5/8 Tiggy PMPS 63

Previous condo

Thankyou to everyone for your comments yesterday and input... it was really helpful and I know where to go from here. ie I am going to follows everyones advice

- take him in for an exam & blood work (when funds permit - also I am going to ask for an acro and IAA test)
- increase the dose in increments of 0.5 unit after every 6 cycles unless tiggy's numbers tell me otherwise.
- More testing and spot checks (DH is going to be unhappy with this one)
- incorporate the use of R to help with bounces - will pick it up at the weekend
- stall if preshot numbers are less than 50.
- take 0.25u reductions after he drops below 50 three times or once under 40
- I am going to track when he eats over the weekend to see if we can move to mini meals instead of free feed.
- I am adding one of my own - trying 2% foods. Will pick those up at the weekend too - but will start that first before the R.

I cant get the Relion here being in Canada. I have an old freestyle I could use at low numbers just to see if there is a difference although its not a great meter at high as you know.

Tiggy is doing ok. He still isnt jumping on the bed at night so lacks some energy. Plus he is a bit smelly and starting to look greasy in bits so not cleaning himself as well as he could. I am at the end of 4 cycles now at 8 units. No pinks though suprisingly yet but then he hasnt been low either.

Re: 5/8 Tiggy AMPS 241 - thanks/direction from here

Hi guys .. glad you got some good input yesterday and have a plan of action .. I hope that tiggy starts feeling and looking better soon .. it's hard to see our furbabies not at their best .. have a great day!

Re: 5/8 Tiggy AMPS 241 - thanks/direction from here

Goodluck with your new "plan". Really hope it works well for ya! I think trying the 2% is a good idea - maybe those few % will make a difference - worth a try at the least!

Re: 5/8 Tiggy AMPS 241 - thanks/direction from here

I'd suggest dropping a PM to Libby regarding the use of R. Dyana and Marje have used it, as well but I don't know if Marje will be around. R is decidedly a start low (like 0.1u) and go slow type of insulin.

Re: 5/8 Tiggy AMPS 241 - thanks/direction from here

oh no worries. R scares me - I am not doing anything without some serious help!!!

Re: 5/8 Tiggy AMPS 241 - thanks/direction from here

Hi Wendy, I was watching but not adding to yesterday's condo - very informative. I have a couple of small suggestions.

1) Ask your vet for the quote for each of the IGF-1/acro test and the IAA test. The saying is that "acro trumps IAA" as it's more important to know it than about IAA. If funds are tight, the IGF-1 test for acromegaly is the one to get. But if you do plan on both, do them at the same time. We lucky Canadians get to pay extra to have to blood cross the border - the total cost of the tests is more for us. Another thing to consider, it's cheaper to get those tests done when the vet is getting blood anyway, otherwise you'll incur a second vet blood draw charge.

2) Think about using calipers to measure doses. My DH picked up a cheap pair of digital calipers (about $20) in his local hardware tool store for me. Since using them, I've discovered differences between individual BD syringes as much as .25-.3 of a unit, and that's between syringes in the same bag. It's also easier for me when DH has to shoot - I just say, set the calipers to 2.0mm, much more consistent between us now.

Re: 5/8 Tiggy AMPS 241 - thanks/direction from here

i think you have a sound plan in place, wendy. i'm another person who can help you with R when the time comes.
good luck! :mrgreen:

Re: 5/8 Tiggy AMPS 241 - thanks/direction from here

One more thing to add. I see you are interested in how the Bayer compares to the Relion Confirm. Lu-Ann did a test for DCIN in January, comparing the Bayer Contour to the Relion Confirm. Take a look at Grayson's spreadsheet to see the results. They were pretty close in the greens.

I have both meters and the few times I've done side by side testing, I found them fairly close in low numbers and the Contour a bit lower in high numbers.

Re: 5/8 Tiggy AMPS 241 - thanks/direction from here

Interesting - but I am in Canada and dont have a relion. Did you go across the border for yours? What about strips?

Re: 5/8 Tiggy AMPS 241 +4 130

I live 45 minutes from the border and an hour from a US Walmart. I buy 500 at a time and have a friend who goes across the border a lot to visit friends and will pick up strips for me. The savings more than pays for the cost of gas. There are also several places just across the border that have US post boxes so you can order stuff to be shipped to a US address and go pick it up for a small fee. That way I can order from ADW, and pay even less for strips.

Nice +4 Tiggy, can we see some greens next please?

Re: 5/8 Tiggy AMPS 241 +4 130 +6 59

eep!!

If tiggy was a normal cat I would be thinking, well its 59 at +6 so he will go back up now. Tiggy doesn't behave like a normal cat - he drops and drops and flattens and its independent of shot time. So we see where he goes from here.

Re: 5/8 Tiggy AMPS 241 +4 130 +6 59 +7 52+8 49

The plan looks great!

And I hate to jinx it with a mention, but so does this cycle. :thumbup

The calipers are a good idea, then increases and decreases can be exactly what you intend, and the doses consistent.

The other thing I'd add is take the reductions as earned (or perhaps shoot through the bounce) but if they don't hold, then promptly get back to the last good dose. Before he loses much ground. That was one I had to figure out, or maybe I'm still figuring it out. But I bet Jill had to wonder how many different ways I could ask that same question. ;-)