Jane & Jack & Karre the Emperor
Member Since 2009
At last, I've managed to squirrel away a precious few hours from our usual daily routine to post a new KCC (though technically this time it's KWC). Occasionally, as I'm putting this condo together, I look outside into the garden to watch the curious ibis who is meandering this way and that across the lawn, looking for beetles. It's oddly mesmerizing, this seemingly aimless wandering - though not as enthralling as watching King Henry nap in his puddle of sunlight, which is making him glow as though he were made of soft, silky gold. The house is quiet and peaceful this morning - His Majesty Karre the Emperor is napping next door, and Magpie and Luca are still out enjoying their usual morning antics. I expect the three of them will come in not too long from now, demanding treats, at which point, if I am not yet finished here, I shall have to interrupt myself and do my job as Lowly Minion to the African Pride. What is it about cats that persuades even the least servile of beans to try as hard as they can to fulfil their felines' every whim... I remain convinced that they all practise some form of BMC (bean mind control) :mrgreen: Nothing wrong with whims as such, of course. One that found me this morning had me add a dash of cocoa and cinnamon to my coffee - inspired by Chef Mannie's coffee concoctions, no doubt. Delicous. As I sit sipping (or sip sitting...say both those, five times fast...), I'm going over last week's 14th October KCC and, as I am wont to now and then, I'll start this week's LL Highlights with a reminder of one of last week's, since I find it bears repeating.
Lisa/Leo's Carb Math Condo is well worth re-reading. In it, apart from the interesting carb math discussion itself, Carl/Bob was also kind enough to cite a thread by Dr. Lisa Pierson, in which she reminds us that a can that is listed on the food charts at 5% (calories from) carbohydrates may be anything from 1% to 10% - the variations are considerable and bear keeping in mind. Fretting and focusing too much when it comes to carbs percentages doesn't do all that much good, even if and when the BG-response to given food seems to be out of proportion to the carbs % ostensibly fed. Meter variance has an equally elusive, comparably maddening cousin - Food Variance. Breathe. Big picture. :mrgreen:
Kathie/Zeus had some good questions on bounce theory answered in their 7th October Condo.
Lori/Atticus had a good example of meter variance, and how it can be useful (due to that variance) to re-test a BG that seems odd or a little worrisome, in their 8th October Condo. They came through those lows with flying colours, steering well with food and hanging in there with all the testing. Great job!
Alexa/Reuben, still struggling with Reuben's appy issues, had the recap of tips on how to get a cat to eat, along with a number of other great tips not in that list, posted in their 6th October Condo. If you haven't got a thread with this list bookmaked yet (it does get posted fairly often), it's well worth doing so.
Jill/Charlie went through a very scary situation in their 14th October Condo. Not only did that situation make it crystal clear how important it is to KNOW THY CAT, but it also reminded me personally never to stop trying to learn more and more and still more about interpreting and reading spreadsheets. Even when numbers aren't actually listed on a cat's SS, one has to try and see what they might have been from the context of the numbers (and notes, and previous condos) that *are* there. (Another example of what this amounts to when it's done right is Libby/Lucy's input in Sheri/Dante's 17th October Condo.) Giving dosing advice comes with great responsibility, which I never, ever take lightly, and this condo made me resolve once again to keep being committed to learning how to give the best possible advice. An extra Thank-You to Jill/Alex and Libby/Lucy for their fantastic guidance. (The subsequent 15th October Condo is equally well worth the read for a reminder of the distinction between bounces clearing and carbs clearing, and also of yet another example of great follow-up notes by Libby and Jill - FOLLOW-UP helps lessons learned to sink in!) Also, a big Hats Off to Jill/Charlie for making it through everything with such poise, good humour and BOS - and congrats on the recent reduction to 0.75u, too :smile:
On the topic of low preshots and skipping shots, there were some great perspectives and thoughts posted in Jill/Charlie's 21st October Condo. It can be great to be reminded that even when a number is technically shootable, sometimes the bean's rather than the cat's situation absolutely warrants a skipped shot. Thanks especially to Marje/Gracie and Sienne/Gabby for your input.
Misty/Bast's 23rd October Condo is also well worth the careful read. The credo "DO NO HARM" remains paramount when giving *any* input on FDMB, and in order not to do any harm, one must understand the complicated puzzle of influencing factors that make up any individual cat's (and bean's) situation. In terms of topic, this condo is an important reminder of DKA and the potentially lethal dangers it poses. Once again, Carl/Bob did a fantastic job of finding a pertinent previous thread (on Think Tank this time), quoting as follows: Lack of insulin is the primary cause of DKA. And what are the secondary causes? Fasting, dehydration, and infection. So no food + no insulin = asking for DKA. Please all you happy advice givers, don't suggest waiting on the insulin just because kitty is reluctant to eat. On the contrary, that is likely to kill kitty. Suggest a slightly reduced dose. Biology doesn't work well on all-or-nothing solutions." Remember, everyone: Do no harm. When in doubt, simply post support rather than advice. Thank you to Sienne/Gabby and Carl/Bob for their excellent input in this thread. And welcome to LL, Misty and Bast!
Pauline/Teronto have begun a *very* exciting speriment (Old School Lantusian for "experiment" :lol
on suspending the insulin shots and using food instead to control Teronto's BG on the 21st of October. So far, he's doing beautifully! A great example of how cats will be cats, and will every so often go off-book when it comes to their FD management :mrgreen: Way to go, you guys! And of course, excellent tailored-to-Teronto guidance on this one, too!Another useful link that was posted (by Sienne, I believe) is Pam Johnson-Bennett's thoughts on Introducing a Second Cat to a Household - well worth the bookmark.
