Curve testing and food

My vet agreed to have me do a full curve testing this weekend and email the spreadsheet instead of having my kitty go into the office this last Friday. So that is what we are doing; three tests so far today.

I just question test results when Jaxa is eating (free feeding on ZYA) 30 minutes before her "between shot" tests. I don't want to be pulling her food up every time we are going to test, and she doesn't eat a huge amount at any given time, but should that be taken in account for the numbers, or is that part of the reason for testing- to see how her #s are when on a regular food schedule?

Just did a ketone test too (negative).

 

It's really your choice to do it at home or have the vet do it. It is not the vet's choice. Many of us here on the forum end up being diabetic experts...so why would I for example, pay my vet for the same work I can do at home for much cheaper?

There are a couple purposes of a 12 hour test.

1) Dosage effectiveness
How effective are the current dosage levels? By evaluating the curve, you can review how deep the nadir (trough) is, which is the lowest point. Some cats may not be responding much to the current doses, so this will let you know if more insulin would be appropriate.

2) Insulin effects on your kitteh
How fast does the nadir occur on your cat? Also how long does the nadir last? For example, Leo has late nadirs, usually in the 8-9 hour mark.

If you feed throughout the cycle, there should be ~2hours after each feeding. You could test then feed. The intent of the tests is to see insulin effectiveness. So if Jaxa eats 15 minutes before the next test, then you won't get a very good reading on that test - which would probably be a high value.

 

I know we don't really have to go to the vet office; we are still in the first month since the diagnosis though and after all of her pancreatitis issues since November I am a bit paranoid about her health. I want my vet to feel as invested in her as I do, and they all seem to be getting fond of her. Thankfully they only charge us for the test and not for an exam or even boarding when I have to bring her in before work and don't get to pick her up until the end of the day (I make sure to bring her low carb food with so they don't give her anything off-diet).

I think the pancreatitis has changed our relationship with food; I was counting every single calorie she ate for a while and worrying over every day that she needed pills to deal with nausea and lack of appetite. I haven't given her a single pill in almost two weeks now, but I worry every day they we could have another flare. I need to get her feeding to be more consistent with her testing. I always pull food two hours before the test that is for her shots, but she seems to always be eating when I'm starting to look at the clock for her next test between the shots. If I'm lucky we have at least an hour to go, and I can pull but it is so hard to not let her eat after being desperate for her to eat anything for so long. I hate that my issues are probably affecting her tests.

 

You are a good cat parent. It is worrying at the start. And actually even with Leo almost 3 years now, it is still worrying.

You are doing good with the chart and the daily updates. I didn't monitor your other threads. At this point you are getting a pretty good hang of it. I would be targeting some 0.5 unit increases over the next few weeks to get Jaxa's nadirs down to the 120-150 range.

If Jaxa is maintaining weight, then you may not have to monitor as closely. 18 pounds is a pretty good weight for a kitteh. (Leo is 17.5 pounds). The 12 hour curve looks good, and Jaxa probably had the nadir around +6, which allows for predictable testing in the future.

To continue my Leo example, I test him at +8 or +9 hrs since he has late nadirs.

 

I've gotten one more test in tonight; a +6 later if we don't fall asleep. I want to get at least the +6 tests tomorrow and then send the whole thing to my vet on Monday morning.

We are trying to get her weight down, but very slowly. She actually is down 4 lbs since November, but only lost it a pound per month so the vet was not too concerned. I'm hoping the better food, and no high carb treats will help the weight loss. Looking at freeze-dried duck and chicken treats to get soon, so I have a bribe when she starts squirming during the testing. When the dog doesn't steal her toys she is playing (even with the dog's toys).

 

You are dosing 4.0 units in the AM. I would move it to 4.5 now. Jaxa is not achieving sufficiently low nadirs yet.

 

I haven't changed anything yet, but just did her +6 from the AMPS and it was her first blue that I've seen when testing her so far.

 

Sounds like the diet change is partly responsible for the lower number. That is a decent nadir. Some people target lower numbers. In general you want to get below the renal threshold. That is usually around 200. Under that number, the extra glucose is not getting filtered out of the bloodstream.

I would recommend another couple of cycles and doing nadir tests if possible. That way we can see if the current insulin levels plus the new food will get Jaxa in the 120-150 nadir target.

Like I said, some people target lower. But I recall one major advice from my vet. She said "keep Leo safe". So lower numbers start to flirt with hypos if the kitteh is sensitive.