9/30 Pumbaa AMPS/252 +2/259 +4/250 +6/218 +8/241 +10/254

Status
Not open for further replies.
Pumbaa

Pumbaa

Member Since 2012
I was extremely busy yesterday trying to begin catching up on chores around the house that I had let slide during intense work deadlines the last two months, but Pumbaa did great and 261 was his highest reading.

Yesterday 9/29
AMPS = 237
+4 = 249
+7 = 224
PMPS = 261
+3 = 203
+ 5.5 = 178



I'm going to do a 2-hour curve this AM cycle, but I find the PM cycles more interesting as Pumbaa tends to drop more at night. Notice I said "drop" and not "dive"? :) I simply ADORE his flatter cycles on the Levemir!!!!!!! NOTE: I thought I had blown the curve because I'm so used to doing tests in 3-hour increments, I kept writing down the wrong times with the correct 2-hour results. *LOL* What a maroon I can be sometimes.

Tonight, I think I should raise him to 1.0U. Yes? No? I don't want to jump the gun and raise him too fast and start causing diving/bouncing again. And he is pretty much below renal threshold most of the time now, so there is no emergency to not sit back and wait another couple of cycles to determine how long it really takes him to settle into a dose. But then again, I could raise him to 1.0U, get his numbers a bit lower than what they currently are, and sit back on that dose to see how long it really takes him to settle in. I'm open for suggestions, as long as the goal is to keep him from his diving/bouncing routine. :)

nailbite_smile Before I even type the next sentence, I am inserting an antijinx --> So far, Pumbaa has been a poster-child for the good effects of switching from Lantus to Levemir!

Dropping his Lantus dose drastically 6 cycles before starting him on the Levemir might have been a catalyst to stop the diving/bouncing cycle he was on, but I tend to think/hope/pray this is more the effect of the Levemir. Time will tell, eh?

Have great Sundays, everyone! I still have so much yard work to catch up on, and more plumbing work to do (fixed a leaking guest bath toilet yesterday, and have 3 new bathroom faucets to install, as well as fixing a leaking kitchen sink), as well as cleaning in general, and cleaning up my major disorganized office, and I have claws to trim on four cats and one dog, but I won't get it all done today. It took two months to let things get this far behind, and I can't fix it all in one weekend!

Suze

ps: The photo is Pumbaa and Beck, hanging out together in my office Friday night. Pumbaa looks fat here, but he's not. He's solid muscle now!

092812_0125.png
 
Re: 9/30 Pumbaa AMPS/252

Cute photo - and Pumbaa does not look fat there! Is Beck a Border Collie? They are one of my favorite breeds.

I would raise him tonight - assuming that he stays in the yellow during the day today (or high blues like last night). I won't be home this afternoon/evening so want to make "what if" suggestions. Unless he gets below 140-150 I would go ahead and raise him. If he does go lower than that, then you know he is still settling on the current dose.

Have fun with all that housework/DYI stuff. I have tons of time on my hands - and still have a messy house... Mostly, I have a pile of stuff in my dining room that I need to go through and dump most of (hopefully!). I let it slide when I was busy and then when I had Jeddie's issues, and now because I have been depressed over things... running out of excuses... and getting fed up with the mess.

I prefer doing "new" stuff. Like my computer is on a desk that has to be as old as I am - and not very big. It's next to a baseboard heater so sits 5" out from the wall. After 9 years I just figured out I could put a shelf along the side, even with the desk surface and move my desktop computer onto it freeing up space - and weight. Then I can put the hutch I bought 3 years ago on top of the desk and move the CD and paper organizers up onto that - and have less clutter on my work surface. So I am staining and poly-coating the wood for the shelf this weekend and will put it up next week.

I could get into the whole faucet replacement project - already did all of mine though....
 
Re: 9/30 Pumbaa AMPS/252

Sheila: Will either raise or not, depending on what Pumbaa does today and what you suggested. Thank you!

I get depressed/lose energy when the inside of my house is dirty/messy...probably because it's an exhausting daily reminder of what I need to do. So, I've talked myself into ignoring the outside of my house again today, and concentrating on the inside. I'll feel so much better!

Love what you are doing with the shelf for your computer. I built a huge L-shaped work area in my office a few years ago, and my 3-drawer filing cabinets are some of the support for this. It works out great because everything I need is right at hand, and the enormous work area is so much better than using a desk!

Love hearing you're another DIY-selfer! I look at everything I've done around here, improvement-wise, and know the projects were done right, and how much money I saved by doing them myself. :)

Have a wonderful afternoon!

