5/13 - Xander | AMPS 229

Brianna & Xander said:
I think what worried me in this instance is that from what I've seen he tends to have shorter limes (1-2 hours) and then skyrocket after. This time it was much longer (4 hours) and even after it it took a while for him to really trend upward.
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Even more likely he'll bounce after a long trip in the low greens than a short one. He's (thankfully) not used to it! Nice to see a moderate bounce reaction only.
 
Brianna & Xander said:
5/12/25

Well, yesterday sure was A Day™. 😮‍💨 Can't believe it was only Monday. Felt like a whole week rolled into one day.

Reduced to 2.5 last night. Trying to be hopeful that maybe 2.75 was another "breakthrough" and now 2.5 will also work, but we'll see.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone. 💜
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Wishing you rest and recovery after yesterday, Brianna! Good luck with the reduced dose!! Hope it is a great dose that doesn't put Xander in the lime territory!!
Safe surfing Xander and hugs to your sweet mama 😻 🐈‍⬛:love:
 
Staci & Ivy said:
Hi Brianna, thanks for tagging me Kat!
Sorry I missed all of this last night (I fell asleep early as Ivy was a little higher) and I am 3 hours ahead of you.

That was way more excitement than you needed!
I usually have those cycles of hours on end of Ivy being LO on the Libre. I feed her small amounts (like 1 tsp or 1/2 tsp) so I try to keep her not too full so she will want to eat if I need her to.
I never give large amounts (I am too scared she will turn away).

So it does seem that they can have low cycles which go on and on as you had with Xander yesterday.
I think it's just exaggerated with the Libre, since we don't really know what that LO number is (unless we can poke and get a blood test).

It's good to have various level of carbs you know he will eat and won't make him sick on hand, and higher than medium carbs. As others have mentioned, some cats need higher carbs to pull them up.

When Ivy lingers in LO ranges for hours on the Libre, I sometimes use 25% (the food I make her, and I often wonder if it's as effective as commercial cat food since it doesn't have the thickeners, chemicals and gravies in it) so I tend to need my higher carb recipe food to just try to keep her form diving. But I have to feed it like every 1/2 hour to 45 minutes over and over as she can bump up a bit but then dive back to LO again.
It makes for an EXHAUSTING night, as you experienced yesterday (be thankful it was daylight).

And on top of it, I am always praying to the Libre God (if there is one) that the Libre please not FAIL during those LO stretches. It HAS happened way too many times. And so I have to install a new sensor at ungodly hours overnight.
😩


I hope Xander has recovered and you as well. Hope you can get some rest today to recover!
Sending you both lots of hugs

:love:
🐈‍⬛
😻
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Staci & Ivy said:
Wishing you rest and recovery after yesterday, Brianna! Good luck with the reduced dose!! Hope it is a great dose that doesn't put Xander in the lime territory!!
Safe surfing Xander and hugs to your sweet mama
😻
🐈‍⬛
:love:
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Just responding to both in today's thread to keep things neat!

No need to apologize at all, Staci! I'm glad you were able to go to bed early and get that rest! 🤗

It is really hard to tell when you can't confirm it! "LO" could be 39 or it could be 20 and there's no way to know if you can't test. 😩

I really need to figure out which HC food I can try. The highest FF seems to make is the 20% beef that I'm afraid to try since he always vomits after he has beef flavors. Though he vomited the 15% chicken I gave him yesterday too, and that's the next highest I have. And yes, they just go right back down! I've definitely seen that happen before. What happened yesterday when I first moved up from the 12% to the 15% was that he literally stayed on LO for like half an hour. Usually I at least see a little bump but it didn't move. I had to go get 3 more tsp of the same food before I started to see any movement at all. 😓

I was fully expecting the Libre to fail after that based on our prior conversations about it, but amazingly it didn't. It went into "sensor error" mode for a few minutes right at the end of the stretch and was back and fine. I'm glad, because yesterday was so awful that I don't know if I could've handled doing the replacement on top of it.

Xander's doing okay, although he hasn't touched his +1 snack and we're 10 minutes away from when I'd be giving him his +2. I know he's bouncing today so it's not super likely he'll go that low again, but at the same time won't there be some depot drain from lowering the dose? Or does that only happen if you skip? I'm amazed that he's at 174 right now after the day we had yesterday. The highest number we saw all night was 305. I would've expected a high 300s bounce, if not into the "HI" range!
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Even more likely he'll bounce after a long trip in the low greens than a short one. He's (thankfully) not used to it! Nice to see a moderate bounce reaction only.
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He's at 174 right now which is mind-blowing to me! I fully would've expected the high 300s and the highest number we even saw overnight was 305.

Make me a little worried about later in the cycle because he's not interested in his +1 snack and we're less than 10 minutes from when I'd be giving him his +2. 😕
 
Brianna & Xander said:
He's at 174 right now which is mind-blowing to me! I fully would've expected the high 300s and the highest number we even saw overnight was 305.

