Loose Lips - Why The Testing Is Important

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Angela & Blackie & 3 Others

Angela & Blackie & 3 Others

Member Since 2010
Ordinarily, I'll test 4x/day, sometimes not even that. At one point, I used to be a testaholic. Over the course of about a year (give or take), I've slowed down testing a lot. Those of you that follow Blackie and I have seen that, I'm sure. However, today I'll be testing a tiny bit more frequently. I was (and still am) sitting in the office doing some computer work, and in comes Blackie, making those closed mouth little noises (they're cute sounds :lol:). She gets up on to the box that I've set up for them all so that they can see out the window and look at the birds. She started making more sounds. I turn, and look down at her, and she's intently watching the birds. Then, she gets down, looks at me, and continues making more sounds. So, I get up, walk into the kitchen, wash my hands, get the monitor, and lancet, and do a quick poke. I expected a rising # from this morning's +3. Surprise, Momma Bean!!!! I give you..... 53!!! I'll be getting another test +6 to see what her # will be then. Again, I expect a rising # from the +5, but there's no telling what she'll give me. This could be the result of the extra food that she was given this morning due to her weight loss, I don't know.

Just when you think you've got your kitty all figured out... Surprise!!!! :lol: Midcycle tests are important, for sure, especially if you change foods, change the amount of food, or change doses (increase or decrease). Every little thing that you do for you kitty affects them, and they need constant monitoring. It's all for the love of our babies.

I want to give my heartfelt thanks to this board for helping me help Blackie get to where she's at now. In the beginning I was scared, and powerless, but over time, I've become bolder, stronger, and have a whole lot more knowledge now than when I did 2.75 years ago. It's all to do with the people on this board. I'm very grateful that it's been created to help us to help our babies get better. :smile: Thank you all very, very much.
 
Well said, Angela! Thank you to everyone from us, as well. :-D :-D Yesterday, I was remembering what Zener said to me last New Year's Eve (when he was not doing well and we were stressed to the max): "More petting and less worry".
Liz
 
Exactly. I wasn't immune to the stress, either, back in the beginning, or even a year after we started. I'm less stressed now, except when it comes to her finding contraband that is. :lol: Now, I take things in stride, more or less, and deal with situations when they arise. I have enough white hair due to the stresses of everyday life. I don't need anymore from stressing out about Blackie. :lol:
 
Angela, I could have written that myself....but you say it better. *grin* I just got through writing in Checks condo, about not testing, but he was being annoying, sitting on the kitchen table, 'talking' to me.
I tested, and got a 92, when he was yellow, just an hour ago. Yup....testing is so important, especially when kitty is doing/acting/vocalizing, differently.

edited cause I thought I was in Blackie's condo. Going there now. :roll:
 
I want to add that testing is JUST as important for your OTJ kitty! With Muffin having recently fallen off the wagon due to pancreatitis, but not acting sick at all, I had vowed to test her more regularly. Then all this with Kibby happened, and poor Muffin got put on a back burner. My last test was 11/21, and she was fine. Between stressing over Kibby and the holidays, I went back on my vow, and just assumed Muffin was fine. I finally tested her today and got 414! So she'll be getting insulin again. And it's entirely my fault - I feel awful. Please don't get complacent, even when OTJ!
 
Ok, got the +6 test, and she gave me 76. Now, I expect her to start rising from here on so I probably won't test her anymore. Since I've added another 2 more grams of food to her daily amount this morning, I may get a later test tomorrow, or the next day and see what she does. Saturday is when she gets another dose reduction, and there's the bouncing that'll be in play for a few days from that. If she continues to drop weight over the coming days, then I'll increase her food some more. With her, it's a gradual thing. Like a see-saw. I can't do too many things at once otherwise I won't know what's causing what. I increase or decrease the insulin, and then adjust the food between dose changes.

I've started weighing her on a daily basis simply because I want to know what she's at weight-wise. Without that knowledge, I won't know to increase or decrease her food. I want to maintain her at 11 lbs., or as close to it as possible (+/-).

It's a very fine science, and it'll work together when you find the correct balance for it all. You simply need the patience to figure it out, and you'll do a lot of calculating, weighing, measuring, etc. over and over again. I'm still doing that. :lol:
 
Exactly, Ann, and thank you, Barb. Testing is extremely important, especially if your kitty is OTJ. It's extremely easy to become lax when your kitty is OTJ simply because we get comfortable in knowing that all is well with our kitty, and the battle has ended. The battle never ends. It's simply abated for the time being. Diabetes is a disease, and it always will be. Being in remission is a wonderful thing (that's my goal for Blackie), but you still need to be vigilant. Perhaps not needing to test on a daily basis, but periodically throughout the week to be sure. You never know when it'll come back, and you'll need to battle it again.
 
Not to be a total PITA, but I think several of us have suggested that you get more than a couple of tests each day.

FWIW, daily weighing is going to make you crazy. Weight varies. It can vary due to how much Blackie decides to drink, how much she's exercising that day, what phase the moon is in, because she's a cat, etc. Like with humans, daily weight is not the best way to see a trend. IMHO, Weigh her once or twice a week.
 
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