Charlie and SLGS dosing clarification

charliesmom1

charliesmom1

Member Since 2019
Going on day 7 of 1.25 dose for Charlie. Earlier in the week he had a BG reading of 94, but nothing lower than 152 (today) since that day. My question is do I look at all numbers for the 7 days before changing dose? I am working on a curve today but missed the +2.
 
When trying to figure out what to do with the dose, ask the question “how low is this dose capable of taking my cat”? You do not look at bounce cycles, but rather those with typical curves. Your situation is a little more complicated, because that 95 was a couple cycles after a skip. Often they will go lower on the cycle or two after a skip.

It would have been interesting to see what he did the night of the 27th. He did a big drop into blue at +2. Big drops from preshot to +2 can be the sigh of an active cycle that needs more monitoring. There was a good chance he went under 150 then.

Here is the link to your previous cycle, to help others to follow Charlie’s history http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/help-with-charlie-and-vacation-dose.219409/
 
Wendy&Neko said:
When trying to figure out what to do with the dose, ask the question “how low is this dose capable of taking my cat”? You do not look at bounce cycles, but rather those with typical curves. Your situation is a little more complicated, because that 95 was a couple cycles after a skip. Often they will go lower on the cycle or two after a skip.

It would have been interesting to see what he did the night of the 27th. He did a big drop into blue at +2. Big drops from preshot to +2 can be the sigh of an active cycle that needs more monitoring. There was a good chance he went under 150 then.

Here is the link to your previous cycle, to help others to follow Charlie’s history http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/help-with-charlie-and-vacation-dose.219409/
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Yes I agree it is complicated. I was sick this previous week and not able to do a good job getting glucose readings. I agree that on the night of the 27th he most likely went below 150, especially since the next day brought numbers in the 400's since he likes to bounce. Today he is all over the place.

Previous posters felt he should maybe be bumped up to 1.5 to see how he does, with monitoring of course. Would you agree?
 
Wendy&Neko said:
The question is, how much can you monitor? Can you get a before bed test every night?
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I'm sure I can try most night, and if it seems like he will go too low then set an alarm and get up through the night as I have in the past. Charlie is notorious for a large +2 drop.
 
charliesmom1 said:
I'm sure I can try most night, and if it seems like he will go too low then set an alarm and get up through the night as I have in the past. Charlie is notorious for a large +2 drop.
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I am curious what everyone else does when they have plans for the evening and cannot be home to even give a shot or post shot testing?
 
For me I consider what is going on,...if you know that you can’t be home to monitor there are a couple things you can do if Charlie goes too low.

You could give a reduced dose instead of a full dose, or skip.

You could also give a full dose, grab a test before you leave and decide if you need to leave out MC or HC.

You could ask a friend or family member to pop by to check in if that is an option.

To decide which method is best you’ll need to have a general understanding on Charlie’s response to insulin.
 
AmandaE said:
For me I consider what is going on,...if you know that you can’t be home to monitor there are a couple things you can do if Charlie goes too low.

You could give a reduced dose instead of a full dose, or skip.

You could also give a full dose, grab a test before you leave and decide if you need to leave out MC or HC.

You could ask a friend or family member to pop by to check in if that is an option.

To decide which method is best you’ll need to have a general understanding on Charlie’s response to insulin.
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Thanks for the ideas. Charlie gets shots at 7:30 am/pm so I guess in this instance the shot would have to be missed since evening plans are usually happening at that time. Sometimes I really feel tied to the house and have hardly gone out in the evening. Not trying to complain because I love Charlie, but it's hard sometimes. Charlie's response to insulin is all over the place!
 
Definitely!! You are so great for caring for Charlie. But you have to have a life too!

If you don’t want to skip I think a reduced dose is a really good option, It just depends on what the PMPS is. If it’s high I say: give the dose. Just make sure to grab a test when you get home :)
 
AmandaE said:
Definitely!! You are so great for caring for Charlie. But you have to have a life too!