Suze

ps: Yep, Beck is a Border Collie...and constantly herds me and the cats. *LOL*
 
Re: 9/30 Pumbaa AMPS/252

Sheri:

Thank you! I finally took a minute to check out Dante's profile and SS. That is so sweet that you adopted him from DCIN! I wish you tremendous luck getting him regulated and fattening him up a bit. He's a lucky boy to have you for his mom. (((HUGS)))

Suze
 
Re: 9/30 Pumbaa AMPS/252 +2/259 +4/250 +6/218 +8241 +10/254

I did the 2-hour curve today. Thought I had blown it because I'm so used to thinking in increments of 3 based on a 6 am/6 pm shot time, I still have a mental problem dealing with the test times based on a 7 am/7 pm schedule. It wasn't until I checked my meter that I figured out I had actually done good with the 2-hour curve! :roll:

In any case, Pumbaa was nice and flat again today, hovering around 250, with a dip to 218 at +6. A +6 nadir AND no huge bounces or dives???? I swear I'm still testing Pumbaa and not some other cat. *LOL*

I did raise his dose to 1.0U tonight. I love that he hasn't exhibited any new-dose-wonkiness so far on the Levemir (insert anti-jinx), and that he seems to settle into his dose much quicker than he did on Lantus (insert another anti-jinx) because he isn't bouncing and diving (insert yet another anti-jinx). nailbite_smile

So (Marje will be happy about this), I have been dosing on a TR schedule so far, because Pumbaa is reacting in a manner that allows dosing via TR to not be stressful to him or to me. I don't want to have to feel compelled to increase his dose after six cycles if I'm not sure he's settled into the current dose, because I don't want to get back on that roller coaster of bounces and dives. So we will remain in "relaxed" mode, and just follow Pumbaa's lead.

I'm looking forward to tonight's numbers, especially if Pumbaa drops lower than he has in the past on the Levemir, as I want to see how quickly he reacts to a dose increase. I might try to continue the 2-hour curve tonight, for as long as I can, to see if his PM nadir is different than his AM nadir, and to see if this new dose affects him in the current cycle.


Suze
 
Re: 9/30 Pumbaa AMPS/252 +2/259 +4/250 +6/218 +8241 +10/254

Pumbaa went from 257 at his PMPS (on .75U) to 199 @ +2.5 after I raised his dose to 1.0U.

This tells me that Pumbaa reacts to a dose increase with the Levemir, immediately. No question about this, is there?

Sheila has posed some alternative views on "the shed", and I now tend to agree with her, when this information is applied to Levemir.

Until I see more of Pumbaa's numbers tonight, I'm not calling this a "dive" yet. I'm still praying that he won't start diving and bouncing on the Levemir, and that his body is just reacting favorably to the dose increase. As I/we want him to do. Hopefully he will just surf those blue numbers tonight and not go below 100, nor above 250 at any point for a bounce. <--insert antijinx

Suze
 
Re: 9/30 Pumbaa AMPS/252 +2/259 +4/250 +6/218 +8241 +10/254

Nice even numbers, good small dose increase. Be prepared for a day or so of wonkiness (may/may not happen).

I thought I did pretty good ID'ing a BC from the top of the head! We had one when I was in high school, then she moved out of state with my sister, and came back when my sister moved and the dog was pretty old. When she was young, and the family went for walks, she herded us. She herded the cats. And did some "enforcing" when one of the cats was being a brat. And she knew when the grade school bus was coming and would ask to be let out so she could go meet it at the corner. No one in our family was on it, but the neighborhood kids were. They just loved it that she met them at the stop. There were kids in town that knew her and we didn't know who they were, lol. BC's are SO smart.

I once saw a dog at my vets, a beautiful girl, and asked the owner, "Is that a Border Collie/German Shepard mix?" He said yes and I said, she must be really smart. He said, "you have no idea". Since then, if I ever get a dog, that is what I want, a BC/GS mix.
 
Re: 9/30 Pumbaa AMPS/252 +2/259 +4/250 +6/218 +8241 +10/254

Sheila: I am loving that, so far, Pumbaa has exhibited no signs of the new dose wonkiness. Crossing my fingers that this continues, but I'm ready for it.

Now, let's discuss Border Collies, honestly. *LOL*

You really did good identifying her breed from that photo. Kudo's to you!

Yes, Border Collies are smart, and loyal, and protective, and loving. But they also require a lot of attention and a lot of work.

