4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4.5 23, PMPS 246 thanks!

yesterday: viewtopic.php?p=109309#p109309

Hi Everyone,

today: not fun!
AMPS 296
+1 263
+2 175
+3 94
+4 38 (fed some MC)
+4.5 23 (after feeding MC), fed some HC with gravy
+5.25 61 fed a mix of MC and HC I hope he's OK now. Nadir time usually is between +5 and +6
+6.5 103 gave him a little of his ususual LC (EVO 95% turkey & chicken) (he didn't eat very much)
+10 177 Stu slept all afternoon
PMPS 246. Shot the 1.5 units
+4 232

After yesterday's excitement, Stu is rather subdued today. Maybe he ate too many of those Easter eggs! Stu began the day vomiting some of the weeds he ate yesterday. I think he is working on a hairball, but thus far without success. We started the new regime of feeding his breakfast in several smaller portions to see if that would prevent his bg from dropping so steeply between AMPS and +3. So far a 40 point drop between AMPS and +1. He's not happy with the extra testing! And so far he did not finish either of the small portions of breakfast. (But he almost always leaves some food in his dish "for later". So this is not an accurate indication of how well the new feeding system is working.) We went outside briefly and I tried, without success, to keep him out of the weed bed! We had a rousing game with Big Bug, but now Mr. Cat has gone into his basket to wait for the next test.
The weather, after 3 fantastic sunny and warm days, is back to normal: dreary, gray, cool, damp, rain on the way. What will today bring for Mr. Stu? We started the new dose (1.50), but it will take several days to get it all sorted out, I think. Thanks again to everyone who helped us and supported us yesterday! Everyone have a good day today.

Ella & Stu

P.S. it seems like a moderate drop occurred between AMPS and +1 (33 points) and big drop between +1 and +2 (88 points), and then another big drop between +2 and +3 (81 points)

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +1 263, +2 175

Good Morning Ella, I hope Stu continues to give nice decent drops today. I've started the same mini meals with Checkers to try and halt his big drops also.
We have the same weather you do. Looks like a day to read a book, or read condos.
Stu, be good to mom and drop those numbers slowly & steadily, today.

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +1 263, +2 175

Sounds as if Stu is under the weather and not his usual happy self. Have you fully explained the mini meals to him and did he understand what you are trying to do? Sometimes we have to speak slowly and let them know what our plan is....and sometimes they will cooperate. Hope you two have a nice day in spite of the weather......

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +1 263, +2 175

This made me laugh. :lol: Is big bug a toy or did he play with a bug outside? Either way it's cute!

Good luck with the meals and trying to control Stu's drops. Hope it works.

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +1 263, +2 175

Good Morning Ella
Oh, I forgot to look for "Big Bug" when I was in Plattsburgh. You have to send
me a picture.
Good luck with the new dose and the mini meals.
I think (or hope) it will work well with him and he just has to get
used to it.
Spreading the food in smaller quantities is an easier load on Mr. P and should
also even out his BG levels.

Enjoy watching the opening game. We used to have season tickets to the Expos and
before kids we would live at the stadium. Now we have no major league baseball.
How sad. The Washington Nationals are the former Expos.

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +1 263, +2 175, +3 94

Hi again, It seems that the drop from AMPS to +3, regardless of when the food is eaten, still is close to 200 points, something that happens rather frequently, as I see from his SS. I hope he will slow down now!! I don't want another day in the 30s!!
"Big Bug" is our name for the "Cat Dancer Exerciser"--5 small cardboard rolls on a bent wire. It's great exercise and Stu loves to chase it and jump at it. This toy is in all of the pet stores.

Ella

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +1 263, +2 175, +3 94, +4 38(!!)

We decided to do a +4 and Stu's bg is 38. Fed some MC. Will save the HC gravy for +5?? Stu is fine. I am not having fun!

Ella

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +1 263, +2 175, +3 94, +4 38(!!)

For a 38, I would use the HC now.

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +1 263, +2 175, +3 94, +4 38(!!)

Ella-I know this is hard, but it is a means to an end---STU is doing so fantastic, but the strain is on you--Sorry!!
Hope you find the perfect dose for Stu, realllll Soon!!! Come on Stu, stop being skeery :twisted: --HUGS~!

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +1 263, +2 175, +3 94, +4 38(!!)

