1/25 Mikey PMPS 342, +2 193 +3 155, +4 81 +5 72

Yesterday: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...-70-2-5-43-now-what-dose.131984/#post-1358935

Good Morning!

We woke up this morning to find ourselves under a blizzard watch! RI is supposed to get 2 feet of snow and hurricane force winds starting tomorrow night. This has been an almost snowless winter for us, so I guess we're getting it all at once. We both went btb after shooting and setting up the timed feeder for +1 and +2. Don got up and asked me if Mikey needed another feeding. Apparently, I told him that I was going to feed him in 15 minutes. I sort of remember that, but not really. I went back to sleep and slept through church. I may have been tired!

This blizzard has changed a few things for Mikey's care. Before I ask about that, I'm wondering what I do with his insulin if the power goes out? Does it need to be moved to a cooler? We haven't lost power since Mikey was diagnosed. I'm pretty sure Don could draw up while I held a couple of high power flashlights, so that should be fine.

It seems like there won't be school on Tuesday and possibly Wednesday. That means if I can figure out how to make it safe to leave him Monday, I could hold the .75 dose at least for a few more cycles. Sienne mentioned yesterday using HC food when she had to go to work. I'm not sure exactly how that would work. I leave just after +1. How can I use a +1 test, a 2 compartment timed feeder, and HC (or MC) food to carry him through that one cycle? I will not be able to get home at all until +10, and it could be later if things get ugly out there. RI-ers have no clue how to drive in snow. (I'm from upstate NY originally.)

Meanwhile our boy is predictably bouncing. Hey, maybe he'll still be bouncing tomorrow during the AM cycle. Nah, this is Mikey. One thing I should add is that despite the bounce, he's feeling great. He even kneaded my hair and purred in my ear this morning. I love that!

Thank you all for all the encouragement and help with him. You stand between me and insanity!

 

Does he graze at all, mary? or would he eat everything you put out the moment it was set down?

 

He eats it all immediately.

 

have you tried frozen catsicles? that's a substitute for a timed feeder. You mix the food with water and freeze it - small ones in ice cube trays will thaw faster, large ones in muffin tins. I'd do that today and see if he'll gnaw on it frozen or if it might sit until it at least sorta thaws before he tackles it. People do high carb like this as well, and then can leave out a mixture of sizes and carbs in the hopes that it doesn't all get eaten at once.

If i were going to do this, i'd make the frozen ones right now and try them this evening to see how long they take to thaw and if he'll leave them alone. Time it, then consider how they would work along with your timed feeder. If they thaw fast, leave them out and set the timed feeder for later openings. Does that make sense? It's going to be another one of those trial and error things.

Then tomorrow, err on the side of excessive amounts of food, LOL. Mikey will love that. Might be kinda handy to have no school on Tuesday/Wednesday for this purpose!

 

OK, I now have two sizes of catsicles in the freezer. I hope they'll be frozen in time to try them out tonight. Much as I hate to lock him up, I'm willing to do that for this one cycle, if need be. I'm never quite certain if DK is getting into any of the food. I'm not sure I'd be willing to not reduce the dose, if not for this blizzard. An extra cycle or two at home could make all the difference.

 

yes - that's the thing - sometimes even a few cycles at a higher dose can really help reduce the bouncing. Let's hope Mikey responds quickly!!

 

If you don't open your refrigerator a lot, it'll stay cool for quite some time, but if it's going to be too long, then you can put it in a cooler (sounds like you're going to have plenty of "cooling materials" right outside your door!)

Be careful it doesn't freeze though

 

Hm, he appears to be clearing the bounce.

 

He absolutely loves them and won't leave them alone. He licks the ice! It's hilarious. I'm a little nervous that he'll be too low for me to shoot tomorrow. I'm not going to take any chances. My plan right now is to leave out a boat load of food unless he's bouncing tomorrow. Mikey, Mikey, Mikey!

 

Yep - he's definitely in bounce-clearing mode. You might want to check the numbers you've recorded. You mentioned PMPS 242 in your subject line, but it's listed as 342 on the ss. Either way, it's shaping up to be an active cycle. How nice to see the bounce clear so quickly!

I didn't make catsicles, but I did leave out about 10 cans of food, along with food in the 5-compartment feeder when I left for work after shooting a lower number. With three cats in the house, I wanted to make sure Jersey had food. I may have overdone it a bit. I liked to play it safe, though!

