10/28 Regs AMPS 241 +1 243 +2 196 +4 203 +6 276 PMPS 287 +1 305 +2 318

[Britta and Regs]

Last post

Regs had another pretty good drop this morning!

He went from 241 at AMPS to 196 at +2. Since I had to work, I gave him some extra food and set up his +3 feeder.
But I was so worried that I drove home at +4, only to find him at 202, with some food still left in the feeder

I’m relieved he stayed safe, but I can’t help wondering if I overfed him and robbed him of the chance to get some nice blue numbers today. And I feel really bad about it and wonder if I overreacted with giving him the snack.

Also, should I subtract his +3 snack from his breakfast? I’m worried that giving him less food at AMPS might make him drop even faster before the feeder opens but I also don’t want him not hungry for lunch or gain too much weight!

I wonder if that could be his pattern with three units that he is getting since Sunday but I doubt that his depot is already full

 

[Sara & Khloe]

Hey Britta!
Have you learned about meter variance yet? It’s something one of the mentors taught me that helped me gauge what a big drop is, as sometimes the actual numbers can be confusing. For example, 241 and 196 would be a 19% variance which I would consider ‘flat’ because meters are allowed a 20% variance of error.

Not that you did anything wrong, I was just hoping to possibly ease your mind that’s he’s not dropping too hard

 

[Britta and Regs]

Hey Britta!
Have you learned about meter variance yet? It’s something one of the mentors taught me that helped me gauge what a big drop is, as sometimes the actual numbers can be confusing. For example, 241 and 196 would be a 19% variance which I would consider ‘flat’ because meters are allowed a 20% variance of error.

Not that you did anything wrong, I was just hoping to possibly ease your mind that’s he’s not dropping too hard

Thank you so much, Sara! I know that the meter has a certain variance in the measurements, but I never really thought about it that way. I really appreciate you taking the time to explain this! I just saw that he did not have a food bump and his +2 was so much lower so I thought he would have an active cycle again.
Since we went up to 3 units on Sunday Regs has been having some pretty big drops and they make me nervous, especially when I’m at work and can’t keep an eye on him. I hope he will show me the same pattern this weekend that I can measure and observe it a bit better. I guess I tend to worry more about how fast he’s dropping than the actual numbers

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Also, should I subtract his +3 snack from his breakfast? I’m worried that giving him less food at AMPS might make him drop even faster before the feeder opens but I also don’t want him not hungry for lunch or gain too much weight!

How many calories does he get per day? Do you know what a good number of calories per day is for him? I gave Neko about half her cycle food at preshot and the rest spaced out. Giving him some food just before onset can help slow down drops. Onset looks like it might be +1.5 to +2 for him. Maybe get a couple +1.5 tests to figure that out for sure. Then it's good to have a meal around what is his typical nadir, just in case he's lower then and you aren't around. The SS data so far that looks like around +4, except if breaking a bounce.

I'd also like to talk about being strategic about testing. I know I've mentioned this before. Today he is on his way up and above AMPS by +6. You don't need any more tests until PMPS time. A description of the typical Lantus cycle is in The Basics Sticky Note. The curve typical is flat or slightly rising to onset, then down to nadir, then slowly back up to the next preshot. Some cats will do a mini dip at the end of the cycle, but not as low as the main nadir. Once you've seen them turn around mid cycle and head back up and he's in safe territory, park your test kit. Last night was another case of a +2 quite a bit higher than PMPS, you could have gotten more sleep, as your data shows. I do worry about your lack of sleep. There will be times you need to test more and get more tests in the wee hours, but you're not there quite yet. Strategic testing was a big one for me. I cross border shopped for test strips as they were so much cheaper. So I bought in bulk and spent a lot of time figuring out when I had to test, and when I didn't.

 

[Elaine and Ember]

Last post

I’m relieved he stayed safe, but I can’t help wondering if I overfed him and robbed him of the chance to get some nice blue numbers today. And I feel really bad about it and wonder if I overreacted with giving him the snack.

I have this inner dilemma with Ember all the time too. If I'm at work and I see her start dropping rapidly on the Libre, I send her high carb food via her feeder if I can't leave work. Sometimes it's absolutely the right decision and sometimes it's not, but I always remind myself that it's just one day and it's better to be high for a few hours than the alternative.

