7/08 jake's amps 336

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In your post yesterday http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=121430 you said you were going to try to get a PM+3 test but I don't see it in Jake's spreadsheet. Without a second test in the night cycles, it's hard to say what is happening. When Neko was first on insulin, she could start in the 400's, zoom down and get a reduction (below 50), then zoom back up again by end of cycle. And cats will often go lower at night so it's important to get at least a test before you go to bed. Jake could be bouncing or not, hard to say.

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Hi Cory!

It could be that Jake has hit a range lower than he's used to and bounced. take a look at the second post in that link for a description on bouncing. Bounces can last 3 days.

I'm wondering if you're skipping tests to save strips. You'd mentioned you weren't starting a job til August. If that's why you're not getting night-cycle tests, just let us know. We all understand costs and no one wants to bug you - just say so. otherwise people will think you've just forgotten or don't know to get one. if you can only get one extra test per day right now til you're working again, i think i'd alternate between day and night time mid-cycle tests. it's also helpful to get tests at different times, not just at +6ish. Look at jake's spreadsheet and see where there are wide open white spaces. sprinkle a test here and there on different days in those white spaces. That can really help us see what's going on in Jake's body.

Hope you're having a great evening! julie
 
Sounds like a plan. I do need to conserve strips, but I've not gotten night tests because I forget to test before I feed him his before bed meal. I'll try to remember to scatter tests to see what's going on.
 
You can test anytime to get those mid-cycle tests....it doesn't matter if he's eaten or not

Until you learn how Jake responds to feeding, it's important to not feed for the 2 hours prior to Pre-shot tests, but after that, they can eat up until +10 and you don't need to worry about when they last ate. A lot of us don't feed after +6 but that's just because the insulin is starting to wear off, but some people feed right up until +10 (and once they know their cat, some will even feed in those 2 hours before pre-shot tests)

Come on Jake! Work that juice!!
 
Jake is a very hungry boy. He eats at 6am (after amps) 10am, (test for nadir between +5- +7,) 2pm, (PMPS @+12), 6pm and then around 10pm. His 10am, 2pm and 6pm meals are half cans of fancy Feast, the first and last feelings are full cans. If he doesn't eat every 4 hrs he meows and bugs me. He's an 18 lb cat, so he requires a lot of food. Since he has no Munchie type food, he gets hungry more often.

I know I can freeze food, but I don't think the people I rent my room from want cat food in their freezer......
 
let me suggest something that might help his BGs come down.

I'm going to disagree a little with Chris on this. I wouldn't feed after midcycle. Jake may protest at first, but he will eventually adjust. Punkin was a big boy too, and I fed him one can of Ff at preshot and 1/2 can at +3, then I gave him boiled chicken breast cut into 1/2" cubes for post-poking treats.

When you feed after midcycle, the insulin's strength is waning and it can be just like putting the brakes on its effect. If Jake were a delicate little girl that nibbled here and there, that would be different. But you're talking about quite a bit of food that is coming into his body when the insulin isn't as potent.

If I'm reading you right, he is eating 3.5 cans a day

amps 1 can
am+4 0.5 can
am+8 0.5 can
pmps 0.5 can
pm +4 1 can

I'd continue giving him the same amount of food, just tweak when he gets it.

amps 1 can
am +3 0.5 can
am +4 or 5 0.25 can (1/4 can)

pmps 1 can
pmps +3 0.5 can
pm +4 or 5 0.25can

This schedule will put all of the food in the first half of the cycle and hopefully help his numbers come down. Most diabetic cats who have high numbers are starving, literally. When a cat eats, the nutrient that is used by the cells is glucose. When all is working right, the glucose gets into the cells and the cat feels fed. Right now, the glucose floating about in his body is nutrition that he's not getting - he is hungry! But as his numbers come down he won't be as hungry. I think tweaking his feeding times will help his numbers come down. The timing of when a diabetic cat eats can really make a difference, and Jake's getting some good numbers on the 2.0u - that 107 is great. Hopefully this will help him spend more time in good numbers.

Punkin had acromegaly, which makes a cat diabetic, and makes the cat even more starving than the usual diabetic cat. we joked that we had a "Feed Me Contract" and punkin didn't like it when there were any deviations from The Contract. But he did adjust to changes, and he actually went from +3 to ps every cycle without more food, except when we were bringing up low numbers. Jake will adjust to a change and it is likely to help him feel better as his BGs come down.

What do you think? Do you want to give it a try? If he gives you unrelenting grief and you can't stand it, just give him one teaspoon watered down at +8 to help him adjust. Here's a post that talks about the hunger an unregulated cat feels and feeding them: Feed Kitty as Much as They Want?
 
Thanks so much! I'll try the new feeding schedule starting tomorrow and try to ignore his meowing. I like it when people explain how things work.
 
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