Previous thread https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/6-13-newman-amps-250-increase-dose.264539/ PMPS 235, 185@+3, 169@+3.5 Newman's nadir is closer to +7 or 8 Since it is difficult for me to get a hold of him for testing, I decided to feed him a little Friskies with gravy and test 166 @+4 (after Friskies w/gravy) 199 @+5 (lots of protest growling) I think he will be okay to get through his nadir with the boost from the HC food. I'm going to bed.
I understand that you did this since it was night. The goal with SLGS is to try to keep them between 90 and 149. I wish he would to this during the daytime so we could see what would happen without the HC intervention. I'm kind of expecting a high preshot this morning from a bounce.
Okay, I see that pink pre-shot. I thought so. But he could come down from that today and I certainly hope so. I've got to go take a cat to the vet today for a biopsy :-( so I am going to be gone for a while. Have a good morning!
Newman is wise to me coaxing and capturing him so I have my fingers crossed that we don't get wildly off schedule. I think I am going to back down to 1.75 units even though he was pink this morning. I think I may have rushed that increase. I agree I wish the events in question would happen during the day. There must be an explanation for that but..... whatever. Thanks for checking in with us. Good luck with your cat at the vet.
Hi Linda, I'm a little perplexed as to why you went back to 1.75u as he had good numbers last night and was surfing along nicely in the high blues.
Hi Tee, Thanks for looking in on us. I had to overcome my gut feeling to shooting 2 units on the PMPS 235 and I had talked myself out of reducing the dose at that time. I know that I have to gain the courage to face the low numbers. I'm working on that. I'm mostly okay with the daytime hours, but nighttime hours are much more difficult, mentally and physically. After shooting him and checking him before I planned to go to bed, (+3) I decided I should check him again for peace of mind. With the next check, I thought that those blue numbers were dropping too fast. His nadir seems to be around + 7 to +8 so it seemed to me he had a long way to go and I imagined I could get in trouble rather quickly. Additionally, he was already sensing my approach to him each time was for pokes and jabs so he was becoming more and more resistant to it. The usual bribes were not working. At 169 @ +3.5, I opened a can of Friskies Turkey Shreds with gravy. An hour later he had come up to 199, so I figured he would be okay at nadir. Finally, my decision to go back to 1.75 was partly based on the short trial ( 4 cycles) that I had given before increasing to 2 units. Newman does bounce with changes. My thinking is to give him more time to work with the 1.75. He even had some good blue numbers with 1.5 units. At this point and maybe from the start I will be happy with consistent mid to low blue numbers.
Tee, I wanted to tell you that I have printed out the suggested schedule you posted for me a few days ago. I am trying to make those suggestions work for Newman and me. He has never been a voracious eater, so when I offer the full 3 ounce can, he still only eats about 1/3 of it initially. He is a grazer, as you probably recall reading on an earlier post. I have been aiming for the +3,4 and 5 times to feed additional small portions as you suggest. As for the regurgitation, he can go for days with no occurrences. If he does regurgitate, it usually occurs within 5-10 minutes after eating his meal.
It would be best not to feed after his typical nadir. That’s my main concern. He tends to nadir late, so maybe it will be possible. I confess to being disappointed since those blue numbers are what I would like to see more of. But I am not the one trying to get a hold of Newman at night for testing. Remember that a cat’s insulin needs to change over time. You will not always see the same results on a dose that was given previously; you may see lower or higher numbers.
Yea, I was disappointed also because I like the blue. Perhaps I made a mistake last night, but to tell you the truth, I probably would repeat it when it is during the overnight cycle. My cats can be predictable until their not! The majority of the time, he is very cooperative but once he gets suspicious, he is masterful at avoidance.
"It would be best not to feed after his typical nadir. That’s my main concern. He tends to nadir late, so maybe it will be possible." If we say that his nadir is around +7 or +8, it is occurring on or about his dinner time. I'm a little confused because I though I had read that frequent small meals work well for the diabetic cat, so his grazing pattern fills that idea.
Frequent small meals can be good yes. So, yes to grazing if it’s grazing and not gorging (doesn’t seem like Newman gorges!) Let’s say you shot at 8 am and +8 was at 4 pm, he could eat at 4 but not from 4-6 pm. I don’t know if he can get used to this. He’s already been trying to adjust to the no food for two hours prior to shot.
