? New Jester thread - the quest for lower BG

Discussion in 'Prozinc / PZI' started by shelaghc, Feb 21, 2018.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    So Jester is coming up on his +2 after another round of 2U. But he only just finished eating.
    Should I hold off and do a +3 instead?

    @Kris & Teasel @Djamila @Rachel
     
  2. Kris & Teasel

    Kris & Teasel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2016
    Yes, you can try for a +3 and if all is OK, a +6.
     
  3. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    Actually I decided to go for it.
    Maybe a +5 next?
    His BG is 214 right now.
     
  4. Kris & Teasel

    Kris & Teasel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2016
    All data is good data. ;)
     
    Rachel and shelaghc like this.
  5. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    Crap - I just lost my internet possibly for as long as two days.
    And I don't have unlimited data on my phone.
    Which means I won't be able to enter data in the spreadsheet. I never dled the app to my phone and dling takes too much data usage.

    :-(
     
  6. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    And +5 fasting is 121. Most likely it will go down a bit more. But Jester is munching on some of his favorite medium carb right now.

    I need to find some Wifi so I can update the SS.
     
  7. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    @Kris & Teasel and @Djamila and anyone else
    The pattern so far has been a few days getting better on a new dosage, then Jester's numbers go back up again.

    On the chance that he does go down, or at least doesn't go up as high this evening, what should be my game plan for his dosage?

    Kris, I think it was you who suggested that if his BG was reasonably under 200 to consider no shot at all or a reduction - but I can't recall how much. And having no internet means it's harder to go back and check on such things.

    I also can't look through his SS to see how he responded to previous dosage changes. The timing of this outage couldn't be worse.

    Help?
     
  8. Kris & Teasel

    Kris & Teasel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2016
    With a +5 of 121 and assuming no odd hijinx between now and PMPS you can give 2 u again of he's near this AM's AMPS. If he's below 150-175 you can try 1.75 u. Still guesswork ...
     
  9. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    PMPS was 303.
    I used almost 1/2 of my data to install the Google sheets app so I can at least update Jester's numbers and post his insulin dosage.
     
  10. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    And weirdly +3 was a fasting 324.....
     
  11. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    AMPS was 267.
    Looks like 2U is the new normal for now.
    On some levels Jester seems to be feeling more normal too.
    He's seeking out cuddling pretty regularly and this morning for the first time in about a week or more I woke up with all three kitties in the bed.
     
    Kris & Teasel likes this.
  12. Djamila

    Djamila Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2015
    Sorry I've been gone for a few days - looks like Kris has been taking good care of you! It's pretty normal for kitties to show a strong response to an insulin change, and then settle out in kind of 'meh' numbers and require another increase.

    I'm actually thinking moving to 2.25 soon might be good - especially since you'll be starting work soon and won't be able to do dose changes as well after that. I'd really like to see Jester get rid of those pinks soon!
     
    Kris & Teasel likes this.
  13. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    It's going to be dicey this morning. I have an interview today and need to leave by about 11:30. I won't be home until possibly 5:00 or 6:00. I haven't had internet since yesterday morning and I need to use computers at the library to get anything done.

    And Jester is still poking over his morning meal. I can only do a +3 - and it's going to be less than 3 really, since I have to be gone before then to catch a bus.
     
  14. Djamila

    Djamila Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2015
    What hour do you get home? If you'll be home by +5 or so, you could probably skip the earlier test. You have enough data to show that he's pretty safe at this dose.
     
  15. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    I probably won't be home until +9 or +10.
     
  16. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    :facepalm:
    I got the date wrong.
    Interview is tomorrow.
    If I'm going to increase Jester's dosage, it can't be before Saturday.
    Otherwise I have no idea what time I can check his BG.
     
  17. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
  18. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    @Djamila @Kris & Teasel
    How valid is a +5 when Jester has eaten just over an hour before?

    I still need to get to the library and want to do so before it gets too late and the after school crowd descends.
     
  19. Djamila

    Djamila Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2015
    It really doesn’t matter much when they eat during the cycle, as long as they are eating at typical times. So for example, if you never feed mid cycle, and then one day you do, it would be worth noting. Or if you always feed snacks, and then one day you withhold, it would be worth noting, but if you free feed, or feed regular snacks, then you just keep the regular pattern and do mid cycle tests and don’t worry about if it’s fasting or not.

    There are tricks for feeding the cycle in particular ways, but given the numbers Jester has shown so far, those techniques aren’t needed for him at this point. They are used when a kitty is regularly lower numbers and you are fine tuning, or for very bouncy cats.
     
    shelaghc and Kris & Teasel like this.
  20. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    He was down to 129 before I left for the library.
    Do you think If he isn't "greener" by Saturday, I should consider 2.25U?

    It's going to be challenging as I have no 1/2 unit syringes right now.
     
  21. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    PMPS is 343

    :-(
     
  22. Kris & Teasel

    Kris & Teasel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2016
    Quite possibly. Let's see what his numbers are between now and then.
     
