1/11 Max AMPS 496~+3 238~+6 252~+9 297~PMPS 324

Good Morning
4th cycle 4.75

Another morning with Max and his sisters waiting in the kitchen for the routine.
What I find so cute is that sister Chloe knows when its Max's test time too and she comes for treats as well. Of course I spoil her too.

On another note, I am feeling extremely discouraged and upset about the lack of progress I am seeing from Max.
I have not see any breakthrough at all since starting 6 weeks ago.
I know it takes time but I have barely been able to get any of his readings in the 200's.
Time for a vet visit and maybe see if there is something going on with him.
He only eats legal FF. There is no dry food in the house or bad treats. He is fed regularly during the day, around test time and overall he looks good.
I really hope that I can find a way to get Max to improve. Am I making a difference here?

Yesterday's Condo

 

Re: 1/11 Max AMPS 496

I feel your frustration, Randi. It's so discouraging to feel like you're not making any progress. When was the last time he had bloodwork? Is he eating ok? If you feel like there's something else going on, then take him in. Hang in there, I know how difficult this whole process is.

 

Re: 1/11 Max AMPS 496

Good morning Randi

of course you're making a difference, don't doubt that at all.
I know it's discouraging, frustrating and seeming like it will go on and on, but look at Max's behavior, he's eating and being a happy cat.
You've made a world of difference by catching the symptoms and beginning his treatment.

Know that you are doing the best u can for Max!

 

Re: 1/11 Max AMPS 496

His last blood work was in November and December his fructosamine was 420. Vet thought that was good but I really don't know what that means.
The vet wanted to see him when I got back but I have't gone yet. I will make the appointment.

He eats well, not starving for food.
I was just thinking now that I should do another blood test. I know I need to look at him overall. He looks and is acting well. I just hate seeing him always so high. No urine on carpet over the weekend so I know that's a good sign.

 

Re: 1/11 Max AMPS 496

Remember that Max is not just a number. It's important to work up to a dose that works for Max and to work up to that amount in a safe way so you don't miss that optimal dose. It is frustrating when you see kitties arrive and depart in what seems like a split second. But, ECID. Max will get there.

 

Re: 1/11 Max AMPS 496

Hoping the vet visit might show something easy to fix & Max will go down..Moonie has had things brewing, and vet found them & better she got..
Come on Max, sweetheart--Let's see some better numbers!

 

Re: 1/11 Max AMPS 496

Hello, I just wanted to share my experience so that it might lessen your discouragement Just take a moment and look at my spreadsheet. Tommy was very similar to Max in that he was all in reds for quite a long time. I hope that Max shows some improvements faster than Tommy did, but I will say that, as you've probably heard before, each cat is different. Some cats start on lantus and go OTJ right away, some don't. Like a person said before, try not to think of Max as a number. If you notice that he starts acting/feeling better, that is a huge sign. I noticed little changes in Tommy way before his numbers improved.

I will say 3 things that drastically helped his numbers (I don't know which of these you do/don't do so I'm going to list them all!). 1 is when I switched to cartridges instead of the large vials. While it was cheaper in the beginning to use vials because they are less expensive than 5 cartridges, the insulin went bad after a month or so and then I was giving bad insulin and his numbers got worse so I had to buy another one. Buying the cartridges lets me get 5-6 full months, which in the long run is cheaper AND I'm always giving good insulin. The 2nd super big one was switching from fancy feast to wellness food. Wellness is more expensive and I didn't want to spend any more than I already was but if you look at my spreadsheet you can SEE how his numbers get better after I switched. Lastly, which I think has helped him go OTJ, is going to a timed feeder. I work during the day and am only able to feed him twice a day. When I switched to the timed feeder giving him 5 meals/snacks a day, his numbers improved enough I was able to start the trial.

I also notice that you have moved up the doses every 3-5 days. Now I'm not going to give insulin advice, but I will say that I learned that Tommy takes awhile (at least a week) to get used to a dose, longer than most cats. So just in case Max is similar to Tommy, keep an eye on those numbers because if this dose is a little too high, his shed will get full and you will see overflow pretty quickly.

Anyhoo, I hope I wasn't rambling but when I saw your post my heart went out because I was in your exact same position. It can be frustrating to see your cat have super high numbers consistently when others don't, but just know that you are helping your kitty, even if you can't see it right away.

 

Re: 1/11 Max AMPS 496

Hang in there Randi, it may just take Max a bit longer to adjust. And as others have said, he is not just a number. That's why we always include the WCR in our posts - to get an idea of how he is feeling and acting.

You and Max will get there :smile:

 

Re: 1/11 Max AMPS 496

Not sure how a 420 would be considered good! It could be that Max just hasn't found his ideal dose, but if you have a gut feeling that something else is going on, trust it and take him in. You'll feel better if you know everything looks normal. From day one, I felt something was going on with Logan and no one would really listen (vets, DH2B, etc). I took him to 3 different vets before getting referred to his internist. The 3rd vet did agree something was going on with him even though his bloodwork was bascially normal. She just didn't know what so she sent us to a specialist.

