
155. Amazeballs.
He just came to see what I was doing, and ate a little bowl of chicken. His eyes are weeping goo again though.
I'm a little bit afraid to think about what dose to do this evening, afraid I'll jinx it. But if it stays in the 200s, flat 1, skinny 1?
 
I read on the fdmb Facebook page that FF was reformulated, and several of the classic pates are now higher carbs. I'd have to dig to find it again. After, looked at Dr. Lisa's list to double-check it, and all Pates are low carb. Dr. Lisa list is definitive, we agree? It was a screen cap of an iPhone app for cat food. Anyone heard anything different about food list?
 
I'd agree that Dr. Lisa is definitive. She spent countless hours on the phones with companies and has no personal gain from a lie (not saying you were saying she did lie...just making a case for why I find her definitive).

I believe people were finding FF giving their cats higher BG but no one ever concluded that they changed formulas for sure.
 
Rachel said:
I'd agree that Dr. Lisa is definitive. She spent countless hours on the phones with companies and has no personal gain from a lie (not saying you were saying she did lie...just making a case for why I find her definitive).

I believe people were finding FF giving their cats higher BG but no one ever concluded that they changed formulas for sure.
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Yes, that's exactly why I'm way more inclined to believe Dr. Lisa than someone's app.
It's like having a hangnail, I'm still picking at ideas of why this teeny tiny little honeymoon for Java.
 
442. Sigh. It couldn't be one pill pocket for his Zobaline?
Not sure dose to give.
What do you look for?
I'm looking at every past PS that was in 400s, it looks like more had 1.5, sound about right?
 
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It's so important to remember that you hold the syringe and can ignore advice anytime you want. It doesn't hurt mine, nor anyone else's feelings.

That beings said, I think I would go with 1.75u

Here's why:
-I'm a fan of keeping the dose consistent, unless the numbers and reactions indicate otherwise. Our bodies change from day to day, and the variations in number shouldn't be weighted too heavily unless the responses to those numbers force you to.
-You monitor closely, so if anything goes awry, you will catch it.
-He has a lot of room to drop before he's anywhere near a lime green.
-So far, 1.75 has always been safe.
-He was low today, and a "typical" response would be to stay flatter tonight. This one I put less weight on though given Java's age and other factors -- he isn't necessarily going to respond in a typical way.

Okay, that's how I thought about it. But here's the thing: I think there is a lot of logic and science around dosing....but I also think there is some art. Sometimes it just comes down to looking at your cat and going with your gut. So if 1.75 feels too strong tonight I think it's fine to go with a lower dose.
 
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