4/28 Miss Meows AMPS 262, +8 167, PMPS 385 - Dose increase tonight

[missMeows]

Good morning all!

Yesterday

Looks like kitty may have broken her bounce. So yay! I'm gonna increase her dose tonight as per the wonderfully helpful and observant @julie & punkin (ga) recommendation

Today I hope to receive our new timed feeder in the mail so I can split up meals to 3 times a day. Does anyone recommend before or during Nadir time for lunch? I'm keeping bfast and dinner since that's how I give her shots.

I'm also trying to switch her injection times so that I'll always be able to get a +2 in the morning. Don't worry, I'm only changing it 15 min at a time Hopefully my fiancé will be able to still grab nadir readings at this new time...

Hope everyone has a great day and sees lots of blues and greens

 

[Tina & Sammy]

I agree that an increase is needed.

 

[Marilyn and Sheldon]

Sounds like you're getting all the puzzle pieces in order. That's good. I'm not an expert, but I do remember advice early on that feeding during the first half of the cycle worked better than feeding in the last half of the cycle. Allows more accurate numbers as the insulin wears off heading to PMPS.

Marilyn and Polly

 

[missMeows]

Thanks Marilyn! I read a thread earlier today that had some really good advice about feeding schedules that pretty much said what you did. Basically, it's a bit of a trial and error but first half feeding seems to be the consensus. I will probably feed her twice in the first half, once PS and second before nadir, and just see how it goes. Then save the final third for dinner in order to still give insulin.

As for the dose for tonight, she just had a nadir below 200. Quoting the dose increase guidelines:

if your cat is new to numbers under 200, it is recommended to hold the dose for at least 8-10 cycles before increasing.

Should I wait another cycle or two to see how it goes before increasing now?

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

I wouldn't call her new to numbers under 200. She's had a lot of cycles with blues in them, just not since she was increased to 1.75u. I'm glad to see some movement.

If she were mine, I'd go ahead and increase, but if you feel better waiting 2 more cycles (total of 10 at this dose) you can. The goal is all green.

I would feed the same volume in the am and pm cycles. The timed feeder will make it easy for you to do that. For example, I fed punkin 3 cans of Fancy Feast per day. He got one with each shot and 1/2 at +3 in both am and pm cycles. For him, that was just right. Then if he needed something later, and for pokey treats, I gave him cooked chicken breast. No carbs, minimal calories.

 

[missMeows]

I wouldn't call her new to numbers under 200. She's had a lot of cycles with blues in them, just not since she was increased to 1.75u.

Thanks for clarifying that. I wasn't sure if those numbers from before counted. I'm feeling comfortable enough to go through with the increase tonight. I wanna see those greens too

I would feed the same volume in the am and pm cycles.

I'm reading a lot of differing ideas on how best to go about feeding with the timed feeder. Some say three times, some say four, some say all before nadir, some say spread it out... It's all very confusing. I've discussed with fiancé what you suggested, and what others have, and since ECID, I'm gonna try for 3 times a day first just to see how it goes. She only gets one can of food per day and if I can make her numbers work with three times a day feeding, that would be great! Four meals spread out of one can seems... Well a bit much (or too little really). If it doesn't seem to be going well, I'll definitely try your method though. Thank you for the suggestion!

 

[Chris/China (GA)/Garfield]

If she gets one can a day (and that's enough calories to keep her weight good) it doesn't matter if it's in 2 meals or 4 meals....you just divide up the total amount you want her to eat into smaller meals.

The idea of feeding before nadir is because at that point, the insulin is starting to wear off naturally...if you add food on top of the insulin wearing off, it can "put the brakes on" and cause the numbers to increase more than they might if you didn't add that food.

You can feed at Pre-shot, +2 and +4...or Pre-shot, +1, +2....or Pre-shot and +6....pretty much any time you want to...you just want to get most of the food into her before the insulin starts to wear off. It is true that mini-meals are easier on the pancreas than big meals

Good luck with the feeder! It's saved the sanity of many people here...especially those who have cats that feel like they MUST get fed at 3am every morning...LOL

 

[missMeows]

You can feed at Pre-shot, +2 and +4...or Pre-shot, +1, +2....or Pre-shot and +6....pretty much any time you want to...you just want to get most of the food into her before the insulin starts to wear off. It is true that mini-meals are easier on the pancreas than big meals

So are you then agreeing, with some other threads I've read, that feeding at PMPS is potentially detremential? Because I'd still like to have that option for feeding PS at night. It makes giving her insulin so much easier. If the majority of her food (2/3) is fed before nadir, that should be ok?

Also - change of subject but this bothered me tonight. Does anyone else notice "bumps" on their sugar kitty's ears? Mine seems to be getting a bunch of them and they bleed very easily. Almost nerve wrackingly easily. Is that her ears getting used to being tested, or something else that's bad?

