Oliver 10/28 +Pic

Bec and Oliver

Bec and Oliver

Member Since 2018
Hi all, (previous post)

Over the weekend I was away interstate and left Oliver in the care of my parents. Unfortunately they weren't able to get any readings while I was away, and since his levels have been so low recently, I didn't feel it was safe for them to give him insulin without knowing what was going on. (I know this is not an ideal situation)

I have come back home this afternoon and tested him and he is 77 (4.3) at his would-have-been +8, in his 6th cycle without insulin. I'm proud of his little pancreas!

My question is- what now? The plan was not to trial him OTJ yet, but circumstantially, he has been for the last few days.

I think I am following SLGS since his diet included kibble until 5 days ago.
 
Hi Bec,
I don't think you could have done anything else but what you did, if your parents were not testing. Keeping Oliver safe is the number one priority. He looks like he has done well during the last 6 cycles without insulin, if the +8 today of 77 is anything to go by.
See what his PMPS number is and post it. Do you give the insulin at 9 pm?
If he is still in normal numbers I think I would withhold insulin tonight .......I will tag a couple of people who are experienced in getting kitties off insulin in the final stages and see what they think. @Wendy&Neko @Marje and Gracie. They might say to just continue with an OTJ ( off the juice) trial, or they might want you to give just a drop of insulin for a time.
What would be helpful would be if you could get a few BSLs during the evening cycle tonight. A +3 would be good, (that is 3 hours after you feed Oliver) as if the pancreas is doing its job and you haven't given any insulin, the BSL should drop a couple of hours after food. Also one before you go to bed. If you do give insulin, you will need to test more frequently.....depending on the BSL.
Post what the preshot number is in the morning and hopefully Wendy or Marje will have seen the above tag and be online to help you.

With his food, once he is in remission, you will need to keep him off all dry food now forever and keep him on low carb food only.
 
Let’s try a little experiment before we decide on a remission trial.

Test him when you normally would the next couple of cycles, don’t shoot if his numbers are low blue or green, feed him, and then test him three hours later. If his BG comes down in three hours, his pancreas is working. This also lets us see a bit of testing data so we can see what his BG is doing before we go too much further.

If you get a BG above 150 when you test, and you can be there to monitor, let’s try a drop of insulin and see what it does. Please continue to collect data as you normally would (e.g. +2, midcyle, or as necessary if he’s dropping) if you give insulin.

Paws crossed!
 
Oliver has had a pretty smooth day!

This is him (bottom right) and his little 'sister' Amelia trying to help me write my Honours thesis. (excuse the mess!)
IMG_6991.JPG
 
He’s looking great! He’s ready for an official OTJ trial! Here are the instructions.

  • Start the trial on the next green pre shot.
  • If he is green at your normal test times, no need to test further until the next "PS" time; just feed small meals and go about your day. If he is blue at your normal "PS", feed a small meal and test again after about 3 or 4 hours. If his number is lower 3-4 hours after a meal, then the pancreas is working!
  • Post every day so we can monitor your progress and see if any tweaks are needed. Be sure you include “OTJ Trial Day xx” in your subject line with the “xx” being the day of the trial.
  • He may have a sporadic blue number. Don't panic but post before you decide whether to shoot so we can have a discussion.
  • After 14 days of no insulin, we have a party!!
Sometimes the trial doesn't work the first time and we have to give a little more support in the form of resuming insulin. It's not the end of the world if that happens; we just give him the support needed. Our goal is a strong remission and it's better to take our time to get that than to rush into remission just to have it fail later on.

Once he is through the trial successfully, you enter a new phase. Your cat is still diabetic but has now become diet-controlled. Continue feeding low carb food in the manner successful for your kitty. If you decide to change his feeding schedule, let your meter be your guide to the best times to feed. Avoid medications with sugar in them and steroid medications unless they are medically essential. Continue testing blood glucose weekly for the first month and then monthly forever. It's a good idea to weigh him monthly. Weight should remain stable. If he seems "off" or sick, or is showing signs of diabetes (excessive drinking, eating, urinating, weight loss), test his blood glucose right away. Keep the teeth and gums clean and healthy; dental issues can bring a cat out of remission. If you see rising blood glucose numbers, it's time for a visit to the vet!

Good luck with the trial!!!
 
Thanks everyone! Sorry for the late reply, my internet has been out. We will 'officially' start the trial tomorrow then.

Bobbie And Bubba said:
This is so exciting!!!! Go Oliver. We will all be cheering you on!

Love the photo!

Good Luck on your Honours Thesis! What is it on?
Click to expand...

My thesis is on the health and mental well-being of university students with chronic health conditions. 2 weeks til due day! I'm nearing the end of a Speech Pathology degree :)
 
Bec and Oliver said:
Thanks everyone! Sorry for the late reply, my internet has been out. We will 'officially' start the trial tomorrow then.



My thesis is on the health and mental well-being of university students with chronic health conditions. 2 weeks til due day! I'm nearing the end of a Speech Pathology degree :)
Click to expand...
That is awesome! The best of luck to you! What made you choose that topic?

My son was one of the university GRAD students with a chronic health condition. He did manage to get his Masters in Experimental Psych but had to throw a free ride for his PhD due to his illness. He is a university instructor now, so all is good, but he really really wanted his PhD. Maybe later.
 
My family is enjoying the idea of not shooting so much that they fed him before I even woke up :facepalm: He's a chill 59 today though. He seems to run on the low end of the "healthy" range. Is that normal?
What day would he be on today? (Do you backdate to the first tested day OTJ? i.e. 29th Oct)


Bobbie And Bubba said:
That is awesome! The best of luck to you! What made you choose that topic?
Click to expand...

I have quite a few friends and family with chronic health conditions, and have had long term health conditions as well. It's actually turning out to be really interesting! I interviewed students with IBS, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, scoliosis etc.
 
Bec and Oliver said:
He's a chill 59 today though. He seems to run on the low end of the "healthy" range. Is that normal?
What day would he be on today? (Do you backdate to the first tested day OTJ? i.e. 29th Oct)
Click to expand...
@Bec and Oliver
Yes his numbers are great. Some cats have lower BSLs than others, but Olivers are great.
You don't seem to have numbers for the 30th and 31st Oct.
If you missed those two days, you will need to start the trial today. (1st)
 
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