Maji glucose yo-yo

Status
Not open for further replies.
Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson

Active Member
Well...
I am not sure if splitting up Maji's meals is working. I find that if she has been fed 3 -4 hours ago (and NOT dosed)...her numbers don't look good. But if she has NOT been fed in...let's say...oh 10 hours...from her last dose and feeding - her numbers look much better.

What gives? I just don't get it apparently.

So...food bumps up her glucose numbers high...but waiting it out...for much longer the glucose gets lower.

for instance yesterday after feeding and NO insulin 3 hours 424! but after 4 hours today after food only NO insulin 404. So my guess is in 1 additional hour gone down 2o points. So I let's say 6 more hours...she would have be down another 120 points. That would make her at 284 (she did not have that much to eat so I would not do that to her). Apparently the shot (dose) plus food and 10 hours wait time - I will probably be down in the 200s again (in the morning). So I am thinking of feeding in the morning and dosing...and then waiting all day till I get home and testing, then feeding and dosing. My guess is that one will be at 300 - I'll just have to try and see.
 
Magic Johnson said:
Well...
I am not sure if splitting up Maji's meals is working. I find that if she has been fed 3 -4 hours ago (and NOT dosed)...her numbers don't look good. But if she has NOT been fed in...let's say...oh 10 hours...from her last dose and feeding - her numbers look much better.

What gives? I just don't get it apparently.

So...food bumps up her glucose numbers high...but waiting it out...for much longer the glucose gets lower.

for instance yesterday after feeding and NO insulin 3 hours 424! but after 4 hours today after food only NO insulin 404. So my guess is in 1 additional hour gone down 2o points. So I let's say 6 more hours...she would have be down another 120 points. That would make her at 284 (she did not have that much to eat so I would not do that to her). Apparently the shot (dose) plus food and 10 hours wait time - I will probably be down in the 200s again (in the morning). So I am thinking of feeding in the morning and dosing...and then waiting all day till I get home and testing, then feeding and dosing. My guess is that one will be at 300 - I'll just have to try and see.
Click to expand...
Once you factor in allowed variance in meter readings (+/- 20%) 424 and 404 are essentially the same number. Until you can build up your data base on your SS you can't be sure that two meals versus 3 or 4 is having a drastic effect on BG. Just keep plugging away at your testing routine so that you can consistently get an AM and PM pre shot test and at least one more before bed on work days. Get a scattering of others thorough the daytime cycles on days off.
 
Last edited:
Yes to everything Kris said.

I would just add: welcome to prozinc-land! :bighug:

Oh, and some people find that it's best to feed the meals up until around +6, and then withhold food after that. Personally, that didn't help my kitty, but every cat is different, so Maji might find it works better. As Kris said, you really won't know for sure until the data picture gets filled in a bit more, but if your gut is telling you food is the problem, then stacking the snacks at the beginning of the cycle might help.

Speaking of food, I just noticed you're feeding Ziwi Peak. I wrote to the company about a year ago, and the air dried varieties were around 14% carbs which is too high for diabetic cats. They did mention they were about to do a recipe shift, though the person I was corresponding with said she didn't think the values would change much. I would recommend writing to ask them for the as-fed carb values (not the guaranteed analysis) and see if the food might be the problem with the big BG spikes. I hate to even suggest that since i see from your note that it's a well loved food, but.....:oops:
 
Wow thank you - since I have not bought it yet that’s ok...and I was just using as treats - someone had posted something on the other forum about ZiwiPeak- let me find it I’ll be back and edit :) thank you for making me feel welcome !

HI Djamila...I was able to post below....

let me know your thoughts? I don't want to hurt Maji or work against myself...it's already hard enough by itself :)
 
Last edited:
Received this from bellasmom :) "I don’t know about beef I give mackeral and lamb and there’s 2%, my cats love it too, I will email them and see if I can find out for you"
then this picture
ziwi_jpeg.jpg
 
I just looked on their website and it looks like they now have the full nutrition profiles up for all of their foods. The air-dried are all 5% or lower which is just fine. I love companies that aim for transparency like that. Kudos to them for doing such a great job!

