10/19 Regs AMPS 254 +1 291 +1.5 253 +6 306 +10 369 pmps 278 +1 282

[Britta and Regs]

Last post
Last night, Regs gave me another little scare. We increased his dose from 2.5 to 2.75 units on Saturday morning, so we're both still getting used to the new dose

His PMPS was 242, which I was pretty happy with, but by +2 he had already dropped to 169. I got a little nervous about how quickly he was dropping, so I gave him some MC food. That seemed to slow things down. He went to 158 before starting to come back up.

What surprised me was that he didn't immediately bounce like he usually does when he gets down to around 170 or below.

What do you think? Was this just an active cycle, or could we already be seeing the effects of the dose increase? And where's the bounce I was expecting?

At least he had a little food bump this morning!

And here's the little troublemaker chilling before breakfast, happy and refreshed

 

[Staci & Ivy]

That’s a good thing the dose is taking him into nicer blue numbers. That’s what you’re aiming for is to bring his overall curve down.
It’s good you were able to test him and see what was going on and he certainly had a nice curve last night.
Sometimes it takes Ivy a few doses after an increase to show me some action (and then again sometimes it happens on the first dose).
Safe surfing handsome Regs!

 

[Britta and Regs]

That’s a good thing the dose is taking him into nicer blue numbers. That’s what you’re aiming for is to bring his overall curve down.
It’s good you were able to test him and see what was going on and he certainly had a nice curve last night.
Sometimes it takes Ivy a few doses after an increase to show me some action (and then again sometimes it happens on the first dose).
Safe surfing handsome Regs!

Thanks Staci, the same to sweet Ivy
I really love the blue numbers and he is so much more active than he is when his glucose is high but I was very shocked how fast he dropped.

I see here kitties dropping all the time around plus 2 or 3 but Regs normally drops later.

And even this morning at +1.5 he is at AMPS level and I have to go to work, will check him at +6 and my husband is home, belt he refuse to test, so I told him to monitor at least plus I have food in the feeder just in case.

I think it sounds more like a me issue, that I get my fear under control and not panic feed him as soon as he is in the mid 100s ( not sure how many time I am writing exactly this sentence )

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Thanks Staci, the same to sweet Ivy
I really love the blue numbers and he is so much more active than he is when his glucose is high but I was very shocked how fast he dropped.

I see here kitties dropping all the time around plus 2 or 3 but Regs normally drops later.

And even this morning at +1.5 he is at AMPS level and I have to go to work, will check him at +6 and my husband is home, belt he refuse to test, so I told him to monitor at least plus I have food in the feeder just in case.

I think it sounds more like a me issue, that I get my fear under control and not panic feed him as soon as he is in the mid 100s ( not sure how many time I am writing exactly this sentence )

Totally normal to feel as you do Britta!
It takes time and learning and still nail biting

My husband doesn’t test or do any of the things either, so I feel your pain.

But it’s good you have food in the feeder to help him if he needs to eat!

 

[Wendy&Neko]

I get my fear under control and not panic feed him as soon as he is in the mid 100s

Or feed slightly higher LC. Sort of wean yourself off the idea of feeding MC. You do want to slow down a fast drop, but you don't want to stop the insulin action. Ideally you'd feed before the big drop happens by about 20-30 minutes. That way he has fresh carbs on board before the drop. You did see a drop at +1 last night, so you could have fed LC at +1 or +1.5.

 

[Britta and Regs]

Or feed slightly higher LC. Sort of wean yourself off the idea of feeding MC. You do want to slow down a fast drop, but you don't want to stop the insulin action. Ideally you'd feed before the big drop happens by about 20-30 minutes. That way he has fresh carbs on board before the drop. You did see a drop at +1 last night, so you could have fed LC at +1 or +1.5.

Do you mean more wet food with 5-10% carbs? I got a good selection since the weekend and I have definitely some that are a touch higher.
Next time Regs drops so early I will try that, thanks so much for the idea. Retrospectively I also wonder how low he would have dropped if I would not have fed him. He stopped at 158 so I hope without he would not have gone too low.

Unfortunately today I think he is slightly bouncing, or maybe it’s the new dose, don’t know

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Yes, something in the higher LC range. You will have to experiment to see what does the job for Regs. He still had a long way to go to be in the danger zone. Hopefully he'll show you again, when you can monitor, how low this dose is taking him.

 

[Britta and Regs]

Yes, something in the higher LC range. You will have to experiment to see what does the job for Regs. He still had a long way to go to be in the danger zone. Hopefully he'll show you again, when you can monitor, how low this dose is taking him.