Make me a little worried about later in the cycle because he's not interested in his +1 snack and we're less than 10 minutes from when I'd be giving him his +2. 😕
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Hm. That (174) would concern me too. Let's don't, you know, do that (ANTI JINX ANTI JINX) thing you did yesterday, Xander. Hold tight, Brianna.
 
Brianna & Xander said:
Just responding to both in today's thread to keep things neat!

No need to apologize at all, Staci! I'm glad you were able to go to bed early and get that rest! 🤗

It is really hard to tell when you can't confirm it! "LO" could be 39 or it could be 20 and there's no way to know if you can't test. 😩

I really need to figure out which HC food I can try. The highest FF seems to make is the 20% beef that I'm afraid to try since he always vomits after he has beef flavors. Though he vomited the 15% chicken I gave him yesterday too, and that's the next highest I have. And yes, they just go right back down! I've definitely seen that happen before. What happened yesterday when I first moved up from the 12% to the 15% was that he literally stayed on LO for like half an hour. Usually I at least see a little bump but it didn't move. I had to go get 3 more tsp of the same food before I started to see any movement at all. 😓

I was fully expecting the Libre to fail after that based on our prior conversations about it, but amazingly it didn't. It went into "sensor error" mode for a few minutes right at the end of the stretch and was back and fine. I'm glad, because yesterday was so awful that I don't know if I could've handled doing the replacement on top of it.

Xander's doing okay, although he hasn't touched his +1 snack and we're 10 minutes away from when I'd be giving him his +2. I know he's bouncing today so it's not super likely he'll go that low again, but at the same time won't there be some depot drain from lowering the dose? Or does that only happen if you skip? I'm amazed that he's at 174 right now after the day we had yesterday. The highest number we saw all night was 305. I would've expected a high 300s bounce, if not into the "HI" range!
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I still think you want to try to give the smallest amount of food possible (so he will stay hungry). Perhaps others may weigh in on amount to feed to keep them from dropping.

I do think when they are in a "lower" cycle, it's harder to pull them up. So I do believe Xander was having a low cycle (for him) yesterday. It may not have been true limes (on a handheld, but we really don't know).
So I think you have to take the reduction and see how it plays out.
You can always go back up again.

I'm so glad the Libre held on and didn't fail!! That's ALWAYS a huge win!

Probably the difference from 12-15% wasn't that much and wasn't gonna do it yesterday. So have something up your sleeve for next time with higher carbs (and or you can add a drop or so of karo or honey to see how that works). I know it's a short lived bump it can give.

And his bounce isn't too awful, so that's just great news.
***And yes, the depot is still in play even after you reduce a dose (not just a skip) for up to 6 cycles (I believe that is what I have read).

I hope he settles in this dose and has a calm cycle so you can both recover!! ❤️
 
You did great yesterday!! And wow - look at those numbers today. A bounce and a reduction, but still hitting the greens and blues. Hope he doesn't dip for you and that this is a good sign (many anti-jinx like Mary said).
Safe surfing tonight - hold steady, Xander :)
 
Staci & Ivy said:
I still think you want to try to give the smallest amount of food possible (so he will stay hungry). Perhaps others may weigh in on amount to feed to keep them from dropping.

I do think when they are in a "lower" cycle, it's harder to pull them up. So I do believe Xander was having a low cycle (for him) yesterday. It may not have been true limes (on a handheld, but we really don't know).
So I think you have to take the reduction and see how it plays out.
You can always go back up again.

I'm so glad the Libre held on and didn't fail!! That's ALWAYS a huge win!

Probably the difference from 12-15% wasn't that much and wasn't gonna do it yesterday. So have something up your sleeve for next time with higher carbs (and or you can add a drop or so of karo or honey to see how that works). I know it's a short lived bump it can give.

And his bounce isn't too awful, so that's just great news.
***And yes, the depot is still in play even after you reduce a dose (not just a skip) for up to 6 cycles (I believe that is what I have read).

I hope he settles in this dose and has a calm cycle so you can both recover!! ❤️
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At the point when I gave 3 tsp (still a really small amount) I was just desperate for it to stop. I'll keep that in mind though!

There must be more depot activity today because we are once again in the limes (but so far not for as long as yesterday...) 😞

I'm almost starting to wonder if the Libre is starting to fail though because twice today it's shown him do a steep drop, stay there for a while, go into sensor error mode and then come back online with a way higher number. If it were in error I'd've expected it to remove the low from the graph like it usually does though and it's not, which makes me wonder if he's just being really erratic. 😕 Here's a screenshot to show what I mean:

signal-2025-05-13-171957_002.png
 
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Back to back reductions are not a TR thing. Typically we don't reduce again unless 4-6 cycles away from the previous reduction. Unless they go under 40 on a hand held meter. But this is where you have to figure out what really happened. One possibility is to consider a smaller reduction.
 
