11/12 Buddy AMPS 127 +2 111 +3 103 +4 109 +7 108 +10 124 PMPS 135 +3 107 +5 127

Yesterday

Buddy was really flat yesterday (good right?) so I have decided to hold this dose one more day. I am thinking that as long as he is getting into good numbers he is healing. At least I hope. We will see how today goes and revisit an increase tomorrow. Ultimately I would like to see him all green of course.

 

Very nice start Buddy, yes flat numbers can sometimes mean..... shhhhh I dont want to say it lol
Have a great day

 

Nice start. I hope you see more green today.

 

Hi Sandra,
It would be good to get him seeing more green.

I can't help feeling that the way you are feeding is impacting his cycles. I know you have multiple cats and understand how difficult that can be, we have George and 3 civies.

We know that when we feed in the latter half of the cycle (so that +8/+9 meal that you regularly give Buddy in the mornings) this can often bump the PS up, basically you are feeding when the insulin is at it's weaker part of the cycle, and this can do bump numbers up and shorten the duration leading to a higher PS.


To get the lovely flat green cycles that lantus is famous for, you want to avoid those higher PS.
I used to feed amps +2 +4 +6 pmps +2 +4 +5 (I normally went to bed midnight that was +5) I tried to keep the food symmetrical as possible.

What time do you shoot? I see you often get a +4??
Maybe a amps +1 +3 +5 pmps +1 +3 +4 might work for you? allowing you to get your normal sleep time.

I'm not suggesting you feed more just divide it up differently and more evenly. I think this will help balance up am and pm cycles and see him flatten out more evenly during both cycles.

Another thing to bear in mind, is that even if Buddy does end up going OTJ most kitties do a lot better with regular meals throughout the day. George now he is OTJ gets fed every 3 hours (I use an autofeeder) and I have to keep him separate when I'm in bed, not because the other cats will eat his food, but because he will eat their food, they graze, and he's just a glutton.
I have noted that on days when he misses his snacks, because he is now deaf and doesn't hear his autofeeder, his BG is higher than normal in the mornings.

However when he was on insulin I didn't usually feed past +6 (unless of course I needed to because of his numbers)

I really think that it would be worth trying a food experiment and seeing if it makes a difference for Buddy. I know what a pain it is to have to separate them, I wish I didn't have to. We even tried giving the civies access to food in another room via cat flap, but my little girl refuses to use the cat flap. So in the end we've had to separate them. but we do it because it helps with Georges BG, in the end they have all got used to it.

If you do decide to try changing the food schedule, do that for a few cycles before taking the dose up. Best not to change two things at once.

Give it some thought.

 

Thank you so much for your insight and taking the time to work this through with me.

I shoot 7am and 7pm "test - feed - shoot while eating"

Yes I think his feeding schedule is affecting him also, and want to try not to feed (to much) after nadir which seems to be +3 - +4

Normally I would feed 1/4 can at AMPS, +4, +8, PMPS and then a +3 or 4 at bedtime. I can't usually get him to eat more than a 1/4 can at 1 time.

Yesterday I did try something different. Today I will try continue with it. Larger meal at AMPS 1/2 can, I found that when he eats half of it that if I wait 20-30 mins and put it back in front of him he will finish! Then maybe a lighter 1/8 can snack at around +3. then the rest of the day supplement with plain chicken breast snacks to tie him over until PMPS dinner 1/2 can then the bedtime +3 or 4 snack.

so approximately( of course times will vary a bit)

I get up at 6-6:30 am
7:00 am AMPS - 1/2 can (stretched between 7am and 8am so he eats it all)
+3 - 1/8 can snack
chicken snacks
7:00 PMPS -1/2 can (stretched between 7pm and 8pm so he eats it all)
+3 I go to bed and set alarm for 11:00 (+4)
+4 1/8 can snack

What do you think? I am really willing to do anything (other than I tend to sleep through alarms later than +4 at night)

Should I not try to make him eat the bigger meal at AM/PM and divide it up like you said at amps +1 +3 +5?

I think I am making this harder than it needs to be!

 

Ok looking at it more I think I have got it worked out in my head now.

Basically just need to remove the +8 meal and adjust the "before/during" Nadir meals, LOL I knew I was making it difucult! Thanks @Gill & George

I will be doing AMPS, +1, +3 +5, PMPS +1 +3 +4 and plain chicken breast treats when starving

 

Yes, I think that's the one I would try removing.

I always gave a larger meal at amps/pmps (still do), you want him to have a good amount of food in the system to counteract the drop when the cycle onsets, that will keep them flatter ultimately.

Sounds like a good place to start.

You are welcome

 

Looks like he is having another flat day, I really like seeing this. I will give his food schedule change a couple days and then re evaluate, Good? Good!

 

I am loving the flats today, now if we could just get them to be green and flat!

 

Flat curves are good, in case I don't catch you later in the week (have stuff going on) if after a couple of days on his new food schedule you don't see those nadirs start to drop (or if you see them go up) then you may need to take the dose back up.

Paws crossed

 

Nice day you guys had! Gill has given you some good advice. I think Buddy is looking really good..keep up the good work!

 

Well, No green today but had a nice flat plateau, in a day or two I will look at increasing his dose, see if we can bring him down a bit.

 

Just popping in, I managed to get myself up for a +5! and fed his snack. going to try to do this instead of the +4.