Sleep: Does Anyone Ever Get Any?

[blove7]

Hi everyone,

Although this may sound like a silly question, it's one that I ask in all seriousness: Does anyone on here ever get a good night's sleep? Since this all began (well, since I've known the proper protocol I should say), I've been sleep-deprived, and that's not been any little length of time to sneeze at...since around August 2013. And I have a husband who helps me! So, what we do is alternate nights. But, still, it's taken a toll on my daily life...I'm tired ALL of the time, less interested/enthusiastic about things, and just generally don't feel all that well. With this said, I will also do pretty much ANYTHING for Corduroy because I love him dearly...and that's an understatement! cat_pet_icon I'm sure you all know what I mean!

I'm just wondering how you all do it and don't careen off the road while driving to work! ;-) No, really, I'm kinda serious about that!

One last note: We've been very vigilant in watching for his BG levels to go down under 50 in order to know if we need to do a dose decrease; however, last night, it was Brandon's watch and since his PMPS was 359, and he only went down to 349 at +2, he didn't think he had to stay up all night to watch. I was asleep at the time (exhausted from the previous night's vigilance), but I agree with his decision. Although, if it were me, I probably would've checked him around +6ish just to make sure (this is why I'm so tired all of the time). My last question is this: Isn't that why we take a +2? So that we can see the direction it's heading? So that we don't have to stay up all night? Is this what you all do too?

Thanks in advance for any insight/advice!

Go green...safely!!! :mrgreen:

 

[rhiannon and shadow (GA)]

Isn't that why we take a +2? So that we can see the direction it's heading? So that we don't have to stay up all night? Is this what you all do too?

Yes that is the reason? that +2 helps you determine how much vigilance is needed. And when you should test again.....
Most everyone sets an alarm and gets up . That's why it's so important to "know thy cat" ....
the bg can be unpredictable but after you learn the patterns of your own cat, you can predict where and when you should get those extra tests.

It Is a sleep deprivation club to be sure. It's very much like having a baby.
You are lucky to have someone help you..... not everyone does.

I always set an alarm and placed it a little out of reach so I couldn't just turn it off and roll over. And then I would think about my cat needing to be checked and
that usually motivated me to get up..... even though I'd rather sleep.... @-)


That's the bonus of having each other here.... you can get up in the night and see who's online.... especially if you need support.

 

[Alexis & Nikki (GA)]

I'm lucky because I was always able to fall back asleep right away. I generally got a before bed test and then I rotated my mid-sleep wake up for the hours between +5 and +7. Thankfully Nikki went OTJ relatively quickly after starting to see decent numbers. I did about have a heart attack the one morning I got up and she was 36 though! :shock:

 

[Suzanne & Cobb(GA)]

What is this "sleep" you speak of?? :lol:

I have a baby and Cobb so I am fairly nocturnal these days. I just grab a test when I get up with my son.

I hear it gets better.

But yes, if you grab a before bed test and you can pinpoint a trend, then you can get more sleep!

~Suzanne

 

[tiffmaxee]

Grabbing a +3-5 USED to work for me but after last night I am not so sure. I got a decent +4.5 and would have called it a night. I woke for a 6.5 and it was down but figured that was the nadir. Then I woke up to a 99 this morning so Max did go down even more last night, hopefully not too much. I'm alone here and it is tough some of those nearly all nighters, especially when it appears everyone else is fast asleep.did decide

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

We all sure know how you feel!

I really believe in that +2 though and once you learn your cat's patterns, it can be a great way to predict the future (of course the crystal ball has a crack in it, so there's always a chance it's wrong...LOL)

Usually though, if the +2 looks good, I'll set an alarm for a later test (like around +6) but I've also gotten really good at "sleep testing", and there are times I find numbers on the meter or my spreadsheet that I don't remember getting up for!

I agree that it was fine for Brandon to get some sleep last night though! At some point, you just might have to trust that they're going to be OK and take care of yourself!

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

i rarely got up just to test. punkin's shot times were 7/7, and i go to bed about 11:30 most nights and get up at 6:30am. We always got a +3 instead of a +2 - for him that worked. Most of the time I also got a +4 or 4.5. Then i headed straight for bed unless he was going down. If he was going down, I slept on the sofa with a light on and my cell phone alarm loud so i wouldn't sleep through it. Sometimes i was so tired that i did.

i wouldn't have set an alarm with a 300+ number at +2 unless my cat had a habit of diving after that point.

While cats don't necessarily drop at a steady rate, Michelle/Mannie pointed out to me one time that i could look at how many points per hour that punkin was dropping and for him, i could estimate where he was going to be at the nadir. For us it worked. He never dropped suddenly after +3 - if he was going to drop it would show up by then. That's not an infallible system, but it worked for me. You might see if that works for you and Corduroy.

We did the sugar dance for 2.5 years with punkin - i couldn't function without enough sleep. Figuring out ways to keep your kitty safe (ie, a timed feeder, shifting the testing times so you can get a +4, etc.) is essential for YOU surviving it too.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I'll admit that I once told someone here that sleep is vastly overrated! I used to lose a lot of sleep staying up with Gabby. I lose a lot less sleep these days. In part, it's because I have a better handle on her patterns and I'm confident in my ability to steer her curve with food. Experience and data make a huge difference. That doesn't mean that Gabby doesn't surprise me, though.

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

i didn't look at Corduroy's ss when i posted - but am looking at it now.

You are in a phase of him decreasing in dose, and that does mean you have to be more vigilant. I'm really surprised he went from 170amps to 38 at +01.5 this morning, especially after getting a 156 at pm+11. In other words, he was essential flat/slightly rising at the end of the cycle, then almost immediately dove straight down - no significant food spike.

My comments above were in general - i think, however, for Corduroy specifically, in the phase he is right now, it's going to be hard for you to let up right now. You do have to sleep, and when he's rising on a bounce you can relax a little more, but perhaps his pancreas is healing a bit and kicking in, or the AB has worked and whatever infection may have been present is resolving.

With nine days of dose reductions from 1.75-1.5-1.25-1.0 and now to 0.75u (you're going to reduce tonight, right), you do have to pay a lot of attention. it won't be forever.

 

[Marje and Gracie]

We've been at this +3.5 years. After the first year, I semi retired and on,y work one day a week because I was too exhausted. Gracie is on levemir and so she onsets and nadirs lately and, like Sienne, we are pretty familiar with her patterns. My husband Mike (when he's home because he's an airline pilot and is gone 2-3 nights/week), stays up late for the +5 test/feed and I go to bed earlier unless someone needs help. If Gracie needs a test at night, we take turns. I usually get up early to do the T/F/S and let him sleep in. I average about six hours a night which is not enough for me. I nap when I can.

I agree with Julie, tho, that Corduroy is on the way down and that requires more vigilance.