11/23 Ophie PMPS 96, +1 99, +2.25 74, +3 73, +4 71

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Re: 11/23 Ophie +11.5 97, AMPS 93, +3 (and 20m) 53

I just got back home and stopped in to check on Ophie. Hang in there. You're doing great. As long as Ophie is acting fine, I wouldn't worry. Furball has been in the 40s before and been fine. I think testing in 30 min. increments is okay at this point. Just pick up the food after you feed her each time so she doesn't get too full to eat more later. I give Furball 1 teaspoon of HC food at a time. Do you know when her nadir usually is?
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +11.5 97, AMPS 93, +2.75 43 dropping

Hi Joely,
You are doing fine. The idea, as Carla and Kim say, is not to feed so much HC food that Ophie gets full and will not eat. The use of gravy and/or syrup is a bit tricky. I'm not very "practiced" in giving gravy or syrup, but I seem to remember that often a teaspoon of syrup mixed in to a little regular LC food will keep a cat from zooming up too fast and then dropping whereas a larger amount (tablespoonful) of gravy/syrup given by itself will wear off and leave you about where you were. But ECID. The important thing is to stay on top of it all and not let the kitty bobble about. Syrup and gravy wear off quickly, so you have to keep testing until you are sure that you have passed the nadir.

I have to go out for a while now, but will check back with you later.

You are doing great. Just remember to breathe!

Ella & Rusty

p.s. Is there a reason why you are using the blue color on your SS for these green numbers this morning?

p.p.s. Ophie gets a .25 reduction! Congrats!!
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +11.5 97, AMPS 93, +3 (and 20m) 53

well hello Ophie!

You've been doing a great job managing Ophie's numbers this morning. As long as she keeps surfing the 50s she is safe. 60s are a little better because that gives you a bit more breathing room, but you're doing an excellent job. How is Ophie acting?
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +11.5 97, AMPS 93, +3 (and 20m) 53

Thank you Carla, Ella and Libby for coming by!

In my frenzy, I didn't realize I was coding her numbers blue, they're now green. She will not allow a poke right now, so I will try again in 5.

I didn't manage to give her the syrup. And, after checking, the gravy I initially had was only medium carb ohmygod_smile ohmygod_smile ohmygod_smile ohmygod_smile. But she's had 2 tspns of hc, for sure (thanks for checking that Kim!!!!!)

Ophie was acting off earlier, not purring and seemed a little loafy. Really, it was the purr, she always purrs for me and is alert when I chat with her. NOW, she is quite happy, purry, and all around good.

Kim has been a life-saver for me today!

I will report back in a few. Sorry, for replying so late, the board is still new to me and I didn't see the posts had spilled to page 2.
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +11.5 97, AMPS 93, +4 77

At +4, we are 77. Yay Ophie! We will not rest yet, though. I do not know Ophie's Nadir, as she seems to be inconsistent. Or, I'm just not so good at reading my own spreadsheet :lol:

I will continue to test. Should I do 30 minute increments now or can I do 1 hour?

I've taken away the food, but I know she'll eat the HC food again, she loved it so. And, I will stock up on 10 cans of that stuff so I don't run out again. This diabetes thing had a very steep learning curve! I just wish it wasn't by "mistake" that I figure these things out.

Again, and again, and again... Thank you to all. And most of all Kim! I will take off my 911 icon now, I think, right?
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +11.5 97, AMPS 93, +3 (and 20m) 53

Don't worry about not replying right away. Going to the 2nd page gets confusing, especially if you've never seen it before. I'm glad Kim was able to help you today.

You'll need to keep testing until after her nadir to make sure she doesn't drop again. Since you got the 77, I think you can stop feeding for a little while and see if she'll surf and not drop again.
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +11.5 97, AMPS 93, +3 (and 20m) 53

Wow Joely ... This wore me out just reading all of it. How scary for you, it sounds like you have the experts on it helping you through it. Come on Ophie your Mama has had enough drama for one day ;-)
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +11.5 97, AMPS 93, +1 84, +2 53, +3 56, +4 7

Joely, we posted at the same time. All of us have learned as we go along. What you learn today will help you the next time. The first time Furball gave me a lower green, I panicked and fed her a lot of HC food and she skyrocketed. Don't worry if Ophie bounces high tonight from all of this. She will come back down.