If you don’t want to skip I think a reduced dose is a really good option, It just depends on what the PMPS is. If it’s high I say: give the dose. Just make sure to grab a test when you get home :)
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I really appreciate the encouragement because sometimes I feel my life is now tied to Charlie. I hope that doesn't sound selfish. I don't understand how I could give him a reduced dose? If Im leaving at 5:30 pm that's 2 hours before his scheduled shot.
 
charliesmom1 said:
I really appreciate the encouragement because sometimes I feel my life is now tied to Charlie. I hope that doesn't sound selfish. I don't understand how I could give him a reduced dose? If Im leaving at 5:30 pm that's 2 hours before his scheduled shot.
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Sorry, I didn’t realize that was the situation. For sure you can skip the shot. I don’t think you sound selfish at all. It’s super important to think of yourself too. Charlie will get back on track! Think of it as a fur shot ;)
 
charliesmom1 said:
I am curious what everyone else does when they have plans for the evening and cannot be home to even give a shot or post shot testing?
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I live my life confined to my cat’s schedule unfortunately. Besides working and sleeping, I pretty much just take care of her. She has several health conditions that require various medications and monitoring at different times of the day so I don’t ever leave once I come home from work (except for some rare days where I can get away for 2 or 3 hours). Boyfriend is understanding enough to come over so I can test Missy and do her routine in the evenings but it’s definitely stressful and frustrating. I need to work on finding a balance and taking care of myself too.
 
charliesmom1 said:
I really appreciate the encouragement because sometimes I feel my life is now tied to Charlie. I hope that doesn't sound selfish. I don't understand how I could give him a reduced dose? If Im leaving at 5:30 pm that's 2 hours before his scheduled shot.
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To be able to have (sometimes) a life in the evening, I moved shot times to 6:15am/pm. After that I can go out and come back at 9pm for a +3, or, my husband gives him the shot if I can't be home at 6:15pm. The hardest is to wakeup in the morning, every day of the week for the shot! Then usually I go back to sleep for another hour or 2. Tough.
Overall, life now turns essentially around Macka and his routine. He became the number 1 priority, I think that's how it is for many of us here. I wish I could be more relaxed about the situation, but it's still quite recent and I am not there yet. I hope you can find a good balance!!
 
Priya&Missy said:
I live my life confined to my cat’s schedule unfortunately. Besides working and sleeping, I pretty much just take care of her. She has several health conditions that require various medications and monitoring at different times of the day so I don’t ever leave once I come home from work (except for some rare days where I can get away for 2 or 3 hours). Boyfriend is understanding enough to come over so I can test Missy and do her routine in the evenings but it’s definitely stressful and frustrating. I need to work on finding a balance and taking care of myself too.
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I feel you...
 
Priya&Missy said:
I love her and she’s worth it but I’m only 26 and it feels ridiculous some days how much time, effort, and energy I put into this kitty. The things you do for love! :rolleyes:
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I know... but what else can you do? I cling to the hope that it won't always be like this, maybe a few months, maybe a few years of sacrifices for our babies.
 
Penelope and Mačka said:
I know... but what else can you do? I cling to the hope that it won't always be like this, maybe a few months, maybe a few years of sacrifices for our babies.
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I was hoping we’d get to a stable point where I don’t have to obsessively worry about her all day and plan around her but it’s been over 2 years and it’s only gotten worse. Now with the lung cancer and her overall declining health and age, I want to focus on her and keep her my #1 priority because I know I may not have much time left. She’s my first cat and I’m dreading the day she passes but at least I know I was the best cat mama I could be and gave her a wonderful, loving life.
 
Priya&Missy said:
I live my life confined to my cat’s schedule unfortunately. Besides working and sleeping, I pretty much just take care of her. She has several health conditions that require various medications and monitoring at different times of the day so I don’t ever leave once I come home from work (except for some rare days where I can get away for 2 or 3 hours). Boyfriend is understanding enough to come over so I can test Missy and do her routine in the evenings but it’s definitely stressful and frustrating. I need to work on finding a balance and taking care of myself too.
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Im sorry to hear that about your cat being so sick. I can relate to the stressful and frustrating at times. I have my own health issues I'm dealing with and sometimes it's a bit much taking care of charlie basically 24/7. Feels good to be able to vent and have others who understand.
 