 

[Britta and Regs]

How many calories does he get per day? Do you know what a good number of calories per day is for him? I gave Neko about half her cycle food at preshot and the rest spaced out. Giving him some food just before onset can help slow down drops. Onset looks like it might be +1.5 to +2 for him. Maybe get a couple +1.5 tests to figure that out for sure. Then it's good to have a meal around what is his typical nadir, just in case he's lower then and you aren't around. The SS data so far that looks like around +4, except if breaking a bounce.

I'd also like to talk about being strategic about testing. I know I've mentioned this before. Today he is on his way up and above AMPS by +6. You don't need any more tests until PMPS time. A description of the typical Lantus cycle is in The Basics Sticky Note. The curve typical is flat or slightly rising to onset, then down to nadir, then slowly back up to the next preshot. Some cats will do a mini dip at the end of the cycle, but not as low as the main nadir. Once you've seen them turn around mid cycle and head back up and he's in safe territory, park your test kit. Last night was another case of a +2 quite a bit higher than PMPS, you could have gotten more sleep, as your data shows. I do worry about your lack of sleep. There will be times you need to test more and get more tests in the wee hours, but you're not there quite yet. Strategic testing was a big one for me. I cross border shopped for test strips as they were so much cheaper. So I bought in bulk and spent a lot of time figuring out when I had to test, and when I didn't.

Thank you so much, Wendy! I really appreciate all your advice!

Regs eats a little over 4 cans a day, mostly Fancy Feast or Sheba pâté, but lately he's also developed a taste for Weruva, which is a little higher in carbs. I still need to do the math to figure out how many calories he's getting, but I'm starting to wonder if it's a bit too much, considering how round he's getting. I would not even know how many calories a cat needs. I just hope it's not fluid building up again. His belly feels soft, though, and his ribs are harder to feel than they used to be. At his last checkup, the vet was happy with how he looked.

I really like the idea of spreading his food out more throughout the cycle. Right now he gets two big meals, but he usually leaves some food behind and comes back to finish it about an hour later. At least that way he still has food available if his BG starts dropping. I've been hesitant to reduce his preshot meals because I'm afraid he might drop even faster, but maybe smaller meals at the right times would actually work better for him. This morning he really was not so much into the feeder I had to use the bess so many times until he realized that the feeder was open, it always works well at night so I assume he just did not expect a meal. I'll try to get a few +1.5 tests to get a better idea of his onset. I'm just curious why he suddenly seems to have such an early onset when he didn't before.

And I know you're right about my testing and lack of sleep. Rob keeps telling me the same thing, although he doesn't worry about Regs nearly as much as I do. I think I've gotten so used to checking on him that it's hard to stop, even when his numbers suggest I can safely put the meter away. I even wake up at +6 or 7 without a wakeup call. But I'm walking around like a zombie most days and can barely concentrate at work or on anything else. I really need to learn to trust the data more and let myself get some sleep!

 

[Britta and Regs]

I have this inner dilemma with Ember all the time too. If I'm at work and I see her start dropping rapidly on the Libre, I send her high carb food via her feeder if I can't leave work. Sometimes it's absolutely the right decision and sometimes it's not, but I always remind myself that it's just one day and it's better to be high for a few hours than the alternative.

You’re so right, Elaine! That’s exactly what I kept telling myself this morning too. I’d much rather have him run a little high than risk him going too low. And at +2, I just can’t tell how the rest of the cycle is going to play out.
I’m really glad I live close enough to work that I can sneak home and be back within 25 minutes. Although I’m pretty sure my boss wouldn’t be too thrilled if she knew.

I really should give the Libre another try, though. It would give me so much more peace of mind to actually see how fast he’s dropping and know when I really need to step in, instead of constantly worrying about what might be happening while I’m at work.

 

[Mary & Jude]

Thank you so much, Wendy! I really appreciate all your advice!

Regs eats a little over 4 cans a day, mostly Fancy Feast or Sheba pâté, but lately he's also developed a taste for Weruva, which is a little higher in carbs. I still need to do the math to figure out how many calories he's getting, but I'm starting to wonder if it's a bit too much, considering how round he's getting. I would not even know how many calories a cat needs. I just hope it's not fluid building up again. His belly feels soft, though, and his ribs are harder to feel than they used to be. At his last checkup, the vet was happy with how he looked.