You are right, he doesn't gorge and we have been observing the 2 hour hold. He was finished eating his dinner today at 5:05, so I can test just after 7:00. I will test around 7:30 and shoot at 8:00. After I shoot him and up until bedtime he will return to graze on his remaining food. That usually consists of 2 more times at his food bowl.
Yes, I feel the need to do that. You may remember that I had the feeling that I may have blown past an ideal dose, before I even had the spreadsheet and was actively participating on the FDMB.
That’s fine. I do not think you have shot past his “best dose” because you were starting to see good numbers on 2 units. Usually if you have shot past the good dose you will see too high numbers.
But remember…. We are talking about a “good dose” or a “best dose” and there is not necessarily just one “best dose” or “good dose” because a cat’s insulin needs can and do change over time. What’s a good dose today is not necessarily what will be a good dose next week.
Got it. Poor choice of words on my part. He just tested PMPS 297. I will offer the food remaining in his bowl and then shoot 1.75 @ 8:00.
Sorry about the fur shot this morning. I hope some got in. That’s frustrating. Fur shots (and also the reduction you did last night) will reset the cycle count. It’s pretty clear that the 1.75 dose is going to keep him mostly in yellows with the very occasional high blue. But I want you to be comfortable and do the full seven days trial. Who knows, Newman may decide to change on us?
Yes, disappointing. I attempted to shoot him while he was eating. That set-up doesn't work for us, so I will have to be satisfied to allow him to finish eating and then shoot when he is up on my desk. That also allows me to be relatively certain that he is going to keep his food down. Not the ideal procedure, but the best I can do. I didn't post this response this morning when I wrote it. @Suzanne & Darcy I will add that he is 222 @ +6.5 That is puzzling as I know the intended dose this morning was partial at best. Both his fur and my fingers were wet!
I would not stress over this. It's not going to make a huge difference. Sometimes you just have to work with what you have. How many minutes can it be. That is kind of puzzling? Oh well, who knows what's up? We will see
Curious about that lower number on what I think was a fur shot, I checked him before his dinner. He was 241 @ +9. So, he got a reduced dose last night, a fur shot this morning or a partial intended dose of 1.75. I expected him to be rather high today.
I was about to post that we were back on track. PMPS 309 shot 1.75U Then he barfed. I expect he will be back shortly and be ready to eat again. I'll give smaller portions than usual. @Suzanne & Darcy
Pink last night and pink this morning. Any idea what he did last night? I don’t see any tests. Did he hide away from you?
No testing last night. I hoped to at least test him before I went to bed around 11:30. He was under the bed and could not be enticed to come out.
Linda, I am worried about you. Are you okay? Newman okay. I haven’t heard from you. I’ve been sick, but I have still tried to check Newman’s SS morning, evening, and in mid-day. I hope you are well.
Yes, we are fine, just having a busy day. I see now that you posted around 5:00 but I didn't see that until later, knowing I would be updating the SS, I neglected to answer. I apologize for causing you any worry. I'm sorry that you aren't feeling well. I hope you feel better soon.
Hi Suzanne. I'm glad to hear from you, I didn't want to disturb you to ask how you were doing. I hope that you are feeling better. Newman is doing okay. Maybe I will get a couple of spot checks tomorrow and see what the numbers are doing. He seems to be feeling pretty good, judging by his actions and demeanor.
I am feeling better. I will try to get some rest tonight. I have been peeking at Newman’s spreadsheet.
I have to admit that I am just counting the days until it’s time for the increase to 2 units. I only hope he hasn’t gotten too comfortable in these higher numbers.
No mid-cycle tests for Newman today? He's had a few days with higher blues. He's kind of overdue for that .25 increase. With nadirs over 150 (one was close, at 153 but over.) How's everything else going?
I was thinking I would stay with 1.75U since I only have two cycles charted with blue numbers. It took him a few days to get out of the pink/yellow numbers, so maybe he needs a few more cycles to determine what happens with blue.
But you have seen some blue so I think it’s possible to get him into healthier numbers on a regular basis.
