Tuck 24 hours no insulin 88

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AbyResq

AbyResq

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Woohoo, pinch me can this really be happening???? Now I'm going back to a more normal testing schedule of 4x per day instead of my obsessive poking. I'm sure he'll be happy about that.

And in other news, I spoke to a wonderful woman last night who is committed to adopting Callie and Tuck. It will be a few weeks before they go. If Tuck is really doing what I hope, then I may get to hand off 2 cats in remission. Tuck and Callie have their toes and tails crossed that the stars stay aligned.

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Omg Kirsten, I feel so saddddddddddddd I got to grow with you and Tuck and Callie.... And now they are probably leaving.. I can't imagine how you are feeling about it... doesn't that break your heart in a way?:(
I've already said it to you, but please know that you are such a great person with the biggest heart to adopt these diabetic kitties that are mostly given up by there previous parents. And you give them a second change in life. It's so wonderfull to see that there are people like you out there. (As i'm writing this I got teary eyes) you are such a big and good hearted person Kristen!:bighug:

And I love the picture!
 
Ruby&Baco said:
I can't imagine how you are feeling about it... doesn't that break your heart in a way?:(
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I will be crying tears of sadness and joy when these 2 go. Especially Tuck. He reminds me a lot of my childhood cat. Tuck and I have been through a huge journey. Many resources went into saving Tuck and his sister Cricket. I flew one way to rent a car and drive those 2 to my home. A 16 hour drive by myself to keep them from being turned in to a high kill shelter. A crazy night in a hotel room learning to test and shoot after the first long day of driving. Two cats who didn't know me, who escaped from the bathroom the middle of the night. They woke me with their growling at 3 AM. I was so bleary eyed on the second day and doubted my own sanity.

All of that was for what's about to come in the next few weeks. The possibility of him getting a terrific home and at the same time going into remission (anti-jinx) is astounding - everything I wished for! If Tuck got along with my resident cats this would be harder. He doesn't so I know he will have a much better life with someone else and my resident hooligans will probably pack his bags. I am thrilled he bonded with Callie and they will be going together. I had an extremely difficult time when I sent Cricket, Tuck's litter mate sister, to her adopted home and had to split them up. Cricket is in a wonderful home, her mom sends photos and updates.

Tuck and Callie are here for another 2 weeks so they're not going anywhere quite yet. I informed Oliver that when I return from my weekend away I plan to poke him a wee bit more in the hopes of him joining club remission. Oliver wasn't too impressed with this idea, LOL. He also reminded me that Tuck has 13 days to go before we can start a remission party.
 
Your story is amazing Kristen, I just visioned it, you in a hotel room with those 2 kitties... That was quite a journey I think.
I can imagine that it is both sad and joyfull. You got them OTJ (almost, anti-jinx) and you've found a lovely home for them to go together and build a new sugar free life.

AbyResq said:
my resident hooligans will probably pack his bags.
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hahhahahaha, they sure will do that for Tuck and Callie;)

Are you going to take in some new diabetic kitties if Tuck and Callie leave?

AbyResq said:
I informed Oliver that when I return from my weekend away I plan to poke him a wee bit more in the hopes of him joining club remission. Oliver wasn't too impressed with this idea, LOL. He also reminded me that Tuck has 13 days to go before we can start a remission party.
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awwww poor Oliver, I can imagine he doesn't like the idea of getting poked more often, but it's for the best :woot:
Well, Baco, Minnie and I are already sitting at the mailbox waiting for that OTJ party invite!!!:rolleyes: 13 days to gooooooo
 
Ruby&Baco said:
Are you going to take in some new diabetic kitties if Tuck and Callie leave?
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I'm the co-director of an Abyssinian and Somali cat rescue. Our mission is to help Abys and Somalis in my region of the US. I would certainly help other Abys or Somalis with diabetes but can't really open myself up to long term fostering of other diabetic cats. There truly aren't enough foster homes out there for all of the cats who need help, it's a sad reality. I helped Diabetic Cats in Need (DCIN) with an emergency, short term, situation this past weekend. Those I can do periodically but I need to leave my own foster space available for cats that fit the mission of my group.
 
