Buddy 11/3 AMPS 342, PMPS 260, PMPS +4 129

[Kelly and Buddy]

Hope everyone is doing well. I was so discouraged last month that I had to step away. I felt like all I was doing was dose increases and still saw no improvement. I can't believe how much I've had to go back up in Buddy's doses and he still probably needs another dose increase. I'm just in a place right now where I can't be up late monitoring and/or home during the day to monitor so I'm hoping to hold his dose until I have another break and then increase (maybe Thanksgiving).

Many of you have asked previously about Buddy's thyroid. I had it checked two weeks ago and it is still completely normal. The ravenous appetite must be driven by his diabetes alone.

Buddy is still up to his antics - stealing food anywhere and anytime he can. I swear that cat sniff our a carb like a mile away. Bring donuts in the house and he will fight you for them!

Here's a perfect example of Buddy being Buddy. I opened my pantry for 30 seconds and turned around and in he goes to scavenge. Most recently, he has figured out how to open our toaster oven and remove any bread item inside. @Sue and Luci, I knew you'd appreciate that stunt!

 

[Susan&Felix(GA)]

Kitties are so cute when they're being naughty.

 

[Crista & Ming]

Hi!! I’m new here but it sure looks like you’re doing a good job right now despite Buddy’s antics. Sending healing and calm vines to you and Buddy

 

[Sue and Luci]

Hope everyone is doing well. I was so discouraged last month that I had to step away. I felt like all I was doing was dose increases and still saw no improvement. I can't believe how much I've had to go back up in Buddy's doses and he still probably needs another dose increase. I'm just in a place right now where I can't be up late monitoring and/or home during the day to monitor so I'm hoping to hold his dose until I have another break and then increase (maybe Thanksgiving).

Many of you have asked previously about Buddy's thyroid. I had it checked two weeks ago and it is still completely normal. The ravenous appetite must be driven by his diabetes alone.

Buddy is still up to his antics - stealing food anywhere and anytime he can. I swear that cat sniff our a carb like a mile away. Bring donuts in the house and he will fight you for them!

Here's a perfect example of Buddy being Buddy. I opened my pantry for 30 seconds and turned around and in he goes to scavenge. Most recently, he has figured out how to open our toaster oven and remove any bread item inside. @Sue and Luci, I knew you'd appreciate that stunt!

View attachment 40176

I feel your pain! It's like having a naughty toddler in the house - who you know is watching your every move - and the minute you make the slightest mistake by leaving some morsel of food within reach - they're going to be right there on it! No place is safe - even in your own home! Try to take it one day at a time. That's about all we can do. I try to patrol our food areas as best I can. I found the wastebasket in the living room overturned one morning! What was that about? Well, once I righted it I found that DH had put a Cheetos wrapper in there - I warned him the next day that was inviting our 'garbage cat' to raid it - and she'd turned it over trying to find out what was in there that smelled so 'good'...no more wrappers of any kind in the wastebaskets, huh DH???? Then I came downstairs the day after Halloween and he'd left candy in a bowl on the buffet in the foyer!!! OMG! She - for whatever miracle - had NOT discovered his mistake - I'd gone to bed and left it sitting there - so obviously it was my fault for not securing the contraband. Had she known that bowl was there and contained her very favorite KitKat bars she'd have been right up there ripping the entire contents to shreds....somehow she either wasn't on the prowl that night - or so freaked out by the little monsters that had been showing up at the door earlier in the evening - lost her nerve? For whatever reason we caught a break that night...the candy was stowed on a high shelf in the pantry ASAP...I really don't know how I got away clean that time!

So what can you do? Not much...just keep trying ... hard when others in the household don't seem as 'on top of it' as we have to be...oh well...

As for Buddy's insulin dose...I don't think that's a bad/high dose at all. And like you said, you can't test him during the day because of work, so do the best you can and nudge it up when you can test - it looks like he could use an increase - and it sounds like you can already see that...so do the best you can and hope that the insulin he is getting will help him along until that time when you can give him a bit more. I had Luci up to 2.25 previously...and then we just go back and forth, back and forth.

I'm testing a bunch of different meters now - if you have a chance look at my SS. Interesting results - as the meter that I've been using all along - the Relion Confirm (discontinued by Walmart) was giving the lowest readings - so I think Luci was getting reductions when she hadn't earned them...so I'd take her back down in her dosage - and we'd go thru the same old thing...numbers go up...get another increase...and back and forth we'd go. This meter experiment has been quite enlightening...and she hasn't earned a reduction since I started using multiple meters...I think I'm getting a clearer picture of her actual numbers...

At some point I'll decide on one meter and will stick with that - and have purchased a Pet Meter in the meantime - so when I'm worried about her being too low, (strips are too expensive for me to use it daily)...I'll test with the Pet Meter to see if it concurs with the reading I'm getting on the human meter (the low end numbers for 'action' are different) so I have the human and the pet spreadsheets to use when I use both of those meters...it's quite an interesting way to learn more about her numbers! And I'll be basing her dose changes on the Pet Meter from now on I think...we'll see...it's a work in progress.

Good to hear from you! Glad you're able to check in from time to time to let us know you and that cutie Buddy are doing ok. They sure are cute when they're up to no good aren't they? And giving you that big wide eyed 'what's up' look....from inside the cupboard...he'll be after that bag of flour if you'd let him...Luci does...she will lick the counter where I'm trying prep baked goods (like pie crust, etc.) to try to find a fleck of flour! Bad girl..she's always after something!

Take care and give Buddy some scritches from us.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

He doesn't look too bad at all. Stepping away from the forum can be a good move when it all gets to be too much. I'm sure the pros here can help you tweak Buddy's dose whenever you feel ready.