Zoey dancing all over. Please advise

Can someone please check Zoey's spreadsheet? I lowered her dose by .2 about 3 weeks ago, but now she is not showing many blues and no greens at all. Did I go too low? Of course she didn't help by getting into dry food again! She seems to be feeling fine, but I don't like so many pinks and reds.

Thanks for any help you can give me. It's been 10 months now and I feel like there hasn't been much progress.

 

It is hard to know what is going on without some nadir numbers, Carol. If she is high and flat for the cycle, then maybe a little more insulin for the pinks. But if she is dropping low and bouncing, then maybe less. Can you get some Nadirs?

 

I agree. Some nadirs would help. I know it's tough to get them, but maybe on your off days or in the middle of the night? I used to set the occasional nighttime alarm (not every night) but honestly, I'm up at least once usually (more often if my Oreo has decided to sing the song of his people outside my door) and I'd grab a quick test then. Gypsy didn't even wake up for it sometimes!

 

@Rachel - I just now read this & wanted you to know you gave me my first good laugh of the morning!
@Zoey & Carol - Gee, I can tell you're feeling really frustrated, Carol.(Sure know how that feels.) Have to agree with @Sue and Oliver (GA) & @Rachel about the nadirs; I'm hoping you'll be able to get mid-cycle BG numbers --- as without those, it's awfully difficult to determine what's really happening & where you should go from here with the dose for Zoey. So ... will keep my fingers crossed that you can manage a way to do more mid-cycle tests soon.

 

Funny funny Rachel about the " has decided to sing the song of his people outside my door" good one!

 

Thanks for your advice and humor! I get that about "the song of his people"! My big Maine Coon does that, but it's a pretty squeaky "Eh,Eh". Such a tiny, but persistent, sound from a 20+ pound cat!

It's difficult to tell when Zoey's nadirs are. Lately she's either been high all day, or getting higher during the day. This morning her BGS was 507 in one ear and 467 in the other! I checked her at +4 and she was down to 245 and at +6 she was 195. Can't get another one until +10. It seems like every weekend that I am able to test her, something messes her up (fur shot, sneaking dry food, etc.)! I feel like we're back where we started in January!

 

507/467 is within the 20% variance all meters have, so that isn't unusual. And if 195 was her nadir, that is a nice drop. Let's see what pmps looks like?

 

Hang in there, Carol! Sometimes clinging tightly to our sense of humor - & loving our kitties so much, of course - is the only thing that gets us through the rough patches.

 

OK. Now she's super high. Last night pmps was 370 so I gave her 1.4. At +5 last night she was 218, which I thought was good news. This amps was 463. I gave another 1.4 because I didn't want her to drop too low. At +2 she was 494. Sometime between then and +4, she tore into a bag of granola that my DH left in the downstairs kitchen after a backpacking trip. (He feels bad.) At +4 she was HI, which means she was over 600! I tested ketones (no trace) and she is now (+5.5) at 552. Should I give her more insulin or just let her ride it out! Maye I should have given her more insulin this morning. She's driving me crazy!

 

I am sorry she is all over the place. What I think is:

The granola can raise the numbers by more than 100. The good news is that, like high carb food, the effect may wear off and she might drop again before pmps. So, no, I wouldn't give more insulin.

The +2 rise is not uncommon. Usually that test is influenced by the am meal.

None of her numbers are too low. I think I'd increase the dose - maybe to 1.6 - on a cycle where you can get the nadir or somewhere in that range. Her numbers aren't bad, though. You are seeing some yellows. And she is on a low dose. I would drop back down to 1.2 on a preshot below 250.

The first goal is to get her into regulated. Generally we consider that as having pre shots in the lower 200s and a nadir in double digits, but not below 50.

She is doing fine; you are doing fine. Someone once said "this sugar dance is a marathon, not a sprint." It's an annoying saying, but true. And every cat has their own time schedule. Hang in there.

 

Once you have given a shot, never want to give any additional insulin. Just need to ride it out until the next scheduled time to shoot.