? How long to settle nerves. . .

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Meridith and Zeke

Meridith and Zeke

Member Since 2017
Zeke is finally starting to cool the bounces and getting better numbers. So, how long does it take to cool the nerves and not feel like u need to test every 2 hours or more? I know we are still needing to monitor, but even tonight I'm still feeling like I need to be testing hourly lol. Right now I am so loving that he hit green earlier and we aren't seeing pinks now, which is his normal bounce. This is a first for him.
 
Oh my goodness, I don't really know! Even when Mav hit some pinks or reds at preshot I think, well he might decide to drop like he did on (insert date), better test to be sure. I'm glad Zeke is getting better numbers :), maybe the worrying we do starts to lessen over time when we just keep seeing things are good.
 
I still feel the need to test a cat. I have to stop myself from testing the elderly cat up the street when I'm cat-sitting! (I do add water to his food just because he's old and I had two kidney cats back-to-back.)

As time goes on, you will feel more comfortable interpreting both Zeke and the spreadsheet. You can probably stop testing during a cycle when you are positive that nadir has been reached and Zeke is on his way up. There will be some nights in which you will be able to go to sleep, and some nights ... not so much.
 
Luckily I have my daughter for testing too. After his +4 tonight I am going to sleep but she will probably be testing the next 3 hours. His numbers are holding pretty well but it just makes me anxious lol.
 
Just so we can be prepared during the winter months and we are due for a good one this year, figured out how long a box of 50 strips will last. The average is only 5 days lol. I think we are joining the testaholic club!
 
Meridith and Zeke said:
Guess it is better to have too much data then not enough.:smuggrin:
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ABSOLUTLELY CORRECT!! :cat::)
It also made it so much easier for the folks helping me figure out what was going on with Gussie as he moved through the protocol. With all his data, his patterns were easier for them and, importantly, also for me to see.
It also helped me to understand some of the counter intuitive concepts such as shooting low to stay low, and how the drops flatten out with time..that made zero sense to me until I could see it in the spreadsheet. And all those filled in boxes made it hard to miss:rolleyes:
 
Meridith and Zeke said:
That first time shooting low was a very nerve wracking experience, but now I'm comfortable with it.
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Yay!! A scary, necessary learning moment in this dance..I remember literally feeling queasy the first time I did and then standing right over Gussie thru quite a few tests as I was certain he was going to go hypo!:p:p:p Yet trusting implicitly the advice I had been given that it was time to do so! Talk about angels on both shoulders each whispering different things in my ear!:rolleyes:
Congrats on getting comfortable with that!!:)
Surf safely Zeke!
 
Looking back at when we really first started learning on all this, when we finally made it here to the board, never really thought I would be able to do many of the things we now do frequently. Learning to care for a sugar baby takes a lot, but it is well worth it. Days like today are the payday. Since Zeke has had great numbers all day, it shows with how playful he has been today.
 
Meridith and Zeke said:
Looking back at when we really first started learning on all this, when we finally made it here to the board, never really thought I would be able to do many of the things we now do frequently. Learning to care for a sugar baby takes a lot, but it is well worth it. Days like today are the payday. Since Zeke has had great numbers all day, it shows with how playful he has been today.
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Too true! Savor those great days!! They really do make it all worth it!:cat::bighug:
 
I spent a ton of time at the beginning analyzing Neko's spreadsheet. DH called it "looking at the tea leaves". Identifying patterns is key. And it's not just a single cycle, but a pattern over several of them. On Lantus, Neko had a particular three cycle pattern where the 3rd was a dive to lows. Libby calls it "waves of action". After a while I started playing "guess the BG" when I did a test, after looking at her spreadsheet first. When I switched to Levemir, the most frustrating part was learning patterns all over again. The best part was that a lot of days I could get away with 5-6 tests. Learning when onset, nadir and duration are help you be strategic about when to test.

And listen to and watch Zeke. In the beginning, Neko was playful in the low 300's. :rolleyes: Later it became low blues. Does Zeke start giving you hints about food when he gets into greens? Neko used to head for the kitchen when her numbers were getting lower. If she lay down in front of the fridge, I got out the test kit.
 
