Yesterday's curve... (among other things!)

Hello all. It's been a while, but between a new job and managing Bailey, my free time is pretty limited (and, to be honest, I've been trying to manage him on my own after having some rough starts with help from others).

But his curve from yesterday really makes me wonder if my instincts have been right lately. The SS 2015 link in my signature is updated, so you'll see what I mean. Basically, he started out around 400 and then spent the entire day in the low to mid 300s. (And just to be clear, there's absolutely no way we had a fur shot. I've been shooting long enough now that I can tell when that happens.) Then in the evening, he got down in the 100s finally, but this morning he's back even higher 400s. I'm giving him a break with testing today but will do +5 and +7 tests just to see what's going on.

Could he be getting wacky numbers because I'm changing his food? He really loves the Wellness grain free chicken so I'm inclined to be patient with it and keep him on it until I can do another curve. With my work schedule it's impossible to test during the week so it would be Saturday again. He's also on a higher dose than he's ever been (2 units, up from his previous steady high dose of 1.75), but that's only because lower doses don't seem to have any effect on him at all anymore.

Basically, I'm kind of getting at the end of my rope with all this. In December things seemed to get getting a little better, we'd have pre shots in the 100 and 200 range, but then I took him to the vet and he rocketed up again and we've pretty much seen nothing but pre shots in the 300s and 400s since then. Adding to this frustration is that I feel pretty sure he's having kidney problems (hence the switch to Wellness food since it's lower in phosphorous) but because of how high his sugar jumps, I'm reluctant to take him to the vet. It's choosing between two evils basically and I'm getting really worn out trying to manage this stuff lately. I'm even tearing up right now as I type.

On the positive side, his coat is healthy and he's grooming himself and purring and cuddly with me sometimes. He has his energetic and playful moments but he also has his sleepy times. He seems like his usual self for the most part. But I wonder if I'm not just looking too hard for that kind of stuff to make myself feel better through all this.

Sorry for rambling on and being so wordy. I swear, I really just wanted to post about yesterday's curve! lol There's not really anyone else in my life I can talk this stuff through with though so as always, I appreciate y'alls help.

 

Hi Kellie! Good to hear from you! I'm sorry that things have been rough lately.

First off, I'm wondering if that high AMPS on 2/15 is a bounce. Hanging out in those Blues after a few high days could cause that I think.

Have you had him to the vet to check for other illnesses? An infection or dental problem could push him higher.

Remember that your cat is more than a BG number. It's important to bring him down but it also says something that he is feeling better. He's looking better and clearly feeling better.

How often do you feed him? I know you work but could you do an automatic feeder and give smaller, more frequent meals? Sometimes that helps. Maybe a mid day snack and a late night snack might help steer the numbers?

Just my thoughts. don't give up. You're doing great...we just have to figure out what song Bailey is dancing to!

 

Well, I just typed up a reply and my computer ate it. Here are the key points:

-I actually wanted to delete this a few hours after posting it but apparently the new board doesn't allow for that. In any case, I'm embarrassed by how stressed this is making me lately, so thank you for your kind reply, Rachel!

-Our last vet visit was in mid-December. No problems at all, except for the glucose, every test came back fine. But I am going to schedule another visit soon (just have to figure out my work schedule around it).

-Maybe I'm nuts but Bailey seems extra depressed when he sees that I'm leaving for work. This is the first Monday through Friday, 8-5 job I've had since having him so he's got extended periods of alone time. When I was a college teacher, that schedule allowed for more time at home, but not so much with this new office job. He's got lots of toys and I've been giving him a special treat before I leave in the mornings but I can tell he's bored. He's always right at the door waiting when I get home, and follows me until I put down my bag and pick him up

-Yes, I use timed feeder. He gets food at shot time, +6, and +8. He was getting shot time, +4, and +8, but I pushed the one back because for a while it seemed like it helped him stay low for longer (and he's more interested in food later in his insulin cycle anyway).

Alright, I'm rambling. Thanks again for your reply, Rachel, and your words of encouragement. You are much appreciated!

 

Hi Kellie,
Good to hear from you too.

My first thoughts were the Wellness may be too high in carbs. Is it wet or dry food?

Then I thought maybe a health issue; dental or something else?

Hang in there Kellie!

Kimmie

 

Hi Kimmie, I am just now seeing your reply (don't often get on the board lately)!

The Wellness is wet food, and has the same amount of carbs as the Fancy Feast he was getting. I switched because the FF is so high and phosphorous. And he is due for another dental cleaning but between my work schedule and my lack of funds, it's been a little difficult to work that out. But like I said, his last vet appointment in December turned up no infections, and he doesn't seem to have any teeth problems (they look fine to my eye, maybe just a little build up since his last cleaning in February 2014).

Lately he's been getting some lower pre shots though (one the other day that I couldn't safely shoot) so I've been adjusting the dose down to get two shootable numbers. Patience patience patience....

x KS

 

Interesting spreadsheet. He is doing really well at amps. I wonder if the insulin isn't lasting quite long enough or if the evening shot is too high and he drops low overnight. Sometime you might get a nighttime nadir and see where he is. The daytime numbers seem to suggest that the insulin runs out before pmps but clearly it is lasting the whole 12 hours overnight. Interesting. Lots of cats are either consistently higher or lower overnight. Sometimes it's because they eat more or eat less or are more or less active. Any ideas?

If this is his pattern with low amps and high pmps, you could try a 11/13 schedule. So you shoot the pm number at +11 before he is super high and maybe shoot a little less. Then in the am, shoot at +13 when he might be higher and you wouldn't have to skip.

 

I'm with Sue. It looks like something is going on overnight...a few nighttime tests would help probably. At the very least, we'd get some idea of what's going on! I frequently did night tests if I just happened to wake up (which I usually do a few times a night). If you're not as much of a unable to sleep person as I am, you can always set an alarm. I know it stinks, but a nadir could help. It used to make me laugh when I got up overnight, since Gypsy would squint at me like I was crazy for turning on the light!!

 

Hi, Kellie! Mostly just wanted to say: Hang in there! I'm new to ProZinc, so will defer to your experienced guides (angels!) who posted above.

I can relate to your frustration, but highly recommend getting some overnight numbers as soon as you can. It's something I just had to do last night --- & it might really help clarify what's going on with your kitty lately. (Bailey is adorable, btw!)

 

Wow, thanks everyone! I've done some overnight tests before but at the moment I'm having a hard enough time getting up with my 5am alarm, so setting one for 12:30am just makes me cringe. I'll do it soon though, because I was for sure thinking this weekend that I needed at least a nighttime nadir.

My spreadsheet gets a little crazy (I obviously use the "remarks" column as more of a journal) but I kinda like looking at the details. I did lower the PM dose on Saturday to 1.5 but then each PS since then has been rising so this morning (when he tested 409) I went back up to 1.75 on the dose. In the past (late last year, I think) Bailey's had high and low pre shots that were the opposite (high in the AM, low in the PM) so this isn't necessarily a trend for him.

Anyway...too much going on here. Sometimes I struggle to keep up with all of Bailey's stuff lately. Between working 40+ hours a week and just being beyond exhausted on the weekends, I've just been taking everything on autopilot and managing the best I can. It's just me in this so I give Bailey as much attention as I can, and I appreciate all the advice and well wishes here.

Cheers, all!
x KS