+4.50 (1/2 hour after feeding some MC) and Stu's bg was23!!!!! I was about to feed the HC with gravy, as Carolyn advised, but thought I'd get a reading first!!!!! 23!!! OMG!! Needless to say, he enjoyed some HC gravy. Will test again in 20 minutes. What do you all think is happening with Stu? I shot 1.50 (the decreased dose) this morning, but of course his shed is still at 1.75. Should I go down to 1.25 units?? Why are his AMPS so high (relatively speaking) if his insulin requirements are decreasing and his dose is decreasing? I guess I don't understand how all of this works!
Ella

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38(!!), +4.5 23 EYES!!

Just work on getting him up for now--Karo syrup or honey on the gums--Straight HC + gravy, Yep that old shed is still working well!!!
You are in control--Do you have temptations treats?? Feed & retest in 15 min-- I am here!!

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38(!!), +4.5 23 EYES!!

OMG, Ella. Again? What is going on with Mr. Stu...he's been pulling this for days. 23!- YIKES-that is scary. I'b be bathing him in HC at this point. Did it help?... Do you have an update?
Are you ok?
I'm not experienced enough to be much help with these sorts of emergencies...but sending loads of support.

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38(!!), +4.5 23 EYES!!

Ella, dont panic...He's fine right?? Just feed some HC or karo, also honey will bring him up..

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38(!!), +4.5 23 EYES!!

Wow, Ella, you poor thing, 2 days in a row of this! I would get the karo out too, 23 is pretty low! Good luck, will be watching your condo today! Hugs!!!!!!!!!!

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38(!!), +4.5 23 EYES!!

I would venture to say he needs another dosecrease, but wait for dosing advisors..

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38(!!), +4.5 23 EYES!!

The Karo is a quick fix Ella so use it.
Pure sugar but it does not last very long.
It will be enough to get him back up.
Max hit a 29 and he was fine but yes, 23 is low.
We are here on the computer. You are calm.

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38(!!), +4.5 23 EYES!!

what HC are you feeding - brand, flavour? it's canned, right?

how hard did he play this morning? exercise can lower BG's. no more big bug till he's safely in the higher greens, ok?

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38(!!), +4.5 23 EYES!! +5.25 61

I agree with the dose decrease. In my opinion, this dose is taking Stu too low - 23 is way too low.

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38(!!), +4.5 23 EYES!! +5.25 61

Ella!! Don't worry about freaking out.. we're doing enough of that for you I think.. you stay the cool and calm momma and take care of Stu ..

Pretty sure not only would I have Nova bathing in syrup, I'd be in there too hoping it would help haha.. way to stay collected!

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38(!!), +4.5 23 EYES!! +5.25 61

Hi again. After a +5.25 test Stu is up to 61. I fed him some MC/HC mix. (Fancy Feast Chicken Florentine is the MC. Fancy Feast grilled turkey in gravy--old style can--is the HC). He only exercised with Big Bug for about 5 minutes this morning, and that was in the early morning. He has always been alert, even at bg 23. I don't think I need Karo or honey. He used to mainline icecream (probably what caused his diabetes!), so that's an option, too!
Thanks for watching, everyone. And I really would appreciate any advice on what his dose should be. Oh, I see that Roni and Carolyn have both given advice on the dose. Should I give the new dose of 1.50 units time to settle, or jump right down to 1.25 this evening?

Ella

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38(!!), +4.5 23 EYES!! +5.25 61

Okay, now I can breathe. Stu, you gotta stop scaring your friends. :smile:

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38(!!), +4.5 23 EYES!! +5.25 61

WHOOO HOOOO You are a champ today!!! Use what works for you, be it karo, mc/hc, or whatever to bring him up--Great Job Ella!!--Just do a couple more spot checks, to be sure he doesnt drop again, but that's pretty unlikely--
EXCELLENT!!!!! DOSECREASE!!!! :RAHCAT party_cat :RAHCAT :RAHCAT

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38(!!), +4.5 23 EYES!! +5.25 61

nice job you guys

are you using a TrueTrak meter by any chance?

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38(!!), +4.5 23 EYES!! +5.25 61

That Stu. He just wants lots of attention!

I agree with CD - Stu needs less juice.

Also, Chicken Florentine is right on the edge -- it's 11% carb. Since Stu was only thinking about bringing his numbers up with that, you might want to consider an alternative -- something that's around 14% carb. I do think the MC is the hardest to figure out. If you are feeding a LC that's 4 or 5% or less, you'd think 10% should be fine. In this case, it wasn't. I suspect it may be where in the cycle the drop is and if Stu is going to drop early, you may need to not mix the Chicken Florentine with anything else or mix your HC with LC. When I was having trouble getting Gabby's numbers up one evening, I added a few drops of syrup to her LC and that worked much better than gravy.

