2/8 Gabby AMPS~448, PMPS~244, +2~229, +4~298

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Sienne and Gabby (GA)

Sienne and Gabby (GA)

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Yesterday's Condo

The best explanation I can come up with for the ugly red PS numbers yesterday and today is that Gabby's insulin was toasty. We're now in the process of refilling her shed. If that's the case, it's very frustrating and I feel like she's lost ground due to my oversight.

Gabby seems fine this morning. She was very hungry - Gizmo better learn not to leave any food in his bowl if he expects it to be there later. She's been social and finished her morning ablutions while keeping the living room safe from intruders (or was finding a good seat for the kitten races).
 
Re: 2/8 Gabby AMPS~448

Sure hope things turn around with the insulin issue; it's so hard to know when it's toast or if kitty is really up there in the bad numbers.

But that's OK; the shed will fill and all will get moving along again.
If Gabby is acting OK, then it can't be all bad, right?

As for the foods, well Gizmo is just going to have to eat faster haha_smiley
 
Re: 2/8 Gabby AMPS~448

Hello Miss Gabby,
What are you doing up there today??
Plasy nice with Gizmo, you know a kitten needs their food to.
I know Miss Gabby will come down, isn't it Monday??
She will keep you busy in no time soon.
 
Re: 2/8 Gabby AMPS~448

aww gabby ... this isn't a pretty color on you! Please come down to the prettier colors .. you'll look and feel so much better!

Have a good monday sienne!
 
Re: 2/8 Gabby AMPS~448, +2~370, +3~329

cheryl asked me to take a look at gabby's ss via PM.
some random thoughts...

--- hmmm, anything behind the puddingpoo (besides numbers)? any change in diet? you started a new cartridge last night. let's see if it helps. if it doesn't take the dose up.

--- do you have a thermometer for your refrigerator? some people have had trouble with lantus getting too cold.

--- another option is to try levemir when your current stash of lantus runs out. there's a possibility gabby *could* get better duration on lev.

--- just a suggestion... don't follow the "hold the dose for 10 cycles when you're seeing blue" rule. it's a good rule for those starting out who are still learning how their kitty responds to insulin and/or those who don't test a lot, but you don't fall into either of those 2 categories. imho, you can afford to be more aggressive by taking the dose up after 6 cycles.

--- food manipulation and carb sensitivity... gabby often zooms up in the 2nd half of the cycle. my alex is carb sensitive. if i fed her during the last half of the cycle it would virtually put the brakes on the action of the insulin and her numbers would zoom up. it *might* be worthwhile to experiment with her feeding schedule. divide up her meals and feed in the first half of the cycle rather than feeding anything in the last half of the cycle when the action of the insulin is winding down. she'll still get the same quantity and allotment of calories everyday.

looks to me like gabby may be very carb sensitive. i wonder if feeding lc to her lows is all that's really needed to bring her numbers up. try experimenting. some carb sensitive kitties (like alex) can get a 15 - 20 point rise (or more) from a teaspoon or two of lc. this last time alex was on insulin i went out and bought 18 cans of hc. i have 17 left. she wouldn't eat the hc and lc did the job! :-D


to those reading this... these comments/suggestions/observations are based on the spreadsheet of an individual cat.
they should not be construed as advice for your kitty.
 
Re: 2/8 Gabby AMPS~448, +2~370, +3~329

Jill & Alex said:
--- hmmm, anything behind the puddingpoo (besides numbers)? any change in diet? you started a new cartridge last night. let's see if it helps. if it doesn't take the dose up.
Click to expand...
There was nothing new in her diet. I did sprinkle some tuna flakes on her food, which she's had before but hasn't had them in a while. I think she also responds to changes in her BG with puddingpoo. She hasn't seen reds in a while.

--- do you have a thermometer for your refrigerator? some people have had trouble with lantus getting too cold.
Click to expand...
I have a fancy 'frig. It gives a temp reading. I don't have an external thermometer, though. I can certainly pick one up and see if there's a difference between what the refrigerator registers and what an external thermometer reads.

--- food manipulation and carb sensitivity... gabby often zooms up in the 2nd half of the cycle. my alex is carb sensitive. if i fed her during the last half of the cycle it would virtually put the brakes on the action of the insulin and her numbers would zoom up. it *might* be worthwhile to experiment with her feeding schedule. divide up her meals and feed in the first half of the cycle rather than feeding anything in the last half of the cycle when the action of the insulin is winding down. she'll still get the same quantity and allotment of calories everyday.
Click to expand...
Carb sensitivity is a real possibility. I can bump up her numbers on a 38 with LC and a little bit of gravy.

Right now, she gets fed mostly at the beginning of the cycle -- usually at +2, +4, and +6 or thereabouts (can't always get the feeder to open exactly on cue). When I'm home, she may get something later in the cycle when I test. I can delete that feeding and the overnight 'catsickle.' I can also move that last mid-cycle snack back to +5 if you think that's as late in the cycle as I should go. I tend to be cautious on the days when I'm not home but I think her nadir has moved earlier lately.

Lev may be an option, as well. I still have the free stash of Lantus to finish up. However, if I keep seeing this pattern, I may talk to my vet about a switch. I'm not sure if she's ever prescribed Lev.

As you know, I don't mind being aggressive as long as I can be around to test. Work hasn't been overly cooperative with my schedule lately but I can see what is possible. (It's also hard for me to make some of these decisions with my own cat! I'm not in the least bit objective.)

Thanks Jill. There's a lot to think about.
 
Re: 2/8 Gabby AMPS~448, +2~370, +3~329, +10.75~314, PMPS~244

Cycle 7 at this dose.Despite Jill suggesting an aggressive dosing stance, I opted to not increase the dose on a dropping number. Given what I know of Gabby's penchant for drama, I didn't want to beg for trouble!

No more puddingpoo!
 
Re: 2/8 Gabby AMPS~448, +2~370, +3~329, +10.75~314, PMPS~244

lol! of course she'd present you with a dropping number tonight! :mrgreen:
 
Re: 2/8 Gabby AMPS~448, +2~370, +3~329, +10.75~314, PMPS~244

FWIW, I have a fancy fridge with the digital temp thing too. It always reads 39, but I froze 2 bottles of PZI and one of Lantus. :-x So I finally got an old fashioned fridge thermometer and it read 29. Other stuff wasn't frozen so either the real number was somewhere in between, or else there was that much variance in different areas of the fridge.

That's a pretty fancy drop tonight, Gabby!
 
Re: 2/8 Gabby AMPS~448, +2~370, +3~329, +10.75~314, PMPS~244

Good job there Gabby! Now let's see if you can keep going.

Frig temps - I got a frig thermometer and keep it on the door where I keep our carts in the box. I do know that the back of my frig is much colder and I tested the top, bottom, back and door, and found lots of differences.
 
Re: 2/8 Gabby AMPS~448, +2~370, +3~329, +10.75~314, PMPS~244

I have one of those fancy fridges too that reads 38 degrees. I think I better buy another thermometer and see it that makes a difference.
I hope Gabby comes down for you tonight.....much better PMPS.
 
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