? 9/25 Henri, PMPS 88, +1 79, +2 57, 62@2.5, +3 52, 66@3.6, +4 72, 65@4.5 #s decreasing

Katie_Waz

Katie_Waz

Member Since 2020
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...er-dose-tomorrow-morning.235819/#post-2643538

I'm glad I dropped the dose when I did! Another all nighter for me. I just can't trust her numbers to come back up on their own without food. They start dropping at +1 or +2 and don't come up again all day without food. Bc I can't feed her at night like I do in the day, nor is she hungry at night...her numbers just go up and down all night based on what I feed her. Which means no sleep for the momma. I was so tired this morning I dreamed her number shot to 450 and when my husband usually tests for me at 6 am, I told him not to and that I did already based on a dream. I remembered about a half hour later after I really woke up. I have to be out of the house today from 1:30-6:30 so fingers crossed I can get enough food into her to keep her up while I'm gone. My husband has no idea what to do even after I explain tot him how things work. I had to rush home during work to feed her yesterday.

Anyway, I am told that it can take 4-6 cycles for the depot to pass so toe beans crossed! If anyone else has any further advice to get me through the next few days...this has been the toughest on me by far...I broke down a little yesterday :/ but I know..this too shall pass
 
:bighug::bighug::bighug:
She earned that reduction and not even a bounce. I think you might need to feed less often and if she earns another reduction take it. Do it during the day when you are home and can give her hc if she drops. She just might be going into remission soon. You can’t keep up these all nighters.
 
The only reason I've been feeding do often is to keep her up lol unfortunately bc of trying to keep her up shes been overeating the past week almost.

Her normal schedule is 7 am breakfast
11 am snack (if she wants) 4 pm snack (if she wants)
before she was only usual doing 1 of those snacks
7 pm dinner and a late snack around 11 before bedtime

I was thinking of freezing some food to leave it out in case she needs something in the middle of the night

Yeah... between having to run home yesterday at work and not getting any sleep...it was just too much.

I would be sooo excited for remission! Shes only been on insulin for a month

She dropped to 68 for her +2 today...snd I've been monitoring and not feeding to see if shes cunning up on her own. It looks like she might be headed there. Its +3 and shes up to 77
 
I used to feed at shot time, +2 , +4 and depending on numbers 1 more unless swimming with the sharks. Leaving food out at night is a good idea as long as it’s eaten before two hours before amps. That’s where the auto feeder comes in. JaxBenji and JojiandKit use one and they get to sleep most nights. Look at their spreadsheets.
 
tiffmaxee said:
JojiandKit use one and they get to sleep most nights.
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tiffmaxee said:
you might need to feed less often and if she earns another reduction take it
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this was an important lesson that we learned from elise. it was really hard to watch kit's numbers drop and not feed her. back in older threads you'll see me telling elise that "this time i'm keeping my resolve" to not feed. and then one day, i finally kept to the resolve. of course, this is much easier said than done. but the doing becomes easier as your data tells you what is likely to happen in response to food quantity, carb % and timing in the cycle. the other benefit is then you have some energy for those night's henri really needs you e.g. 9/18 for us .... :coffee::coffee::coffee:
 
tiffmaxee said:
I used to feed at shot time, +2 , +4 and depending on numbers 1 more unless swimming with the sharks. Leaving food out at night is a good idea as long as it’s eaten before two hours before amps. That’s where the auto feeder comes in. JaxBenji and JojiandKit use one and they get to sleep most nights. Look at their spreadsheets.
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I think i might have actually seen your spreadsheet...it was recommended by another member on a previous post. It was really helpful to see how you're using the food!