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I'm so excited for you! You've worked so hard to get Tuck regulated and I'm glad it looks like it may be paying off!
 
Tuck's AM reading - 89. The pre-party continues.:D:joyful::D:joyful: . I'm doing more of this :nailbiting: while I wait for his number than ever before.

And now Oliver is getting jealous and has decided to have some nice cycles. When Callie went into remission Tuck suddenly started improving. Wouldn't it be amazing if Oliver did the same? I can dream.
 
It's like they talk to each other and all want to go OTJ (anti jinx). I'm so excited for you!
 
Rachel said:
It's like they talk to each other and all want to go OTJ (anti jinx). I'm so excited for you!
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I think they talk and come to the conclusion that the only way to stop all of the ear pricks is to turn their their pancreas back on, LOL. I think Oliver is a far cry from remission but it is nice to see some yellows again for his preshots.

I will be doing a lot of this :nailbiting::nailbiting::nailbiting: all weekend while I'm away. Tuck has to stay confined to a bedroom while I'm gone and he hates that. I'm worried the stress will undo this. Right now my joy is far outweighing my worry. One day at a time and today is good :joyful:.

I'm asking the sitter to test. Not even sure what to advise her on a dose now. Maybe 0.2 U if he's 200-250 and .4 if he's over 250??? Anyone have any thoughts on how to handle this? Maybe I should just let him skip insulin even if his number goes above 200 for fear of a hypo. I'm leaving after Oliver's shot on Thursday night and won't be home until Sunday night shot time. If Tuck really did go high maybe 3 days high is better than risking any insulin when I'm not here.
 
Those ranges seem okay, but I understand your worry. Maybe a compromise is no shot until 250 and then 0.2. It probably isn't quite enough but will give him something to work with, if needed?
 
Apparently Oliver didn't want to be ignored. Oliver came with his brother, Figaro, who doesn't have diabetes. Figs doesn't like Tiki Cat and he got sick every time he ate Fancy Feast. I've been letting him eat his high carb dry food up on a desk. With Oliver's neuropathy he hasn't been able to jump on the desk. I'm leaving tomorrow night. Want to guess who I found on the desk today? :banghead: Of course, it does mean Oliver's legs must be getting stronger so I'm grateful for that (or trying to be). Fig's bowl was empty, guess I'll find out at PMPS if Oliver had any. He looks so pleased with himself.

And @Sue and Oliver (GA) I like your suggestion for Tuck.

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Tuck's AMPS 73 :joyful:. Won't you be glad to see me go for the weekend, LOL?

And Oliver definitely had some of Figaro's food :arghh:. He had a high cycle last night and a big yucky mess in the litter box. I moved Figaro's dry food even higher and I hope Oliver can't reach it for a few days. When I return it's time to train Figaro to eat out of a microchip feeder. The timing of this is annoying but I'm happy his legs are improving.
 
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Lovely, Tuck! Your three diabetics have been fascinating for me, Kristen. They reinforce and are a reminder that Every Cat is truly Different. Some are easy and go OTJ pretty fast. Some take longer. You think they will never have good numbers and then the numbers start to lower. And some take even longer. Maybe we need to preach patience more...

Some people put their dry food in that large plastic containers that seal....not sure where you get them.
 
@Sue and Oliver (GA) the issue with the dry food is that Figaro is a grazer and doesn't eat meals. Oliver just ate it right out of Figaro's dish. I have lots of the Surefeed feeders and some wonder bowls. I need to train Figaro since some cats don't immediately get the concept.

My biggest hurdle, even now after 5 months, is not overreacting to the high numbers. You know the "too much insulin can look like not enough" mantra. If you come to feline diabetes with experience in human diabetes I suspect it's harder to let go of panic with the high numbers. My mom is a Type 1 (aka juvenile) diabetic. Anything in the 300's and she'd need to take a shot and monitor for ketones, etc. So when I'd see numbers up to 500 I'd feel panicky.