  23. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    I'm having meltdowns.
    My sink is full of empty cat food cans and dishes. Jester won't eat unless I'm practically standing next to him. Bastian starts to eat, but t when he decides he doesn't like the texture, flavor, or where the bowl is placed he doesn't just walk away - he has to start scraping around the floor as if to cover the food. And if I don't catch it quickly enough, he'll get dirt or something else in the food. Sage can't just eat her food - she has to check whatever everyone else is eating and if she decides it's better, she pushes the other cat - usually Jester- away.
    And even when Jester *does* start to eat, if he decides his food isn't in the right shape or position or whatever the hell is wrong with it, he won't eat more until I push it around in the dish.
    I must spend at least two or three hours feeding my cats every day.

    Most days I have to grab food in between all their ridiculous antics. I've gained at least seven pounds since Jester was diagnosed because I can't put a healthy meal together for myself b

    I love my babies but I don't know how much longer I can handle this.
     
  24. Kris & Teasel

    Kris & Teasel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2016
    Venting is allowed here ... you have your hands full with a bunch of fussy eaters. :(
     
  25. shelaghc

    shelaghc Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2017
    Venting isn't enough.
    I'm alone nearly all the time. I have no friends. No one to hang out with or talk to.
    My family all but ignores me.

    I'm too poor to go out places and anyone who knows me knows they'd have to pay my way to anything.

    The only person I've talked with in the last three days was my counselor.
    No one even calls me.
     
  26. Djamila

    Djamila Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2015
    Oh shelaghc, I'm so sorry you're having a tough time. Caring for a sick kitty can start to wear on the caregiver, and it can be easy to isolate ourselves in an effort to give our kitties the best possible care.

    It really is okay to give them their food, put them in separate rooms, and leave the house. Put one in the bathroom with a litter box, one in the bedroom with a litter box, one in the living room, and then just go somewhere. They may well figure out how to eat on their own if they know you aren't going to come rescue them from misshapen food ;). If you have any plastic storage tubs in your house, they make perfect extra litter boxes when you need one.

    It can take some problem solving, but I've found that 99% of the time, when I think there is a problem that is stopping me, it's really something that can be solved. Maybe not perfectly, but good enough.

    I reached a point recently where I was feeding my kitties four or five different types of food for each meal. I thought if I didn't do that they would not eat since they didn't like the first thing I put out. I finally decided it had to stop and now they get two choices - one that Sam likes and one that Atticus likes. That's it. If they don't like it they can wait until the next meal time. Every time though, even if they don't want it when I serve it, they will come eat in an hour or two after they are convinced that I'm not going to give them any other choices.

    There are also places where you can find community that don't cost anything - community centers, churches/places of worship, volunteering, walking clubs, meetups. It's scary to try to reach out and build relationships, but there are so very many people these days who feel exactly like you - and would be so glad to meet you.

    I did this myself the first few months of this past year - I was so worried about taking care of Sam that I had really stopped going out with friends, and as you said, people stopped calling. I started to realize that no one knew I was sitting here wishing they would call. They were all thinking that I wasn't interested in spending time with them! So over the past few months I've been making a consistent effort and it's really paid off! It does take time to build or rebuild relationships, but it will happen, and if you are doing well, it will be better for your kitties too!

    Hopefully starting work soon will help too. It can be so good to have someplace we need to go at a scheduled time. It might help your kitties figure out how to eat on their own too since you'll have to leave for work and won't even have the option of staying with them for hours to get them to eat.

    Sending you hugs and vines of comfort tonight. :bighug:

    Oh, and if you're worried about Jester needing to eat before his shot - put out a food that he has eaten before and you know he doesn't hate. If he doesn't want it, give him a couple of treats - if he eats treats eagerly, then you know he isn't refusing food, he's just being stubborn. Give him his shot and just leave him with the food. You are monitoring him, so he'll either start eating, or you'll know he's dropping and can start fussing with his food at that point.
     
    Kris & Teasel likes this.
  27. SpotsMom

    SpotsMom Member

    Joined:
    Feb 10, 2018
    I understand exactly where you’re coming from with the feeding issues. My kitty likes to pretend bury his as well. I like to joke that he’s cat-orexic, but it’s really not funny at all. Some days I get so worried and frustrated. He lost 3.5lbs right after diagnosis when I tried switching up his food. No matter how slowly, he gets one bite of something he doesn’t like and the rest will end up in the garbage. It’s so hard to keep everything under control when kitty doesn’t want to help..... stay strong and know you are not alone, even if it feels like it sometimes :bighug:
     
  28. Kris & Teasel

    Kris & Teasel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2016
    Djamila gave you some great advice. We've all been through times with FD where despair sets in so we understand. :bighug:
     
  29. Rachel

    Rachel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2013
    I’m so sorry things are tough right now. I know how you feel...we went through some eating struggles ourselves when I switched to raw. I had to learn to back off and not drive myself nuts...mine would eat when they got hungry. I just worry when they don’t eat right away but they always do eventually. Not saying it’s the same but that’s what we dealt with.

    Djamila gave some great ideas. Sometimes mine will eat if they’ve had a treat or 2...like that made them realize they actually are hungry! I do think working will help too. I find at work I can relax and spend time with friends and not worry as much...which gives me a nice mental break. I’ve also found exercise helpful. I take a long walk every day...at the park or in the parking garage at work (lots of people walk there...we don’t like the walking trail much since a bobcat was running around and several cottonmouth snakes were seen). During my walk I won’t allow worry...I focus on other things or listen to a podcast or book on tape. It really helps me refocus.

    We’re sending you tons of eating and comforting vines today!! :bighug:
     
    Kris & Teasel likes this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page