I think I'm slowly starting to figure out his dance. He has shown that he gets very clingy when he is dropping too low, and very playful and energetic when in the higher greens and blues. Hard to really know on the food though since we free feed and we have the 2 others. He might be eating a little more on the days he spends more time below 200 since have been noticing filling the food bowl a little sooner then normal. But then that could also be our 20 pound fatboy lol.
 
Meridith and Zeke said:
So, how long does it take to cool the nerves and not feel like u need to test every 2 hours or more?
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Uh, never. Check out my kitties' spreadsheets. I'm the founder of Testaholics anonymous! I firmly believe there is no such thing as too much data.

I just looked at your SS. Do you ever sleep??? o_O

Looks like you've mastered the prime directive of FDMB beans: Know Thy Cat! You're doing a great job. Just let us know how we can help.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I spent a ton of time at the beginning analyzing Neko's spreadsheet. DH called it "looking at the tea leaves". Identifying patterns is key. And it's not just a single cycle, but a pattern over several of them. On Lantus, Neko had a particular three cycle pattern where the 3rd was a dive to lows. Libby calls it "waves of action". After a while I started playing "guess the BG" when I did a test, after looking at her spreadsheet first. When I switched to Levemir, the most frustrating part was learning patterns all over again. The best part was that a lot of days I could get away with 5-6 tests. Learning when onset, nadir and duration are help you be strategic about when to test.

And listen to and watch Zeke. In the beginning, Neko was playful in the low 300's. :rolleyes: Later it became low blues. Does Zeke start giving you hints about food when he gets into greens? Neko used to head for the kitchen when her numbers were getting lower. If she lay down in front of the fridge, I got out the test kit.
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You've given me a new mission, Wendy: I'm going to have to print out Girlie's chart on large paper this weekend - forget finishing my overdue Australian and American tax returns - I'm gong to look for waves of action in my cat's SS! (Much more fun, I think, too...). I've tried to look for waves online, but I think I'll do better with a hard copy in front of me that I can mark up. Note to self: print out several copies of the SS... :-)

Girlie's not a big eater or food-motivated, so when she licks her bowl clean, I know she's either diving or is already too low. Isn't it interesting, though: sometimes, I'll test and her numbers seem okay. Then a half hour later she'll have plummeted. Could her body be telling her that something is going on before we're able to detect it via her blood on the test strips?

I wonder what other people's cats do to signal that they're hitting shark territory?
 
Red & Rover (GA) said:
I still feel the need to test a cat. I have to stop myself from testing the elderly cat up the street when I'm cat-sitting! (I do add water to his food just because he's old and I had two kidney cats back-to-back.)
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Oh boy! I laughed so hard at this I actually snorted! Not very ladylike, I'm afraid, but just me and these old cats of mine, so who cares. "testing the elderly cat up the street..." is funny, I tell you...howling with laughter down here in Australia. :p:D:joyful::eek::woot::D:joyful:

Want a job and a holiday? I have to go back to work full-time soon, and Girlie likes to nose dive. I've been (half) joking about hiring someone to test at specific points during the day so I can know she's safe...the job is yours if you like! Come down to Australia and test away... :-)
 
Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey said:
A word of advice: use legal sized paper and enlarge the font. I've printed them many times and if you don't do that it's too small to read.
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Good tip. When I have tried to print it out before, it doesn't print out the grid lines, so I've had to manually put them in. Any ideas how to get those to print?

I want all your printing tips now, Tricia! :-)

Do you print directly from the online SS or download it to Excel first?

Do you manually enlarge all of the fonts first, or is it possible to do this when you go to print?

So many questions now...
 
Oh boy I wish the need to test would lessen for me. Not even close. I first wanted to see patterns. Then when we started seeing blues I had to see if she would hit greens so I kept testing to catch those. Once we hit greens oh no gotta keep testing to make sure she doesn't go too low. Now Beenie is throwing me a curve ball with some higher numbers. So of course she's not in danger or going low and one would think its my opportunity to catch a break and get some sleep. Noooo now I need to see patterns again and chase the blues:facepalm:
Vicious cycle:joyful:
coffee.jpg
 
OMG Yep, that is about covering it! I think one more round of sleeping and I might have enough to get me through the rest of today lol. All cause of the need to test all night rofl.
 
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