1/7 Scruffy OTJ trial day 13! am 121 Advice? +10 = 76

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Teela Brown

Teela Brown

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Good morning. Wondering if I could have some of you experienced members have a look at the last couple days of my sheet.

Scruff's numbers have gone up since I went back to work after the holidays. I now have a timed feeder, so from here on out I am able to distribute his food throughout the day. He didnt really get it last night, so I am trying to ease him into it. I think it should be all worked out by the end of the weekend.

From my spot checks, it looks like he is staying non-diabetic most of the time. He brings himself down on his own after meals. So that is good.

I feel like we are good. I need to work some things out (i.e. food) but it looks like Scruffy has everything (i.e. pancrease) under control.

Scruffy is fantastic. He is snuggly and social. He is much more assertive (with the dog). He is more lively (i wont go as far as call him active). All in all, he seems great! I couldnt be happier with his mood and how he is acting.

So if anyone has any thoughts, I would really appreciate any feedback.
 
Re: 1/7 Scruffy OTJ trial day 13! am 121 Advice?

Sorry, I can't give advice, I would have no clue what to tell you. I do want to wish you a Congrats on hitting day 13 and am hoping for one more day for you!
 
Re: 1/7 Scruffy OTJ trial day 13! am 121 Advice?

I can't help with the advice part, but wanted to say how happy I am that Scruffy is on day 13!!! That's awesome. I'm so excited for you guys.
 
Re: 1/7 Scruffy OTJ trial day 13! am 121 Advice?

A couple of thoughts...

First, Jill is really good about looking at the relationship between food and BG. You could always ask her to take a look at Scruffy's SS and give some input.

I think the snack that is shortly before your PMPs is at a time where you're getting a food spike when you're testing. I would probably move that earlier to +9,

You mentioned having the auto-feeder set up but you didn't mention what times it's set for. Could you give more detail including how much you're feeding and when?

You also put a note in your SS that you were thinking about a food change. Did you make any changes? If so, what was the carb content of the food you were feeding and what you are feeding now? Sometimes, even if the food is less than 10% carb, if you have been feeding something that's 4% carb and switch to an 8% food, it's still LC but it's double the carbs of what you've been giving.
 
Re: 1/7 Scruffy OTJ trial day 13! am 121 Advice?

Good morning! Just took a look at Scruffy's ss...He is doing quite well w/o insulin. Good job!

I was wondering tho, if you could get a spot test somewhere around the +7 or +8 mark ? The last one I see is on day 7 and I am courious where he goes inbetween those preshots.

Sienna brings up a good point in regards to your snack/food spike action and food changes. Some kitties are very carb sensitive....I know Spot is (read my condo today inregards to new food).
 
Re: 1/7 Scruffy OTJ trial day 13! am 121 Advice?

Is he still on any meds from his recent dental?

I know when Fluffy was OTJ, his bg was better when I gave him mini meals throughout the day.
 
Re: 1/7 Scruffy OTJ trial day 13! am 121 Advice?

Hahaha the "snack" is actually scruffy saving a small amount of food in his dish, eating it before I get the chance to test him. Tonight I can get a spot check in before he can sneak a food spike. So that should help.

I wont be able to get a +7 or +8 until the weekend. But am thinking it might be wise to do a mini curve that day. See exactly what his numbers are doing during the day, without insulin.

I did not end out changing Scruffy's food. Sorry I did not remove that comment from his sheet. The food he is eating now, though I do not know the exact carb count, is a LC food, that once I moved him on to it, he numbers changed drastically for the better.

The auto feeder was set for every two hours. Starting at 7:30 but I messed up something because that means a long long gap at the end. He did not eat much from it last night. He seemed pretty confused about it. This morning I put it in the bedroom, so it is near by and he gets the hang of it.

Day 13 is almost as nerve-wracking as Day 1
 
Re: 1/7 Scruffy OTJ trial day 13! am 121 Advice?

My Raja went to day 13 on her first trial....I saw with her experience how the snack 3 or 4 hours before testing helped
lower her numbers. If they eat within 2 hours before testing time, a food spike might be noted in the BGs.
It's great that he is acting great and doing so well! The timed feeder is a great invention too!
Glad you are trying it...now you can use the food to help the pancreas with small snacks at the right times.....
 
Re: 1/7 Scruffy OTJ trial day 13! am 121 Advice?

