Lola 2/16 AMPS 151

Wow. She sure did a big jump after +4. What does 5.42 mean on the spreadsheet. Was that supposed to be 5.75 (meaning 5 hours 45 minutes?)

She’s making progress!!
 
Elohelay said:
It was 25 mins after +5. I just kept it as decimal hours. 🤷‍♀️

I *might* have given her too much food 🤦‍♀️
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I would just round it to 5.5 meaning five and a half hours after the shot, but no worries.

You should write down which foods you feed at what time in the comments area. This can be helpful to explain what happens in a cycle, as well as which foods tend to keep her level and which foods tend to raise BG, etc. It will help us see how carb sensitive she is. Every cat is different in this respect.
 
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Suzanne & Darcy said:
I would just round it to 5.5 meaning five and a half hours after the shot, but no worries.

You should write down which foods you feed at what time in the comments area. This can be helpful to explain what happens in a cycle, as well as which foods tend to keep her level and which foods tend to raise BG, etc. It will help us see how carb sensitive she is. Every cat is different in this respect.
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I am keeping track on a notepad in her room, it was just getting to be a lot to add it to the spreadsheet. I even started a second just for food because I wanted to see if I could see a pattern (mainly with beef).
 
I shot that blue, but I'm wondering if the # was even correct? I tried to get a +2, and these were the numbers, all within 2-3 minutes of each other.
  • 338, 280 (right ear, different drops of blood)
  • 292, 335 (left ear, same drop of blood)
I just opened a new package of test strips, but I tested with the control solution and they were within range. Now I'm really unsure.

I will test again at +3 and hope for the best.
 
Okay.
Elohelay said:
I am keeping track on a notepad in her room, it was just getting to be a lot to add it to the spreadsheet. I even started a second just for food because I wanted to see if I could see a pattern (mainly with beef).
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Okay. It’s a lot better for us here to understand what is going on with the numbers if we can see the food.
 
Elohelay said:
I shot that blue, but I'm wondering if the # was even correct? I tried to get a +2, and these were the numbers, all within 2-3 minutes of each other.
  • 338, 280 (right ear, different drops of blood)
  • 292, 335 (left ear, same drop of blood)
I just opened a new package of test strips, but I tested with the control solution and they were within range. Now I'm really unsure.

I will test again at +3 and hope for the best.
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Now is a good time for us to talk about meter variance. The different readings could just be what is called meter variance. The glucometers are permitted to have a variance of up to about 20 percent— so it’s possible that you could even test the same drop of blood and get a 100 and a 120 or an 80 (just as a random example.)

The 292 you got could be as high as a 350 or as low as 234. That would be a 20 percent difference either way. Specifically, today with the 292/335 that is approximately a 15 percent difference so well within meter variance.

It’s also possible that you can occasionally have a bad test strip. So you retesting any number you get that seems really off to you is always a good idea.
 
Meter variance is a really frustrating thing! This is why I can say your cycle is really flat if she’s mostly all yellow or all blue — even if the numbers have been up or down a bit. We look more at trends in the BG.

Another example is when someone is stalling their shot and they tell me that the AMPS is 120. They test 30 minutes later and it’s 110 and they’re thinking the BG is dropping, but it’s essentially stable.
 
While I do think her numbers are a little wonky, I think today she is bouncing from yesterday’s good numbers. She hadn’t really started the bounce last night. Her PMPS number was just high because the morning shot had worn off for the most part. And then last night we know she at least dropped down into the blue since she was blue at AMPS. Today we can see that she is really having a period of sustained higher numbers so she is bouncing.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
While I do think her numbers are a little wonky, I think today she is bouncing from yesterday’s good numbers. She hadn’t really started the bounce last night. Her PMPS number was just high because the morning shot had worn off for the most part. And then last night we know she at least dropped down into the blue since she was blue at AMPS. Today we can see that she is really having a period of sustained higher numbers so she is bouncing.
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Okay. So we’re in a bounce. Is there a sticky that explains bounces and flat curves? I tried to search for flat curves but all the results seemed to be individual posts.

How is your cat doing?
 
A bounce is where the cat's body reacts to lower numbers that she is not used to being in anymore (since becoming diabetic.). It’s a protective mechanism where the cat's central nervous system perceives either a rapid drop in blood glucose (or simply the cat being in lower than the accustomed numbers) and releases adrenaline, cortisol, glucagons and growth hormone, all of which create insulin resistance and can keep numbers high for up to six cycles (the bounce). Bounces don't have to last that long, but in some cats they will. Over time, many cats will start to clear the bounces more quickly. When the bounce does clear, the BG numbers will come back down and give us an accurate picture of what a dose is doing for the cat.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I hope you aren’t getting sick!!!
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oh, I'm definitely getting sick. It doesn't seem to be too bad, but the brain fog is real.

Her numbers weren't too bad today. I'll grab a +3 in a few hours. I ended up with a larger drop of blood than expected with PMPS and was able to get a ketone reading, too.

It was 0.8 which has me all kinds of worried. I'm thinking I'll call the vet in the morning and see if I can take her in for fluids if her AMPS ketone read is still high?
 
Elohelay said:
oh, I'm definitely getting sick. It doesn't seem to be too bad, but the brain fog is real.

Her numbers weren't too bad today. I'll grab a +3 in a few hours. I ended up with a larger drop of blood than expected with PMPS and was able to get a ketone reading, too.

It was 0.8 which has me all kinds of worried. I'm thinking I'll call the vet in the morning and see if I can take her in for fluids if her AMPS ketone read is still high?
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If you test her ketones when she’s in the blue you should get a lower number. They fluctuate throughout the day. .8 warrants keeping an eye on the ketones but not necessarily a trip to the vet as long as she is eating and drinking normally, not lethargic or vomiting. Add a little extra water to her food. I do sub-q fluids at home and honestly I never saw the ketones actually go down when I did, but I always just hoped it might help.

Have you read this:
Ketones, Ketoacidosis, and Diabetic Cats: A Primer on Ketones
 
I think we can move Lola to .75 units as long as you are ready to see some green. She’s only had one green on this dose recently so we need to take the whole picture into consideration. Right now is probably not the time as you are not feeling well! You may need some extra rest (and snuggle time with Lola!)
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I think we can move Lola to .75 units as long as you are ready to see some green. She’s only had one green on this dose recently so we need to take the whole picture into consideration. Right now is probably not the time as you are not feeling well! You may need some extra rest (and snuggle time with Lola!)
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I’m coughing too much for her to snuggle with me. We both get comfortable, and then I have a coughing fit and I don’t see her until I track her down 😂
 
I think we had another flat cycle today. She’s in good spirits and eating well.


Her food is typically about this soupy. That’s okay, right?
IMG_9344.jpeg
 
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