 

[carfurby (GA)]

If I hit the same spot over and over, Furball will get a bump, or sore spot, on her ear. I try to avoid that spot and give it some time to heal. It usually does in a couple of days. I always put a dab of Neosporin with pain relief on her ear after I test. I also put some on her ear if she has any sore spots before I go to bed.

 

[missMeows]

Hi Carla!

Im glad its not just Meows that gets those bumps. I always use neopaorine with pain relief each time I test but it looks like they are little blood filled spots. Tonight was the first time I hit one since I always try to leave them be. It bled so much, it startled me! Her number was high too... I wonder if it has to do with that spot itself (old blood) or the stress of me touching that spot... Hmmm

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Good luck with the increase!

So are you then agreeing, with some other threads I've read, that feeding at PMPS is potentially detremential? Because I'd still like to have that option for feeding PS at night. It makes giving her insulin so much easier. If the majority of her food (2/3) is fed before nadir, that should be ok?

Always feed at each preshot, the question is when are the other mini meals. It helps to feed the same times in the AM and PM cycles so you can see patterns and how food affects her cycles. Instead of 3 meals a day, I'd go for 4 or 6. Just make it an even number and at the same time (in plus hours) after preshot but before nadir.

As for the bumps, are you holding the poke spot firmly for about 10-20 seconds after you get the blood for the test? That help prevent bruising which could be causing some swelling.

 

[Chris/China (GA)/Garfield]

feeding at PMPS is potentially detremential

No...you want to feed at each Pre-shot because they're getting a "fresh" shot of insulin and they need the food to work against the insulin. You just don't want to add food LATER in the cycle (like after nadir) because at that point, the previous shot is starting to wear off

 

[missMeows]

As for the bumps, are you holding the poke spot firmly for about 10-20 seconds after you get the blood for the test? That help prevent bruising which could be causing some swelling

Yes, I am holding her pokey spot with some neopsporin on it. DF (dear fiancé, if the term hasn't been coined yet ) appears to not be holding for a few seconds. I'll have to make sure he starts.

I just tested her on one of the non bumps and it bled like crazy again! Pretty soon I'm not gonna need a lancet, just looking at her ears will make them bleed. Although testing just got easier, It's also kinda unsettling...


And thank you ladies very much for the discussion on feeders. You've all convinced me to try the 4 times a day feeding. Now to convince DF that it's the right thing to do too. I should just make him join this forum too

 

[Chris/China (GA)/Garfield]

Are you hitting the vein? If you are, that will bleed like crazy and if your cat shakes her head your house is going to look like a crime scene from NCIS....LOL

You want to aim for the edge like in this picture

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

You may be reading different suggestions on feeding because at different phases in this diabetes dance, cats need different things. Suggestions for another cat might or might not apply to Miss Meows.

For example, when a kitty's close to an OTJ trial, their blood sugar is well-controlled but their preshots are still over 120, then we suggest giving a cat a bite at +9 to stimulate the pancrease. That can bring down those preshot numbers 3-4 hours later.

If a cat is a grazer and will just nibble their way through the day, then it might be ok to let them eat around the clock. Most people pick up the food at +10 so that the test at preshot isn't artificially raised by having just eaten. If you're shooting a number that is raised by carbs, you need to know it and take that into consideration on deciding if the cat is high enough to safely shoot.

If a cat is a hoover, and will eat everything you put down the moment you set it down, and will eat as much as is there - that's the cat that's probably better off not eating in the second half of the cycle. You don't want a lot of carbs to enter their body when the insulin strength is waning.

In your particular case, I would try feeding the same amounts am/pm cycles, as Wendy mentioned, for consistency. Whether you do +2 or +3 or +4 is up to you and how you learn that Miss Meows responds to carbs. Always feed with both shots.

Hope that helps make sense of the confusion!

 

[missMeows]

Are you hitting the vein? If you are, that will bleed like crazy and if your cat shakes her head your house is going to look like a crime scene from NCIS....LOL

Haha! OMG, I think I did hit the vein now that you mention it. Oops!!! I gotta work on that. The pen makes it easier to poke but harder to aim. More practice is needed it looks like

You may be reading different suggestions on feeding because at different phases in this diabetes dance, cats need different things.

Ah, this makes sense then! I think I was reading about the different phases etc like you mentioned. Now it is starting to come together. I appreciate you taking the time to explain it out more for me

 

[Chris/China (GA)/Garfield]

The pen makes it easier to poke but harder to aim

That's why I gave up using the device...I could never get it to poke where I wanted it. Now I just hold the lancet in my fingers and poke exactly where I'm aiming for...but you'll find what works best for you and after her ears "learn to bleed", you can pretty much just look at them and they'll start to bleed..LOL

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

I loved using the lancet device - no matter what you use you'll get better with practice.

I was thinking the other thing you may have read was advice for a cat that dives early in the cycle - for those cats we suggest mini-meals to slow down the fast drops. Food is an amazing tool!