8/27 Pumbaa - surfed blues, hit 47 @PM +5

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Pumbaa

Pumbaa

Member Since 2012
I've been really, really busy with work and things I've let slide due to work and Pumbaa, so I haven't kept up with these daily threads very well, or with what has been going on with everyone else. Sorry about that.

I'm still really hating these UltiCare syringes, because they are so stiff, they don't make it easy to subtract one drop from a 2.50U to make a skinny. I could be using an electron microscope to see what I'm doing, but turning the plunger does nothing, until you add more and more pressure, and then shoot out too much. *sigh*

Before tonight, Pumbaa's last green was 4 days ago. He's been surfing in the blues, with some yellows, and has gone back to having real, live nadirs again, instead of the bouncing/diving routine, but I upped his dose a drop because I want him to surf the greens like this. Nice and steady numbers. But it seems like every time he gets closer to a 2.50U dose, he starts the bouncing/diving routine again, big time. Like tonight...he dropped from a PMPS of 204 to 91 at his +3. I know, he's taken much worse dives than this, but it could be a long night making sure he doesn't keep diving.

I've been working all day/night, so it's time to go and eat some dinner (very unhealthy at 11:30 pm), and test Pumbaa at +5 to see how low he's dropped, and then get comfy on the sofa with my phone alarm set to wake me up and test him until he starts going up again.

Hope you all and your kitties are doing well!

Suze

ADDENDUM: Pumbaa did drop down to 47 @ PM +5, but was up to 56 @ +5.75. My alarm did not wake me for a +6.25, and when I finally did wake up at +9, I had to deal with a leaking toilet before I could test the little guy. At least he was fine, and up to 108. I don't understand how the difference of one drop of insulin (from 2.25U to a skinny 2.50U) can not only cause him to go green, but to drop below 50, when he hit flat yellows on the 2.25U dose. :roll:
 
As much as I hate to ever say this, something you might want to consider is that for now finding a dose that holds him in the blues, without diving and bouncing. Which is in fact having him regulated. If you try to remember that normal is between 40-120 you have a lot of area in there to surf the blues and even high greens to stay in normal numbers, but there are those cats out there that are going to be insulin dependent for life and then regulation is simply keeping them in the low yellows at preshots and in the blues the rest of the day. Pumbaa maybe just one of those boys, he may always be on insulin and the best you are going to be able to do is keep him regulated, or he may surprise you and travel along for awhile being well regulated and then decide to go OTJ..

The biggest thing is keep an eye not so much on the numbers game as that can drive you crazy but on the whole cat. If he feeling great and acting like a normal Pumbaa when he is surfing those blues with a few yellows or not? If all his 5 Ps are in place and if you can watch him and think "If I didn't know he was a diabetic I would not be able to tell" then I think you have a good thing going for now.

You want him on a dose that 1) Makes him feel good 2) Doesn't let him drop too low & 3) Doesn't drive you nuts worrying about him & allows you to have a life again too.

If that simply means getting and keeping him regulated that is fine. Sometimes I think there is just too much of a push for that OTJ status...Yes! We would love to see every cat that comes here become OTJ but just like not every human diabetic is going to become diet controlled not every diabetic cat is either.

I guess I am a little more relaxed about it with my diabetics because I adopted them as diabetics so they were special cases that I knew ahead of time that their windows for OTJ (which so far I'm still not sure what that time frame is..lol) might have already been up. I got lucky with Maxwell that he was easy to get there...Then Musette really made me dance, she was my tango style girl and now with Autumn we are learning to do a nice slow waltz...lol. But all in all even with Autumn I'm just happy to have her regulated (which we are working back to after momma getting sick and stressing her out) and if we can get there and stay there fine...if we get off the juice eventually...just icing on the cake.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Wise words, Mel.

I'll tell you, it was much calmer when he was having steady blue surfs without the bouncing and diving. Less stressful for me, and a lot better for him not going through those extreme lows and highs constantly. Not to mention how he hated getting poked every 20 minutes when he dropped below 50.

But then he went to flat yellows on the 2.25U, which is why I took him up to a skinny 2.50U. I'd love to find the perfect dose to keep him steady in the high greens and low blues, with no more bouncing and diving. If he goes OTJ eventually, fine. If not, I just pray that his pancreas starts working again and he at least can survive on a much lower dose the rest of his life. He so hates his injections. :(

Suze
 
Suze,

I'm really happy to see that you found a dose that will stop the bouncing!!!! You need some time to heal and rest, and get back to being your old self. Plus, isn't it fun to tell all the naysayers that you did it; he's regulated, and you have saved your beloved cat?!

Max stayed at his very last dose a long, long time, and I tried to remind myself when his Blues went high or he had the occasional Yellow that he was below renal threshold, and that was what was important. It's easy to get caught up in the desire for more progress especially if you are a driven person, as it is obvious that you are. Maybe it's important to keep trying for Greens, but just later after his body has adjusted to Blues and Yellows.

Keeping you in my thoughts,
 
Dale: Wow!!!! I just took a minute to check up on Max's SS...he's doing great! Love that he's down to .25U and getting great numbers! It won't be long until you have a huge OTJ party!

