5/16 Junior AMPS 141

[MauiGuppy]

Yesterday was an emotionally tough day. After being bitten and bruised by Junior, I was already frazzled when I left for dinner.

The tipping point was when I got home: Junior had yakked up a hair ball and was still mad at me. I couldn't pick him up without him biting and hissing at me. The final straw was the BCS dose. It feels like I still can't make the right decision and I'm still not clear as to why it would've been better to give him 1.25. All his previous AMPS, PMPS, and nadirs were lower than his numbers at 1.5 and we had already gone through 5 cycles of 1.25. Doesn't that point to too much insulin? Whether the dose is called BCS or the bean is, the overall stress became overwhelming and I just had to stop and catch my breath.

So the rest of the night was bonding with Junior and convincing him that I'm not trying to hurt him every time I pick him up and put him in my lap. Eventually he calmed down and fell asleep in my lap, purring.

I'm going to try and shake yesterday off so I can focus on preparing for my interview this afternoon. Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Let me see if I can make some sense out of the dosing.

You reduced Junior's dose on 5/12 for the PM cycle since he earned a decrease based on dropping below 50. That was a clear decision and it's the criteria for a dose reduction. You started with a new dose of 1.25u.

Yesterday, you had plans for the PM. What's not clear to me is why you would have reduced the AM dose to 1.0u. While it was looking like Junior may have been gearing up for another dose reduction, and, in fact, did earn a dose reduction during the AM cycle, you reduced the dose in advance of his earning the reduction. If you look back to yesterday's condo, I suggested you continue to shoot the 1.0u. You didn't need to raise the dose this AM back to 1.25u.

Even though the overall range for Junior's numbers has dropped and he's spending lots of time hanging out in blue and green numbers (vs. yellow and pink), just being in a lower range doesn't get a dose reduction. Spending time in a lower range doesn't indicate too much insulin. The same rules -- numbers below 50 -- apply.

 

[mococo]

Sienne has got you covered in dosing advice. But I can offer you comfort and support on the kitty behavior front.

Everything that accompanies fd is a change, and can be stressful. When was the last time you heard of a cat respond well to a stressful change?

You aren't alone in this, and some days are better than others. There are days where D'Artagnan hears the sharps jar coming off the shelf and comes running and sits down. Other days he runs away and hides. One of the things I did when I first started testing at home was I gave him a small treat (a little bit of freeze dried chicken or half a kitty Greenie) each time we did an ear poke, even if it wasn't successful. That way he would associate testing with something positive (and seeing how much he was getting handled for ear pokes, attention and grooming weren't on the top list of things he wanted), I did the same thing with injections until he got used to them. He got many of little bits of freeze dried chicken breast those first couple weeks! I still give him treats intermittently, especially on rough days like curves, or when he's just in a dark mood. The treat has become our little apology/apology accepted ritual when things get tough.

You are doing the right things, keep making it a normal routine, and over time he'll get used to it. There will always be rougher days, but it does get better.

 

[PeterDevonMocha]

Good morning guys .. I think Sienne helped answer your question on the dosing amounts so I'll just say we all understand your frustration with FD .. we have all been there and all felt it .. So give Junior a few extra hugs and kisses today because it is a new day and that's how you need to think of it .. have a great day guys!

 

[mybuddybinks]

best of luck with the interview...

and it may not make you feel any better, but with the nasty tasting meds i'm giving binks...he's avoiding me like I'm Typhoid Mary

(upon reflection, that could have something to do with the huge glass i dropped on his head yesterday...) :lol:

 

[MauiGuppy]

Thank you for clarifying on dosage Sienne. Yesterday's AM @ 1.0u was because his AMPS was at 92 and I was afraid it would dip into the 40's. I had also interpreted last night's suggestion to shoot at 1.0 as a one-time thing and since that was premature, I read it as you need to go back to 1.25. I know we have an <50 rule but I regret shooting the 76 last week. That 76 experience is a big reason why I feel so uncomfortable shooting in the greens now.

The other reason is that for every BG number I get now, it takes 3-4 pokes to find blood, with rice sock, treats and everything. If I give him too much that'll cause him to dip into 40's, means more testing. Ears are still hard so when I need to be timely (as I have alot recently), I go to his paws. His poor paws are all sore and bruised so it takes even more pokes.

I write this not to be whiny (sorry if it's coming across that way) but to paint a picture of why it's been so stressful. It's really comforting to know you guys have been in my shoes and your guidance has been tremendous. I know it'll get better -- Junior is getting better which is why we're going through this.

BTW, my interview went well, thank you for the well wishes. I'm live in a 1-bedroom near a hospital and locked myself in the bathroom so the recruiter wouldn't hear the ambulance sirens that go by. However she might've heard Junior outside meowing for me to come out and play! Good news is I made it to the next round!

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

:lol: love it that you had your interview in the bathroom! too funny! i used to pull the phone (pre-cordless days) into the laundry room and lean on the door so the kids couldn't get in when i just couldn't take any more little kidness.

are you putting the neosporin with pain relief on junior's ears? someone suggested early on to me to put it on in advance, and while you do have to wipe it off when you're ready to shoot so it isn't gloppy, i have noticed it numbs punkin's ear. you need to use a fair amount - if you look at the directions it's a blob, not a pinpoint. if you don't want to deal with it during the day, put it on at night when you're done for the evening. by morning they're pretty well recovered.

it also really helps to make sure you apply pressure so the bleeding stops and they don't bruise. i didn't do that enough at the beginning.

what kind of lancet are you using? mine is the freestyle device and it has different settings - i used the 4 at the beginning (deepest) and i confess that i didn't seat it all the way in the device so it stuck in farther. poor punkin. i figured one big whack was better than multiple smaller ones. also, there are 2 caps on this device - one is clear. with the clear one you can see better where you're hitting.

i also confess another sin. i hit the vein sometimes when i just couldn't get blood elsewhere. again, figured better to have one big one than multiple little ones. i started on punkin's left ear because it bled better - that was my "learning ear." on his right ear now, i know to make sure and get the bleeding stopped before he gets off my lap. his left ear is a bit scarred and now harder to get blood from - so learn from my mistakes.

a couple of other tricks that people told me that i've used - one is that you can kinda stretch the hole after you've poked and often that makes the blood well up. another is you can kinda massage or work the blood up from down-stream on the ear. the blood flows from the tip to the outside of the ear. sometimes all it takes is to put my thumb downstream from the poke and apply a little pressure upwards and there comes the drop.

and besides throwing out ideas, i'll just add that i understand - we all do. it sucks to have your cat run from you and to feel like you're hurting them. this morning, however, for kicks, i tested myself and you know it was nothing. i had it set at 1 for me (i'm delicate!) ;-) and had to squeeze a little to get a drop, but i don't feel it now at all. what you are doing is keeping junior alive. that's the bottom line - without you poking him and stabbing him, he'd be a goner, as would all of our kitties. so take heart and know you're doing the best possible thing for him - he'll get used to it.

i used to laugh when people would say that their cat would hop up on the testing place thinking how punkin would run from me. but he really does come to it now because he knows this is the ticket to food. and he loves his food! :lol: