3/15 Bonk AMPS 454 +3 270

Greetings all,

Yesterdays Condo:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=115419

This is more like a roller coaster. Off the scale yesterday, 270 today. Otherwise, he's doing well, but I'm hoping for a bowel movement today. He is eating fine, and sleeping rather comfortably. He didn't even stir much when I took his +3 reading. Faolan even checked out his ear when I was done, and that didn't bother him. And this after he found a hidden stash of kibble behind Faolan's feeding area today! :-x :lol:

Thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions on Yesterday's Condo. I got so busy last night I didn't make it back until now. I need to work on those overnight tests this weekend too, I haven't been getting those.

For the feeding schedule, that won't be easy to adjust. A lot of this is my fault, but he has me well trained to get food when he asks for it. :smile: First, he'll sit by his food dish, very patiently and stare at me, and if that doesn't work, he'll start giving me these cute little meows, and he knows that I'll give it. I do control the amount of food, so it's only a little at a time, but it's usually throughout the day. The hard part will be, with me already being mean to him with all the poking and such, and my refusal to give him dry food, now to start saying no, you can't have more food, might cause even more issues. But I'll work on it. I don't think a feeding schedule change is going to happen overnight though. Besides, he is a nibbler, he has always been that way.

I imagine this new, aggressive approach won't come without it's own difficulties. I can see what is going to happen already. I'm going to get his insulin up to a level that works well for him, his numbers are going to drop. He'll start feeling better, and not so hungry like he is now. He won't eat as much, which means less carbs, and then the insulin starts working too well. So yes, I fully understand why we go slow with this.

But anyway, Hopefully tomorrow, for my birthday, he'll give me some better numbers.

happy early birthday brian!

think of these changes like you would if Bonk were your child - which we all know he is! sometimes with your kids, you just have to make them adjust to what is best for them, regardless of what they want. One of my friends used to literally straddle her son on the floor to get medicine down him. personally, i thought that was a little extreme, but when my youngest ate poisonous berries, i did nearly the same thing. you don't have to go THAT far, of course, but i think telling yourself it's what's best for Bonk makes it a little easier to endure doing it. I found punkin would complain mightly when we changed the terms of what we called the "Feed Me Contract" but then he would adapt.

Being able to give small treats of boiled chicken in the second half of the cycle helped reduce the pain from not getting regular food then. Punkin also ate dry food before his diagnosis, although he couldn't be free-fed because our other cat, Felix, ate everything in sight.

Bonk didn't become diabetic overnight and he won't get regulated overnight either, but as you implement these changes, and his blood sugar comes down, he'll feel better and better. you'll see your "old" cat again.

btw, you don't have to worry too much about the scenario you painted in the last paragraph. that's why people following the TR protocol test as much as we do. you'll learn how to "catch" him and keep him safe from low numbers. The first couple of times it's a bit nerve-wracking, but after that it becomes routine. You'll see that he responds to carbs and then things become a little more predictable.

in the meantime, hang in there! we're here to help you however we can.

have a great weekend!

It's nice to see that yellow for Bonk today. I hope he keeps surfing. It is hard to deny our kitties when they beg, but it's what is best for him. They will keep pushing to see what they can get away with. We just have to be firm and not let them have their way every time.

Well look at you, Bonk!! You look very handsome in sunny yellow! Pink and Red are really for girls you know!

Brian, don't be surprised if you see a bounce tonight either. Dropping from 454 to 270 in 3 hours is a big drop, and bounces happen 2 ways...from going lower than their body is used to, and dropping a lot quickly, so you're dealing with some of both.

Sounds like it's time for you to crawl around your home looking for all those "hidden" stashes of dry food too :lol:

If it's there, they'll find it! They're very good at that!

You can't feel guilty for doing what you know will make him feel better, live longer, and have a healthier life! (easy to say, I know) What I did was a lot like what Julie said. I bought chicken when it was on sale, and boiled one piece, cut it into bite size pieces and put a couple of days worth of "treats" in the refrigerator and froze the rest. After +6, I try to only give China those treats when testing, which helps with those "you're starving me to death" looks our cats are so good at.

Bonk will get used to the new food schedule if you can be consistent with it. If the "death stares" are getting really bad, go out for a walk. You're doing what you need to do to make him live longer. We all wish they understood we're not being mean, but you also don't want to "love him to death" because you feel guilty. He'll get over it...promise!

Look how far you've come already! The fact he didn't even wake up when you were poking is great progress! Most of us when we first hear we have to poke their ears think "My cat will never stand for that!!"....and we're all still poking and mostly, our cats aren't noticing!! It's all just a matter of time, consistency and doing what you know you need to do.

As Bonk starts to feel better and return to the cat you "used to know", it's not at all unusual for him to (in his own way) "Understand" that whatever you're doing to him is making him feel better. At some point, they do seem to "get it", and I'm sure Bonk will too.

Hang in there Brian! We've all been there and know what you're feeling!

How nice to see a yellow number for Bonk today! It really helps reinforce what you're doing to see some progress, doesn't it?

You're being asked to make a lot of changes at once, and on top of everything else, it probably feels undoable and overwhelming. Take each change one at a time and you'll get there! As Julie said, Bonk didn't become diabetic overnight, and you're not going to get him (hopefully) into remission overnight, either. You can do this!

Hi Brian,

I like the yellow number for Bonk. It is overwhelming at first, but it does get easier. You get into the routine and the cats seem to get used to it. Lovey is much better with the testing. I started doing the paw testing and some days I was crying and bloody in the beginning. Now, Lovey sits nicely for the ear testing.