Pumbaa still bounced once I took him up to the skinny 2.50U and he dropped down to 47, but for a while there, all he was doing daily was bouncing and diving, bouncing and diving. That was exhausting for both of us. Hopefully the skinny 2.50U is going to be ideal for him for a while, and keep him below renal threshold without the bouncing and diving, and with regular nadirs instead of no nadirs whatsoever. Then, maybe, after some time at these numbers, his pancreas is going to say, "Hey, I'm taking over again, so back off on the insulin" and dose reductions will actually hold. :)

Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts!

Suze
 
I suspected Pumbaa.

Dropping 100 points in three hours from blue to green. :mrgreen:

Of course Pumbaa is famous for dropping 100 points or more in an hour or less. :shock:

Something seems to be up (down) with Chip since this is his third day in a row of extended blue surfing AM and PM. Of course I could see he was running out of steam (and green) so I had to crank up the juice to keep it going. We'll see how low he goes, but for the most part Chips nadirs are so gentle, smooth, and predictable I could have slept through them all.

So far. @-)
 
Pumbaa and Chip,

Wow! Look at the three of us go!

Max

Max can have his phone (and his iPod, and his laptop) back now that Pumbaa and Chip have decided to be good little boys and won't be a bad influence on Max, and neither will he be on them! Both are below renal threshold even if they are having Blue pre-shots!

:RAHCAT :RAHCAT :RAHCAT :RAHCAT :RAHCAT :RAHCAT
 
Hi Suze! Hope you are well.

Just peeked at Pumbaa's SS. I was wondering why there wasn't the weekly Friday nite at the Dive for him. I see he chose other times and days to go diving this week!

Tuesday night, a 47? And no reduction? Then he did the tigger impression Wednesday as expected, but not for long. By Thursday night he was over it, and dipped to 50. Then just in case that didn't catch your attention, he decided to dive during daylight hours on Friday? That was nice of him. :lol:

So now he's down to 2.25, bounced up for PMPS, but today is the high-flat yellow day.

Do you think he's got plans for tonight? He might give you a couple cycles break though.

Judging by his SS, I'm guessing that there's going to be a few extra "zzzzz's" in your sig when you next post...

I'll be up for a while in case things get crazy,
Carl
 
Carl, you sweetheart! I've been too busy with work deadlines to post daily updates. But I do keep Pumbaa's SS updated.

It's Friday, and he's diving, even on the reduced dose. Are we surprised? *LMFAO*

He went from a PMPS of 313 to a +4 of 64. It's going to be a long night, I suspect. Just when I was so damn happy that I got to sleep in my bed last night for almost 5 hours, after napping on the sofa infrequently the night before.

I am very thankful that I have been able to handle Pumbaa's frequent dives like this, relatively sanely, as in lather/rinse/repeat, and prevent him from diving too low and going hypo by giving him gravy/honey in time.

I just wish he would stop this bouncing and diving every time he gets one drop closer to 2.50U, and would do better on the 2.25U dose without flattening out into the yellows. I mean, geesh, what is between a skinny 2.50U and 2.25U but a drop?

SuZzzzzzzzzzze <--the Z's are back!
 
Well, I have read a lot of times lately "a cycle of flat yellows can mean an active cycle could be coming" and today's cycle screamed at me:-)
I guess you're not a big proponent of TGIF, huh?:-)
Carl
 
TGIF no longer carries the same connotation it did when I was younger and Pumbaa wasn't diabetic, that's for sure. *LMAO*
 
Dale 'n' Chip said:
Of course Pumbaa is famous for dropping 100 points or more in an hour or less. :shock:
Click to expand...
Tortie's Rosy went from 459 to 34 in 4 hours on 8/27. Talk about a dive! That was the most dramatic dive I've seen to date. Yikes!!!!! I'm praying that our guys don't start flirting with Rosy and trying to beat her record!

Just checked out Chip's SS - way to go! Loving all of those blues and greens lately!
 
This flat blue and green is something new for Chip.

He got a reduction for being too low to shoot, and never went below 60.
 
It will be better when I have enough numbers to know I can calmly sleep through it all.

And after I retreat on the dose.

I napped for a total of 2 hours in the last 24. It may look easy on paper, but after using Lantus (and watching Pumbaa for months) I was testing often, waiting for Chip to dip too low. But it never happened.

Knock on wood, on a long holiday weekend. nailbite_smile
 
Dale 'n' Chip said:
I napped for a total of 2 hours in the last 24. It may look easy on paper, but after using Lantus (and watching Pumbaa for months) I was testing often, waiting for Chip to dip too low. But it never happened.
Click to expand...
It doesn't look "easy on paper" to me! I totally understand that every single reading on the SS means you were awake to take that reading and record it. Hope you got some longer naps in last night!

And, you are very lucky that Chip isn't bouncing and diving as Pumbaa is, once again. I mean, seriously, where did that bounce to 480 come from last night? As far as I know, he stayed in the high greens during yesterday's AM cycle, and he didn't get any HC or anything, but he had his biggest bounce since 7/27. :o

May Chip have another glorious day surfing in the blues and greens!
 
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