7/6 PUMBAA AMPS/473 +6/423 +9/389 PMPS/435 +4/143

[Pumbaa]

How does this little stinker know that it's Friday night and time to take a dive???? How does he know????

Got up late this morning, and by the time I chased Pumbaa around the house for his BG test, then fed him and chased him down to shoot him, his injection was about an hour late. I had planned the injections times over the next couple of days carefully, with 15 minute decreases in time until we were back on schedule, but dinner guests decided to come early tonight and I had to shoot Pumbaa 45 minutes earlier than I should have, and only 15 minutes later than his normal dose time. This has probably affected his numbers today, and especially tonight since an early injection is like a dose increase. Crap.

Then, to make matters worse, I had finished up Lantus Pen #2 with the morning dose, and went back to Pen #3 for the evening dose.

All of the above could be affecting his evening dive. Then again, it IS Friday night, and that is when he would normally dive anyway.

Time to go and nap on the couch for a bit and then test Pumbaa in an hour or so to see how low he is going to go tonight.

Suze

 

[Dale 'n' Chip]

Great to see blue again so soon but with all the disruptions to the shed you never know.

If he hits green it might get fun. :mrgreen:

 

[Pumbaa]

It's 1:30 am, and he's dropped down to 137. I can't go to bed because, historically, he can just continue to dive until he gets around 50 and I intervene by giving him gravy or a drop of honey in his food. I gave him some ground turkey at +6, and just gave him a can of FF Classics Beef & Chicken, just to get some additional low-carb food in him for the insulin to work on. Even though I am dead tired, and am afraid to go to sleep (even with an alarm set) because I'm so tired I'm afraid the alarm won't wake me up, but still don't want to intervene and give him higher carbed food because enough things have messed with his numbers already today. Then again, he seems to be dropping slower now, so I probably could take a 2 hour nap before testing him again.

Are we having fun again on a Friday night? haha_smiley

 

[Dale 'n' Chip]

Looks great actually. Perhaps all the disruptions are adding up to sum of zero? Can't complain about the 1.5U dose so far.

 

[Pumbaa]

Chippendale's:

I still don't understand the run of reds yesterday morning, and still want to know how in the hell Pumbaa knows it's Friday night and time to take a dive!

Let's dissect the 7/6 AM reds:
• While his shot was one hour late, his BG test was probably only about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes late. That should not have caused him to jump up to 473.

• On the evening on 7/5, he went from PMPS/370 to +5/304. While he was on a decline, it wasn't a significant enough drop in numbers to make me think that he went into the blues after that last test. Maybe down to a high yellow, but that shouldn't have caused a bounce up to high red.

• I am meticulous about making sure that there are no crumbs of any carbs on the counters or floors or anywhere that Pumbaa can access them. But those high numbers certainly would make more sense if I thought that Pumbaa had eaten a plate of lasagne after I went to bed on the night of 7/5. *LOL*

• Lantus Pen #2 seemed to be full strength from the previous numbers Pumbaa displayed while I used up the pen over a period of 7 days, so I am discounting that it could have gone bad for the last couple of doses.

• So what could have caused those very high red and pink numbers the morning of 7/6? Just still a reaction to breaking his Somogyi Rebound pattern? Any theories are welcome!

Yep, we need to stay on the 1.50U dose for another week, and hopefully I won't screw up and dose late and ruin the "egg-timer" history and have to start over.

Suze

 

[Dale 'n' Chip]

Couple of possibilities besides the standard "Just Pumbaa being Pumbaa."

Even being 30 minutes late is slicing off some of likely the most potent component of the shed: the most recent deposit, at least during the delay. Then when it does come online it may be slightly out of sync with the other deposits. Since the whole glucose level is in such a delicate equilibrium, the slightest change to the downward forces can free up the rebound. But that red still seems kind of high and apparently fast for even that.

Another possibility is that you were very aware that you were late and were rushing around to get it done in a hurry. Pumbaa is no dummy, he has you all figured out. Sensing that mommy is tense and he didn't know why, perhaps that stressed him. Like a vet visit might? Those kind of surges go up and down pretty fast. And I doubt you were all that stressed before you saw that red, so perhaps theory two shot down.

So that leaves us with bouncing off of a bounce? I does seem like he might still be throwing a red or pink bounce to match every blue surf... maybe that will settle some more with the dose.

But that brings us back to where we started: Just Pumbaa being Pumbaa? :mrgreen:

 

[Pumbaa]

Good thoughts, Chippendale's, but...

I wasn't stressed Friday morning when I was late. Pumbaa wasn't either 'cause he thinks running from me is a game! Now, instead of getting the testing supplies out ahead of time, since the rattle of the test strips in the bottle is a signal for Pumbaa, I pick him up first, then get his supplies out of his drawer. Hahahaha! Isn't it pathetic when you have to constantly try and outsmart your cat and dog? Also, had it only been morning stress, he wouldn't have had those high numbers throughout the entire morning cycle. Something else was going on. And it shouldn't have been just being late for the testing, because we all know that Pumbaa doesn't react that quickly to dose changes.