Penelope and Mačka said:
To be able to have (sometimes) a life in the evening, I moved shot times to 6:15am/pm. After that I can go out and come back at 9pm for a +3, or, my husband gives him the shot if I can't be home at 6:15pm. The hardest is to wakeup in the morning, every day of the week for the shot! Then usually I go back to sleep for another hour or 2. Tough.
Overall, life now turns essentially around Macka and his routine. He became the number 1 priority, I think that's how it is for many of us here. I wish I could be more relaxed about the situation, but it's still quite recent and I am not there yet. I hope you can find a good balance!!
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Thanks for the reply and sharing your situation. It's only been 3 months with Charlie too and he's only just turned 6, so its a bit daunting to think this is my life for the next 10 (?) years. I have some friends and family who think it is crazy that I do this for a cat but I don't see another option that I can live with. I am already not getting enough sleep so I guess I will leave my alarm set at 7:30 am which is bad enough!
 
charliesmom1 said:
Im sorry to hear that about your cat being so sick. I can relate to the stressful and frustrating at times. I have my own health issues I'm dealing with and sometimes it's a bit much taking care of charlie basically 24/7. Feels good to be able to vent and have others who understand.
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I have several of my own issues too so I understand that part. It’s caused problems with my relationship (almost broke up over the fact that I love my cat more than my boyfriend haha) and my family doesn’t understand why Missy is so important to me and why I can’t just put her down - mostly they’re concerned about the financial aspects.
 
Priya&Missy said:
I have several of my own issues too so I understand that part. It’s caused problems with my relationship (almost broke up over the fact that I love my cat more than my boyfriend haha) and my family doesn’t understand why Missy is so important to me and why I can’t just put her down - mostly they’re concerned about the financial aspects.
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Yes I can totally relate. And yes its also very costly having a diabetic cat. My husband is not willing to help with testing or shots so it's all on me. Sitting here exhausted and would like to go to sleep, but Charlie just dropped over 200 pts from PMPS at +2 so I have to keep testing.
 
Priya&Missy said:
Now with the lung cancer and her overall declining health and age, I want to focus on her and keep her my #1 priority because I know I may not have much time left.
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Exactly. Do your best now and you won't regret it.
charliesmom1 said:
I have my own health issues I'm dealing with and sometimes it's a bit much taking care of charlie basically 24/7. Feels good to be able to vent and have others who understand.
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Sorry about your health issues. It's not an easy situation, this feline diabetes is life disrupting. I am French and need to go back to France a few times a year but now I am stuck at home. So much so that I decided to stop working for a while (I had 2 contracting jobs) because it was just too stressful to be gone all day.

big hugs to both of you
 
Penelope and Mačka said:
Exactly. Do your best now and you won't regret it.

Sorry about your health issues. It's not an easy situation, this feline diabetes is life disrupting. I am French and need to go back to France a few times a year but now I am stuck at home. So much so that I decided to stop working for a while (I had 2 contracting jobs) because it was just too stressful to be gone all day.

big hugs to both of you
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Wow that is a big sacrifice! Yes it is very life disrupting!
 
charliesmom1 said:
Yes I can totally relate. And yes its also very costly having a diabetic cat. My husband is not willing to help with testing or shots so it's all on me. Sitting here exhausted and would like to go to sleep, but Charlie just dropped over 200 pts from PMPS at +2 so I have to keep testing.
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I’m sorry... I hope he comes around and realizes that it’ll make things easier for the 3 of you if he steps up and helps out a bit. I taught my boyfriend how to prick Missy’s ears and how to deal with low numbers if I ask him to come over and check on her while I’m at work. My ex also offers to take Missy to his house and watch her if I need to leave town or take a break. I still do 99% of the work but it’s nice to know I have some help if there’s an emergency.
 
charliesmom1 said:
Yes I can totally relate. And yes its also very costly having a diabetic cat. My husband is not willing to help with testing or shots so it's all on me. Sitting here exhausted and would like to go to sleep, but Charlie just dropped over 200 pts from PMPS at +2 so I have to keep testing.
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Argh, indeed quite a drop. I'll stay awake for a while too and will be with you in thoughts!
Financially it's been a total money pit, and same here, friends and family don't understand the struggle one bit (apart from my mom maybe because she took care of Macka for 4 years after I moved to the US, so she has a bond with him). But still, she doesn't get the anxiety and the lack of sleep...
 
