Girlie 8 April | AMPS 103 Trick to lower PS numbers on a drop?

Condo: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/22-march-girlie-amps-162-9-95.192929/

Girlie has been doing really, really well lately with lost of low blue and green starts. No matter where she starts, she always goes down to greens. I'm hopeful that she'll just keep this up with more and more green starts!

@Wendy&Neko , you posted something on @Chubba Gizmo's page, and I was wondering whether this was a tip for trying to get them not to go up higher at the PS numbers when they're on a drop dose...? Here's the quote:

I wonder if I should try this with Girlie? She wants to eat all of her food in the AM by +4 usually. But then she wants food again at +8 on. I wonder what to do...? I've occasionally given her a tsp or 1/2 a tsp later just to see if her PMPS would then be lower, but perhaps I was giving it too late (+8)... Any thoughts?

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted. Life has been dramatic, and then my computer died...sigh.

I hope that everyone has been well and safe!

 

I never actually tried the feeding at +8 or +9 with Gizmo. But to be honest, he might nibble all night. Sometimes I have noticed that he will do that with his +6 meal.

Girlie is looking good! I hope you are able to get her numbers slightly lower on the drop dose.

 

Me too! There doesn't seem to be a real rhyme or reason to why she gets green PS on some days and not others. Maybe she's just testing the waters!

Now that she's so stable, I just leave food out for her. She usually chooses sleep over food after PM+4, but there have been some nights where all of her food will be gone by morning and I'll have no idea when she's eaten it! I really have to use the automated feeder to just turn the food option off after +9, but I'm too lazy...we've never actually used the automated feeder. (Bad mom!)

I'm so thrilled at where Gizmo is right now: extraordinary! You must be so, so pleased!

 

The theory is that with the tiny doses, a kitty pancreas is partially working. A small meal around +8-9 may kick the pancreas to produce insulin and lower the numbers by PMPS. You may have to play with the amounts and timing. Note, this is only for kitties very close to trial.

 

What a difference a few months make, Girlie looks great in those blues and greens. I remember those crazy bounces Girlie used to do . It's so nice to see the consistency! Love it

 

Girlie looks amazing! I hope you figure out how to get the preshots down, or that Girlie just makes some decisions on her own to earn a reduction and then what can you do?

How are you feeling, Darrah? I hope you're getting sleep and doing well.

 

I’m really bad at using the feeder also. I use it to leave food overnight and if we won’t be home during the day, but if I’m home, I just feed them. My kitties have trouble eating out of the feeder and prefer (eat more of their food) in their dishes i use.

 

Magical So happy Girlie is doing soooo well. I hope you are doing just as well Darrah, what a journey from when you started this dance.

 

Hi there

Girlie has come a long way!

The timed feeder was a lifesaver for us.
FWIW, BK always got a +8 mini meal (a couple tsp) both AM and PM cycles. To make sure he didn’t eat the +8 food after +10 the feeder was programmed to advance at +10. So as not to be cruel (when the feeder advanced he would come running expecting food ) the +10 slot always had a chunk of freeze dried chicken breast.

 

I've had some ups and downs, but Girlie being so steady now and in such good numbers means that I'm slowly getting more sleep in. That's a HUGE relief! I just wish I could figure out why her numbers are doing what they're doing: why some days she seems to lose duration and goes up by her PMPS and other days she'll go green. Who knows! Maybe this will just be her pattern from now on.

 

Levemir was a bit of a miracle for us as far as getting good, steady, low BG numbers and getting off that absolutely horrific trampoline! She's even being more consistent with her poos. Life is good...

 

She was a nightmare! I thought I was going to lose my mind, and I could never have gone back to work with the way her numbers were and the dives she was doing. Thank goodness for Levemir...

 

I don't know that Girlie is getting close to trial - or do you think she might be moving in that direction? As I understand it, her greens would need to be lower or at least her PS would have to be greens as well. She just keeps throwing these wobbly blue PS numbers in: very annoying! Then she east, gets her one drop, and at +3 she's down to nice green numbers. Hmmm... Do you think I should try to give a small meal at around +8 or +9? That can be a little tricky with me because of work, but most days I get home by then. It can also be hard to get her to actually eat after +4 unless I've given her some Mirtazapine in the last day or so. What do you think?

 

All you can do is experiment and see if it helps or hinders (shortens duration).

 

Her PS numbers are great for AT and it would be green for sure if you were using human meter.

 

Switch to Lev was such a great move, Girlie's looking great!

 

Hi Darrah,

Girlie is looking great, actually not great, but fabulous!!
FWIW the snack at +9 worked for George it brought his PS down, though it took a few days, and we saw his overall range lower a tad, as well. I've seen it work for other kitties too.

I wonder what her numbers are at +1/+2? before the drop of insulin has onset and she has digested some of that food in her belly? If you see her drop rather than spike, that might suggest the food is stimulating Mr P to produce some of her own insulin. (perhaps that's just the testaholic in me asking the question)

Even now, OTJ, when George goes decides to skip his +9 his BG is a little higher than if he gets up to get it. I have the auto feeder turn at +10 to avoid any concerns of an ambg that is food influenced.


A little experiment and you will soon see, as Wendy said, whether it helps or hinders Girlie.

 

Thanks, Wendy - I'll give it a try.

 

Thanks so much - a different cat entirely on Levmir, isn't she? Best thing I ever did was to switch her to that.

Good idea: I'll check her numbers out this weekend at +1 and +2. She does come to me looking for food at around +10, and wants her dinner then, so perhaps a little snack at +9 would help. That wouldn't happen for her AMPS, but at least I could get the PMPS working. Can I get her to eat it, though? That's the question! I'll experiment and see... I'd love to get her PS down.

She's just so set in her ways as an older cat, and not that I'm at work full-time again, staggering her food throughout the day won't work. It's like her body has a cutoff time at around +4/+5, and after that she's not interested in eating until an hour or two before her PS. We do what we can do!

 

It really appears to have worked well for her, that and your perseverance. I know at first you were doubtful because of the meter change, but she has gone from strength to strength on Lev.

Hopefully if she's feeling peckish by +10 she'll go for the +9 snack.

Getting BFG to eat his +9 in the PM cycle has always been problematic, he goes through phases, he's often sound asleep, snoring his little head off. If I hear the autofeeder rotate for his +9 sometimes I have to shove him off the bed to eat it, lately, probably because it's been cold, even that is not working