BG range musings

So there's a range within which BG is supposed to fall, for both diabetic kitties and non. It seems that the general belief here on FDMB is that we should aim for the lowest end of that range. But how do we REALLY know what our own kitty's ideal number is? What if it's 100 and we're aiming for 60 and being frustrated all the time?

This isn't a criticism and it might not even really be a question. I was just pondering this because I have noticed that when Buzz is the most playful (rolling around on her towel at the test spot, wanting belly rubs and to bat at my fingers) is when she is right around 100-110. So I wondered if this was the number at which she felt most comfortable/good, and that lead me to wonder about this "range" and the numbers that most people aim at for OTJ/regulation.

Comments/ideas/thoughts welcome, or just tell me to go back to my crazy place.

 

..hahah, Crazy Place, love it! My Puttzer does great in the 100-150 range...He gets real lethargic and wide-eyed below the 90's...

 

So are you saying that Buzz is more playful and herself when she is at 100 than if she is at 50? If that is so, maybe she's been diabetic long enough that the 50 scares her body??

I have never been able to tell that Blackie is low or high from his behavior. He's almost always his normal mellow self, but maybe that's because he's older. So, for what it's worth, here are my thoughts:

When we test our civies they are always under 100 - I think that's why this is the "ideal" number.

We were getting nadirs in the 50-70's range last summer before Blackie started having UTI's, but we haven't been there in many months. I now aim for below the renal threshhold, which I have not been able to accomplish very often lately and I am not comfortable at these high numbers.

Some people do not feel that their cat is safe below 100 and they do not have a goal to go under 100. My vet freaked out when he saw that Blackie had numbers in the 50's, but it didn't bother me. However, now that we are at a larger dose, I am more sensitive to the lower numbers. Meaning that I think there's a greater risk of hypo if you are trying to get into the green numbers with a high dose. That's just my opinion.

Interesting questions. You'd have to be crazy if FD didn't make you crazy. :mrgreen:

 

From one crazy to another... I think there are several "ranges" and all have to do with the goals of you any your kitty. And also what stage you are in with your kitty. Ultimate comfort takes a back seat to just getting things under control for instance.

Range1) Well regulated - maybe anything under 250.
Range2) Renal threshold - varies under 160-220 approx
Range3) Tight - under 150 maybe even lower
Range4) the Purrrrrfect zone - the range they seem most content in.

Also, as we know these meters are off so it all kind of becomes relative to the meters too.

Some argue [swear to it] that the size of the delta could effect the "comfort" level too.

I think it's one of the Metallica band members who is diabetic and I saw talking about how he would let his BGs go into the 200s when he was feeling randy because it would give him some extra "stamina."

When H runs high for a consistent amount of time I think I can notice a difference - maybe. When he was unregulated I definitely could tell a difference. Other than that it's pretty hard to distinguish his moods as a result of the DM or perhaps other meds he gets or GI comfort level or what.... We've been pretty good about keeping him below 200 lately and I don't really notice any difference when he was running above 200. And back in history when he had a while at being "tightly" regulated I can't say for sure I noticed anything different.

I notice that my FreeStyle lite seems to run lower at higher numbers than my OTU. I've been using the FSL lately and so I've been wondering about the effect of this on my regulation of H.

 

Thanks, guys! That's interesting about Puttz, Terry. I guess he can tell you what he wants, huh?

Ele, I'm not sure that I can say Buzz acts more like herself at 100 than at 50; she just has a certain set of behaviors that she does that indicate she feels good, and most often when I notice those behaviors, she is around 100. Of course, I am only theorizing that she feels good based on how she acts. I am also going to start keeping track of whether that behavior coincides with more of a surf or with a large drop or what. Gator's thought about the delta gave me that idea, which I hadn't thought of.

Buzz really exhibits almost no strange behavior, or anything that would give me a clue of her numbers. I've said before that she acts the same at 500 or 50, and that is true. For the most part, she is a very even-keeled kitty, not prone to wild displays of any kind of behavior. So perhaps I am making too much of her "playfulness" at those #s just because it's pretty much the ONLY behavioral change I notice (other than the occasional growling and now biting ).

I like to ponder things like this and get others' opinions and try to make sense of things that perhaps have no logic to them. I blame too much free time.

 

I know cats tend to read a little lower on meters than humans, but in humans there is really no advantage to lowering BGs below the 80's - 90's range. I start getting hypo symptoms around 70. Angus starts getting hypo symptoms around 60 (he gets really, really hungry and demanding). So, I have to wonder why the push for such low numbers. I wouldn't worry about a cat reaching lower numbers on their own, but if you are using insulin to push it lower you are risking hypo and/or weight gain. And, weight gain just makes diabetes worse.

 

i can tell when tom is low becuase he's lethargic etc.. when he's high he's hungry.
since we spent a long time in remission we 'both' got comfortable with number between 65-85 and i never noticed ANYTHING about his behavior at that time that i considered bg related.
i can usually tell when he's going down too fast becuase he get all limp noodle like.
i'd like to see him back between 65-85 becuase it makes ME feel better----so how's that for selfishly considering my cat's feelings?
really he seems fine more often than not.

 

I think that so long as you are low enough to prevent renal damage (ie lower than the renal threshold), then you are doing a good job.