I read an article or blog somewhere about remission on the various types of insulin. It suggested that many cats have success on Prozinc/PZI and even Vetsulin. There's a misconception that Lantus is better for achieving remission because of a Lantus specific study. My opinion is that many insulin types can get the cat to remission if the owner is willing to work towards it - not that all cats can/will get there. I have the advantage of working from my home which means I can easily test all day when I make an adjustment. This also allows me to more quickly make adjustments because I don't need to wait for a weekend or stay up half the night. Maybe the gentler and more predictable curves on Lantus are safer for the blind shooting owners???
 
AbyResq said:
@Sue and Oliver (GA) the issue with the dry food is that Figaro is a grazer and doesn't eat meals. Oliver just ate it right out of Figaro's dish. I have lots of the Surefeed feeders and some wonder bowls. I need to train Figaro since some cats don't immediately get the concept.

My biggest hurdle, even now after 5 months, is not overreacting to the high numbers. You know the "too much insulin can look like not enough" mantra. If you come to feline diabetes with experience in human diabetes I suspect it's harder to let go of panic with the high numbers. My mom is a Type 1 (aka juvenile) diabetic. Anything in the 300's and she'd need to take a shot and monitor for ketones, etc. So when I'd see numbers up to 500 I'd feel panicky.

I read an article or blog somewhere about remission on the various types of insulin. It suggested that many cats have success on Prozinc/PZI and even Vetsulin. There's a misconception that Lantus is better for achieving remission because of a Lantus specific study. My opinion is that many insulin types can get the cat to remission if the owner is willing to work towards it - not that all cats can/will get there. I have the advantage of working from my home which means I can easily test all day when I make an adjustment. This also allows me to more quickly make adjustments because I don't need to wait for a weekend or stay up half the night. Maybe the gentler and more predictable curves on Lantus are safer for the blind shooting owners???
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I agree. I understand that the depot insulins can be easier. There is a few formula you follow so dosing is easier; it is a busy ISG so there is always someone there to help. And yes, they have the research. My feeling is that ECID, truly. And the best insulin is the one that works for your cat - whether it be Lantus or ProZinc or Vetsulin. We used to think cats who went into remission by 6 months were unusual. Now, when some cats go off insulin in a few weeks with a diet change, the expectation is that it should be a fast process. And for some cats, it just isn't.
 
I'm back and Tuck still has fabulous numbers.

Cat sitter messed up and came a day early. Oliver got insulin twice on Thursday night. Once right as I was leaving and then she messed up and came that same night. He got his second shot about 2 hours after the first one. Thank goodness she texted to tell me she'd been at my house. I read the text and panicked. I immediately called her and she went back to my house and offered him high carb dry which I had her leave out all night.

I told her whatever she did not to give him any insulin the next morning until it had been at least 12 hours after the second shot. Well, she'd been so worried all night she came early and panicked when she saw 500 on the meter. So she gave him his dose at +10. At least she listened to me and didn't increase the dose. She asked if she should increase it that night and I said no. Friday night he was around 400. When I got home tonight his PMPS was 301 which is a normal number for him.

Happy I'm home so I can re-regulate him.
 
Wowwww, what a bad cat sitter! That's something that should not happen!
I'm glad everything went well eventually, you were in shock I can imagine!
 
Whoa! That's scary! So grateful she let you know so you could make sure she went back and gave him some food. Glad you're home now!
 
Thanks everyone. Oliver is doing really well and thankfully the story didn't have a horrific ending. I had put him on a slightly reduced dose for my trip. I'd been giving him 1.2 or 1.4 units in the days before I left. Thursday night he wound up getting 1 unit 2x within a few hours. The second dose would've started dropping him right around the nadir time of the first dose. The overlapping doses scared me more than the overall amount of insulin.

Oliver's 1 unit lasted longer than 12 hours last night. Looks like he's headed to another dose reduction. This may be one of those wonky incidents where the hypo helped his overall condition. I would NEVER intentionally do this to a cat, way too risky.

1 week into Tuck's OTJ trial and his AMPS was 62 :D. Looks like my absence wasn't too stressful on him :p.
 
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