I really like the idea of spreading his food out more throughout the cycle. Right now he gets two big meals, but he usually leaves some food behind and comes back to finish it about an hour later. At least that way he still has food available if his BG starts dropping. I've been hesitant to reduce his preshot meals because I'm afraid he might drop even faster, but maybe smaller meals at the right times would actually work better for him. This morning he really was not so much into the feeder I had to use the bess so many times until he realized that the feeder was open, it always works well at night so I assume he just did not expect a meal. I'll try to get a few +1.5 tests to get a better idea of his onset. I'm just curious why he suddenly seems to have such an early onset when he didn't before.

And I know you're right about my testing and lack of sleep. Rob keeps telling me the same thing, although he doesn't worry about Regs nearly as much as I do. I think I've gotten so used to checking on him that it's hard to stop, even when his numbers suggest I can safely put the meter away. I even wake up at +6 or 7 without a wakeup call. But I'm walking around like a zombie most days and can barely concentrate at work or on anything else. I really need to learn to trust the data more and let myself get some sleep!

Your vet should be able to examine Regs and judge by his build how many calories he needs a day. For what it's worth, I feed Jude and Hazel 2 cans of FF in the a.m. and two cans at night. I used to give them another can before I go to bed, but I've cut that out now since Jude is porking out at 21 lbs. Instead of that evening can, I withhold two tablespoons of their evening meal and feed it as a nighttime snack when I go to bed. My other cats (3 of them) get basically the same, three tins in the a.m. and at night. The only difference is that one of their tins is the larger 6 oz can (the other tins are 3.5). But one of those cats (John Lewis) is a large cat (not fat--just big), so I give them a bit more.

 

[Britta and Regs]

Your vet should be able to examine Regs and judge by his build how many calories he needs a day. For what it's worth, I feed Jude and Hazel 2 cans of FF in the a.m. and two cans at night. I used to give them another can before I go to bed, but I've cut that out now since Jude is porking out at 21 lbs. Instead of that evening can, I withhold two tablespoons of their evening meal and feed it as a nighttime snack when I go to bed. My other cats (3 of them) get basically the same, three tins in the a.m. and at night. The only difference is that one of their tins is the larger 6 oz can (the other tins are 3.5). But one of those cats (John Lewis) is a large cat (not fat--just big), so I give them a bit more.

Thank you so much, Mary! I think I need to start paying more attention to how many calories Regs gets instead of just counting cans.

I’m actually planning to take Regs back to the vet in about three weeks, once he hopefully reaches his six-month milestone since his CHF diagnosis. I’d like to have him checked over and make sure everything is still looking good, so I can ask about his ideal calorie intake while we’re there, too.

I really like the idea of saving part of his regular meals for snacks instead of adding extra food. I’ve just been a little nervous about reducing his preshot meals because of his early drops, but maybe spreading the food out more evenly would actually work better for him.

And it sounds like Jude is enjoying his food just as much as Regs

 

[Mary & Jude]

Thank you so much, Mary! I think I need to start paying more attention to how many calories Regs gets instead of just counting cans.

I’m actually planning to take Regs back to the vet in about three weeks, once he hopefully reaches his six-month milestone since his CHF diagnosis. I’d like to have him checked over and make sure everything is still looking good, so I can ask about his ideal calorie intake while we’re there, too.

I really like the idea of saving part of his regular meals for snacks instead of adding extra food. I’ve just been a little nervous about reducing his preshot meals because of his early drops, but maybe spreading the food out more evenly would actually work better for him.

And it sounds like Jude is enjoying his food just as much as Regs

I think spreading his food out might help you accomplish some flattening of the curve, if that's what you're interested in doing.

And, yes, Jude does like his food. He always has! I got him from the Humane Society, and when I went to visit and decide who I'd take home, for the two times I went, he was parked under a chair, next to a bowl of kibble, chomping down.

 

[Britta and Regs]

I think spreading his food out might help you accomplish some flattening of the curve, if that's what you're interested in doing.

And, yes, Jude does like his food. He always has! I got him from the Humane Society, and when I went to visit and decide who I'd take home, for the two times I went, he was parked under a chair, next to a bowl of kibble, chomping down.

Aww, that’s such a cute story! Sounds like Jude has always been a little foodie

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Do you still have another question? If your question has been answered, please remove the "?" prefix. We look at those to see who needs help. If you get a new question, put the ? back up again.