The only other caveat with this is that it's water depleted, so it's probably best to use as treats, a food topper for wet food, or emergency food and not as a significant portion of the diet. Cats, and especially diabetic cats, are notoriously under-hydrated. But overall the nutrition profile looks really good.

Thanks so much for posting that!
 
Djamila said:
I just looked on their website and it looks like they now have the full nutrition profiles up for all of their foods. The air-dried are all 5% or lower which is just fine. I love companies that aim for transparency like that. Kudos to them for doing such a great job!

The only other caveat with this is that it's water depleted, so it's probably best to use as treats, a food topper for wet food, or emergency food and not as a significant portion of the diet. Cats, and especially diabetic cats, are notoriously under-hydrated. But overall the nutrition profile looks really good.

Thanks so much for posting that!
Click to expand...


Thank you so much I actually just want it for treats ONLY... so it’s better for Maji to think it’s a delicacy and something special she only gets for her glucose tests :)
 
Yes having special poke treats works wonderfully! Then they know the really good stuff comes after a test!
 
Well I had a difficult time trying to do the amps test...and I gave up because Maji was getting uncomfortable. I think the lighting is poor in the morning where I am trying to do this which makes it difficult to see. I know I pricked the ear cuz I felt it on the other side it did not bleed much and when I wiped I saw a tiny bit darn it...I coulda maybe got that. I finally decided to give up and reward as she doesn't know that I didn't get the test. I am going to find a better area and pick her up and then put her in position but just stroke and just see if I can see the ear veins or area better...her ears are so darn dark and full of black fur that I think I might be better on the outside part o_O
 
That dark fur makes life harder! Some people have had the vet or a groomer shave a bit of the ear fur while they get used to testing...helps you see! Another suggestion is to use a bit of Vaseline before the poke. That helps any blood bead up and makes it easier to find and grab!
 
Magic Johnson said:
Well I had a difficult time trying to do the amps test...and I gave up because Maji was getting uncomfortable. I think the lighting is poor in the morning where I am trying to do this which makes it difficult to see. I know I pricked the ear cuz I felt it on the other side it did not bleed much and when I wiped I saw a tiny bit darn it...I coulda maybe got that. I finally decided to give up and reward as she doesn't know that I didn't get the test. I am going to find a better area and pick her up and then put her in position but just stroke and just see if I can see the ear veins or area better...her ears are so darn dark and full of black fur that I think I might be better on the outside part o_O
Click to expand...
I do all my stuff with Teasel sitting on the floor in my bathroom where there's bright light and no other nosy kitties to distract him. Maybe try a bathroom counter if you have enough space or put a towel on the stove top if you have a range hood with a bright light?
 
I second the suggestion to spread a thin little bit of Vaseline on the ear first and poke there. It makes a world of difference. The blood beads up so nicely then instead of spreading into the fur.

I also read about someone wearing a little headlamp (like used in hiking or needlework) when they were testing to help them see better.

I've found the back edge of the ear to be much easier than the inside edge of the ear, so definitely give that a try. Also, you can try shining a little flashlight on the inside part of her ear and looking at the outside part to see the vein clearly.
 
Rachel said:
That dark fur makes life harder! Some people have had the vet or a groomer shave a bit of the ear fur while they get used to testing...helps you see! Another suggestion is to use a bit of Vaseline before the poke. That helps any blood bead up and makes it easier to find and grab!
Click to expand...

Great idea!!! Thank you :)
 
Djamila said:
I second the suggestion to spread a thin little bit of Vaseline on the ear first and poke there. It makes a world of difference. The blood beads up so nicely then instead of spreading into the fur.

I also read about someone wearing a little headlamp (like used in hiking or needlework) when they were testing to help them see better.

I've found the back edge of the ear to be much easier than the inside edge of the ear, so definitely give that a try. Also, you can try shining a little flashlight on the inside part of her ear and looking at the outside part to see the vein clearly.
Click to expand...