I think the 77 is food influenced. I would get another test in 30 minutes without food to see where she's at. If she's still higher, I think it is safe to test in an hour after that to make sure she's still surfing. It looks to me like her nadir is around +5 or +6.
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +11.5 97, AMPS 93, +1 84, +2 53, +3 56, +4 7

Yes you can take down the 911. I'm not great at reading the ss either but she has nadired a couple times at +6, so that would be my earliest guess. No food for a bit and let's see if she can carry along on her own. But unfortunately, I would like to see another test in 30 minutes (sorry Ophie), unless someone more experienced comes along to say you could wait longer. I really want to know Ophie is safe and I am just not experienced enough to 'read' her through her ss.
Hope you have a chocolate bar reward on hand for yourself today. If noone has mentioned it before, every hypo kit should contain chocolate, wine or both! You need to reward yourself at the end of this for a job well done :-D
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +11.5 97, AMPS 93, +1 84, +2 53, +3 56, +4 7

Thanks Carla, sounds like a good plan to me! Will test 30 mins out and hope for a surf.

Rise, thank you for the encouragement! I told Ophie what you said re: no more drama today... she said she would consider it and get back to me ;-)
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +11.5 97, AMPS 93, +1 84, +2 53, +3 56, +4 7

Thanks Kim. You make great sense and I will plan for the 30, despite what Ophie thinks ;-) . Ophie is in better spirits with me, so she might not mind another poke in 30 (I hope!).

I hadn't heard about the chocolate in the hypo kit :lol:. Brilliant! I will have to raid my son's halloween candy and stock-up my hypo kit. I do know there will be a glass of wine in my future (like as soon as tonight!) ;-)
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +11.5 97, AMPS 93, +1 84, +2 53, +3 56, +4 7

Things are moving fast today, for sure! :)
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +11.5 97, AMPS 93, +1 84, +2 53, +3 56, +4 7

at +4.5, we are still climbing... 91 now.

Think I can let her go to +5.5 and really give her a rest? Her poor ear.
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +11.5 97, AMPS 93, +1 84, +2 53, +3 56, +4 7

I would think 5.5 is fine now. How long now since the last HC?
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie AMPS-93 +1-84 +2-53 +3-56 +4-77 +4.5-91

She's looking good. I think waiting an hour for another test is safe. Don't feed her any more until you get that test to make sure the number is not food influenced. Now is a good time to get some of your son's Halloween candy and reward yourself.
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +11.5 97, AMPS 93, +1 84, +2 53, +3 56, +4 7

Good morning Joely and congratulations on that reduction. Kim and Carla are doing a great job helping you today. When you get a moment to breathe, you'll want to reread your condo. There's been a lot of useful information provided here.

A couple of notes for this morning. First is what you shoot tonight. We have a concept called "shooting through the bounce'. If Ophie decides to ride the rocket launcher to the moon for evening PS (over 300) you can choose to shoot your old 1.5U dose for one time only, to help her through the bounce and then go to your new 1.25U dose in the morning. You'll have to make this decision at PS test tonight. If in doubt, test and post for help before shooting.

I'd like to reiterate the note of tossing the dry food in these situations. There may be times to need to sprinkle crumbles on her food to get her to eat, but it's best to stick to HC and MC wet.

Keep track of how much food you fed and what type of food and when in today's cycle. You want to get an idea of Ophie's reaction to these foods. Having both MC and HC around are useful tools. The first couple of times you do these low cycles we suggest HC, just to get you over the lows quickly. Once you get more experience, you can experiment with different carb % foods. Some people (like me) have to use HC to bring their cats up. Some people can use something as simple as a higher LC (8-9%).

When using HC, if you are at all worried about whether she'll eat, strain out the chunks and just feed a tsp or two of gravy - that's where the carbs are. Having several cans around is a good idea. Some cats get digestive upset from the gravy, so they make a gravy from a combo of wet food and a couple drops of karo or syrup. Another thing you want in your hypo kit is a dropper for syringe feeding, just in case. Paws crossed you'll never have to go there but I've seen some people have to do that.
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie AMPS-93 +1-84 +2-53 +3-56 +4-77 +4.5-91

I think her HC food was at 10:30 (I will double-check that), but regardless, no more until her next poke. I will do that an hour out from her last poke and report in then.

Thank you! While Ophie is resting for the next little while until poke, I have to get my son ready. Hubby is taking him to a special lunch so I can stay with kitty.

Also, I need that halloween candy... NOW :-D

Be back in a bit...

THANK YOU!!!
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie AMPS-93 +1-84 +2-53 +3-56 +4-77 +4.5-91

If she's still in the safe zone don't give any more hc. If she seems hungry she can have a little of her lc. I'm guessing she won't be super hungry now unless she's a mega grazer. Enjoy your break and reward! You earned it :-D
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie AMPS-93 +1-84 +2-53 +3-56 +4-77 +4.5-91 +5.5

At 5.5, we are 96! So, she hasn't had food for 1.5 hours, so I think we're heading in the right direction! She is actually looking for food right now... she is a mega grazer. I will give her back her LC food. She free feeds and never, ever eats a full can in one sitting... more like 3 hours for just 2 oz.

