2/13 Shadoe pmps 365 +3 283 cycle 3 8u

Yesterday’s Condo

Yesterday's recap:
383 - amps (7.5u)
356 - +2
374 - +10
394 - pmps (8.0u)
277 - +3
283 - +5
367 - +7
466 - today's amps

Just another day in Shadoeland. Not much else to say at the moment.

This morning, Shadoe was very eager to get the testing done and to get her shot; she jumped right up as soon as I got up so we could get the ball rolling. She acted like she was not comfortable with how she felt on that number, so I guess that's the only positive thing to be said about today. Shadoe no longer likes being in the reds.

She has been drinking much more water this morning; I seldom see her at the water bowl so often. Her appetite is a bit off; she has not eaten yet this morning, but instead seems glad just to drink some water and have her shot. She does not seem sick, but is just not hungry I guess.

The LB action was done before I got up; there is more urine this morn. I'll see how that changes later on.

She has been much more demanding for attention lately and today was no different.

That's about it. Shadoe is stretched out on the rug, sleeping.

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe amps 466 cycle 2 8u

Good Morning! Has Shadoe every experienced NDW in the past? Just wondering since this morning is so high.

Listen, Shadoe called Six last night. First to give him a pep talk (that was nice), but then to discuss the new training procedures she's putting in place for you. I didn't hear much but I do know she has quite a weekend planned for her...something about you lavishing her with unbelievable amounts of a attention. Hope you don't have any weekend bean plans! cat_pet_icon

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe amps 466 cycle 2 8u

Good luck today with the new dose, I still say she's got it in there somewhere - kitties are like that - keeping surprises from ya.
hope u have a good day Gayle

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe amps 466 cycle 2 8u

Good Morning Gayle
Dont you love those demanding kitties, lol.
I hope Shadoe's numbers break today and get down to some yellows.
She is just not used to being down there.
I can't help with any ideas other than keep paws crossed that a break is on its
way soon!!!

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe amps 466 cycle 2 8u

Hope the 8u might pull Shadoe out of the reds.

If you think her appy might be off a litle, just keep an eye as I note she's previously had P'tis. Smacking lips is one early sign.

She probably will want to drink more water being in the reds.

Not sure if anyone else has muted this with you, but have you considered the Acromegaly test? IGF1 and IAA (the latter one is rarer).
Just looking at Shadoes chart she generally seems to have flat cycles, usually indicative of not enough insulin.
I suggested the same to Holly/Pablo last week.

Might be worth doing some reading on the subject-very good sticky by Patti in the high dose group.

Majority of cats are male.
Big feet
Snoring
One I hadn't heard of before was about teeth being spaced.

The tests themselves aren't expensive, I think it's vet and transport costs which can bump it up.
Maybe consider posting and asking for opinion in the high dose group?

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe amps 466 cycle 2 8u

kate, she's already exploring getting the IGF-1 and IAA tests done with her vet. guess they have to go thru more hoops to get it done in canada...

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe amps 466 cycle 2 8u

Alrighty, I am back from my walkabout from one animal hospital to another.

I have been losing patience with my current vet hospital, so I went to the yellow pages and found VECToronto.com site. I honestly don't know what took me so long to look around.

Anyways, it's just as close walking distance from home as the other place, just in the other direction. I stopped in and asked what was needed from my vet for a referral, and they said just send the online referral form and we could get started. Excellent news.

So, I headed back in the direction of the other vets place. The nice vet was in, but backed up with appts. I said no problem, I would wait. I took off my coat and plunked myself down to wait. I always bring all my papers and ss and test results with me, so no matter what is needed, if I have it, it's with me. Note to self: get a bigger binder.

