7/13 Joplin +8: 160; +11: 440--?!?!

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Cherylockholmes

Cherylockholmes

Member Since 2013
I am at such a loss. :sad: What is going on here?? At 1pm he was 160. I thought WOW, how great that he's stuck around that number all the way from this morning! I fed him some Natural Balance Catatoullie, and that was the last time he ate. Just tested him PMPS and he's up to 440?!?! I'm so frustrated. Is it possible I have a defective meter or something?! I don't know what else to do to get him regulated...it seems that nothing is consistent in the numbers, even though I feed him and shoot consistently. :?

Edit: In fact, it seems that his numbers were better when he was at 2.25 than at his current level. How does that make any sense?!
 
Welcome to the wonderful (and frustrating) world of bouncing kitties!
php37MLlG

There are a couple of issues that would have helped you to have a better idea what's going on. Last night, your PMPS was 323 and your AMPS was 159. Obviously, Joplin's numbers dropped overnight. You just don't know how much. Today, your only test was at +8 and Joplin was at 160. Again, you don't know how low Joplin's numbers were at nadir.

Bounces can occur for several reasons:
  • The numbers drop into low numbers (e.g., below 50).
  • The numbers drop into a range that's lower than what your cat is used to.
  • There's a fast drop in numbers.
When this happens, the liver and pancreas "panic." They go into a rescue mode to prevent what is sensed as the danger of hypoglycemia. Even if the numbers are perfectly safe, this can still happen. As a result, a stored form of glucose (i.e, glucagon) along with counterregulatory hormones are released. As a result, BG numbers spike upward and can do so rather dramatically (or not) like you saw today. It can take up to 72 hours for a bounce to clear.

What I might suggest is to try to get into a routine of getting a before bed test every night. Many cats like to spend time in low numbers during the PM cycle. Likewise, if you don't test at night, you're missing half of your data. Given the AMPS, I would have encouraged you to get a +2 or +3 test. If either of those tests is substantially lower than your pre-shot number, it's likely that it will be an active cycle. Between the numbers last night and this morning, it's possible that Joplin dropped into at least blue and possibly green numbers. You don't want to miss a dose reduction.
 
it could be a bounce, or it could be the lovely phenomenon we affectionately (ha!) call New Dose Wonkiness, or a combination of the two.

"Many cats will occasionally react to an increased dose with increased BGs - within the first 2 to 3 days after an increase, usually lasting for less than 24 hours. Nobody really knows what the reason for this phenomenon is (perhaps a "panicky liver"?) - hold the dose and ignore the fluctuations."

As Sienne mentions, a before bed test is always a good idea. It can really help you fill in the blanks when you find yourself scratching your head over your numbers.
 
Sienne and Gabby said:
What I might suggest is to try to get into a routine of getting a before bed test every night. Many cats like to spend time in low numbers during the PM cycle. Likewise, if you don't test at night, you're missing half of your data. Given the AMPS, I would have encouraged you to get a +2 or +3 test. If either of those tests is substantially lower than your pre-shot number, it's likely that it will be an active cycle. Between the numbers last night and this morning, it's possible that Joplin dropped into at least blue and possibly green numbers. You don't want to miss a dose reduction.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for all of your replies. I love the bouncing kitty pic :-D Can you tell me what you mean when you say "active cycle"??? Thanks. So far today AMPS: 303, then +8 is 391. Grrr, wish I could get back into the 2's like I was when I was giving .5 unit LESS ohmygod_smile
 
What I mean by an "active" cycle is one where you are seeing numbers drop and a dose reduction is a possibility. At the very least, it's a cycle where you need to keep an eye on the numbers.
 
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