Saturday 2/26 Harley Curve Day

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Laura and Harley (GA)

Laura and Harley (GA)

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Apparently the Saturday weirdness is global. Donna & Asher we are right there with you today.

Today is Harley's curve day - his and my first. So I rose and tested him at our usual time and got 114! A lovely number, but not shootable. I waited 30 minutes & withheld food which almost got me mauled. So I tested again and got 148. A nice number, a shootable number. Fed at 6:30 a.m. and gave 0.25u at 7 a.m.

(BTW I talked to my vet again last night and after throughly reviwing Harley's spreadsheet she is on board with the treatment and gave me latitude to work at my discretion with 0.25u as my max. I asked what dose to curve at today and she wants to see one at 0.25u as that will be our max shooting dose for now.)

+ 2 at 9 a.m. = 91! Beautiful number but now that tells me that the 114 was probably the accurate one and the 148 was not. ohmygod_smile

+3 = 64 - fed 1 oz FF Chicken Appetizer

So 'twill be a fun day. The bottle of Karo is on the counter and high carb food is at the ready just in case. nailbite_smile
 
Oh Laura, you are in our hearts today. Sending all the best for some good safe numbers. And less stress for the Momma!
Solidarity sistah!
:mrgreen:
 
It looks like it might be interesting!

If you see a number in the 50s, feed your regular wet lo carb.

If you see a number in the 40s, break out some of the higher carb. Start testing every 15-20 minutes to make sure the number is going up.

If it continues to go down, use the syrup and get on the Health forum for support. The best way to get it into him is to rub it on his gums.

My theory is that if I give this advice, you won't need to use it. :razz:

The good news is that you are seeing lovely numbers. This boy wants OTJ!
 
Bless you Donna. Seems like our boyz are sipping from the same bottle lately.

Thanks for the good vibes! Hope Asher has a lovely day surfing blues and greens. But not too low of course...
 
Sue and Oliver said:
It looks like it might be interesting!

If you see a number in the 50s, feed your regular wet lo carb.

If you see a number in the 40s, break out some of the higher carb. Start testing every 15-20 minutes to make sure the number is going up.

If it continues to go down, use the syrup and get on the Health forum for support. The best way to get it into him is to rub it on his gums.

My theory is that if I give this advice, you won't need to use it. :razz:

The good news is that you are seeing lovely numbers. This boy wants OTJ!
Click to expand...

Thanks Sue! I like the way you think. ;-)

I so appreciate the reminders on what to do as I'm so frazzled right now I can't find my hypo printout. Hopefully that tiny +3 snack will keep him from falling too far. It's like Lori's "steering the number game" only in real life. Who needs reality TV when you can have a sugarkitty instead?
 
+ 4 is 99

:oops:

I'm thinking feed him in small snacks the rest of the day to salvage this cycle & curve. The insulin still has a long way to go.

And at work on Monday people will politely ask "And how was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?" Little do they know... :mrgreen:
 
Why do you think you "blew it" Laura? You just got the numbers you got. The 64 was very nice but early. The next number may have been influenced by food. But you still have very nice numbers - he may flatten out the rest of the day.

PZI dose is less determined by nadir numbers than other insulins. What you know so far is that he skates down into nice green numbers early. And that your dose is generally safe.

It's just data. And there is no rule that you can't go another curve soon and get more data.
 
Thanks for your kindness and paw holding Judy and Sue. This frazzled kitty mama appreciates it more than I can say right now.

I hear you that evidence gathering is what this is about and these really are great numbers - I know many would give their eye teeth for these numbers. I'd give my eye teeth for these numbers. I guess I feel I lack the skill to keep him in those lovely greens for as long as he needs to be in order to heal. I really want him to go off the juice but I kind of think I'm hindering him more than helping right now and that someone with more skill could do this better. So sorry, it's that newbie insecurity thing again. I keep forgetting I've only been seriously doing this for a week now - it feels like so much longer.

+6 is 121 and I fed him FF Flaked Fish & Shrimp feast for lunch for being such a sport today. Plus it's 0 carb! :twisted:
 
I don't see how you could be doing any better of a job, Laura. Imagine what shape poor Harley would be in if you were one of those kitty moms who go home and start giving insulin without ever testing.

You are in the hardest part of this whole dance (next to the very beginning part - which you are also in the middle of :mrgreen:) Trying to determine which tiny dose is best is incredibly hard, and usually people have a few months to adjust before they get there... Blues and greens are healing numbers; you are doing him no harm with the numbers in this curve. And you avoided a possible low hypo number which is a good thing.

Remember you have learned an amazing amount in just a short time. Cut yourself some slack - we sure do!
 
Before I forget Sue, I want to say what a gorgeous boy your Niko is! I keep meaning to every time I see your avatar. He reminds me of my father's cat Wolfie who is part British Shorthair. Do Russian Blues have a thick soft woolly coat like the Brits do? I just want to reach out and touch him.

Harley and I are so blessed to have all the support you and this board have given us! Time for me to buck up, have a glass of something bubbly, and pat both of us on the back for getting through today. (Harley's already checked out - he's hiding in my laundry basket with the dark clothes)

+8 is 159 so he's digesting lunch.
 
I feel for you Laura. Even when I was getting good numbers, the newbie in me would freak a little when they were in the greens cause I was new enough to not know how low they would go. You and Harley are doing great. I'm with you...who needs reality TV with a sugar kitty.
 
