2 Sept | Girlie | AMPS 119; +2=79; +3:30=70; +4=77; =8=95: Still green

[Girlie's mom]

Condo: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...7-2-121-3-77-4-108-6-187-snoopy-dance.183239/

Wow! My head was getting sore from banging it against the (virtual) wall, so this is a great relief... Happy mom - so glad to be out of black. Was a testaholic yesterday as wanted to see exactly where/how low she went and when she started to rise. Will try to give her little ears a break today if she doesn't dive. With that +1 number, I'm hopeful she'll be steady today.

I'm also now a dedicated sniffer after every shot: not taking a chance on wondering whether I've done a fur shot. She takes it with good grace...

Food: Holistic select chicken, whitefish, herring (LC 3) + fresh pumpkin

Thank you, everyone, for your support!

 

[Girlie's mom]

With some of the Holistic Select and the Wellness Grain Free Turkey (we can still get the original, lower phos ones here in Oz), Girlie and Max lick it and roll it, then walk away leaving neat little balls of food in the dish. Ran out of the FF (getting more in today), which doesn't do this. Does anyone else have this problem? Not sure what I could do to make it "mushier" and less - "sticky". Odd question, I know...

I've ordered a lot of these as the carb level is good, so hoping to find a way around this new and interesting development.

I could add some of the non-rolling LLC FF to it, but I'm trying to be good and be a purist and just do one can of one type of food at a time. I'd hate to see these go to waste...

 

[Alicia & Maggie (GA)]

So what method of madness did you use to get her into the 100s? Combo of strictly LC food and dose increase? Remarkable difference!

 

[Girlie's mom]

So what method of madness did you use to get her into the 100s? Combo of strictly LC food and dose increase? Remarkable difference!

I know, it's remarkable, isn't it?

I followed orders! LOL

• Decided to start a new vial of insulin (just in case leaving the last vial out for three hours did anything, though I doubt it did)
• Upped the dose from 0.75 to 1.0 Unit
• Was brave and just did one type of food that was LLC (FF Savoury Salmon) even though I was sure that she would dive too low, too quickly on it (I have never been so happy to be wrong about my food dilemma!)
  
• Front-loaded her with the food, giving her 1 to 1/2 tsp every hour/half hour if she was dropping

I think two things helped us: she had broken her bounce into black by the AMPS yesterday, so she was starting from a decent number (yellow 268); I think that and the increased dose and the strict food made a huge difference. I think we would have seen a bigger dive if we'd had to start from high black numbers. So someone out there was being kind to us yesterday morning!

 

[Girlie's mom]

Into greens and licking bowl clean, her surefire tell for "I'm diving, mom!". Will give her LC and test in a half hour to see where she's going.

 

[Girlie's mom]

Girlie down to 70; she's on AlphaTRAK 2; ok to give her a tsp of MC food now? 68 is the "take action" number for AlphaTrak2

Gave 1/2 tsp LC3 at +3 but she's going down

Numbers:
AMPS 119
+1=106
+2=79
+2:30 = 76
+3=79
+3:30=70

Gave same food - Holistic Select LC 3 - after each BG reading (either 1/2 tsp or 1 tsp).

 

[Tuxedo Mom]

Nice to see some better numbers. It seems like since you started a new vial the numbers have dropped much lower. Feeding some LC food (just a teaspoon) and retesting in about 20 minutes will show whether this is a "dive" or just a slow drop. You really want to keep your kitty "surfing" at the current numbers as much as you can.

 

[Christie & Maverick]

+2 to +3 are all around the same, you're doing great Darrah and you're not alone, hoping for a good surf for Girlie.

 

[Girlie's mom]

Nice to see some better numbers. It seems like since you started a new vial the numbers have dropped much lower. Feeding some LC food (just a teaspoon) and retesting in about 20 minutes will show whether this is a "dive" or just a slow drop. You really want to keep your kitty "surfing" at the current numbers as much as you can.

+2 to +3 are all around the same, you're doing great Darrah and you're not alone, hoping for a good surf for Girlie.

I have a LC 9 food: should I test and give her some of that before trying the MC? I'm really trying to be strict and do the right thing this time!

 

[Tuxedo Mom]

I have a LC 9 food: should I test and give her some of that before trying the MC? I'm really trying to be strict and do the right thing this time!

It is still early in the cycle. My thought would be to test again and if the numbers are still dropping too much give a bit of HC and test again in 30 minutes. This is a "new" cycle for Girlie and you wan to have as much data as possible,

 

[Girlie's mom]

It is still early in the cycle. My thought would be to test again and if the numbers are still dropping too much give a bit of HC and test again in 30 minutes. This is a "new" cycle for Girlie and you wan to have as much data as possible,

Thank you!