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38(!!), +4.5 23 EYES!! +5.25 61

I'm not qualified to advise on dosing...but it looks like Stu has been talking to Max. Max did this a little over a week ago--made a crazy jump down the dose ladder in a matter of days. And against all odds, the lower dose has held well. If it were me, I would definitely do another dosecrease. Me and my chickensh*t self would probably drop it a .5U, but I know that's not protocol, and many would yell at me for saying to do it. So I'm not saying to do it, just saying what I would do. I don't like the heart attack feeling when you read low numbers on the meter!

And many hugs to you--the panic attacks are awful, aren't they?

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38, +4.5 23, ... +6.5 103 dose advice

Thanks, everyone, for your input. At +6.5 he's up to 103, so I'm going to go out and get some exercise myself!! I gave him some of his normal LC lunch. Sienne, I think that my LC (EVO 95% Turkey & Chicken) may be too low in carbs for the morning (it's practically zero carbs, if I remember correctly). I'm thinking of mixing it with some Chicken Florentine in the morning. In any event, I'm thinking of dropping the dose this eve. to 1.25 (this will be .5 less than the dose of the last 8 cycles, and .25 less than what I shot this morning). I know that dose decisions are made according to nadir, but today's nadir has been manipulated by the HC food.
Ella
P.S. to D. We use the Relion Ultima meter.

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38, +4.5 23, ... +6.5 103 dose advice

Using food in response to managing Stu's numbers early in the cycle is a brilliant idea. Jill is very good at looking at using food as a manipulation. I'd say take a look at the EVO. If it is as low as you're remembering, you might want to find something that's about 4% and see if that helps to balance Stu's numbers early on. I still think that if Stu didn't come up with the 11%, you might need to mix in HC with your LC or find something in the 13 - 15% range to use as a MC alternative.

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4 38, +4.5 23, ... +6.5 103 dose advice

Wow Stu I just got home from work and saw your condo you got to stop stressing your Mom, glad to see his numbers are up I would be having a heart attack at 23

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4.5 23, +6.5 103, +10 177 dose advice

Hi again, +10 reading is 177. Stu slept all afternoon. He didn't eat very much of his LC lunch. He did eat a couple of boiled chicken chunks as a treat after the +10 test. Unless there is consensus to the contrary, I am going to drop his dose tonight to 1.25 units and see what happens over the next few days. The high bounces might be the panicky liver, but the steep drops do seem to indicate that the dose is too high. Thanks for watching, advising, helping, supporting, etc.

Ella

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4.5 23, +6.5 103, +10 177 dose advice

See how much he rises at PS time. I'd be tempted to shoot 1.5u.
He had one cycle of the reduced -- 1.75u to 1.5u dose-- what you saw today would likely have included some carryover of the 1.75u. Now shed is adjusting to the new dose by emptying out, combined with a bounce from the lows today, makes for considering shooting the 1.5u tonight. On the other hand, it is night time, sleep might be nice to have and shooting 1.25u might make you sleep better. My only concern is the multiple dosecreases -- not a huge concern here -- more a consideration.

 

Re: 4/5 Stu AMPS 296, +4.5 23, +6.5 103, +10 177 dose advice

hi ella. nice work today bringing up stu's numbers! d has a good point. if stu's numbers skyrocket, you might want to shoot 1.5u for the reasons she's mentioned. the drop today is probably leftover action from the higher dose. however, if you're more comfortable shooting 1.25u tonight, that's fine. he may do well on it. if he doesn't, we can always bring the dose back up.

since stu likes the nose-dive approach to regulation, there's a couple things you can do to help blunt those drops. as i mentioned yesterday, feeding mini-meals at shot time, +1, +2, and +3 might help. also worth mentioning... if stu's +2 is a lot less than his preshot number (like today), go ahead and feed him a medium carb food at +2 and possibly +3 (if there's another big drop at +3). the preshot number and the +2 number *should* be pretty much the same number. if there's a big difference (drop), you can almost bet he's gearing up to drop low. food manipulation is a great tool which helps us control the curve...

 

Thanks D and Jill and Sienne, I decided that his PMPS was high enough (246) to shoot the 1.5 units. Thanks to everyone! Off now to cook dinner.

Ella

 

Super Job Today--WHEW!!! You deserve a break now! Relax for a bit!!