Logan seemed to do well in the beginning (aside from not really ever breaking out of the 300s) when we started Lantus and put him on Wellness. He loved his food, ate well, his fur looked better. He seemed to feel better, overall. His numbers just didn't seem to want to come down, at least not for very long. I was ok with this for the most part b/c he seemed to feel ok. But, then, he started having episodes of fussy eating. These would last for maybe 1-3 days and then he'd be fine. As time went on, we kept increasing insulin w/o much success and his fussy episodes would last longer and the good eating spells would be shorter. He also began to associate his feeling bad with the food and wouldn't eat it anymore.

Most likely, Max is just fine and hasn't found the right dose, but if it would make you feel better to do the bloodwork, then do it. You'll be out a little cash, but it could give you peace of mind. And, if something is wrong, you can catch it early and get him feeling better.

Hang in there, Randi, you're not alone. You have the support of everyone on this board!

 

Re: 1/11 Max AMPS 496

Thank's fpr the opinions Cori

I am on my 2nd vial of Lantus, opened only on Dec 23. This will be my last one, I have the cartridges from the Lantus offer.
I tried Wellness and it was not well received, plus I have 3 cats.; I could take a shot and try it again, even though I just stocked up on many cases of FF on a US purchasing trip.
I had the feeder in my hand this weekend and put it back on the shelf. There is someone home with Max so he is fed on a schedule, except for nightimes. I do not how it will work with 3 cats though. I still plan on ordering one from Amzaon.

 

OMG, Max surfed yellows today.
Did he hear my dispair this morning and thought he should do better.
All day he wa yellow and what a nice PMPS. No antijinx for me please.

He is being such a good boy. Running to his chair for his test and to be fed there with his shot.
Playing with my daughter too. Paws crossed Max might show some more breakthrough.

 

Re: 1/11 Max AMPS 496~+3 238

Hi Randi. I have a couple of comments. First the fructosamine is NOT the same measurement as a BG test. That 420 fructosamine is approximately 250-260 BG level. So that is probably why your vet said it was good.

Secondly, you are working up the dosing ladder to find Max's best dose. Today on this relatively new dose, look how far he has come down!
He dropped more than 250 points in three hours. That is showing a good response wouldn't you say? No it isn't green, but OMG if it was I don't think Max would feel very good with that huge of fall... it would be more like a crash landing and he would bounce high. Kitties don't feel so good with those big swings.

You will see more and more of these 200's (yellows) on this dose and after at least 6-8 cycles it may be time to advance to the next dose. Each time we hope he will show lower and lower numbers until you get the 'cool' colors we all desire. He is making progress on his journey, I see it today, don't you?

Hang in there, you are doing fine. Patience is the toughest thing to hold on to right now. Many, many people understand though, I wish I could send them all to your side for encouragement ... just like Cori and Tommy.

Ahh, you posted while I was typing... glad to see you are encouraged, yeah!

 

Thanks CD
I could not believe he dropped so much at +3 and stayed nice and flat all day. I guess the new dose is kicking in better than the others. I am very happy to see numbers in the 200's since this journey started.

I find the 420 strange because his BG's were never in the mid 200's based on my chart but I did not get any more clarrification from the vet. Let's hope he doesn't bounce from today.

 

Randi this is awesome!! Look at those pretty yellows!
:RAHCAT :RAHCAT :dizcat :RAHCAT :RAHCAT

Paws crossed for everything!!

 

I think there's a bean who's doing a happy dance in this condo!!

 

Yup and too bad about antijinx. lol This mama bean has been waiting.
Just saw my vacation berry bill. Attached to this site and play by play
emails from Ronnie who so graciously started and managed my
condo while I was in the middle of the Atlantic. Yikes!!

So here's the happy dance!

flip_cat flip_cat flip_cat bcatrun_gif

 

nice yellow today, and lots of it! Woo-hoo!

 

Randi--Please dont forget the principle we live by here--Look At The Whole Cat..
Max has been improving since you came in maybe small, but significant ways. Moonie was a slow goer also, and I had so much trouble just shooting her for months! You had a good day--Hope it's just the beginning of many yellow & blue surfs for you.HUGS~! ;-)

 

LOL!!! Hey - I'm not paying that Blackberry bill!! :lol:
You still owe me condo maintenance fees! :mrgreen:
(ur so funny!!!)

 

Randi,

I noticed on your spreadsheet that you just switched to the Relion meter. If you don't mind me asking which meter did you have before, and which Relion did you switch too.

I also just purchase a Relion Micro (not sure of that is the exact name). It wasn't the one listed in the Consumer Reports, which was the Relion Ultima. Anyway, I have found that the Relion meter that I purchased reads much higher than the TrueResults (CVS brand) that I have been using all along. I couldn't handle the differences so I immediately ordered the One Touch Ultra Mini from HOCKS, because Consumer Reports rated it the top meter.

Anyway, I would be interested to know if you show similar readings on both meters. I tested my diabetic cat and got readings about a hundred points apart, but when I tested myself on both meters the numbers were fairly close, within a 10% variance. I am interested to find out how the One Touch UltraMini will line up with the other meters.

Having a sick kitty can be so frustrating and then when you are dealing with such variance on readings with the meters that can be even more frustrating.

Hope things start to settle down for you soon.