Thanks Wendy for coming by! Yes, Kim and Carla have been fantastic today, with advice and support. And, everyone else on who came by with their encouraging words and advice. I have been wondering about what I will do tonight. nailbite_smile I will go back and read through the condo today, as it all went by so very fast. Also, I have the stickies on shooting low and hypos still open, so I will reread those now that I"m not in crisis. Also, I will read about dosing. I'm sure (hope?) the info will click better this time, now that I've experienced what is being discussed a little more personally.

I will post back in a hour with Ophie's next BG.

THANK YOU!!!!!!!
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie AMPS-93 +1-84 +2-53 +3-56 +4-77 +4.5-91 +5.5

That's great. It looks like Ophie is surfing now. You did a great job today. Make lots of notes on what you fed and when so you'll have them to refer back to the for the next time. You might want to print out the stickies so you'll have them handy instead of having to look them up.
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie AMPS-93 +1-84 +2-53 +3-56 +4-77 +4.5-91 +5.5

good job everybody!

Everybody finds their first dose reduction cycle stressful, but now you know what to do and it will be a lot easier next time.

Ophie may bounce from these numbers, so don't be alarmed if you see some much higher numbers soon. She will come back down.
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie AMPS-93 +1-84 +2-53 +3-56 +4-77 +4.5-91 +5.5

Thanks Carla! Great advice on printing this stuff out :) I end up with so many screens open, I can't figure out which is which :roll:

I will be back at Ophie's next poke time in an hour. Need to focus on the human child and other human child (read: DH) who have felt neglected all morning. They opted to stay home with me.

Ophie is eating (just grazing) her LC food. She was hungry again!
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie AMPS-93 +1-84 +2-53 +3-56 +4-77 +4.5-91 +5.5

Sounds good, Libby, I will be looking out for a bounce later. Thank you!
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie AMPS-93 +1-84 +2-53 +3-56 +4-77 +4.5-91 +5.5

Yes, I get that 'neglected' look a lot lately :lol: Hopefully she won't bounce too high for you, but yes, don't be shocked if she does. I'm stepping out for an appt. but will bring my phone so I can check in. Looks like you have a lot of homework to do now :-D
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie AMPS-93 +1-84 +2-53 +3-56 +4-77 +4.5-91 +5.5

She is still holding steady. I was a late getting her BG, so I'm back to readings on the half hour. We are at 100 now, which is an hour and a half since her last bg.

I will continue to check her every hour.

Kim, thank you!
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101 (Q about reduction tonight and SLGS)

At +9, we are 101. Surfing along, I'd say... :mrgreen:

It hasn't happened yet, and a lot can change in three hours time, but I'm already thinking that a .25 reduction is terrifying (meaning, not enough of a reduction). I've been reading about SLGS, and that might be more our speed with a .5 reduction tonight, and using higher BG numbers to set her dose (instead of waiting for her BG to drop below 50 for a reduction, dropping below 90 and earning a reduction seems easier to handle and more safe for us).

Thoughts? I think I'm understanding the SLGS approach right?

Many thanks to everyone today for your continuous support. I could not have made it through the day otherwise!!
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101 (Q about reduction tonight and SLGS)

There is nothing wrong with using SLGS if that works better for you and Ophie. I use SLGS for Furball, but post here because there are more people on this board. I have modified the number I use to give Furball reductions, as I found if I used 90, the reductions didn't work. Also, I raise or lower the dose by .25. If you switch to SLGS, you may want to use .25 if you have to increase the dose. An increase of .5 is a lot.

You'd be surprised how much decreasing the dose by .25 does make a difference even though it sounds scary right now. It does get easier as you go along and learn to deal with lower numbers like today. I've had numbers like that using SLGS. Switching doesn't mean you won't have low numbers. If you do decide to switch, we'll still support you and I hope you'll post here with your questions and updates.

Ophie is looking good this afternoon, but you are right, she could still jump up. Are you planning to get a +11 test? That should give an indication of what her PMPS will be. If you can post that and put dose ? in the subject line, people can give you advice on what to shoot tonight.
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101 (Q about reduction tonight and SLGS)

Thank you Carla. I will get at +11 for sure!
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101 (Q about reduction tonight and SLGS)

My +11 will be at 5:30 EST! :smile: (23 minutes and counting...)
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101 (Q about reduction tonight and SLGS)

I look forward to seeing that +11. Ophie might not be one of those cats that bounces. Some food for thought for tonight. If she doesn't bounce, I would definitely take the reduction. However, and this is the good and bad part of the depot, what you see in tonight's cycle will be somewhat influenced by the 1.5U dose you shot this morning. The good part is that often cats will get beautiful flat healing cycles with Lantus, like Ophie today. If you choose to shoot a .5 U reduction (33% less insulin) tonight, there may be more of an impact in a later cycle. Yet another option is to take a .5U reduction tonight and go back up to 1.25U tomorrow if you need the rest.