Oh goodness, I don't think there are many people with the level of skill to keep the good #s going (it was certainly hit or miss for me much of the time). For most of us, a lot of it is luck, and a lot is just what your cat gives you. MANY cats go OTJ even despite their beans, and many who do absolutely everything right (or the best anyone can at least) don't have cats who go OTJ or stay in good #s all the time. There are some with phenomenol skill I'm sure, but my guess is that it comes from having treated one or more cats for years, and most of us don't end up getting that kind of experience.

You, everyone, is doing the best you can to manage an underlying illness. It's a luxury if it turns out they will go OTJ, but really it is still an illness and what comes with that is often difficult or less than ideal. I think the standards have gone up over time as more cats do well. It used to be if you could keep them under 300 most of the time that was great, then it went down to keeping them under 200 most of the time, and now we agonize over greens vs. blues ohmygod_smile .

Really your #s are awesome overall. If you cat get more time in the greens that is even better, but I wouldn't tear your hair out over it.
 
Looks like a day of good numbers! Greens are good unless they go below 40. We get nervous in the 50's because if they are heading down, the distance to 40 is not great, but if they don't go lower it is not a hypo situation. You need to give yourself a pat on the back (you and Donna both)---your cat is in very good hands.
 
+12/PMPS = 143

hollyall said:
I feel for you Laura. Even when I was getting good numbers, the newbie in me would freak a little when they were in the greens cause I was new enough to not know how low they would go. You and Harley are doing great. I'm with you...who needs reality TV with a sugar kitty.
Click to expand...

Yeah, we should patent the idea for the next Survivor series: "Sugarcats" LOL

In a way, I envy you - sometimes ignorance is bliss. It can be worse when you do know what can happen.

Angel (DC in my sig.) was diagnosed at 13 when I was 8 years old. He/we lived with diabetes for 2 years and my Mom, Dad and older brother took turns giving him shots. It was my sister's and my job to check him when we got home from school for hypo. We were using human insulin, urine testing only, prescription k/d food and no BG testing. Ketones? Never heard of those and we sure never tested for them. Anyway when we got home from school (no staying and playing or after school activities - go straight home) found him in hypo, I forget how many times over those 2 years, and knew to get the Karo and since he was awake and shaking, he'd eat it out of a spoon. Then we got his food and fed him. When our parents got home we'd tell them and they'd tell the vet. After 1 year (probably mostly unregulated) he developed liver problems and had to take a large red capsule twice a day. We also had to feed him his k/d practically pulverized and mixed with cooked noodles. I think the noodles were for the liver but could not have been good for the diabetes. He was such a good kitty, he never complained. Finally he stopped eating for a day or two and everything started to cascade into organ failure. In order that he could die at home the vet told my parents to give him a double dose of insulin one night before we went to sleep. My parents discussed it with us that night at dinner and we agreed to basically perform home euthanasia by insulin. I think my Dad had to give him the final shot. He was dead in the morning when we woke up. Usually he cried when in hypo but that night he never cried. Thank goodness treatment has evolved since then but we did the best we could at the time.

Long story short - when I see a number falling fast my ingrained knee-jerk response is to catch it. But if I want to get Harley OTJ I'm going to have to learn to surf those greens by pulling him up just enough to keep him safe but not too much. That is the tricky part.

BTW thanks for the cue about the Blue Wilderness Chicken low carb. food. That stuff is awesome 'cuz Harley inhaled his dinner.

Whew, too much rambling - time for a drink! drinking09
 
Joanna & Bix (GA) said:
Oh goodness, I don't think there are many people with the level of skill to keep the good #s going (it was certainly hit or miss for me much of the time). For most of us, a lot of it is luck, and a lot is just what your cat gives you. MANY cats go OTJ even despite their beans, and many who do absolutely everything right (or the best anyone can at least) don't have cats who go OTJ or stay in good #s all the time. There are some with phenomenol skill I'm sure, but my guess is that it comes from having treated one or more cats for years, and most of us don't end up getting that kind of experience.

You, everyone, is doing the best you can to manage an underlying illness. It's a luxury if it turns out they will go OTJ, but really it is still an illness and what comes with that is often difficult or less than ideal. I think the standards have gone up over time as more cats do well. It used to be if you could keep them under 300 most of the time that was great, then it went down to keeping them under 200 most of the time, and now we agonize over greens vs. blues ohmygod_smile .

Really your #s are awesome overall. If you cat get more time in the greens that is even better, but I wouldn't tear your hair out over it.
Click to expand...

Omigod Joanna - and here I thought you had all the answers. LOL

I think you hit the nail on the head - standards have gone up as illustrated by my story above and so I guess I expect to be able to do more now then we could do back in the 1980s when I was a kid. I'll never be able to go back and save Angel but I can work with Harley and help him as much as possible.

So I'll drink to lovely blues and greens tonight and channel my inner Scarlett O'Hara "tomorrow is another day."
 
Wow---you have quite a history with feline diabetes. Understandable that each decision seems that much more important. But remind Yourself that this is now and you know a lot more and you are doing an unusually good job!
 
OMG Laura. Wow. What a lot of responsibility for kids to have to deal with, and wow, the treatment plan. I know times have changed, but it's always shocking to hear exactly how much. I am glad we know enough now to (hopefully) avoid a lot of those same crises. ((((hugs))))
 
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