Could it be that his bounce just took time to build? Or, as you said, "Just Pumbaa being Pumbaa."

 

[Dale 'n' Chip]

I believe the "vet stress" effect may go up fast, but it can come down just as fast, unlike normal bounce. Two examples of possible stress spikes on Chip's chart are 5/29 and 7/3. On 5/29 right after the blue PMPS, I tried to test again in an hour fearing (at that time) another green nightmare. I couldn't get blood for anything. After about 5 tries I still didn't give up and he was pretty stressed. Finally got a test, then another and both were high pink. So that was a quick spike but an hour or two later it was back down to flat yellow.

On 7/3 at AMPS, I suspected he was falling so I left him in the bathroom with plenty of food while I had to leave the house. So he ate (as normal) then he likely really wanted out, but I wasn't there to hear him for an hour. When I got home he was (surely) pretty upset and tested red. At first I thought that might be the start of a bounce swing, but a few hours later he was back down to the same yellow as AMPS. So my guess is the red was a stress spike from being stuck in the bathroom too long against his will.

He pretty much goes in the master bathroom for every meal, and I let him stay in there as long as he wants, but when he wants out he'll let me know whether I'm awake or asleep. He'll get my attention.

So it probably wasn't a stress spike with Pumbaa since it lasted the whole cycle. That pretty much leaves some kind of bounce effect, and/or Pumbaa being Pumbaa.

The good news is Pumbaa and Chip are still apparently having a good response to an ordinary dose of insulin. They are just such bouncy boys. If we can ever stop the bouncing they should be capable of decent control using an L. confused_cat

 

[Pumbaa]

So it probably wasn't a stress spike with Pumbaa since it lasted the whole cycle. That pretty much leaves some kind of bounce effect, and/or Pumbaa being Pumbaa.

The good news is Pumbaa and Chip are still apparently having a good response to an ordinary dose of insulin. They are just such bouncy boys. If we can ever stop the bouncing they should be capable of decent control using an L. confused_cat

You're right, not a stress spike with Pumbaa.

I am dying to see how Chip responds to the Levemir, and if he becomes less bouncy. Pumbaa is killing me now because I can't predict when, or how low, he is going to dive, and hate his high bounces. While he didn't go into the dangerous greens Friday night, I couldn't predict that he wouldn't and lost a whole night's sleep testing him. When I lose sleep like that, I am not productive and if I am not productive I can't work and earn an income to pay the bills, including the extra expenses of the FD kitty. It's a nightmare.

I am very thankful that, on this reduced dose, Pumbaa has broken out of "low one day followed by six days of high numbers" pattern! Somogyi? Looks like it to me! And I thank Sheila for waking me up about this before I just continued to increase Pumbaa's dose and never fix this this problem. (Even though Mel had mentioned Somoygi weeks previously and I didn't get it!)

Dale, my best wishes to you changing Chip over to Levemir. May you have excellent results! You will be my role model, and may force me to sell my Border Collie in order to change Pumbaa over, if you have better results. *LOL*

We just both want what is best for our particular kitties. Don't forget, ECID!

Suze

 

[Dale 'n' Chip]

...Dale, my best wishes to you changing Chip over to Levemir. May you have excellent results! You will be my role model, and may force me to sell my Border Collie in order to change Pumbaa over, if you have better results. *LOL*

We just both want what is best for our particular kitties. Don't forget, ECID!

Suze

Do you consider Beck your only daughter?

Please don't sell her, we'll figure something out if you need to change Pumbaa over.

As for the new dose of Lantus how long are you going to hold it?

 

[Pumbaa]

Chippendale's:

Beck the Border Collie is my shadow, my protector, my best home security system, my shrink, my daily companion, etc. I can't believe that she's now nearly 10-1/2, and Border Collies normally live 10-12 years. I pray she's not the norm, 'cause it will break my heart when she goes. I've had her longer than any of the previous 3 (that I know of) owners. At 18 months, she was on at least her 3rd owner, and countless times in rescue and foster care. She's such a beautiful and loving girl, but her previous owners just didn't provide her with the jobs that Border Collies need. Thankfully, raising Pumbaa was one of the jobs that she took over. The below photo was the first time 22-month-old Beck and 8-week-old Pumbaa met for the first time. I was a cat person my entire life, and the first time I met Beck, I was afraid of her. I can't believe I was ever afraid of this sweet dog. But I have no doubt that she would rip the throat out of anyone who tried to harm me, because of her dedication and loyalty and love for me. And it's mutual.

New reduced dose of Lantus (1.25U as of PM shot tonight) will be held for at least 5 days, but probably longer. The shed has to empty to that level, and I have to see Pumbaa through any bounces/dives, and start counting again after a bounce clears (up to 72 hours).

I am now going to do a 7/9 Pumbaa thread...and we should move this conversation there. Sorry that I no longer start these threads in the morning, but its just easier for me to start them after I have some data, instead of adding new numbers all day long.

Suze