Take some time to think about what your goals are with Ophie and how that fits into the rest of your life. Because life is important too! We'll support you with whatever choice you make. The TR protocol is a bit more aggressive and harder on beans, but according to research has a higher chance of remission. However, remission is also possible on SLGS. Yet other members have a goal of keeping their cats under renal threshold (mostly blues and greens). That's OK too.
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101 (Q about reduction tonight and SLGS)

At +11, we are 109. We will see if she dips for her +12.

Thanks for the food for thought Wendy. I would love to get Ophie to remission, but it feels so risky to do what I did this morning.

I will report back at +12!

Thank you all!
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101 +11 109; DOSE?

Wow Joely, What a morning you and Ophie had!! :o I am sending no drama vines for you tonight :-D

You did a great job! What great support from Kim and Carla, and the whole board! Isn't it wonderful :-D :-D
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101 +11 109 +12 96

Thanks Jane :)

ohmygod_smile She dipped and is 96 at +12. Dear goodness, Ophie! What do I do?
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101 +11 109 +12 96

OK, a few options:

1) delay 20 minutes and see if she is coming up.
2) shoot her new reduced dose of 1.25 units (if you have strips, high carb and the time tonight). She could still bounce in the PM cycle.
3) shoot a much reduced or BCS (big chicken s#*$) dose, maybe half dose. It could still mean some testing for the first part of the night but keeps something in the depot.
4) skip and get back on track tomorrow morning

What appeals to you?
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101, +11 109, PMPS 96

I'm a slow typer. :oops: Ophie does a second dip at the end of the cycle, so she's been likely surfing for a while now.
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101, +11 109, PMPS 96

Thank you Wendy. I reduced her dose. Finger crossed. I cannot keep poking her ear like this (so testing in 20 minutes is out of the question for her), she is just done with me today. I will test at +1 and report back.

Thanks!
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101, +11 109, PMPS 96

Good luck with the reduced dose. I hope Ophie will surf safely for you tonight.
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101, +11 109, PMPS 96

Thank you, Carla. I keep telling Ophie, "no more drama!"

And, thank you again or all your support today :smile:.
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101, +11 109, PMPS 96

Paws crossed for a non eventful evening. You should give some thought to tomorrow morning's dose, but your best guide will be tomorrow's PS. You could try the .5 reduction for a while and see how it goes. If it doesn't work, you can always take her back up.
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101, +11 109, PMPS 96

Thanks Wendy. I will see what the morning PS brings for sure. In my current frame of mind, the .5 reduction is very appealing. Especially if she doesn't bounce tonight. But, who knows!
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101, +11 109, PMPS 96

Hi Joely,
I don't do dosing advise but I cheer really good :RAHCAT :RAHCAT
Hope she surfs safe and easy for you tonight so you can get some much needed rest ;-) :-D
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101, +11 109, PMPS 96

what a day! kudos to Kim and Carla & everyone else for helping you through.

the only comment i would add, Joely, is in response to your comment that it felt dangerous to you. as long as you have supplies and are home to monitor, you've increased carefully and take decreases when you should, this is a safe protocol. you did everything exactly right. i think it feels dangerous the first couple of times because you don't have experience or confidence to know how Ophie is going to respond. but now you do. this is part of the routine, and it is the path to healing her pancreas and hopefully, going off of insulin. i have tested non-diabetic cats and they were in the 40's, so that part is not dangerous. what is dangerous is a diabetic cat unattended or untested so they are at risk of going into dangerously low numbers.

i always kept 3 cans of gravy cat food, one bottle of karo and an unopened box of strips in one cupboard so i was always ready. that helps you feel more confident too.

so kudos to you for doing this. you are helping Ophie, not hurting her. be confident that the next time you are confronted with this situation you will know what to do and you can anticipate Ophie responding in a similar way.

it's good & smart to be careful, but don't be afraid. you've got lots of people help, you've got written help, you've got the tools and now you know how to use them. ya did good!!! :YMHUG:
 
Re: 11/23 Ophie +9 101, +11 109, PMPS 96

What Julie said really hits home. I was bloody terrified after my first go round, still pretty scared during the next, and through the others I started gaining confidence. Now I pretty much just handle it on my own because I know how Twice will respond to different things and I KNOW someone will be here if needed :-D
It is 100% your choice in how you proceed, but as for being scared, don't be. Just be alert and prepared. You really did do amazing today Joely. :-D You are a great mamabean!!!
 
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