8/10 Butters AMPS 257/+3 209/+4 252/+7 191/+10 196/PMPS 178/+2 169/+4 216/+8 200/

Yesterday I bought calipers and started trying to use those.

Based on Butters' AMPS score today, she remained high last night. She and I both slept through the autofeeder going off, so she didn't get her late night LC snack. Guess I have to set an alarm to go off with the autofeeder so that she eats overnight!

Have a lovely day/evening, all.

 

I hope the calipers help make a difference. Once you get used to them, you'll love them. I hope Butters slides down and surfs today.

 

I started using the auto-feeder during the day to provide Luci with her regular meals and snacks...she came to KNOW exactly what that sound meant...mine makes a little grrrring sound when it turns to the 'open' position...so she would run downstairs to see what was in the tray...and she'd eat some or all of it...now she hears it every night around 2 or 2:30 a.m. .so by the time I'm getting up around 5:30ish the tray has already turned to the closed position, I retrieve it to wash it up and the food is usually gone...sometimes she just doesn't want it, but it's certainly not because she didn't check it out...

Did @Marje and Gracie check in with you about the calipers?

 

Marje did check in with me! Thank you for tagging her. And @Ti-Mousse , who uses the same syringes, patiently went over "how-to" again. I was initially starting the measurement too high up. Now I finally understand to measure from the top of the plunger when it is pressed all the way up, but measuring from there still results in a smaller dose. Butters is going to be getting less insulin and her numbers have been high. Marje mentioned fast tracking her to a higher dose, so I have some homework to do on figuring that out.

I have not been putting the autofeeder out consistently, but after reading what you wrote, I'm going to start. I only did it a few times when I was home to get her to associate the sound (same sound!) with getting food. Since then, I only use it when I have to go into work (not often right now), or at night, but not every night. She loves eating off a plate, and the bowls in the feeder are very deep. She finds them cumbersome. Princess Cat.

I am on back-to-back online meetings almost all day long every day, constantly trying to quietly measure out food, check BG....it is quite hilarious. Meanwhile I have this autofeeder I could be using. Sometimes I am my own worst enemy .

 

I managed to check Oberon's BG during a Zoom meeting the other day.

 

Check out these. They fit in the 5 slot auto feeder. Marje suggested them years ago. I put reusable ice cubes under them to keep them from tipping. And if you freeze the cubes it helps keep food cool, but they do melt fast.

As an added bonus, PJ loves to take the cubes out and bat them around the house.

Here is a pic with plate in place and the ice cubes.

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/m/products/open-kitchen-dip-bowl/?pkey=s|3 1/2"%20dipping%20plate%7C49

 

Also these bowls fit, they kept Ollie from pushing the food off the little plates but she did have trouble getting all the food, they are deep. And move in slot.

https://www.amazon.com/Duralex-Lys-Stackable-Clear-Bowl/dp/B00E835AUK

 

My tray looks the same as yours. That's exactly what Butters needs. And she surely does not have enough toys around here...I can't wait to find one of those cubes underfoot . She would probably have trouble with the bowls from amazon, like Ollie. I bet I can source the items at my local dollar store, and see which ones work. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

@Sonia & Leo just wanted to thank you for responding to my yesterday's thread on the calipers! I did get lots of help and Lyane gave me pictures to explain exactly where to measure from. I just need to get over the fact that I'm going to be giving Butters less insulin than before, and think of it like a bit of a fresh start. At least I know all her doses will be consistent, now. One less thing to worry about! Glad I got the encouragement from so many people to make the switch. There is no going back now!

 

Bowls/plates need to be no larger than 3 1/2 inches in diameter. You can put anything under them to keep plate in place and from tipping. I tried packing peanuts and they worked but afraid PJ would eat them. Small rocks also work or medium size marbles.I

If you have a party supply store you could probably find the ice cubes there.

