4/1 Star AMPS+11.5=52 PMPS=68 +1=78 +4=62 +4.5=59 +5=64

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quilterkitty

Member Since 2013
yesterday's condo

Today Star is celebrating his one-month anniversary since diagnosis. He has come a long way from the reds and blacks to the lovely greens! Yesterday was as close to a perfect "numbers" day as we could get, and today is starting out well. Last night I was mentally prepared for the usual dip at PMPS+4, but Star surprised me with a beautiful number. And he was so disappointed once he realized we wouldn't be spending a couple of late-night hours playing that I had to take a little time to drag around his favorite "string on a stick" for him to chase and pounce on. I need to exercise him more to get a couple more pounds off him--haven't weighted him since that one time when he had lost about a pound, but I can tell he's still pretty hefty. It's surprising he hasn't lost more right away on the diet change, but he is still obviously taking in more calories than he really needs. He isn't gaining, but he isn't losing, either. I'll focus more on trimming him down after our trip this weekend. :mrgreen:
 
Re: 4/1 Star AMPS=68

Thanks, Angela! Hope it's a great day for you and the gang in Texas! (Hey, we have good friends in Killeen!) :-D
 
Re: 4/1 Star AMPS=68 +1=72 +2=73

Question: How do you know when it's a good time to do an OTJ trial? Just curious. :smile:
 
Re: 4/1 Star AMPS=68 +1=72 +2=73

The way things usually go....
At some time in the near future, you'll probably see a dip into the 40s on this dose. Which would mean a reduction. Rather than go straight to "zero" units, you'd try half of that, which is usually called ".1u". So you might try seeing if you can split this dose in half, using water in a syringe to practice with. Some people count how many drops are in a .25 or .5 dose, and then determine how many drops are in .1u. I think it's like one or two drops?
Then I think you try that dose for a few cycles and see what kind of numbers you get.
Fear not. Once you get below .25u, there will be lots of folks to help you get to the "trial" phase.
 
Re: 4/1 Star AMPS=68 +1=72 +2=73

That's what I figured. :smile: Now that our trip is coming up fast, I'm back to pondering what to do about Star's dose while we're gone. I have a vet tech coming to feed and care for him and Maggie, but she will just give him his two doses per day and not test or monitor him. Although skipping a dose might have thrown off his next reduction by a cycle or two, I expect another reduction by the time we leave, which will be very inopportune timing. nailbite_smile
 
Re: 4/1 Star AMPS=68 +1=72 +2=73

When is your trip and how long will you be gone?

His numbers are beautiful, by the way.
 
Re: 4/1 Star AMPS=68 +1=72 +2=73 +6=55

We leave Thursday morning and return Sunday night. I trust the vet tech, but Star seems to be at a critical point in his treatment with his pretty low numbers. Not much margin for error, especially without monitoring! :shock:
 
Re: 4/1 Star AMPS=68 +1=72 +2=73 +6=55

Just looking at another OTJ kitty's SS (so exciting!), and Star's numbers are similar, maybe lower, and pretty consistent. Time to reduce to .10, or do I have to wait for him to drop below 49 again?
 
Re: 4/1 Star AMPS=68 +1=72 +2=73 +6=55

I'm not a dosing person but I think you want that 49 again..... Paws crossed that Star will have good timing before you leave....
meanwhile, that's some wonderful surfing....
gallery_298_17_22511.gif
 
Re: 4/1 Star AMPS=68 +1=72 +2=73 +6=55

Thanks, Rhiannon! Why does timing have to be so precarious? And it's too late to clone myself so one of me can go to Phoenix with DH and the other can stay home with my kitties . . . :lol:
 
Re: 4/1 Star AMPS=68 +1=72 +2=73 +6=55 +11=48

Star just tested 48 at +11. Still an hour until dinner and his insulin (which I am going to reduce to .1). But should I give him some HC food now? I've never had him test this low an hour before PMPS and dinner.
 