When I met Beck for the first time, she was about 20 months old. My then BF was her owner. He was at least (as far as we know) her third owner, and he had adopted her from a BC rescue organization. So we have no clue how many times she was in foster homes, etc. Why? Because she was a puppy Border Collie and if she wasn't given jobs to do, she would create her own jobs, like eating the sofa and taking everything she could from the house and burying it in the back yard.

I started watching Beck during the week, when my then BF was working double shifts and seldom home. Beck's "job" was to raise Pumbaa. It was perfect! Beck would carry Pumbaa (who was only about 8 weeks old when they met for the first time) around the house, and pick up any of Pumbaa's toys that he had dropped out of his reach. It was beautiful to watch this mothering by Beck of Pumbaa!

Pretty soon after I started taking care of Beck (I had no experience with dogs, and she scared me at first), I started taking her to the no-leash dog park near my house. Beck was in heaven! Her job expanded to herding all of the Jack Russell Terriors who were racing around the park, as well as herding any of the dogs who were ball-chasing obsessed!

To make a long story short, Beck's owner and I split up about 5 months after we started dating, and Beck was no longer in our lives any more. This was devesting for Pumbaa to lose his canine Mom. And a couple of months later, I added Larry (feline) to our household, to be a companion to Pumbaa. One month after adding Larry to the household, I got permanent custody of Beck.

Beck had had so many owners in her lifetime, and had been in rescue/foster care so many times, after six months full time with me, she became very over protective of me. As she remains this day. I can no longer walk her, because she wants to lunge at and go for any other animal she smells/hears/senses, while she is on her leash, and protecting me. She has ruined my windows on the south side of my house because she goes ballistic if there is a cat or a dog even across the street. That is how intent she is about protecting me, and her home. I love her for this, and hate her for the destruction as well. I know you'll understand that statement.

I love my Beck dearly, and can't imagine my life without her, even though she is 10-1/2 now and Border Collies only live, on average, to 10-12 years. I love my daily smooches, and training her, and even trying to outsmart that smart girl! *LOL*

Border Collies are wonderful for the right owners. And Sheila, hopefully, what I have typed has given you info on what you need to be a good BC owner. I'd love you to adopt a BC!

Suze
 
Re: 9/30 Pumbaa AMPS/252 +2/259 +4/250 +6/218 +8241 +10/254

Oh yeah, I know all about the work involved with a BC. I don't plan on adopting any dog until I have a single family home and can fully manage one. Now is not the time.

That behavior you mention in Beck is familiar. My sister has two dogs now, one is a BC mix (probably with golden retriever) and he is very much like Beck. The other is an Aussie who is very timid. She is afraid of my cats when she visits, but not my sister's cats. My sister call the behavior you describe as "resource guarding". She can not let him off the lease in public areas because he will go after other people and dogs, although he is not a vicious animal. He just perceives them as threats to my sister and himself. She and her now ex used to have a Jack Russel (so I had to laugh at Beck herding the Jack Russels) and he used to annoy this dog. One time they got into a real dog fight and the JR got badly bitten on the neck, but ended up being ok.

My sister is very experienced with dogs, used to volunteer for the local BC Rescue group until she had a major issue with them over a dog she had fostered for a few weeks on route to his adopting home. The adopter first stalled the adoption for two weeks (hence my sister having this dog longer than overnight on the transport she volunteered for) and then the adopter returned the dog to my sister saying he was vicious and unmanageable. The BC Rescue manager called my sister to arrange to get the dog and have him destroyed, but my sister refused to hand him over because she had no issues with him with her dogs or cats, or people when outside on walks. My sister had him evaluated and he passed with no issues so she continued to foster him and found a new home after 6 months. I met that dog and he was a great dog. My sister thinks the adopter had no experience with dogs and she was furious that the BC Rescue woman wanted to just take that woman's word that he was vicious without even meeting the dog.

I think all dogs take work, but BCs do need to have "jobs" to keep them occupied and from becoming neurotic and hyper.
 
Re: 9/30 Pumbaa AMPS/252 +2/259 +4/250 +6/218 +8241 +10/254

Just chiming in with my two cents. A friend had a BC and if she was not given tasks to perform regularly (hourly!), she would become neurotic. But what a LOVING dog!!!

When I adopted Dom, they told me he was a cocker spaniel... maybe some BC. NOT! 85# and more like a flat-coated retriever. But the way you describe with Pumbaa, that's exactly how he was with Grayson and his siblings when they were babies. I'd come home from work and all had been groomed (translation - soaking wet from head to tail!). Dom ADORED mothering these guys, and he does the same with Jack (my JR/beagle mix). At least two nights a week, Jack gets a bath from head to tail. Okay, so maybe Dom is a little OCD, but everyone seems to be okay with that! He's got the "gentle giant" personality, and Grayson and others will come and rub on Dom, and groom him in return. It's great when they grow up loving each other!