Penelope and Mačka said:
Argh, indeed quite a drop. I'll stay awake for a while too and will be with you in thoughts!
Financially it's been a total money pit, and same here, friends and family don't understand the struggle one bit (apart from my mom maybe because she took care of Macka for 4 years after I moved to the US, so she has a bond with him). But still, she doesn't get the anxiety and the lack of sleep...
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Ugh the anxiety! The past few months I’ve been so stressed and worried that I’ve felt physically ill. I dread coming home to a dead kitty and feel guilty when I’m not with her..

The lack of sleep is so challenging. I think I’ve only been getting about 5 hours at the most this past month
 
charliesmom1 said:
Thanks for the reply and sharing your situation. It's only been 3 months with Charlie too and he's only just turned 6, so its a bit daunting to think this is my life for the next 10 (?) years. I have some friends and family who think it is crazy that I do this for a cat but I don't see another option that I can live with. I am already not getting enough sleep so I guess I will leave my alarm set at 7:30 am which is bad enough!
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Like Penelope I also love 6/6 for my work / social life, and on the weekend also go right back to sleep after Mowgli gets his shot. I do understand the sleep aspect though. That’s why I’ve put off trying TR

My family also thinks I’m crazy but I just tell the more passionate concernists: it doesn’t affect you, but thanks for your concern. I also told them that I have spent more money on a night out or shopping spree than it costs to care for Mowgli.

Have you guys all looked at Marks Marine Pharmacy for ordering your insulin? It’s much cheaper from
Canada than the US.

I would recommend not focusing on the worst case scenario when you’re away from your sugar kitties. Remember all of the things you’re in control of. Like I was saying; you can skip shots, shoot reduced doses, leave out MC or HC

also try and focus on the positives! Things will get better for your cats not worse, because you’re all treating them! There is still the chance of remission for each of your cats and even if not remission, when your cats are regulated they are more than likely going to be more predictable! Please think of yourselves too because if you burn yourselves out you won’t be any help to your cats :)
 
Priya&Missy said:
I’m sorry... I hope he comes around and realizes that it’ll make things easier for the 3 of you if he steps up and helps out a bit. I taught my boyfriend how to prick Missy’s ears and how to deal with low numbers if I ask him to come over and check on her while I’m at work. My ex also offers to take Missy to his house and watch her if I need to leave town or take a break. I still do 99% of the work but it’s nice to know I have some help if there’s an emergency.
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For the 6 of us, I have 3 other cats lol!
 
AmandaE said:
Like Penelope I also love 6/6 for my work / social life, and on the weekend also go right back to sleep after Mowgli gets his shot. I do understand the sleep aspect though. That’s why I’ve put off trying TR

My family also thinks I’m crazy but I just tell the more passionate concernists: it doesn’t affect you, but thanks for your concern. I also told them that I have spent more money on a night out or shopping spree than it costs to care for Mowgli.

Have you guys all looked at Marks Marine Pharmacy for ordering your insulin? It’s much cheaper from
Canada than the US.

I would recommend not focusing on the worst case scenario when you’re away from your sugar kitties. Remember all of the things you’re in control of. Like I was saying; you can skip shots, shoot reduced doses, leave out MC or HC

also try and focus on the positives! Things will get better for your cats not worse, because you’re all treating them! There is still the chance of remission for each of your cats and even if not remission, when your cats are regulated they are more than likely going to be more predictable! Please think of yourselves too because if you burn yourselves out you won’t be any help to your cats :)
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Yeah I get tired of explaining that I have a heart and am not willing to put a 6 year old cat to sleep! I think I will take your advice and not beat myself up for skipping a shot for an occasional night out. Seriously, thanks for the pep talk. Needed to hear it tonight. Regulation or remission seems a ways off but I will try to be optimistic!
 
charliesmom1 said:
Yeah I get tired of explaining that I have a heart and am not willing to put a 6 year old cat to sleep! I think I will take your advice and not beat myself up for skipping a shot for an occasional night out. Seriously, thanks for the pep talk. Needed to hear it tonight. Regulation or remission seems a ways off but I will try to be optimistic!
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No problem! Im glad you’ll take some time for yourself.

Definitely be optimistic! Start by noticing the little things: peeing/eating/drinking less, back to their old selves etc... then start focusing on Regulation, THEN remission ;)

I’ve been at this 6 months which I know isn’t that long, but I had hoped that Mowgli would be further along by now when I first started. But, with a little creativity I don’t find the whole routine too disruptive to my typical life schedule :)

Have fun on your night out this week :)
 
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