I checked out Raja's numbers. And they are similar to Scruffy's. You had a couple higher points, but were able to control things. That is reassuring.

Scruffy had his last anti-biotics last night. I tested him before he got his meds, so the stress of receiving the pills should not be a factor.

ARG I am positive that I can get this all under control. ARG nervous!
 
Re: 1/7 Scruffy OTJ trial day 13! am 121 Advice?

((((Teela)))) I'll send Jill a note to ask her to stop in here today. I'm thinking that being sure Scruffy gets a snack a few hours before his test should help (what would be about +9 or +10 if you were shooting).

I may be getting mixed up with another cat, but was Scruffy on a steroid for something? If so, when was that and was it a one time thing or something he is still on? Any other meds?
 
Re: 1/7 Scruffy OTJ trial day 13! am 121 Advice?

No steroids. On Dec 30th he had a dental which included extractions, and abscesses. And an over-nighter at the vet. He had pain meds for the first two days but then we stopped because he seemed really great (and it was the bad pain meds so I was scared - not to mention he was not pooping).
The antibiotics stopped last night.
I was off work for a week and a half, went back on Monday... so his numbers start creeping up after I am not there to give the regular feedings.

I dont like some of those higher numbers - but at the same time dont want to panic since there is an 80% chance those are due to food. I feel like 120-130 is not enough to justify the insulin...yet. ARG but dont want my kitty feeling badly.

I am torn on waiting longer and considering insulin...

I feel like waiting makes the most sense. He has been threw so much throughout this trial, and been able to keep his BGL on track.
 
Re: 1/7 Scruffy OTJ trial day 13! am 121 Advice?

I found that if I gave Raja a snack at +8 (4 hours before i tested) her number was even lower than if she
ate at +9. Ya know? so, feeding at AMBG likewise gave a very low number at +4 in the morning....
When the pancreas is working again, lower numbers will follow food after 3 or 4 hours.

There were days when you tested at PM=+3 and you can see the drop.
So, you use the food at certain times...but don't test too quickly after eating.. Raja had gone back to the .1u unit
for awhile after that first trial and I tried watching her food intake and the hours I fed her. (I got in the habit of setting
my alarm for 4am and tested and gave her a snack each night~a habit I have kept up with for Shadow too now)

The timed feeder will be a good thing now~~ but just set the snack time to be at least 3 or 4 hours from when you will be
testing the AMBGs or the PMBGs....(I used to leave out a frozen puck, but....what if they eat it at +10 or +11? there
is no control when they have food available to them freely and they might be eating too late in the cycle....so the feeder is the best thing!!!)

Scruffy is doing so very, very well....and so are YOU!!! :-D He is getting good numbers and that's what it's all about...their healing pancreas!!
That is cause for much celebration!!! So, don't be nervous, k? sorry if I am being repetitious....I think tht's my middle name... ;-)
 
Re: 1/7 Scruffy OTJ trial day 13! am 121 Advice?

Lots of good ideas about feeding and the timing of food in your condo already, so I won't add much. Just to say that I set my autofeeder (5 compartments) for every 5 hours and one 4 hour gap. Then it is evenly set-up for all twenty-four hours of the day. My cats didn't like it with the hours set closer together because often the food would "turn" away from them. I thought it was funny but they didn't... especially if the new compartment happened to be empty. Hahaha! Oh, sorry. I meant to say I never let THAT happen. (...right...) I load it approximately every 12 hours so the food stays fresher - 3 openings at a time. (That's why sometimes they get an empty compartment if I'm slow to re-load.)

You have to do what works best with your schedule and your kitty's preferences. Even now a year after OTJ, BigMac gets a better number if I wait at least 3 hours after he eats. I have learned not to test too soon after food or I get scared.

Good luck with the timing. I hope that is the only complication here.
 
I love you guys!

Ok I am feeling much more assured that we can do this by food only. He was a 72 when I got home, and had been eating out of the timed feeder all day (though did not eat much of the last one) We have the feeder set up to spin every 3 hours. So that should be good.

I have to go out, but will test again when I get back. But am feeling good now!
 
hi teela! you've already received some good advice on timing the feedings. why don't we hold off on the otj party for a few days to see how things work out with the timed feeder? i'd like to see if scruffy can pull those higher numbers down if fed at +8 or +9.
what do you think?
 
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