I love your picture of the two of them!
 
Re: 9/30 Pumbaa AMPS/252 +2/259 +4/250 +6/218 +8241 +10/254

Grayson & Lu said:
I'd come home from work and all had been groomed (translation - soaking wet from head to tail!).
Click to expand...

Great story, Lu!

I'm *LMAO* about the above quote because my two cats frequently not only smell of dog slobber, but have punk hairdo's due to the dog slobber. *LOL*

I love when cats and dogs can co-exist like this. (With some chasing/grumbling from both parties, of course. But then we catch them snuggling together and wish we had a camera in our hands at that exact moment. Right?)

Suze
 
Re: 9/30 Pumbaa AMPS/252 +2/259 +4/250 +6/218 +8241 +10/254

Sheila:

Oh yeah, you already understand Border Collies. :) I didn't when I took on watching Beck, initially. But the research I did told me that she was acting like a normal BC when she was left alone with no jobs by my then BF. It also explained why she had been in rescue several times. People think Border Collies are cute, and love how smart and energetic they are, but then when they get them home, they aren't willing to take the time to give them jobs and burn off their excess energy.

"Resource guarding" is what Beck does at home, and when on a leash. As in, when she is constricted in any way, by a block fence, windows and walls, or a leash. When I take her to the no-leash dog park, she is wonderful with all of the other dogs, and not over protective of me in the least. I have read up about this, especially when I had problems walking her on her leash. This isn't unusual. They see the leash as a hindrance to doing their duties, and are afraid of this constraint, much as you and I would be afraid of our freedom if we were handcuffed/restrained.

I love your sister for having been a volunteer at the BC rescue in her area. I am so sorry to hear about the things she went through because some people have no clue to deal with a dog, of any breed.

Yes, all dogs and cats take work! And if you are willing to bring one into your home, you better be committed to that work. For the lifetime of that animal.

When I had posted previously that I was considering putting Pumbaa to forever sleep, I had been getting pressure from family members to do this, in order to make my life easier. It was a very stressful time, as I had been turned down by Pumbaa's current vet for the Levemir, and I was still working under intense deadlines. I cried so much those days. But am so glad that I kept after getting the new prescription for Levemir, and didn't kill Pumbba just because he was diabetic and his needs didn't work with my schedule.

I love my little boy, and will continue to try and do everything I can for him, and I will ignore my relatives who ignore their pets and hope they die because they are no longer "convenient". These people shouldn't have been pet owners in the first place.

Suze
 
Re: 9/30 Pumbaa AMPS/252 +2/259 +4/250 +6/218 +8241 +10/254

I knew that you were very frustrated and probably "bluffing", but I had to respond to your post about having him PTS. I am very sensitive to people that are cavalier about that. I mean, I just spent 6-7 weeks trying desperately to keep Jeddie alive and was unable to, in the end, do anything else for him except have his PTS. To see someone want to have a cat destroyed just because they have been diagnosed as diabetic breaks my heart - and makes me very angry.

When Beau was dx, it was two weeks after I lost another cat (his then buddy) to nasal cancer. I had watched her fade over 9 months (that were supposed to be 1-3 months) so I didn't "need" another dire cat issue. I never considered having him PTS, but I was so worried about his long term health and chances. I felt like I was going to loose him any day to the disease. I cried about it. And I called my mom. What was the first thing she said? "Maybe you should have him put down". I was floored. People, even well meaning ones, say the stupidest things at times. And the ignorant, or ill-meaning ones, just make me angry. Beau was 8 when he was diagnosed, has been OTJ for 3 years, and just turned 14.

There are plenty of other things that can take our sweet babies before it is their time. Diabetes should not be one of those things.
 
Re: 9/30 Pumbaa AMPS/252 +2/259 +4/250 +6/218 +8241 +10/254

Sheila, I wasn't bluffing about contemplating putting Pumbaa to sleep. Instigated by my cousin, who I am now very pissed off at, because of how she treats her animals.

It literally broke my heart to think about how much easier my life would be without Pumbaa's demands due to FD.
And that is why I cried so much in those days before i found vet who would prescribe Levemir.

It's not Pumbaa's fault he has FD. And it's my responsibility to take care of this FD and provide him with the insulin and the care he needs.

I am so glad that Pumbaa is reacting better to the Levemir.

It would have killed me to have killed him, without trying this first.

Suze
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top