That’s so true, I know 150 is not low but it sounded threatening to me and I had no idea when he would stop. My brain always just jumps to what if I can not slow down the drop.
I hope after his bounce he will give me another try, maybe even on a day when I don’t have to work. Even I’m very happy with the first 2 days.

 

[Carina and Shelly]

Last post
Last night, Regs gave me another little scare. We increased his dose from 2.5 to 2.75 units on Saturday morning, so we're both still getting used to the new dose

His PMPS was 242, which I was pretty happy with, but by +2 he had already dropped to 169. I got a little nervous about how quickly he was dropping, so I gave him some MC food. That seemed to slow things down. He went to 158 before starting to come back up.

What surprised me was that he didn't immediately bounce like he usually does when he gets down to around 170 or below.

What do you think? Was this just an active cycle, or could we already be seeing the effects of the dose increase? And where's the bounce I was expecting?

At least he had a little food bump this morning!

And here's the little troublemaker chilling before breakfast, happy and refreshed
View attachment 80841

Still *very* new here. But yes, I was thinking it sounded like a positive thing: less bounce and flatter curve.

In other news: Regs has such a beautiful coat. I would be constantly touching his feet They are super cute

 

[Britta and Regs]

Still *very* new here. But yes, I was thinking it sounded like a positive thing: less bounce and flatter curve.

In other news: Regs has such a beautiful coat. I would be constantly touching his feet They are super cute

So am I Regs just got diagnosed in April, and was on vetsulin for the first 3 month. Wow your numbers look amazing already!
I know, less bounce and low numbers are better, but they always make me so jumpy especially at night

Thank you so much! His coat is so soft and shines and I really love to cuddle it. And his feet have so much fluff between the paws that he sometimes slides away.

 

[Mary & Jude]

Hi Britta, I hope you don't mind if I take minute to encourage and reassure you. First of all, you're doing a GREAT job with Regs! You're giving him the best care, and you're invested in learning and trying to get him as healthy as he can be. Good for you!! It is clear how much you care for him and for his wellbeing. Regs is a very lucky kitty. Just so you know, EVERYONE on this forum understands the worry about a hypo episode. You are in goooooood company on that front. Besides a cat coming down with DKA or p-itis, I don't think there is a greater concern. All of us may not show it, but that's because we have a little experience under our belts. It is something you get used to as you experience it. As Staci mentioned, those lower numbers are the goal, so eventually Regs is going to get down into the blues and, hopefully, the greens. When he drops into lower numbers in a cycle and you get worried, post on the forum. We'll walk and talk it out with you. Here is what I finally was able to tell myself that helped me not to have a nervous breakdown when Jude's numbers dropped: food is the tool that brings them up. And you're going to figure out what % carb you need to boost him. If he drops into lower numbers in the middle of a cycle, you'll give him small amounts (1-2 tsps. at a time) and will wait 30 mins or so and test him again to see if he's going up. You'll adjust % carbs as you go through the cycle. If he won't eat (and this has happened to Jude more than once when his numbers dropped), you're going to give him some honey--either dabbing it on his nose so he'll lick it or putting it into his mouth, rubbing it on his gums, or, if it gets really bad, giving him a little honey enema. His bg will go up. I have a friend who was never taught to test at home, and on more than one occasion, he gave his cat insulin and the cat experienced a hypo episode and passed out! He said all he did was rub some honey on the cat's gums, and he popped right back up (I never mentioned to my friend how terribly dangerous that was to not test, etc. I share this to show the power of using honey/syrup to boost b.g.) If all else fails, you'll take him to the er vet. It's not pleasant when we need to boost their bg, but it's totally do-able. Pretty soon, you're even going to be shooting greens!

