11/22 Boots AMPS 420...lowest AMPS so far!

[spuds151]

My wife and I woke up around 06:30ish because we heard one of the cats throwing up (we have 3 + diabetic Boots). Panicked, we ran to see if it was Boots. Unfortunately we did not see who it was, but found just a hairball, so that calmed our concerns a little. Still, we went to test Boots even though it's about 1 hour before he was scheduled to eat and get his insulin.

We haven't tested him since the weekend when we took away all dry food and treats, so I was anxious to see the result. I did start giving him all-natural turkey as a treat yesterday which he LOVED.

I know 420 isn't low, but it's the lowest AMPS we've gotten to date, so I'll take the small victories where I can. We gave him food and insulin at 07:30 as is the usual plan, and my wife plans to test him at around +6, so we'll see what happens there. Fingers crossed we're finally on to something!

 

[AZJenks]

Great news! Hope you continue to see those numbers coming down every day!

 

[KATIE&ovie]

I have a feeling now dry food is out of Boots life his numbers will keep coming down.

How did Boots do for testing? I know you said he isn't too fond of it.

 

[spuds151]

I have a feeling now dry food is out of Boots life his numbers will keep coming down.

How did Boots do for testing? I know you said he isn't too fond of it.

I really hope so. Looking forward to +6 numbers with cautious anticipation. He seemed to be okay getting tested this morning, a slight annoyance at most. I think we've figured out the sweet spot on his ear to get a good sample, so now we're working more on getting him into the routine.

 

[Gill & George]

Red is better than black.

even though you tested at +11, you should really test at amps as well, in this particular case it's not so much about safety as he is obviously quite high, but more for future reference about what the difference between +11 and amps/pmps can tell you about where his cycle may be heading.

Let's just say you had got a test at amps this morning and found it was 350, that sort of fall in numbers at the end of the cycle can indicate that he is clearing a bounce, and it would prompt a closer check on BG in the following cycle, shooting when a bounce is clearing, they can gather quite some momentum, and it would perhaps prompt you to test before +6.

Given that it's the lowest you have shot so far, if your wife is about, it might be interesting to get a test earlier in the cycle, +3/+4, cat's don't always have their lowest numbers at the same time, and some can drop very early in the cycle. George more often than not had his lowest numbers at +5+6, but he did nadir as early as +2.
In order to figure out how your kitty is responding to insulin it's good to move those test times about.
Glad you found a treat to persuade him with, I'm not sure what all natural turkey is, if it's a deli product be aware that a lot of deli produce has sugars added.

 

[spuds151]

Red is better than black.

even though you tested at +11, you should really test at amps as well, in this particular case it's not so much about safety as he is obviously quite high, but more for future reference about what the difference between +11 and amps/pmps can tell you about where his cycle may be heading.

Let's just say you had got a test at amps this morning and found it was 350, that sort of fall in numbers at the end of the cycle can indicate that he is clearing a bounce, and it would prompt a closer check on BG in the following cycle, shooting when a bounce is clearing, they can gather quite some momentum, and it would perhaps prompt you to test before +6.

Given that it's the lowest you have shot so far, if your wife is about, it might be interesting to get a test earlier in the cycle, +3/+4, cat's don't always have their lowest numbers at the same time, and some can drop very early in the cycle. George more often than not had his lowest numbers at +5+6, but he did nadir as early as +2.
In order to figure out how your kitty is responding to insulin it's good to move those test times about.
Glad you found a treat to persuade him with, I'm not sure what all natural turkey is, if it's a deli product be aware that a lot of deli produce has sugars added.

I'm planning to do more of a single-day curve on him at some point this weekend. I know I need to test him more often, but it is often difficult because my wife and I both work full time, and Boots does not tolerate getting poked multiple times in a day very well. I will continue doing what I can. As for the turkey, I have checked the ingredients, and there is no added sugar/gluten/MSG/etc. on the ingredient label. I calculated the carb content to be ~1.8% and it is low sodium, so I feel good about that.

 

[Alicia & Maggie (GA)]

Glad Boots is making progress. He'll get better at poking/testing time. Some people say their cats come to them at testing time. Not so of my furball, but she does tolerate it...

 

[Gill & George]

I know I need to test him more often, but it is often difficult because my wife and I both work full time, and Boots does not tolerate getting poked multiple times in a day very well. I will continue doing what I can.

You can only do what your schedule permits. The suggestion was just in case you were home, or if your schedule allowed you to spot check at different times, not necessarily more tests just at different times of day.

I'm planning to do more of a single-day curve on him at some point this weekend.

Good plan to get a curve, on one day at the weekend.

Some people say their cats come to them at testing time.

George demands to be tested, every morning, even though he is OTJ
He sits on my chest at 7am, bops me on the head and won't give up till I sit up, poke his ear and he gets his orijen treat. Who needs an alarm clock when you have a George in the house.....

 

[spuds151]

Update - Boots is 542 @ +6 ... ugh.

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Thank you for doing the SS and for testing. It really helps us help you, your wife, and Boots.

Hang in there; it takes several cycles for us to see what is going on when the dose has been raised that much.

I understand he doesn’t like the testing but without any tests at all at night, you are missing half the data that would help us sort this out for you. Often, cats go lower at night. A before bed test can help us see where he’s headed. If he could potentially be dropping lower at night, it might account for these higher daytime numbers as he could be bouncing in response to lower numbers.

Or....he just might be high and flat. If he is, we need to take a different approach on his dosing. Either way, any additional test you can do before bed at night would be helpful.

 

[Phoebes (GA)]

I have a best friend from grade school that lives in Youngstown! Hello, Boots is adorable.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Nice to see a lower preshot.

Good plan for a curve this weekend. You may find that +6 is not the best time to test mid cycle, or maybe it's the only time you can. Although +6 is the typical nadir time for Lantus, many of our cats (like mine) aren't typical. And I agree with Marje, getting tests before bed are essential. It's very common for cats to go lower at night, and we figure out the dose based on how low it takes the cat, so we need to try to spot those lows.

ETA: The link to your previous post, for continuity.