Good thing the grocery delivery guy came to distract me! She's now 77 @ +4, without any food intervention. Phew!

I have to learn not to panic so easily, especially if I want to get good at dealing with the low numbers that will come with TR when she's further along.

Note to self: you can do this, Darrah! Girlie can too!

 

[Christie & Maverick]

There you go! we all panic with low numbers, just keep doing what your doing

ETA well not the experts here, lol but I know I do

 

[Tuxedo Mom]

Thank you!

Good thing the grocery delivery guy came to distract me! She's now 77 @ +4, without any food intervention. Phew!

I have to learn not to panic so easily, especially if I want to get good at dealing with the low numbers that will come with TR when she's further along.

Note to self: you can do this, Darrah! Girlie can too!

Panicking (a little) is good. Better to be on high alert than to be complacent. Just keep monitoring..it is wonderful to see the better numbers now!!

 

[Tuxedo Mom]

The very first blue number I hit after a run of high numbers I was in a state of utter panic/ Thank goodness for this forum..they helped me keep my sanity that night and many other afterwards

 

[Girlie's mom]

The very first blue number I hit after a run of high numbers I was in a state of utter panic/ Thank goodness for this forum..they helped me keep my sanity that night and many other afterwards

And @Christie & Maverick : It's so good not to be alone with this and to have you all to turn to for advice and support. After Girlie's initial start with being so ill after her enema, the pneumonia, and then the hypo and another week in hospital: she looked like it was the end and it scared the living daylights out of me. When I got her back home, if I saw low yellow numbers I panicked - I didn't even wait for blue numbers to hit the panic button, Tuxedo mom! Thank you so much for sharing that; it's very reassuring to know that the really experienced people were like that once, too...

I wasn't eating, wasn't sleeping, and was just a real mess of worry and fear, I have to say...I even went off chocolate, which is really saying something... I feel braver now, though, because I now know how to raise her numbers with food and (last resort) glucose syrup after a long night with a very kind @Bron and Sheba who held my hand through it all; but most of all, I have you all here on FDMB to turn to for advice when the adrenaline hits and I'm running around tearing my hair out and going "eek! eek!"

Thank you...Girlie thanks you, too! She likes it better if I'm not going "eek! eek!"

 

[Chubba (GA)]

Wow, she is doing great this cycle!

 

[Christie & Maverick]

These moments can be so stressful, but knowing you have people here that can help is a great asset to build your confidence! I freaked at my first blue AMPS, then went on to shoot a green PMPS a day later. I mostly just offer support, and the occasional bump being a newbie myself

 

[Bobbie And Bubba]

Beautiful! !!!!!

 

[Tuxedo Mom]

((HUGS)) AND chocolate ( or a glass of wine ) can certainly help with the stressful times. The support I have received here in my FD journey is probably the only thing that kept my sanity from completely falling into pieces

You have a vast family of caring compassionate and understanding people here to help you along

 

[Girlie's mom]

Thanks so much, everyone! I feel like we've started to turn a corner here... I'm sure there are lots of good medical reasons why - who knows! I just hope that she continues on these lines. The greens still scare me a bit, I have to admit, but I know that that's when her body is really healing. I was nervous this morning with the AMPS blue of 119 - even though I got my BOS when I shot at green 90 one day (I still can't believe I did that!). But I look at all of your beautiful green and blue SS, and Girlie and I want to join that club, too!

 

[Girlie's mom]

((HUGS)) AND chocolate ( or a glass of wine ) can certainly help with the stressful times. The support I have received here in my FD journey is probably the only thing that kept my sanity from completely falling into pieces

You have a vast family of caring compassionate and understanding people here to help you along

You put it perfectly! Honestly, it's like a huge weight has come off my shoulders.

 

[Tuxedo Mom]

You put it perfectly! Honestly, it's like a huge weight has come off my shoulders.

There will be lots of ups and downs as you travel the FD path, but knowing you are not alone and knowing that you have people that live and breathe FD 24/7 with a lot of varied experience is such a relief when you are first learning the "sugar dance". All those late nights with little sleep and lots of testing start to give you a better insight into what is happening and little by little you become empowered..and you always have your FDMB family to fall back on.

 

[Girlie's mom]

There will be lots of ups and downs as you travel the FD path, but knowing you are not alone and knowing that you have people that live and breathe FD 24/7 with a lot of varied experience is such a relief when you are first learning the "sugar dance". All those late nights with little sleep and lots of testing start to give you a better insight into what is happening and little by little you become empowered..and you always have your FDMB family to fall back on.