Another great idea I’m gonna buy one of those small headlamp things I had one for reading during the middle of the night but it is tempermental and switches off at the most inopportune times - I also figured out I’m taking too darn long- and bless her heart she’s patient with me up to a point and then finally just wants to get down - she’s part Siamese and “arms length” is her motto, unless you have food...which I did BUT her patience wore thin AND I had no coffee what was I thinking?
 
Kris & Teasel said:
I do all my stuff with Teasel sitting on the floor in my bathroom where there's bright light and no other nosy kitties to distract him. Maybe try a bathroom counter if you have enough space or put a towel on the stove top if you have a range hood with a bright light?
Click to expand...

I have a grow light that is sitting over my giant sequoia seedlings - that sucker is like the sun!!! I may use that on the coffee table - my house is starting to look like a doctors office...
 
Well... there’s this ginormous evergreen tree, been there forever... the nursery kept telling me it was an incense cedar but the cones don’t match the trunk it as big around as my king size bed... so I kept picking up cones... trying to get seeds.. couldn’t find any in the cones and was not sure what the seed looked like. Then one day I realized that I was surrounded by blown down seeds everywhere around this tree - the seeds fall outta the cones really easily hence why the cones I picked up had no seeds - all these little brown bits half the size of your pinky nail bed. So I collected these and put them between wet paper towel sheets on a plate and surrounded by a plastic bag. It took about 3 weeks and I got a root outta one! And a starter out of another. So I planted it in a little seedling starter.

I live on the coast of Washington and there is an extremely steep bank with erosion behind me BUT no more on my section as I have been planting western swordfern and any evergreens that I find sprouting on my property. It’s really filling in - I figure a giant sequoia will outlast me and secure the bank real good - :)
 
...practice update: ok so Maji now following me around so I took the opportunity to sit in the new area... with treats and put one beside me. She jumped up next to me to get it. Ate that. Put one on the other side of me she jumped over my lap to get that one. So then I got one of those chips out and gently scooped her up onto my lap and fed her one. Next I rubbed her ears gently and then gave her another one. Then once she finished that I let her down with good-girl and gave her one more chip. The “grooming “ has begun...
 
Bellasmom came up with a suggestion for me to try the paws as her kitty Bella will NOT allow her to do the ears. Well, I did it! I practiced on the ears this evening several times and she really wasn't that thrilled. No pokes

BUT I could do anything with her toes...I could push on the side of a toe right near the pad...with my nail and that did not seem to bother her...so I DID IT!

I got the teensy tiny 33 gauge lancet and it worked beautifully another plus is her toes are WHITE and I can really see what I can't see on the black fur parts! While she was none too impressed I had none of the issues that I had previously

And I got a wacky reading of 26, BUT I knew better now...and did a second came in 210!

whew I think I got this...
 
Magic Johnson said:
Bellasmom came up with a suggestion for me to try the paws as her kitty Bella will NOT allow her to do the ears. Well, I did it! I practiced on the ears this evening several times and she really wasn't that thrilled. No pokes

BUT I could do anything with her toes...I could push on the side of a toe right near the pad...with my nail and that did not seem to bother her...so I DID IT!

I got the teensy tiny 33 gauge lancet and it worked beautifully another plus is her toes are WHITE and I can really see what I can't see on the black fur parts! While she was none too impressed I had none of the issues that I had previously

And I got a wacky reading of 26, BUT I knew better now...and did a second came in 210!

whew I think I got this...
Click to expand...
No, you don't think you got this--YOU KNOW you got this!!
If the paws work better for you I say go for it. Gracie has dark paws. I'd never see the blood.
 
You ever tried chocolate wine? Because...it's awesome. :)

THAT'S AWESOME! Congrats!!! Yes, several people test on the paw pads (I totally forgot about that) and it seems to work well for them. If it works for you guys, go for it!
 
Rachel said:
You ever tried chocolate wine? Because...it's awesome. :)

THAT'S AWESOME! Congrats!!! Yes, several people test on the paw pads (I totally forgot about that) and it seems to work well for them. If it works for you guys, go for it!
Click to expand...

@Rachel Chocolate Wine!? The only real "sweet" wine I have had is Cupcake flavored "Angel" white Wine.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top