Eyes Please...Chester's 9/15 pmps was a surprise!

[Jaye and Chester]

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=25001

Chester tested lower than he has in a while at pmps today (107). Funny, I was just considering a dose increase. The trouble is the greens that he's decided he has to have right now (he was 62-56-69) He's been given high carb fancy feast with gravy and it's going up. He's a little more tired looking than normal, but that's about it. Gonna be a long night, no doubt followed by a bounce in the morning.

Tomorrow's dose will be a crap-shoot, I'm afraid. High or Low...where will he go?

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Chester earned a dose reduction by dropping below 80 -- remember that the criteria differ for an AlphaTrack meter. If he bounces into the pinks, you have the option of shooting your current dose one more time and then reducing to 2.25u tomorrow evening.

 

[Jaye and Chester]

Tomorrow I have to work, so I'm thinking that I'll feel safer if I drop him down to 2.25. (Way to go, Chester!) If he stays in the blue by shot time tomorrow, then what do you suggest? What if he's in the red?

Should I leave some LC canned food in the autofeeder for him tomorrow?

I'll be home Thursday night through the weekend, so I can keep a really close eye on him then.

What would be a safe number for me to actually go to bed tonight? I get up at 4:15 a.m. for work! Should I set the alarm for sometime later tonight?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Kathy and Kitty]

Maybe Sienne or another wise one will comment, but I think you want to have two tests in a row that show Chester has stopped dropping. Are the numbers I see in your spreadsheet all Alpha-Trak, making a 70 more like a 50 or 45 in human meter numbers?

Is there a reason you would NOT want to leave LC food out? Ideally, there's no food within two hours of shot time, so that you can get a test that doesn't reflect food. But otherwise, why not?

 

[Jaye and Chester]

Yes, he's started going up again. We had 62, then 56 followed by a 69 and then 81. The 81 is still low enough to worry me, though. So I'm thinking a test at 11:00? I could do it now, but he's getting a little tired of the ear prick for tonight.

My vet advised to leave the LC out tomorrow for him. I'll have to separate him from the others, which he doesn't like, because they'll devour it and they're on other foods anyway (CRF). Except when he's been low like this, she's advised me not to feed between meals (I think..by this point I don't even trust my memory of instructions...sleep deprivation!) Any advice on what hours to have the autofeeders open? (I have two compartments that can be timed to the hour).

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

If you want to take the reduction in the morning, that's fine. Keeping the dose for one last cycle is an option in case there's a crazy high bounce.

I would decide on what to leave in the feeder based on where the numbers are in the AM. It's hard to know what Chester is going to do -- sometimes he bounces and sometimes not. Are you able to get any tests after your AMPS? That may help you to know whether to leave LC or MC in the feeder.

Generally, you want to see at least 2 successive test that are surfing or rising without benefit of HC. I'm not sure how close you are to a +5. If you can get a +5 and post, that would help.

 

[Jaye and Chester]

It would be tight to get a test after the amps. It wouldn't be much more than 30 minutes past because of leaving for work. I missed his +5 (which would have been 10:30 p.m.) and am coming up on his +5.5. I'll get one then. I can set the alarm for 1:30 or so (which would be +8) but perhaps I need to test in between there sometime?

Good thing I love the little guy! I've already lost my voice last weekend from lack of sleep (I'm a chorus teacher) and now its going out again. I get this when overtired. Should be an interesting day tomorrow for all involved.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Jaye:

It's much more helpful to talk in terms of hours. I don't know what time zone you're in. Base what test you'll get next on what the +5.5 is. Sorry about the lack of sleep but it does happen. I'm lousy at getting up in the middle of the night so I just stay up and I'm worthless at work.

If the timing won't work to get a test after your AMPS, try to get a PM +11. When you get the AMPS, the +11 will tell you what direction Chester's numbers are going.

 

[Jaye and Chester]

Jaye:

It's much more helpful to talk in terms of hours. I don't know what time zone you're in.

Oh, you're right! I hadn't thought of that. His 5.5 was just 89, up from the 81 but not much. I'll feed him a bit more, then try to get an hour of sleep. I'll try to get a reading in the middle of the night and in the morning if at all possible, either +11 30 minutes post shot.

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

You're doing great. It sounds like Chester is surfing. A bit of LC sounds good. If you can leave some out so he'll feed himself if need be should be good. If you can grab a "sleep" test (i.e., you wake up from being asleep), that will reassure you that Chester is fine.