As is Sienne's reminder of the impending end to daylight savings time on the 4th of November - Thank you, Sienne!
And finally, for those who may not have seen it, the tribute to Claudia's Rocket, an LL Legend, can be found in Claudia's 21st October Condo. Claudia, our hearts are broken along with yours. You remain in our thoughts prayers. Fly free, darling Rocket - Safe journey.
There is always so much going on here in LL, and all over FDMB. The heartbreak that comes with loving these beautiful creatures can be so overwhelming. I hope that in some small way, the outpouring of love and support when one of our own, kitty or bean, goes through dark times can help them hold on, and can comfort them a little. And I'm grateful that it isn't only heartache. It's also joy, perseverance, triumph even, that makes the FD world go round. This week's LL Overview certainly has many examples of those. Some lucky kitties have proved yet again why the TR Protocol is as fantastic (and fantastically successful) as it is, and have moved to the Falls as newly graduated Diet-Controlled Diabetics: Congratulations to all of you, and Good Luck to those kitties busy making their way there at present! On the Perseverance-Side, too, there are plenty of gold stars and cheers to go around, of course! Dyana/J.D. have had some very lovely BGs of late: Well done, and maybe keep on serving those breffis on deck; who knows, maybe they helped with the pretty blues and greens!
Alexa/Reuben continue to persevere despite our dear Drama Meezer's tummy troubles, and despite vet care being scarce and somewhat problematic down there in Mexico - great job, you guys; keep on keeping on! Mike/BJ are keeping it slow and steady - nice work, lads! Amy/Trixie have some lovely splashes into the lagoon, as have Lyresa/KT (depsite sneaking in some contraband kibble on the weekend) - Hooray! Roni/Moonie are doing great with the tricky Adequan shots, and Moonie has seen some very pretty BGs, as has Melissa/Tarragon (despite being back on prednisone) - wonderful stuff, you guys! Carla/Furball seem to have come through the appy issues Furball was having - we're all breathing sighs of relief with you guys :smile: Cindy/Tip are hanging in there, too, on the tricky trip back down the dosing ladder - keep it up, you guys! Helen/Rosy are also keeping on keeping on with Miss Rosy's ups and downs - great job, Helen! Anne/Liz/Zener have had some great green cycles with blue bookends - we love to see that. Ann/Tess provided some great Word-Versions of the food charts - thanks very much, Ann! Wendy/Neko started a new cartridge about a week ago and are doing well with repeated visits to the green lagoon - keep it up, you guys, and thanks for those cute stories about Neko's belly fur and the assorted things she keeps in there, like pine needles :lol: Melanie/Racci celebrated Racci's Sweet Sixteen - Happy Birthday, Miss Racci! Deborah/Shasta have been doing a wonderful job of steering with food, especially since Shasta has been practising her diving :mrgreen: Pip/Rupert are considering a switch to Levemir after this batch of Lantus is done - good luck with whatever you decide to do, you guys. Barb/Checkers caught a surprise dip into the 30s the last week - great catch, you guys, and let's hear it for never being complacent about testing and spot-checking! Adrienne/Eli, Mary/Oliver Twist and Pam/Hoot have also newly joined LL - welcome, and keep on posting, asking, reading, learning, posting, asking, reading, learning... :smile: Marje/Gracie are still seeing numbers not quite worthy of Miss Gracie - fingers crossed that she'll soon be back in better ranges, and good luck to Marje with the colonoscopy! Vines and good thoughts go out to one and all, with apologies once again for not being able to mention each of you by name. As always, post here anytime you like with your own WCRs and WBRs :mrgreen:Life in the African Pride is ticking along nicely. Karre continues to respond to the occasional above-120 BG with stoic patience, which we're trying to emulate :smile: Magpie and Luca are very busy stalking the moles that are yet again undermining the lawn, literally :lol: King Henry has decided he will eat nothing but our home-made raw cat food from now on - we couldn't be more thrilled to watch our four little carnivores eat exactly what the should be eating! The beans (read: lowly minions) are busy but happy even when a week like the last one comes along and kicks their teeth in - all in a day, as it were :mrgreen: Right about now, it's lunch time again - time flies when you're posting in LL! So for now, a few photos before I must go and make some food :smile:
Hugs,
Jane.
All Three Boys on the new Favourite Carpet Hangout.
Karre and Henry napping, and Maggie and Luca playing.
A trophy brought by Magpie (and promptly rescued and returned to his pond, of course).
After the rain.
My view while posting the KCC :smile:
P.S. Here's the original first post of this KCC:
Greetings, Lantus Land! I have been remiss! Last week and weekend completely kicked my teeth in, and I spent the past few days just getting my bearings again. Apologies for not having posted the regular KCC, and for not quite managing to make up for that today. I promise I will do the regular KCC sections tomorrow morning (so by the time it's tomorrow morning for most of you, it'll all be there, Highlight, Overview, Links and all), and post photos as well, of course. Sheesh, what a week and half. Still, I think I'm mostly back on track, and DH and I will work hard this evening ticking a few work-related items of our to-do-list, so that tomorrow, over my morning coffee, I can finally have my LL-fix :mrgreen: More tomorrow, I promise! And: even on the days I've barely posted, you were all on my mind. For now, thoughts, prayers, vines to all cats and beans in need of them, and especially to our dear Claudia, whose LL Legend, Rocket, earned his wings last weekend. He will never be forgotten and you, Claudia, will forever have a home here in LL. Hugs to you all, and see you tomorrow, Jane.