Unfortunately my girl won't eat out of the automatic feeder. I think the cups are too deep? It has ice packs but im going to try freezing a cube of food to see if that helps. Worst case scenario is ill get up at 3am to give her a snack and test her. Getting up once will definitely be easier than what I have been doing lol
 
JOJI and Kit said:
this was an important lesson that we learned from elise. it was really hard to watch kit's numbers drop and not feed her. back in older threads you'll see me telling elise that "this time i'm keeping my resolve" to not feed. and then one day, i finally kept to the resolve. of course, this is much easier said than done. but the doing becomes easier as your data tells you what is likely to happen in response to food quantity, carb % and timing in the cycle. the other benefit is then you have some energy for those night's henri really needs you e.g. 9/18 for us .... :coffee::coffee::coffee:
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This! As YOU get used to lower numbers, you let Henri go lower. You know how to get her back up if she dips too low because you have meticulous records. For example, Jax is hanging out in the 60s today - I used to feed MC in the 60s - I've started to only feed LC and he seems to be doing just fine. My next step is to feed less often. It's also good to remember how healing for the pancreas the dark greens are - we want the kitties in the dark greens as long as possible.

And for the auto-feeder, have you tried feeding her first meal of the day in it? Like just as a dish? I can't remember if I recommended this to you or someone else just so she associates it with food.
 
JOJI and Kit said:
this was an important lesson that we learned from elise. it was really hard to watch kit's numbers drop and not feed her. back in older threads you'll see me telling elise that "this time i'm keeping my resolve" to not feed. and then one day, i finally kept to the resolve. of course, this is much easier said than done. but the doing becomes easier as your data tells you what is likely to happen in response to food quantity, carb % and timing in the cycle. the other benefit is then you have some energy for those night's henri really needs you e.g. 9/18 for us .... :coffee::coffee::coffee:
Click to expand...
I let her go down on the days where I wasn't working and once she got into 50's I started to feed. I onky started letting her drop lower in the past week. Sometimes she drops so fast though! Like down 50+ points on an hour...scary stuff. I did ride it out today bc I dont have to go to work until her +6.5. It also seems my husband can't get her to eat so I do worry when I'm gone. I wondee if the depot is starting to wear down since she went low and came back up on her own :-)
 
Katie_Waz said:
my girl won't eat out of the automatic feeder. I think the cups are too deep?
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at first kit wouldn't either. and yeah, the opening shapes are weird. if you have a pet safe brand, it looks like people have "hacked' the depth by finding little bowls that fit in the spaces and still allow the turning mechanics to work properly.
we have one of each (pet safe, cat mate) :rolleyes: we use the cat mate for PM cycle and the pet safe for any AM cycle needs.

we got her used to the feeder slowly during the AM cycle so we could see what was going on.
first step was take the lid off and have it open near her regular plate. no food in there, just get used to it being near the food. then set the timers so it turns and makes the 'hey what's happening over there?' noise, still no food.
next step was to put her first snack in there, lid off.
when she started eating from it lid off, next step was to put the lid on. this restricts the head space, but now she knows the prompts...
and almost as if by magic ;), the auto feeder is part of kit's life.
 
JaxBenji said:
This! As YOU get used to lower numbers, you let Henri go lower. You know how to get her back up if she dips too low because you have meticulous records. For example, Jax is hanging out in the 60s today - I used to feed MC in the 60s - I've started to only feed LC and he seems to be doing just fine. My next step is to feed less often. It's also good to remember how healing for the pancreas the dark greens are - we want the kitties in the dark greens as long a

And for the auto-feeder, have you tried feeding her first meal of the day in it? Like just as a dish? I can't remember if I recommended this to you or someone else just so she associates it with food.
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absolutely. I am definitely getting used to them...first time she got into the low blue I got nervous...now I'm OK with 60 but I test her every half hour bc she has dipped below 50 with that. Her dose is lowered too so I expect I'll see some slightly higher numbers while she works herself back down towards those dark greens :) I have tried that with breakfast...when she's hungriest and giving her food I know she's interested and its a lick or 2 and she's done but she stll comes begging for food so I know she's hungry :/
 
JOJI and Kit said:
at first kit wouldn't either. and yeah, the opening shapes are weird. if you have a pet safe brand, it looks like people have "hacked' the depth by finding little bowls that fit in the spaces and still allow the turning mechanics to work properly.
we have one of each (pet safe, cat mate) :rolleyes: we use the cat mate for PM cycle and the pet safe for any AM cycle needs.

we got her used to the feeder slowly during the AM cycle so we could see what was going on.
first step was take the lid off and have it open near her regular plate. no food in there, just get used to it being near the food. then set the timers so it turns and makes the 'hey what's happening over there?' noise, still no food.
next step was to put her first snack in there, lid off.
when she started eating from it lid off, next step was to put the lid on. this restricts the head space, but now she knows the prompts...
and almost as if by magic ;), the auto feeder is part of kit's life.
Click to expand...
this is fanstastic! I'll start this tomorrow morning. We also have the catmate brand with the ice packs. Can I ask what you found to fit inside the feeder dish so it's not as shallow and it turns?
 