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Hi Britta, I hope you don't mind if I take minute to encourage and reassure you. First of all, you're doing a GREAT job with Regs! You're giving him the best care, and you're invested in learning and trying to get him as healthy as he can be. Good for you!! It is clear how much you care for him and for his wellbeing. Regs is a very lucky kitty. Just so you know, EVERYONE on this forum understands the worry about a hypo episode. You are in goooooood company on that front. Besides a cat coming down with DKA or p-itis, I don't think there is a greater concern. All of us may not may not show it, but that's because we have a little experience under our belts. It is something you get used to as you experience it. As Staci mentioned, those lower numbers are the goal, so eventually Regs is going to get down into the blues and, hopefully, the greens. When he drops into lower numbers in a cycle and you get worried, post on the forum. We'll walk and talk it out with you. Here is what I finally was able to tell myself that helped me not to have a nervous breakdown when Jude's numbers dropped: food is the tool that brings them up. And you're going to figure out what % carb you need to boost him. If he drops into lower numbers in the middle of a cycle, you'll give him small amounts (1-2 tsps. at a time) and will wait 30 mins or so and test him again to see if he's going up. You'll adjust % carbs as you go through the cycle. If he won't eat (and this has happened to Jude more than once when his numbers dropped), you're going to give him some honey--either dabbing it on his nose so he'll lick it or putting it into his mouth, rubbing it on his gums, or, if it gets really bad, giving him a little honey enema. His bg will go up. I have a friend who was never taught to test at home, and on more than one occasion, he gave his cat insulin and the cat experienced a hypo episode and passed out! He said all he did was rub some honey on the cat's gums, and he popped right back up (I never mentioned to my friend how terribly dangerous that was to not test, etc. I share this to show the power of using honey/syrup to boost b.g.) If all else fails, you'll take him to the er vet. It's not pleasant when we need to boost their bg, but it's totally do-able. Pretty soon, you're even going to be shooting greens!

Best advice from Mary!!

 

[Britta and Regs]

Hi Britta, I hope you don't mind if I take minute to encourage and reassure you. First of all, you're doing a GREAT job with Regs! You're giving him the best care, and you're invested in learning and trying to get him as healthy as he can be. Good for you!! It is clear how much you care for him and for his wellbeing. Regs is a very lucky kitty. Just so you know, EVERYONE on this forum understands the worry about a hypo episode. You are in goooooood company on that front. Besides a cat coming down with DKA or p-itis, I don't think there is a greater concern. All of us may not show it, but that's because we have a little experience under our belts. It is something you get used to as you experience it. As Staci mentioned, those lower numbers are the goal, so eventually Regs is going to get down into the blues and, hopefully, the greens. When he drops into lower numbers in a cycle and you get worried, post on the forum. We'll walk and talk it out with you. Here is what I finally was able to tell myself that helped me not to have a nervous breakdown when Jude's numbers dropped: food is the tool that brings them up. And you're going to figure out what % carb you need to boost him. If he drops into lower numbers in the middle of a cycle, you'll give him small amounts (1-2 tsps. at a time) and will wait 30 mins or so and test him again to see if he's going up. You'll adjust % carbs as you go through the cycle. If he won't eat (and this has happened to Jude more than once when his numbers dropped), you're going to give him some honey--either dabbing it on his nose so he'll lick it or putting it into his mouth, rubbing it on his gums, or, if it gets really bad, giving him a little honey enema. His bg will go up. I have a friend who was never taught to test at home, and on more than one occasion, he gave his cat insulin and the cat experienced a hypo episode and passed out! He said all he did was rub some honey on the cat's gums, and he popped right back up (I never mentioned to my friend how terribly dangerous that was to not test, etc. I share this to show the power of using honey/syrup to boost b.g.) If all else fails, you'll take him to the er vet. It's not pleasant when we need to boost their bg, but it's totally do-able. Pretty soon, you're even going to be shooting greens!

Mary, thank you so much for taking the time to write this I really appreciate your kind words and encouragement.
I just try to give Regs and all my pets the best life I can, especially knowing they are all old and our time is limited.

I know that the lower numbers are exactly what we want to see, but somehow knowing that and actually seeing them on the meter are two very different things. And Regs certainly doesn't make it easier when he decides to surprise me with his numbers out of nowhere with either direction.
You are absolutely right I need to learn more using food to adjust his glucose. I actually started writing the carb percentages on his cans and pouches so I can quickly grab the right one when I need something with higher carbs, instead of standing there panicking and trying to figure out which one to use. Or if he is high maybe giving him something super low carb

I guess I just need more experience and learn to trust myself a little more. Hopefully one day I will look at those lower numbers without immediately getting nervous. I am not quite ready to imagine myself shooting greens yet though but I hope I will get there Well once I did and was watching Regs for hours after.

It really helps knowing that everyone here understands that fear and that I can always ask for help when Regs decides to keep me on my toes again, I just hope it does not get annoying if I have questions over questions. But it is incredible how much knowledge here is, especially our vets knowledge is so limited, even I know she tries. She thinks Regs has Cushing's or something else, just because he takes his sweet time to get regulated.

Thank you again for sharing your experience with Jude and for reassuring me. It really means a lot to both, me and Regs