 

Yay, I'm glad you're getting plenty of help with those darn BDs! The board members rock don't they!?!
Try not to get too frustrated with the calipers. It takes a lil time to get fluent. In the beginning I think we all have experienced EXTREME displeasure and self doubt. But, once you get use to them, I tell ya...you will never question the dose again. You'll know the #s you're seeing is Butters and not a reflection of how you dosed. Calipers offer peace of mind. Once you get that dose worked out, Butter's #s should start to come down again
Have a great day Lyla!

 

Lyla...give her time to clear this bounce and see what she does. If it is evident that her BG has gone up since you’ve used the calipers and realized her dose has been more than 0.5u, you could fast track her up by increasing the dose by 0.25u after four cycles.

This is not in lieu of following TR. It’s how we approach the instance where a member is switching from one of the L insulins to another and we’ve cut the starting dose back by 30% (sometimes the first cycle has a huge response to the new insulin). If we see that reduced dose isn’t working, we fast track back up. I had to do this with Gracie when switching from Lantus to Levemir.

Before you fast track, be sure she has cleared the bounce and her BG definitely is trending higher than it was before you started with the calipers. Then increase by 0.25u while monitoring very closely. If you can’t monitor closely, do less of an increase. With the calipers, you can dose down to 0.1u. Can you estimate how much the dose has been off? For example, if it looks like it was off by 0.25u, then you should see a response once you do that increase. If it was more, then we should discuss how quickly and by how much more you should increase. When you need help, please PM me as I am not getting every tag. That way I can pop onto your condo to help.

Also....once I started using calipers with Gracie and dosing consistently, her numbers got so much better. Some of my syringes had been off by as much as 0.5u so her dose, before calipers, was never consistent.

 

Thanks Marje. I measured 20 syringes and found them to be off by anywhere from under 0.25u to just under 0.5u. They varied wildly. I look forward to getting better control with Butters' numbers, too, like you did with Gracie, now that I know Butters is getting a consistent dose.

Tonight will be her sixth cycle on 0.5u, so if her numbers don't go back down today/tonight, I'll take the increase tomorrow morning as per TR protocol, then wait to see how she does with that dose before thinking about any kind of fast tracking. Reading what you wrote, my understanding is that if her numbers stay high/trend higher and I am certain they are not due to a bounce, I could take an increase after four cycles instead of six. But I will definitely PM you before mess with any additional increases beyond what the TR protocol states.

I'm so glad I finally tackled this with everyone's help. Wish I had started with this sooner, but at least I'm doing it now. Thank you for taking the time to make the videos and posts on calipers dosing for the community, and for helping me.

 

They sure do rock, including you!
I am clumsy and heavy handed with wonky eyes. Doing detail work with my hands is so out of my element. LOL. Hopefully I get more used to them soon! Practice makes perfect, right!
I look forward to Butters' numbers coming down again, but maybe not as far down as they did the other night. Still recovering from that pj party.
Hope you're having a good one, too!

 

Perfect! And I understand that for a lot of people, especially new members just trying to get their feet wet and cope with FD, the thought of using calipers is overwhelming. It’s just “one more thing”. So don’t beat yourself up; you are actually starting to use them sooner than many members.

Paws crossed. And I’m happy we could do the videos to help members.

 

One other thing.....please be sure you are checking ketones daily if you think she’s getting less insulin.

 

I will check for ketones daily for now.

I just have to say, wow. I am still a mess juggling everything it took me 20 minutes to prepare her insulin this evening. But I know I successfully measured proper 0.5u doses of insulin today and that feels very good. Thank you everyone for your advice and help. @Briere Fur Mom you brought up the whole dosing with calipers thing during our PJ party with The Big Fuzz on Friday/Saturday, so an extra thank you for that gentle kick in the butt! I would never go back to my old ways.

 

People have plenty of tips for that too....as far as collecting the urine. I'm fortunate that my boy Ittle potties on command

 

Maybe Ittle could come over and teach Butters how to do that. She refuses to have an audience when she's in the litterbox My girl is shy.