Luckily, the vet had some info for me but had not been able to call last nite.
She talked to their lab and there is some Dr. Greenwood there who will take care of all that is needed to send the draws off as needed. She is looking into what is needed, and will call the stupid vet on Tuesday to discuss what needs to be done and when. Unfortunately, the nice vet has a conference or something, so she won't be around for a couple days. I told the nice vet to be sure they let me know when to bring Shadoe in for the draw and it will have to be late Monday or anytime Tuesday so that she can ship to their lab and their lab can send it on to MSU.
I did mention to her that I think the IAA can be done in Guelph but not sure. She mentioned that there are TWO places that do the IGF-1 test, but she did not say where the other place is.
I talked about how I had looked up Purolator costs from the vet address to MSU and it was just under $200. She said that sounds about right because the total lab costs she got for me (cuz I asked for them) were $142.75.
My reply was that I don't care much of the costs; I want the tests done to start eliminating the reason for this ever increasing dose.

In my message, I had mentioned about possible switching to Lev. When she asked, I explained that I want to wait till we get our test results, as we will switch if something comes back positive, with Lev being maybe a more gentle insulin. She agreed with that logic; why switch if it may not be needed.
We then moved on to the topic of R. We don't know if I would need any rx or not, so she wrote something up for me to take to the pharmacy. She again agreed that it was worth trying to see if it can help bring Shadoe's numbers down to a more manageable level. Her note says give 1/2 to 1 unit once or twice a day :roll: I think a bit lower would be in order till we know how Shadoe reacts.
And that's that. I will likely take Shadoe into the vet on Mon or Tue next week for the draw which will then get shipped off.
As I was leaving, I said to her Shadoe may be her first IAA or acro cat; her reply was that she would write a journal on Shadoe. UGH.

I am glad that things are moving ahead and the tests are soon to be done.
I am also glad that I know of another place which is more specialized, in case we get into some dicey issues. I got the impression that the two places frequently work together, so that's also good.

The wheels are moving once again.

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe amps 466 cycle 2 8u

That looks like some nice progress Gayle.
Good that you found a backup vet, just in case and this week will start the "cycle"
of seeing what is going on with Shadoe, if anything.
As you sadi, she is very muscular with very little fat, that could be a reason the
insulin is hanging out.
Keep us posted!!

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe amps 466 cycle 2 8u

I'm glad that you are making progress with the testing. Do you know if fasting is required before the test? I know you will be relieved once that blood is drawn and on its way.

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe amps 466 cycle 2 8u

Happy to hear you are going ahead with tests.

Better to know for sure :YMHUG:

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe amps 466 cycle 2 8u

Sorry - had to comment on this one. You absolutely do not start R at 1/2 to 1 unit. The first dose will be 0.1 unit to see what happens. Later, you'll try 0.25, 0.5. R is really powerful....really, really useful, but has to be treated with care. Carolyn&Spot have been doing most of the R advising recently - try to get some input from her.

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe amps 466 cycle 2 8u

Hey Gayle,
You should stop by KT and Buckwheat's condo. Their motto is "Tanks get to where they are going"!

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe amps 466 cycle 2 8u

Thanks Heather,
I had already received info from Carolyn about starting at 0.1u, but I wanted to post what the vet said. There is no way I am following THAT advice!

She really is a nice vet, and will work with me and do what I ask, but she really does not know much at all about FD. When I told her that I wanted to switch from Caninsulin to Lantus, she said OK and that I would give Shadoe one shot a day!

So yeah, that's what the vet said but I know she is wrong. And if err, it will always be on the side of caution.

I will have to practice with a used syringe to be able to get a 0.1u dose first! :lol:
I am more used to 8u and have no clue how to measure that teeny amount yet!

I will see how this new dose goes, and don't even have the R yet. I'll stop by the pharmacy later this week and ask about getting some.

Linda,
Thanks I will stop by that condo now.

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe amps 466 cycle 2 8u

it's good to hear the wheels are in motion! here's a pic of 0.1u if you want to start practicing: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29764149@N02/2783154839/

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe pmps 365 cycle 3 8u

It's been a lazy day for Shadoe. Lie around, eat, sleep, pee, poop, clean her belly and her paws, then repeat.

I don't know; her numbers don't show progress, but she seems to be ready for shots lately. She must be able to read clocks; she jumps up for test and shot, and I look at the clock. Yup, it's time. How DOES she DO it?? cat(2)_steam

UGH, what's that smell? And here I thought she could not get any stinkier with her deposits in the LB.