 

Good catch Shelly. Thank you! It was 342. What carb food did you leave out? I'm probably going to sequester Mikey in his own room tomorrow, unless he's bouncing. I hate to do that, but it's one day. But the time the blizzard is over, I should have a better grip on things.

 

I actually just left out her regular lc FF - about 4 to 5%. However, I was able to get a +1 to +2 every morning and had time to give high-carb (e.g., 20%) if I thought she was going to head low. I was also able to run home in between my classes (around +3) if I was especially worried. Honestly, you've probably done more food experimentation/manipulation than we ever did. Just trust your instincts when it comes time to leave food out.

Hopefully you'll get a blizzard that keeps you home - but not stranded without power. I know that the extra time to watch Mikey's cycles would be super helpful for you right now.

 

Hi Mary and Mikey, we live in a very hot part of Australia subject to cyclones and of course the power can go out. My partner has made what we call a miniature stubby holder for the bottle of insulin, this also protects the bottle from smashing if dropped (I had this happen once with a brand new $80 bottle!) It will stay cool for many hours. They are cheap to buy, then just cut it down to size and staple...not sure if you have them in the U.S! Good luck

http://www.coolstubby.com.au/?gclid=CL_5zK3JsMMCFQgJvAod-VwAEw

 

Thanks, Shelly. I can get a +1, so I guess I can decided on the carbs based on whether or not he has a food spike. I'm hoping we don't lose power too. We have a woodstove, though, so if we do, we're ready. It's just very inconvenient and boring.

 

Are they made of foam? I think we do have them here. I'll have to check. The sporting good stores may carry them.

 

bubble wrap is your friend. we've had the power go out while punkin was on insulin. You can either leave it in the fridge - which insulates very nicely - or pull it out into a small cooler with blue ice. Just make sure you wrap the ice or the insulin or both so that the insulin doesn't freeze if you go that direction.

 

Yes, sort of a soft material foam. We get them here at sporting/camping/fishing stores amongst other places. To ensure a tight fit I sometimes tape up the sides of the bottle before inserting in the holder.

 

So the bubble wrap insulates it? We'll leave it in the fridge if we just lose power for a few hours, but if it's out for days, we'll have to go with a cooler and snow.

By the way, if the power goes out, we will not have internet, and we do not have smartphones. I'll text Marje to let her know how we're doing, if we're out for days on end. Also, once the school or the local coffee shops have power and we dig out, we can try to go there. Hopefully, we just won't lose power! And the school does. For the rest of the week!

 

OK, we have those here. At least we do during the summer. No idea what I just did to that last post!

 

When we went traveling on the road with Neko, and temps were in the 90's, we just used a small insulated cooler, and those blue ice things. The insulin went into it's original box which fit nicely in a tupperware container, keeping it away from the ice. And I put a face cloth on top of the ice too.

Sending many vines for steady power!! Nice green tonight Mikey - looking good.

 

Good luck with it all! I keep his insulin in that 24/7 in the fridge as dropping it can be costly.

 

I SEE GREEN! Try to keep him over 50! SUPER to see it 2 days in a row - that's progress! Now we just need those BGs around to come down.

So the catsickles are out. darn. i never tried them with punkin - acromegaly gives an enormous appy and I knew he'd eat them. I used the 5 compartment feeder and just had it open for 2 hours every 1/2 hr if I was concerned. He never broke into it. I'm not sure what to suggest for you since the catsickles don't sound likely to work.

 

He'll probably bounce tomorrow. If that happens, we won't have a problem. If not, I'll have to call it. Unless he's so low I'm not comfortable shooting, I'll probably put out the catsicles for him to eat as they melt, put extra food in the timed feeder, and if his +1 is lower than PS, I can give him HC or MC. I'd rather over carb him than skip, but we'll see how it goes in the morning.

Meanwhile, I'm going to get a +5 in a few minutes. If he holds steady, I'll go to bed and set the alarm for +7. Does that seem reasonable? He usually nadirs by now, and he pretty much never drops after +5, but better safe than sorry.

 

That sounds like a good plan. I have all that stuff too. Think I'll run down and check on the cooler before it's time to test.

 

Another option for "next time" would be the Frio Insulin cooling case

Just add water and it keeps it cool for up to 48 hours

 

Great to see Mikey cleared the bounce and is getting into some green but....at nighttime, Mikey? Guess it's better to do it now than when you have to leave for work tomorrow.

Hope the blizzard doesn't take out your power.