9/25 Sam AMPS 101, +3 118, PMPS 72, +3 74 - Changing patterns?

[Djamila]

@Bobbie And Bubba @Chris & China, and anyone else who might have some insight....

Sam has had a +3 nadir for pretty much his entire FD journey, but since moving him up to 0.75u recently, it appears that his nadir is now quite late in the cycle, or maybe even around the PS time. While the PMPS numbers the past few days have been nice, I really don't like that he's now spending most of the cycle in blues instead of greens, and getting these inverted curves. Any ideas what might be causing the cycles to go long like this?

 

[rhiannon and shadow (GA)]

usually increasing numbers unexplained are brought on by new heath issues, food changes, pain or stress.
I hear Purina is changing everything and new foods are higher carbs but I don't think it's happened yet.

How are his teeth?
Any new behaviours?

the good news is that his numbers aren't above 120....
when did you open this bottle of insulin? could it be just starting to lose it's potency?

A human who used to give me her left over insulin said she could feel the difference between her vial and she got a new one each month. She thought it wasn't
near as effective after 3o days.... but that's just one person's opinion.

Usually when a bottle is reaching it's last days, numbers move a lot higher than where you are at.....

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Hard to say when his nadir is now. Try getting more tests in the last half of the cycle, or at other times you don't normally do. Cats are notoriously unpredictable. It's also possible he's going lower at night - many cats do. And then bouncing so you are seeing those blue AMPS numbers. Try drinking a large glass of water before bed, then test him when you have to get up. The back half of the PM cycle has no data, hard to say what is happening there.

 

[Beenie (GA)]

HELLO!!
Nice to see your post. So I've always been told our kitties sometimes like to changes things up. Rather quickly Beenie changed up her nadir on me. Granted she's got a bunch of stuff going on but she now nadirs's very late. Although the past few cycles she hasn't had a nadir at all

I wonder if Sam went lower than we think over night the past few and those blues in the AM cycle are a bounces? Can you grab a +9 or +10 over the weekend? It may shed some light or not, they're cats

Hope Sam and Atticus are doing well. Chin scritches from me and Beenie

 

[Teresa & KitKat]

Nice t see your post.

 

[Bobbie And Bubba]

Hi there! He is going lower at night, not unusual . When is his last meal of the PM cycle? Once down to .25 of a dose kitties do well on a +9 snack. I realize that his dose is .75 but wondering if a later snack will help and to echo Wendy, can you get a 6 or + 7 some night? Maybe he is going lower and bouncing up a bit. That info will be helpful to get a better picture on what is happening. I realize that peeps that work outside the home need their sleep. Like WEndy said, drink a big glass of water or set your alarm . Get everything ready so that you aren't fumbling in the middle of the night.

 

[Djamila]

Thanks so much everyone. I've actually been trying the past few nights to get a middle-of-the-night test, but despite two rodeos, Sam is rather resistant to testing and as soon as I've reached for the meter (during the night), he takes off. Honestly, at 2am, I just don't have it in me to climb the stepladder to get him off the top of my grandma's old desk. It's hard enough to coax/bribe/cajole/drag him off the top when I'm wide awake! I will keep trying though. A few more nights and he'll probably let me do it. It just takes him a little while to get used to changes in routine.

As for snacks, he does get a +9 both AM and PM. We started doing it when he was flirting with micro-dosing, and then just kept it going when he reversed course. It also helps keep him from waking me up a half hour before my alarm.

He followed pretty much the same pattern for the AM cycle this morning - a flattish, inverted curve - though not quite as dramatically as the past few days - more towards the flat side. Such a curious shift for a kitty that has been so consistent for the past few months.

 

[Bobbie And Bubba]

I hear you about chasing them down. Bubba is doing the same thing with me. I try very quietly to get the test strip out with snapping shut the vial ( he knows that sound)..... do you have the beeper turned off on your meter? That is something I did as he heard that noise too and would bolt. I also started giving him a treat prior to even trying to get him to the test site. Djamilia, you are singing to the choir ! I know your pain, LOL !

Maybe since he is now back to .75, try not giving him the +9 snack and nothing after his nadir. I am currently experimenting with that myself.

Such a curious shift for a kitty that has been so consistent for the past few months.

They are allowed to change their patterns at even given time. Just ask Bubba who used to be the late nadir cat, and then his 3rd rodeo his became a mid-cycle nadir cat and now his 4th rodeo he is an early nadir cat. sigh......

 

[Djamila]

But I LOVE my early nadirs!!! They make it so easy to be sure he's safe before I leave for work!

Okay, tantrum over.

Sam has always free fed. If I withhold food after his nadir he will eat me. Seriously. Although I suppose if I'm at work, he'll just eat Atticus.... More seriously though, the +9 does help keep his PS's down. When he hasn't eaten it, he has higher PS numbers. Usually it's the difference between a 103 and a 114, but the recent 130's were from skipped snacks. So I'm not sure removing them is a good idea. Have you found it helpful with Bubba?

Yes, beep turned off. And yes, he definitely knows the sound of the test strips opening. But I don't even get that far. So far I've just reached over to the bedside table and touched the meter and he's booking it out of the room. He's a wily little one! He actually does really well for our normal 4 tests, but whenever I go for an unusual one, he lets me know what he thinks of that. Fear not though, I'm going to keep working on it. He just balks at changes. He'll get used to the idea with some practice.

You've done such a great job with Bubba through all of his honeymoons and relapses! I really appreciate your counsel!

 

[Bobbie And Bubba]

But I LOVE my early nadirs!!! They make it so easy to be sure he's safe before I leave for work!

Okay, tantrum over.

I know, they are nice in that respect.

but the recent 130's were from skipped snacks. So I'm not sure removing them is a good idea. Have you found it helpful with Bubba?

still experimenting with it. Last night he awoken me at 12:30AM and I fed him then.....so he was higher today. I am going to try and split the +9 sncack between +12.5 and +9 and see how that goes.