1/17 - Sami - PMPS 372

Yesterday's condo


As we all expected after a skipped dose last night Sami's AMPS was 484, but at already at +3.5 she is down to 316. I did give her just 1.1 unit this morning, but now I am wondering if that still might be too much. She has already dropped further than she had yesterday at this point and she started higher. I was actually expecting to see some slow drops today while her shed gets filled up again.

We will see what the day brings.

 

Re: 1/17 - Sami - AMPS 484 - +3.5 316

Some kitties don't do slow. Just ask Esse. LOL. She went from 431 to 48 in 4 hours once. LOL.

Don't borrow trouble 'til trouble borrows you, all right? Don't wonder if she's gotten too much, just get some data and let the numbers inform you of what's going on. Yes, 1.1 might be too much, but then again, it might not. The only way to tell is time. We beans get so impatient...but the cats we care for set their own schedule.

Best-
Michele

 

Re: 1/17 - Sami - AMPS 484 - +3.5 316

Wow! that would totally freak me out. When I do see big drops how often should I be testing. My plan was just to test again at +6 and +9. I did feed her a bit more at +3 so maybe that will stabilize her number for a bit.

I am trying to cut back on how much food I put out at a time because after the food sits for a bit none of the cats want it so i have been throwing out a lot of food. This works fine on the weekend when I am home and can feed at each test point, but during the week it might be hard if Sami doesn't come to work with me. I am considering getting a timed feeder, but my question is about the frozen food, do you just put the can in the freezer and then put the frozen food in the dish? Usually I try to chop up the food a bit to make it easier to eat, but I can't see that being easy if it is frozen. And should I consider getting more then one timed feeder. The cats don't seem to eat the whole can at one time, and they do seem very patient to wait until the cat before them finishes. Plus during the day I would expect that not everyone will be looking for food at exactly the same time. Any help on this would be much appreciated.

 

Re: 1/17 - Sami - AMPS 484 - +3.5 316

Tina, I test a lot, because with Esse's history, she can be anywhere on the scale within hours. LOL. And yes, that drop was rather surprising and quite scary.

As for the food, I make catsicles (that I learned here on the board). Take their normal food, put enough water into it so that it's kinda goopy (but not too goopy), put the goop in ice cube trays, freeze, and give the frozen food from the tray. That way, it's frozen, and it's small enough to not feed a ton at a time. I don't have timed feeders, and use the catsicle method while I'm gone at school all day. It works well for us...I put several cubes down per dish, and by the time I come home, they've usually eaten it.

Hope that helps...and as for testing, I can only tell you that Esse is quite the drama llama, and likes to do things like that just to keep me on my toes. Dunno about Sami, so can't really advise more than that.

Best-
Michele

 

Re: 1/17 - Sami - AMPS 484 - +3.5 316

It will probably be all right...I know that Sami's numbers were scary low for you yesterday but to an oldie :smile: they were actually good numbers. The scary part would have been if you gave her another 1.5u at PM!

With a new meter, you are basically starting over....so you might just want to go with the usual protocol and give 1.0u for 10 cycles (5 days), gathering good info all the way to determine when her onset & nadir is, and go from there. Personally, I have started over 3 times ....and learned something each time. And before it's finished, I'll start over again if necessary. @-)

 

Re: 1/17 - Sami - AMPS 484 - +3.5 316; +6 262

Sami is still dropping steadily. Still droping lower than where she was yesterday, even though she started much higher today then yesterday.

She has been sleeping most of the morning, which is typical for her. She has eaten at before her AM shot, at +3.5 and she just got another small snack. She is definitely a grazer, always has been.

She purrs just about every time I do her test. And a lot of the time she knows when it is time for her test and is waiting on the counter when I go to do it. She has been more frisky the last few days, more so than she has been over the last few weeks.

 

Re: 1/17 - Sami - AMPS 484 - +3.5 316; +6 262

looks like Sami recovered quickly from the missed shot, very good. :smile: Hopefully she is setting you up for a nice PM cycle.

 

Re: 1/17 - Sami - AMPS 484 - +3.5 316; +6 262

Looking perfect so far. :smile: This is exactly what a shed refilling from a missed dose should look like - no worries. Stick with the 1.1u for a few cycles and let's see where it takes you. She'll probably need an increase as Jill suggested last night, but just keep testing and you'll have the data to help determine that.

 

Re: 1/17 - Sami - AMPS 484 - +3.5 316; +6 262

As Libby and Cassandra are suggesting, consistency at this point is key. Sami's shed needs to refill from the skipped shot and you need data.

As far as when to test, I generally try to test at +2. From having the data on how Gabby typically responds to Lantus, I have a pretty good idea of how the cycle will go most of the time. Like Esse, Gabby is prone to the dramatic. If I see that her numbers are dropping and it looks like the drop is gathering momentum, I will test more often. If is looks like a more even drop, I test less.

The best thing you can do to get a feel for how Sami compares to other cats, is to start looking at spreadsheets. Also keep in mind, some of the people who have been here for a while, know their cats well and may not test as often. Usually, you will see frequency of testing increase once people are on the Board and we nag them about needing spot checks. Not everyone tests as much as I do. I like having the data and it allows me to work with Jill, Cassandra, and Libby and the others when there is a need for me to be a bit more aggressive about dosing. The more data you have, the more information is there to guide your decisions and to assist others who are viewing your SS and trying to offer their input.

 

Re: 1/17 - Sami - AMPS 484 - +3.5 316; +6 262; +9 361

+9 = 361

At this point it doesn't look like we are going to have a repeat of last night with Sami being in the 100's before her PM dose.

She has been sleeping since +6 after having a snack. She barely even woke up when I did her test. I was going to give her another snack at +9 but even after I did her test she didn't move from her spot and is still sleeping. Unless she gets up in the next 10-15 minutes I won't give her any more food until after her PMPS.

 

Sami is doing well. Her PMPS is 372. I expected to see some higher numbers today for two reason, one because we skipped a dose last night, and two because we have a meter that is reading more accurately than we had been using for the past few months.

She pretty much slept most of the day away, probably because she went from low 100’s last night to close to 500 this morning.

I wish we were seeing more blues and yellows, but I know we will get there. Hopefully I will have the patience.

I will try to get at least one more reading before heading to bed. I don’t think we have to be worried about her going too low tonight, but I will attempt to get a +6 reading too.

 

not bad for a shed refilling day. No worries, the numbers will come.