Re: 4/1 Star AMPS=68 +1=72 +2=73 +6=55 +11=48

Yay Star! Congratulations on a dosecrease to 0.1 :mrgreen: Did you practice that dose, yet?

Since he's in the 40s I would give a real teeny bit of LC (1 teaspoon).
 
Re: 4/1 Star 48 at +11 HC food or wait an hour for PMPS?

Thanks, Dyana! And I have a little less than an hour to practice . . . :mrgreen:
 
Re: 4/1 Star 48 at +11 HC food or wait an hour for PMPS?

I would give Star a little LC and test again at +11.5.
 
Re: 4/1 Star 48 at +11 HC food or wait an hour for PMPS?

He had a little LC food, and I'll retest him at 11.5. The old .25 dose is about 4 drops; half of that (.125) would be two drops, and .1 would be impossible to measure, at least for me, so I'm going down to one drop. Depending on how his numbers look over the next 12 hours, I'll see if that's enough. Holy moly. :o I was anticipating the need for a reduction any time now but was worried Star would just get stuck on that .25 dose and need the reduction while I was gone. Not good. I'm so glad he helped me out and dropped down today. Might mean a late night, but I'm okay with that. :mrgreen:
 
Re: 4/1 Star 48 at +11, next-to-last reduction, methinks!

I call 0.10 unit as the plunger just touching the bottom of the zero line.

I'll try to find picture.
 
Re: 4/1 Star 48 at +11, next-to-last reduction, methinks!

Carl, you were right on about the .1 amount. Somebody needs to make a syringe that measures those tiny quantities accurately. :-D

Star is currently chasing Maggie around the house. I need to go grab him for his test. Back in a minute.
 
Re: 4/1 Star AMPS+11=48 +11.5=52

Up to 52. Yay! Good Star. Dinner and .1 at 6:30, then regular testing thereafter. Star doesn't seem to be affected at all by the lower numbers (even when he dipped into the 30's he didn't behave any differently). Such an easygoing kitty.

Thanks for the visuals, Diana--oops, Dyana. Sorry. :oops: They were really helpful!
 
Re: 4/1 Star AMPS+11=48 +11.5=52 PMPS=68

Star's numbers came up really nicely with that little bit of food earlier. Maybe he'll do the same tonight if he dips down into the depths at PMPS+4. ;-)

He has a new trick to fend off ear pokes: he rolls over and flattens his ears against his head. If I persist, he says, "No Mama," very politely, and squirms harder. At least he doesn't bite. If Maggie were my sweetened cat, she would have taken one of my fingers off long ago, and everything in the house would be covered in cat spit from her hissing. angry(2)_cat
 
Re: 4/1 Star AMPS+11=48 +11.5=52 PMPS=68 +1=78

That's pretty funny!! Although, I'm not sure what's funnier -- Star's way of avoiding pokes or Maggie covering the house in kitty spit!!!

Congrats on the reduction.
 
Re: 4/1 Star AMPS+11=48 +11.5=52 PMPS=68 +1=78 +4=62

Thanks, Sienne!

Star has fallen a little to 62. He is having a little LC food and we'll recheck in 20-30 minutes.

As I was looking at the photos Dyana sent me of different amounts of insulin in syringes, I realized that since I reduced Star to .25 I have actually been giving him closer to, oh, somewhere between .15 and .20. ohmygod_smile Obviously it didn't hurt him.
 
Back up to 64. Leaving more food out and calling it a night. Tomorrow I'm going to take Star off the insulin and see how he does. With the tiny amount he's getting now (and has been getting for a few days, it turns out), and with his numbers so low, I think he'll do fine. Will definitely monitor him throughout the day, but I really believe he's ready. And I want him off insulin for a couple of days before we leave, so as his Lantus depot drains I can keep an eye on his numbers. So we are starting an OTJ trial in the morning. :mrgreen:
 
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