Katie_Waz said:
what you found to fit inside the feeder dish
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for the cat mate we never found anything that fit well and over a reasonable amount of time kit started using it, so we stopped investigating.
we only got the pet safe because at a certain point we wanted "am" and "pm" feeders. :rolleyes:
i guess we could have gotten a second cat mate, but the pet safe was on sale in that moment and we were curious about the differences in design.
anyway ..... for the pet safe, we don't use any extra little bowls either, but if you search around the forums (this and main health), you'll find the conversations about bowls and such.
 
JOJI and Kit said:
for the cat mate we never found anything that fit well and over a reasonable amount of time kit started using it, so we stopped investigating.
we only got the pet safe because at a certain point we wanted "am" and "pm" feeders. :rolleyes:
i guess we could have gotten a second cat mate, but the pet safe was on sale in that moment and we were curious about the differences in design.
anyway ..... for the pet safe, we don't use any extra little bowls either, but if you search around the forums (this and main health), you'll find the conversations about bowls and such.
Click to expand...


Ah...ok

I'll check it out. Thanks!
 
JOJI and Kit said:
"am" and "pm" feeders.
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FWIW, I have the catemate c500 and ordered 2 extra ice packs so I could use it in the AM and PM. Depends on your needs if you want two totally separate units (and set them both up at the beginning of the day or something like that). We were thinking we we go on a trip our pet sitter would set up the food in the tray twice a day (she comes twice a day anyway because our cats have always been high maintenance lol).
 
JaxBenji said:
FWIW, I have the catemate c500 and ordered 2 extra ice packs so I could use it in the AM and PM. Depends on your needs if you want two totally separate units (and set them both up at the beginning of the day or something like that). We were thinking we we go on a trip our pet sitter would set up the food in the tray twice a day (she comes twice a day anyway because our cats have always been high maintenance lol).
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Nice! Im not sure which one we have...ot has 5 cups though.
I'll have to check. We have extra ice packs too for the same reason lol
 
tiffmaxee said:
Keep trying to use the auto feeder. Isn’t it wonderful the way everyone helps each other here?
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Will do. Ill start with breakfast tomorrow when she gets hangry lol

And yes.. this group is amazing. Henri would not be where sje is without you guys and I'd be a wreck lol
 
So we lowered her dose yesterday morning so we are in the 4th cycle. She dropped down to 57 at +2 so I have her a little LC food and she went up to 62 a half hour later. at +3 she dropped down to 52. She was restless, vocal, skittish, easily distracted...definitely not her normal self. She didn't get below 50 but i'll be checking and feeding her ever 20 min until I know she is on her way up. I know below 50 gets a dose reduction but we just reduced it.
Am I correct in assuming that this is part of the depot still and she will not get a dose reduction for this?

also, Is it weird that her nadir seems to be around the +2 mark and that she has been dropping in the beginning and at the end of the cycle? I thought it eas supposed to be reversed and the highest numbers should be right before dosing. Is my cat just weird...is there an explanation for this...is it bc her dose was too high. I feel like her "curve" has been more like a wave
 
If she drops under 50 which I think she just might , I would take the reduction. It might be the depot but I’d still try a reduction since you are working hard to keep her up. I would feed mc. Some cats become diet controlled and fly down the dosing scale.
 