That's it for now. I need to open the windows FAST and clean that LB.

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe pmps 365 cycle 3 8u

I'm very glad you're on top of all of this. I wonder if the vet was thinking about how R may be used in an emergent situation where they have a cat in the hospital and that's the only insulin. (I'm trying to be nice.)

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe pmps 365 cycle 3 8u

Yikes, I never asked about fasting or any special preps for the test! Thanks for mentioning; I'll ask the stupid vet when I talk to her this week, maybe Tuesday.

Sienne,
The nice vet even made a mention of mixing the two insulins - R and Lantus?
I did not go into that because I had no idea what she was talking about and did not want to find out either. I really don't think she's familiar at all with any insulins other than caninsulin, but she looks up everthing.

I really am grateful that the nice vet, I call her Dr Lu, is so extreme in her love for animals and so dedicated. I totally appreciate her willingness to work with me, and all of that is worth more to me than the other young vet, who think she knows it all because she has seen another diabetic kitty who was cured with diet. She earned her stupid vet title by telling me I should just give Shadoe some W/D food and it would cure her p-itis, after I had just told her that Shadoe had not eaten in 24hrs!

:YMSIGH: Unfortunately, it's this young one who will be dealing with the arrangements upfront for Shadoe's testing. I soooo hope that Dr Lu is back for the actual blood draw, pack, and ship process in 2 weeks. :sad:

At least Shadoe is oblivious to it all. She is back to her old chair trick; I get up for coffee; she jumps into my chair and goes to sleep :lol:

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe pmps 365 cycle 3 8u

Hi Gayle,

great progress :mrgreen:

It's very late here so I'm a bit foggy. I think it's worth checking Holly and Pablos thread (13th I think) in high dose. I think I remember something about the tests in MSU only being done on a Wednesday. Definitely something about Wednesday (it's 1a.m here and time for sleepy or I'd go and check myself)

Good luck and hey smelly LB-You know that's working!! :mrgreen:

 

Re: 2/13 Shadoe pmps 365 cycle 3 8u

ay yi yi, no you do not mix the two insulins. she should know better. it's right in the lantus package.
yep, you start with a drop and see. a drop can drop em!
think it's a good idea to get some R now and see how it goes (test hourly after giving a drop). really makes lantus' job that much easier.

 

Exactly my thoughts. That's why I did not ask her what she meant. Instead I told myself she meant she had heard that people had given shots of both, but not mixed in the same shot.
Ugh, even that does not make sense, so that's why I left it alone. She totally has no clue about any insulins. Nuff said.

Once I get the R, I'll ask exactly what to give when, as in give .1u of R at 6pm, then test each hour, but what about the Lantus? When do I give the 8u? At 6pm also?

Then what is the proper way to record on ss? Should I insert a new line just to record the R? I think that is good - another line?

 

well good, there is progress being made here. yes gets those acro and IAA test done and yes get that bottle of R in house! very much time for both those to be happening.
first shot of R can be given whenever you are ready. is only 0.1 units and then you do an R curve to see what happens. an R curve is PS when you give your lantus and your 0.1 R (in two different spots btw) and then get the +1, +2, +3, +4...then if +4 is higher than +3 the R curve is over. however not every cat has the same R cycle (like my cat doesn't even begin his R onset until +4! he is extra weird, lol), if the +4 is lower than +3 then you continue with the curve until you get a rising number signaling the end of the R's action. now it is very possible that 0.1 units of R is gonna do nada, and will be a waste of test strips, but starting R use has to be done this way (look at jan/buddy where 0.1 of R does so much cause dealing with IAA not acro there). if 0.1 does nothing then you try 0.25 units, doing another R curve. why these R curves you ask? cause one cannot use two insulins successfully unless you know the onset/nadir/duration of your R. just impossible.

hey i was just in KT/Buckwheat's condo, take a peek at her SS, k? that is a good example of a well managed acrocat. i know we do not know until the test results come in what is the cause of shadoe's insulin needs, but never hurts to learn as much as possible as soon as possible. kwim?