? 3/25 - Xander | AMPS 246, +1 309. Dose review/couting cycles question

Brianna & Xander

Brianna & Xander

Very Active Member
3/24/25

Morning everyone (or whatever time it is for you)!

I've read the Counting Cycles thread several times, but I'm just looking for clarification about something.

We've been on 2.25 units for 10 cycles now technically, but the first nadir under 200 I saw was actually 8 cycles ago. (That one also went to 57, so very good). Since then I've gotten some more nadirs under 200 but nothing under 100.

Does the 6-10 consecutive cycles start from the time I first see a nadir under 200, or just from the beginning of the dose itself?

If it's the former, it seems like I could increase now or wait another 2 cycles. If it's the latter, it seems like I need to increase for tonight's dose.

If it wasn't a bounce-clearing cycle when he hit that 57 (there was no bounce to clear) I wonder why he managed to get that low exactly once and now isn't even coming close. :rolleyes:

Thanks for your help! Hope everyone's having a good day. :)
 
signal-2025-03-24-115226_002.jpeg


I know a lot of my pictures are this same basic idea, but whatever, he looks like this a lot and he's cute!
 

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Staci & Ivy said:
He's sooo sweet, Brianna!! I love how he loves to cuddle with you in your photos!
I'm hoping you get some clarification on dosing for Xander soon!
Hope he comes down a bit soon, but safely of course!
Have a nice day, Brianna!:bighug::cat::bighug:
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He does love to cuddle! It's so funny because that didn't start until maybe 5 years ago but now it's like the only thing he wants to do is be my velcro. :)

Thank you, Staci! :bighug:
 
Good questions, Brianna! I was just wondering this same "counting cycles" question last night when I was looking at someone's ss. I'll be interested in hearing someone weigh in.

He's absolutely adorable, all cuddled up with you.
 
Marielle said:
Good questions, Brianna! I was just wondering this same "counting cycles" question last night when I was looking at someone's ss. I'll be interested in hearing someone weigh in.

He's absolutely adorable, all cuddled up with you.
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I'm glad it's not a dumb question/clarification that I'm asking for!

Thank you! He's my favorite little guy. ❤️
 
What a cutie! So nice that he cuddles up at your desk :cat:

Curious for this answer too - thus far I've been sticking to consecutive dose but he always hasn't given many big drops so it usually works both ways.

Safe surfing :bighug:
 
Good Questions:

The cycle count starts from when you first started the dose. Remember we are looking for Tight Regulation with nadirs in the 50-100 range. Nadirs in the 200s won't get you there nor will one green in 5 days.
Try to look at the SS in the trend of the last couple of days. For example, you increased the dose in the PM on 3/20 and on the third cycle of the increase you saw a green. That's Great! Then he bounced. We wait and see if the bounce clears. This can take up to 6 cycles, ie PM cycle of 3/24. In the PM Cycle on 3/24, he would have been on this dose for 9 cycles in total. If by the 10th cycle on the dose you don't see that beautiful nadir of green, its time to increase.

Brianna & Xander said:
If it wasn't a bounce-clearing cycle when he hit that 57 (there was no bounce to clear) I wonder why he managed to get that low exactly once and now isn't even coming close.
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The simple answer is Just Cat :banghead:
Insulin is a hormone and hormone needs fluctuate. A good dose last week may have gone stale this week and may be good again in three weeks. Our job as CGs is to follow the numbers.

Hope this helps!
 
Angela & Cleo said:
Good Questions:

The cycle count starts from when you first started the dose. Remember we are looking for Tight Regulation with nadirs in the 50-100 range. Nadirs in the 200s won't get you there nor will one green in 5 days.
Try to look at the SS in the trend of the last couple of days. For example, you increased the dose in the PM on 3/20 and on the third cycle of the increase you saw a green. That's Great! Then he bounced. We wait and see if the bounce clears. This can take up to 6 cycles, ie PM cycle of 3/24. In the PM Cycle on 3/24, he would have been on this dose for 9 cycles in total. If by the 10th cycle on the dose you don't see that beautiful nadir of green, its time to increase.


The simple answer is Just Cat :banghead:
Insulin is a hormone and hormone needs fluctuate. A good dose last week may have gone stale this week and may be good again in three weeks. Our job as CGs is to follow the numbers.

Hope this helps!
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Great, thank you, Angela! I'll increase tonight.

So just to further clarify (I understand in this case it doesn't apply, but I'm wondering for my own future reference): if for example he had hit green further into a dose increase, like by the 5th cycle, would we still wait past what would have been 10 cycles on that dose to make sure the bounce has cleared before increasing? Assuming it took the entire 6 cycles to clear that would put us at 11 cycles rather than 10. Just wondering if in that case we would still increase on the 10th or wait the extra, if that makes sense.
 
Briana + Binx said:
What a cutie! So nice that he cuddles up at your desk :cat:

Curious for this answer too - thus far I've been sticking to consecutive dose but he always hasn't given many big drops so it usually works both ways.

Safe surfing :bighug:
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I love it! I'm pretty isolated where I am so it's nice to have my buddy nearby all the time.