It's a great relief to have FDMB to turn to and not to feel so alone. Sometimes I feel like all I do is test, shoot, clean litter trays, analyse poo, measure water drunk, and live on FDMB. Look at me today: testing and typing! Still, for me, with knowledge comes calm, and the more data I have and the more I learn from people responding to my questions and other posts I read, the calmer and more empowered I feel on this tricky, difficult journey. Some days I just think, "I can't do this!" - and then I look at her sweet little face, pick myself up, gird my loins, jump on FDMB, and do what needs to be done to keep her safe and get her back on the path to health.

Just seeing the difference in her physically and how much happier she is on her good days makes all the difference in the world. That makes it all worth it!

 

[Tuxedo Mom]

For me knowledge is power. The first month after my first kitty was diagnosed as FD I became an internet "hermit". All I did when I was awake was read and study about FD and read EVERYTHING I could. Eventually I started to understand "some" of the road and then joined FDMB. Little by little I learned more and understood more and became more confident in what I was doing. Seeing my FD kitties being "normal" was the greatest reward I could ask for.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Oh my, who is this kitty?

Good to see you are focussing on the cat and how much better she is. That is what made all the research and sleepless nights worth it for me.

 

[Sandy and Black Kitty]

Wow Girlie! I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop in. I like what you've done with the place - nice color scheme. For a minute there I thought I was in the wrong condo.

 

[Girlie's mom]

Oh my, who is this kitty?

Good to see you are focussing on the cat and how much better she is. That is what made all the research and sleepless nights worth it for me.

Wow Girlie! I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop in. I like what you've done with the place - nice color scheme. For a minute there I thought I was in the wrong condo.

Isn't she looking great? Just did a +6 and she's still green @95!

Just curious: is there a reason why she'll go low and go green during the day, but stay in the blues at night? I'm not complaining - I like to be able to get some sleep at night, and I'm sure this will change at some point - but is there a reason for a different am/pm cycle if the insulin and food are the same? Can cats have a PM nadir time that's different from their AM nadir?

 

[Alicia & Maggie (GA)]

Just peeking in on you before I go to bed... Great job, both of you!

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Just curious: is there a reason why she'll go low and go green during the day, but stay in the blues at night?

She's a cat. Be happy. Neko once did three months in a row going low at night, and often earning reductions, then bouncing during the day. I was a wreck, tried everything. I even switched to Levemir cause I had run out of other things to try

 

[Girlie's mom]

She's a cat. Be happy. Neko once did three months in a row going low at night, and often earning reductions, then bouncing during the day. I was a wreck, tried everything. I even switched to Levemir cause I had run out of other things to try

Well, she's a cat: there you have it. Three months in a row is extraordinary - no idea how you coped, Wendy.

 

[Sandy and Black Kitty]

Just curious: is there a reason why she'll go low and go green during the day, but stay in the blues at night?

If there is I'm not aware of one. Generally kitties run lower on the PM cycle.

I'm not complaining - I like to be able to get some sleep at night, and I'm sure this will change at some point -

It's all subject to change at any time. You learn to 'go with the flow, always mindful that in the sugar dance, it's your kitty that leads.

Can cats have a PM nadir time that's different from their AM nadir?

Sure - nadir is not fixed.

 

[Girlie's mom]

If there is I'm not aware of one. Generally kitties run lower on the PM cycle.

It's all subject to change at any time. You learn to 'go with the flow, always mindful that in the sugar dance, it's your kitty that leads.

Sure - nadir is not fixed.

Thanks so much - that's really useful information for me to file away...

 

[Girlie's mom]

If there is I'm not aware of one. Generally kitties run lower on the PM cycle.

It's all subject to change at any time. You learn to 'go with the flow, always mindful that in the sugar dance, it's your kitty that leads.

Sure - nadir is not fixed.

Given that I'm following the advice to simplify and be really careful re: food as you suggested, just wondering: should I try to stick with one type of food per day (e.g. FF Savoury Salmon LC 1 am and pm), or is it okay to substitute a different brand and flavour but with same carb value at the pm meal (e.g. a ProPlan or Holistic Select 1 carb at PM meal). I know that carb values can vary widely per can, even, but just curious whether you think I should try to stick to one brand per day at a time.

I'm just asking because Girlie can be pretty picky, so I don't want to just give her the same one every day; I know from experience that if I do that, after a while she'll go off that food for a long time until she decides to "rediscover" it.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

All you can do is experiment and see what happens with Girlie. I rotated four proteins with Neko, not all exact same carb but close enough.

 

[Tracey&Jones (GA)]

I remember when Karen told me that Jones was in charge....that is when I realized that is why I felt all confused and in the woods consistently. I only thought I was controlling the process...hahahaha.

Lovely numbers today - wishing you the same for tomorrow.