Brianna & Xander said:
At the point when I gave 3 tsp (still a really small amount) I was just desperate for it to stop. I'll keep that in mind though!

There must be more depot activity today because we are once again in the limes (but so far not for as long as yesterday...) 😞

I'm almost starting to wonder if the Libre is starting to fail though because twice today it's shown him do a steep drop, stay there for a while, go into sensor error mode and then come back online with a way higher number. If it were in error I'd've expected it to remove the low from the graph like it usually does though and it's not, which makes me wonder if he's just being really erratic. 😕 Here's a screenshot to show what I mean:

View attachment 91
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Looking at his spreadsheet, he had action on the 3rd cycle after the increase to 2.75 units. Not unusual I think.
And then he bounced last night, normal.
And dropped again today. Depot is still in effect after the reduction.
The sensor “could” be having issues. Never know. If it fails, you’ll know 😫
But his cycles seem to match up with the increase, then decrease and the depot.

I wish we had clear answers. I would think by tomorrow you should see less limes, since that depot will be lessened.

I’m sorry it’s been a rough 2 days 🫂
You’re doing great, Brianna!
Xander, be kind to your mama, surf safely and bump up 💙❤️‍🩹
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Back to back reductions are not a TR thing. Typically we don't reduce again unless 4-6 cycles away from the previous reduction. Unless they go under 40 on a hand held meter. But this is where you have to figure out what really happened. One possibility is to consider a smaller reduction.
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Yeah, this was based on @Angela & Cleo 's comment about it from earlier today. I can't confirm, but it did claim to go under 40. I don't think I can handle another cycle like this, especially when he barely bounced after a way worse lime sequence. What would you suggest?
 
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Staci & Ivy said:
Looking at his spreadsheet, he had action on the 3rd cycle after the increase to 2.75 units. Not unusual I think.
And then he bounced last night, normal.
And dropped again today. Depot is still in effect after the reduction.
The sensor “could” be having issues. Never know. If it fails, you’ll know 😫
But his cycles seem to match up with the increase, then decrease and the depot.

I wish we had clear answers. I would think by tomorrow you should see less limes, since that depot will be lessened.

I’m sorry it’s been a rough 2 days 🫂
You’re doing great, Brianna!
Xander, be kind to your mama, surf safely and bump up 💙❤️‍🩹
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Thank you so much, Staci!

If this all seems relatively normal, do you think I should stick with the 2.5 or reduce again? I'm so worn out, I don't think I can handle this again tonight or tomorrow. 😔🫂
 
I'm gonna give the full reduction. I'm already having to stall a little to let his lidocaine work and even now he's back in the 80s and dropping. This much stress two days in a row plus not sleeping out of worry on top of being chronically ill myself, it's not sustainable. If it fails, it fails, I go back up. But I need a break. I can't take care of him at all if I kill myself trying to be perfect.
 
Mary & Jude said:
Brianna, you need to do what is best for you and for Xander. No one is judging you here. You absolutely cannot take care of him if you're not physically well. I hope he surfs well for you tonight.
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Thanks, Mary. I really appreciate you saying that! I always put him first and I'm really hard on myself if I make the "wrong" decision, but at least in this case he'll be safe. It sucks to lose some progress, but it's better than hurting him or myself. 😓
 
Oh Brianna, what a rollercoaster 😮
You have done such a good job keeping him safe - well done!
I know it can be absolutely exhausting physically and emotionally, and not sustainable long term. If you need to make changes or deviate slightly from the protocol for your sanity and wellbeing you should do so without guilt ❤️

I think you will feel more secure about handling lower numbers when you have more experience with carb manipulation - more arrows in your quiver as it were. I see on your spreadsheet you tried 20% carb food and it caused a nice bump. Give honey a try too. Once you have an array of MC and HC foods plus honey and treats, and have a good idea how he will respond to them, you will find managing lower numbers much less stressful.

Hope you both had a good night and an easier day today 💕
 
Brianna & Xander said:
Thank you so much, Staci!

If this all seems relatively normal, do you think I should stick with the 2.5 or reduce again? I'm so worn out, I don't think I can handle this again tonight or tomorrow. 😔🫂
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Hi Brianna, I’m sorry I was already in bed when you posted this last night (sucks we are 3 hours apart and I run to get in bed if Ivy isn’t diving low) 😘

I’m a believer in doing the best we can for our cats, but it’s also imperative to take some care of ourselves too, or we can’t care for them (oxygen mask on yourself first, like on an airplane) 🫂
As we’ve mentioned, you can always raise his dose if it’s a failed reduction, so it’s not permanent!
It looks like he came up a bit an after your shot last night.
I hope you got some rest!
Sending you lots of hugs and support ❤️‍🩹💖
 
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