12/12 Mikey PMPS 332 +1 374 +2 289 +3 181

[Marycatmom]

Yesterday: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=129746

After yesterday's performance, we have quite a bounce today. No surprise there. I'm about on my last legs between Mikey and school stress. I'm so exhausted, I can hardly function. Something has to give somewhere. I wish I knew what. Last night I accidently set my alarm for 12 pm instead of am, so I didn't test at the exact times I planned to, although I did get up and test. I shot this morning, because he was super high, but then I got scared and raced home at lunch. I was late getting back, which is very bad. I let Mikey out of the spare bedroom when I was home at lunch, and when I got home after work, he was hanging out with DK. I can tell that he really misses being with DK during the day, so the locking him up thing has to change too. DK doesn't mind, but Mikey does. I'm at my wit's end.

I read through all the information about feeding the curve. I understand the concept, but I'm confused about a few things. How can I feed PS? I thought it was dangerous to feed between +10 and PS. How can I make this work for me without locking Mikey up to be sure he eats and without staying up til all hours.

I'm really at the end of my strength. Teaching 7 year olds all day takes me being at my best, and this not sleeping thing is making me at my worst. I'm so exhausted I'm not exercising as much as I should be, and that's showing in my weight and mental health. I love Mikey dearly, and he is at the top of my priority list. My faith makes him an even higher priority, since I believe he is actual God's cat and has been entrusted to me for love and care. How can I make this work?

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

Re: 12/12 Mikey PMPS 332 +1 374

It's not dangerous to feed between +10 and the next shot. That's somehow become a rule but it isn't. This is one of those "Know Thy Cat" things.

The "don't feed in the 2 hrs prior to a shot" thing comes from the idea that when you test a cat's blood sugar at shot time, you want to know what it "really" is at the end of the Lantus cycle. Let's say you fed him at +6/100 and at pmps he is 120. If you didn't feed during those past 6 hours, you know that the number has risen from his nadir and it's not higher because he just ate carbs, but higher because the Lantus has waned.

On the other hand, if he was +6/100 and at pmps he is 120, but you fed him at +11, now you have a dilemma. Is that 120 food influenced or not? Now at 120 it's probably not an essential question, but when a cat is tightly regulated and the numbers are say, in the 60's, it's a very important question. If you hadn't fed your cat, would he have been at 45? If so, that wouldn't necessarily be safe to shoot.

Does that make sense? So the whole point of the don't feed idea is that it removes the "is that preshot artificially inflated by food and is it going to drop shortly?" from the question.

In your case, we're trying to get some carbs into Mikey to prevent those fast drops immediately after his shots. I think it's worth a try and with good notes, we'll be able to help you assess if it's working or not.

As far as your fatigue . . . I wish I could help you with that. I don't have an answer but can offer you some virtual support. :YMHUG: I can say that as hard as it was taking care of punkin and worrying about him all the time, if I could have him back I'd do it for the rest of my life. I imagine you feel the same way about Mikey. We are stronger than we think and when it's needed, people can summon up a lot of internal strength to get through things. I hope you can enlist your husband to be a 50% partner in this. I started out doing everything and had my husband just helping me by holding punkin. It wasn't long before he sucked it up and one thing at a time, he started helping so I could keep having a life. It wasn't too long before he was doing just as much as I was.

Remind yourself that you have vacation coming, too. That'll be a nice break.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Take it easy Mikey - how about a blue surf tonight? Great to see he recovered so fast from yesterday's cliff dive and low numbers. That is progress.

As Julie says, FD can be hard. :YMHUG: Enlisting Don to test can really help. It took me a few months to get backup. Even though my DH still doesn't do the overnight testing, he will during the day. Which means tomorrow I get to go on a play date away from the house. Getting away and making time for exercise, even if it's a little bit, is what keeps me sane. You need to make "Mary" a priority. I'll even plan ahead and shave the dose for a couple cycles to make sure Neko is safe, if there's something we both need to do that takes us away from the house all day. Mikey will get back on track quickly enough.

 

[Marje and Gracie]

(((Mary)))

We don't like really new members to shoot feed in that two hours before shot time for the reasons Julie mentioned. Once you know your kitty a little better and have some experience under your belt (which you do and you have a very solid FD head on your shoulders), then it's not as critical because you understand the PS might be elevated and might come down.

Yes, it is exhausting and I don't know how people who have no help do it. I really don't; you do have Don and Don is a super smart guy so I'd lean on him a bit. I don't know how I'd do this without Mike; it just helps to have someone to discuss it all with and to help make decisions. It takes some of the pressure off. Do we always make the "right" decisions even putting our two heads together? No, we don't but it just helps to brainstorm and also to have someone carry the weight. I handle it all when he's gone but as soon as he walks in the door, he takes over and does most of the tests, feedings, etc. except the morning routine. I always do that just because he prefers to stay up late and handle that part of it. I know you are like me and are a control freak but it will help you if you let Don take some of the responsibility. And as Wendy said, he can free you up to get your exercise in. As tired as I can get, if I can exercise, i actually get a jolt of energy and sleep better.

Dear Mikey: your mama brought me your bouncing toy balls. I bring you my roller coaster!!!! Wanna ride with me? I let you as long as you say I'm the softest cat in da world.

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

because i have special psychic abilities that I don't usually like to let the world know about . . . I am certain that right here,

We don't like really new members to shoot in that two hours before shot time

marje actually means "We don't like really new members to FEED in that two hours . . . " ;-)

It comes in very handy being psychic sometimes.

 

[Marje and Gracie]

that's exactly what I meant Julie!