Katie_Waz said:
dropping in the beginning and at the end of the cycle?
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i've heard there's something called a lantus 'double dip' where there can be a low and then closer to the end of cycle, another low.
kit didn't read that memo, or the handbook on nadir etiquette either, bc she thinks that preshot=nadir ... this am cycle being one of her signature patterns :rolleyes:

Katie_Waz said:
Is my cat just weird
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that's rhetoric, right? they're all weird :kiss:
 
Hmmm OK I got her up with some food at +2.5 (i only fed her once) and then +3 she went back down so I gave her food at +3 and +3.6
I guess I'll see how she does the rest of the night and Tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday I have the full day to monitor her. I was feeling hopeful that I was going to be able to sleep tonight because she brought herself back up this morning lol
I might try to give it another day and see how she she does. I'd hate to reduce too far and lose all our hard work :/
She is keeping me on my toes!
 
You can feed some hc so you can get some sleep. There’s nothing wrong with that. That way you won’t be reducing either. It will only have an effect on this cycle.
 
JOJI and Kit said:
i've heard there's something called a lantus 'double dip' where there can be a low and then closer to the end of cycle, another low.
kit didn't read that memo, or the handbook on nadir etiquette either, bc she thinks that preshot=nadir ... this am cycle being one of her signature patterns :rolleyes:


that's rhetoric, right? they're all weird :kiss:
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Interesting about the double dip. I wonder what that means lol

And that's true...all cats are weird. My husband says they're aliens from another planet gathering data so they can take over the world. I'm beginning to think he may be right lol
 
tiffmaxee said:
You can feed some hc so you can get some sleep. There’s nothing wrong with that.
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I actually took a nap after work while my husband did some of the testing. He knows to wake me up if she goes into the 60's lol So I'm awake for now anyway. I she doesnt come back up with the LC food within the next couple of hours I may give a little HC gravy so I can get some sleep. I've been sleeping on the couch since she came home so I can be with her but boy do I miss my nice comfy bed lol
 
she's +4 and 72. I'm going to take a break from feeding and see if she stays at +4.5 and +5. toe beans crossed.

I'm wondering that if bc she tends to drop so low, so early on that I should be giving her a nice big meal for her shoot meals. She ate a good one for breakfast (61 cals) and was able to bring herself back up on her own but for her dinner she only had 37 cals and needs me to feed her to bring her back up.
 
Katie_Waz said:
I'm wondering that if bc she tends to drop so low, so early on that I should be giving her a nice big meal for her shoot meals.
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we have a separate little spreadsheet to help us keep track of our carbs 'n calories experiments.
for example,
since 9/2 we've been giving the shot meals as all LC 6% for 50% of the cycle's calories.
then if nothing "exciting" is going on BGwise, each of the cycle's two mini meals are half LC 6% and half 0% given at around onset after the BG.
she only gets the second mini if she asks/avails herself of the cat mate.
and, we try to weigh her once a week.
whatever you decide to do, consistency and good notes are going to be your friends.
 
JOJI and Kit said:
we have a separate little spreadsheet to help us keep track of our carbs 'n calories experiments.
for example,
since 9/2 we've been giving the shot meals as all LC 6% for 50% of the cycle's calories.
then if nothing "exciting" is going on BGwise, each of the cycle's two mini meals are half LC 6% and half 0% given at around onset after the BG.
she only gets the second mini if she asks/avails herself of the cat mate.
and, we try to weigh her once a week.
whatever you decide to do, consistency and good notes are going to be your friends.
Click to expand...
That's a fantastic idea! I've been writing it in the comments but putting it on another spreadsheet might make it easier to look at.
 
Katie_Waz said:
comments but putting it on another spreadsheet
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we do both.
we use the separate spreadsheet for the theoretically ideal day
and the comments for the play-by-play of the actual day. these are super useful for when you want to see what you did the last time your cat dropped some crazy numbers in an hour and then how your cat responded quantity and carb-wise
if you take a look at kit's you'll see that there's lots of MC snacks and some HC snacks which, in theory, aren't part of her day ;) but then neither is dive bombing to pre-shot :rolleyes:
9/16 AM cycle is a prime example.
 
JOJI and Kit said:
looks at spreadsheet
that 65@ 4.5 looks pretty flat to me.
kit's been flat for 2 hours since last snack. i'm off to zzzz.
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I gave her a little more. I get too nervous to sleep in the 60/s. Shes back up to the 70's though. I'll test again in 15 min (+6) and then a +7 if it looks good and then bedtime for me
 
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