Yeah, it becomes really confusing when you combine the bounce-clearing cycles and consecutive time on a dose, etc. I feel like it's been an endless stream of "... but since he did it THIS way, how do I go about it?" lol
 
Brianna & Xander said:
Great, thank you, Angela! I'll increase tonight.

So just to further clarify (I understand in this case it doesn't apply, but I'm wondering for my own future reference): if for example he had hit green further into a dose increase, like by the 5th cycle, would we still wait past what would have been 10 cycles on that dose to make sure the bounce has cleared before increasing? Assuming it took the entire 6 cycles to clear that would put us at 11 cycles rather than 10. Just wondering if in that case we would still increase on the 10th or wait the extra, if that makes sense.
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The short answer is Yes! The slightly longer answer is maybe lol. Maybe bc it depends on how long does the cat take to clear a bounce. Some take 6 cycles others do it sooner and some do it in 8-10. The data on your cat will get you that answer. And anytime you're not sure just post the question.
An example is my Cleo. She's a bouncy kitty :rolleyes: and I just increased tonight after holding 1.5units for 9 days-18cycles. She kept giving green nadirs until she just didn't the last 6 cycles.
FYI I know there's an 81 in there but the overall trend was higher so up she goes lol.
 
Angela & Cleo said:
The short answer is Yes! The slightly longer answer is maybe lol. Maybe bc it depends on how long does the cat take to clear a bounce. Some take 6 cycles others do it sooner and some do it in 8-10. The data on your cat will get you that answer. And anytime you're not sure just post the question.
An example is my Cleo. She's a bouncy kitty :rolleyes: and I just increased tonight after holding 1.5units for 9 days-18cycles. She kept giving green nadirs until she just didn't the last 6 cycles.
FYI I know there's an 81 in there but the overall trend was higher so up she goes lol.
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That makes sense, thank you! And I can definitely see it in Cleo's spreadsheet.

Looking at it in terms of an overall trend is helpful. I've been thinking of it kind of as, well if he gave me a green twice, he may give me another and I just need to wait. But now he's definitely going up overall, so no more waiting.
 
Brianna & Xander said:
View attachment 73234

I know a lot of my pictures are this same basic idea, but whatever, he looks like this a lot and he's cute!
Click to expand...
So cute!! It can be frustrating finding the right dose (Bell and I are doing that right now). Especially with a bouncy cat. For Bell, it can be like a lightswitch where she goes from a lot of pinks and yellows to snapping right to the greens. You'll find it soon with Xander!
 
Brianna & Xander said:
if for example he had hit green further into a dose increase, like by the 5th cycle, would we still wait past what would have been 10 cycles on that dose to make sure the bounce has cleared before increasing?
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A couple refinements to think about. First, there are different levels of green. If you see a quick flash of 90's, then no greens after that, there is room to increase regardless. Another consideration is if that green is on a human meter, pet meter, or the Libre. Libre's often read lower than the BG meter does, and the TR protocol was designed for human BG meter readings. We recommend people testing Libre lows with a human meter. I get that not everyone can manually test the Libre lows, but if you can, it's good to see if a reduction was really earned.

And finally, not all cats take 6th cycles to clear a bounce. Over time, it's worth tracking how long it is currently tracking to clear a bounce for your cat. So even if you see that green on the 5th cycle, but he clears a bounce in 4 cycles, you could still increase on cycle 10. You just want to avoid increasing on the same cycle as the bounce clears as that can add extra downward momentum to the cycle. Over time, some have observed that reductions earned in bounce clearing cycles may not hold.
 
bluesunshine said:
So cute!! It can be frustrating finding the right dose (Bell and I are doing that right now). Especially with a bouncy cat. For Bell, it can be like a lightswitch where she goes from a lot of pinks and yellows to snapping right to the greens. You'll find it soon with Xander!
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Xander does that too! It's hard not to get your hopes up and have them crushed every time too. Crossing my fingers for both of us that we get this all figured out for them soon!
 
Wendy&Neko said:
A couple refinements to think about. First, there are different levels of green. If you see a quick flash of 90's, then no greens after that, there is room to increase regardless. Another consideration is if that green is on a human meter, pet meter, or the Libre. Libre's often read lower than the BG meter does, and the TR protocol was designed for human BG meter readings. We recommend people testing Libre lows with a human meter. I get that not everyone can manually test the Libre lows, but if you can, it's good to see if a reduction was really earned
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Of course! That makes total sense. Re: manual testing - so far I haven't been lucky enough to manage it, but when there's been what seems like a real low I do try.

Wendy&Neko said:
And finally, not all cats take 6th cycles to clear a bounce. Over time, it's worth tracking how long it is currently tracking to clear a bounce for your cat. So even if you see that green on the 5th cycle, but he clears a bounce in 4 cycles, you could still increase on cycle 10. You just want to avoid increasing on the same cycle as the bounce clears as that can add extra downward momentum to the cycle. Over time, some have observed that reductions earned in bounce clearing cycles may not hold.
Click to expand...

Absolutely makes sense too! I'll definitely keep an eye on it. For a stretch there it seemed like his bounces were getting better. Hopefully we'll see that again soon. My updated question was more just a hypothetical, trying to understand how the cycle counting works in the weirder cases (as we so often end up being). :)
 
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