? 3/14 - Bandit - AMPS (324) +5 (232) PMPS (176) +2 (66) +3(61) +4(92) +5(132) - Advice please!

Bandit's Mom

Bandit's Mom

Member Since 2019
Previous thread - http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/03-12-bandit-amps-240-3-225-dosing-advice-please.226910/

We are on the 4th cycle of the increase to 2. Is this still the 1.75 unit depot in play? I really am at a loss as to what is happening with this girl. At all doses, she is in high yellows and pinks for 7 days and then dips (and how) to green/lime on the 8th day.

Is she getting more insulin than she needs? Would she bounce less if we reduced her dramatically to 1 unit or so and see?
 
Bandit's Mom said:
We are on the 4th cycle of the increase to 2. Is this still the 1.75 unit depot in play? I really am at a loss as to what is happening with this girl. At all doses, she is in high yellows and pinks for 7 days and then dips (and how) to green/lime on the 8th day.

Is she getting more insulin than she needs? Would she bounce less if we reduced her dramatically to 1 unit or so and see?
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Ill be interested in seeing the answer as Disco does something similar it seems.
 
Wow! I was just thinking about you guys, wondering what you were up to!

Bandit's Mom said:
We are on the 4th cycle of the increase to 2. Is this still the 1.75 unit depot in play?
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No, I just think you are just starting to see the effects of the 2U. It has finished bumping up the depot from 1.75U, and starting to get to work!

As for the overall patterns: unfortunately, it's just life with a bouncy kitty. The only thing you can do is wait Bandit out. When she's good and ready, her body will get used to the good numbers, and she'll start spending more time there rather than immediately bouncing to the moon for several cycles. If you look over the long term, she's definitely made some improvements. She's spending much less time in pinks and above, she's hitting green pretty regularly (even if she doesn't stay there too long)-- she looks like a different cat! It just takes time. :bighug: :bighug:
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
Wow! I was just thinking about you guys, wondering what you were up to!
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:bighug::bighug::bighug: Thank you for thinking about us!


Do you really think she's making progress? Because to me, she seems to be stuck in the 150 to 300 range for the last 2 months since we transitioned her to YA. Except for these weekly spurts of green when it looks like her overfull depot is dumping insulin en masse into her body!
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Previous thread - http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/03-12-bandit-amps-240-3-225-dosing-advice-please.226910/

We are on the 4th cycle of the increase to 2. Is this still the 1.75 unit depot in play? I really am at a loss as to what is happening with this girl. At all doses, she is in high yellows and pinks for 7 days and then dips (and how) to green/lime on the 8th day.

Is she getting more insulin than she needs? Would she bounce less if we reduced her dramatically to 1 unit or so and see?
Click to expand...

I am also interested in this answer and trying to understand the dose/depot relationship better. Zhoom took a nose dive this morning too. Seems like Bandit might be hanging tight around 60 for now? Hoping for a safe surf for you and Bandit!
 
It's true that the major switch came when you transitioned food. Still, I do think she's making progress. The last month has seen longer stretches of green before she throws it into reverse (? maybe this would be "drive" since the numbers are increasing).

I don't think those greens are her body dumping insulin in response to the depot; I think it's the lantus being given a chance to work, and her body not fighting it as much as it used to (at least for a little while!). It can be a gradual process, but what she's doing is what you're looking for: lengthening time in blue/green numbers, shortening time in the yellows/pinks.

The other thing that's important to remember is this: our cats are more than their numbers. How is she feeling otherwise?
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
The other thing that's important to remember is this: our cats are more than their numbers. How is she feeling otherwise?
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She's alright. The symptoms of excessive thirst and urination have gone. But she hasn't put on any of the weight she lost (she's at 9.5 lbs) and her neuropathy limits her movement - she's not yet walking on her hocks but is unsteady and her rear legs slip from under her. :(

But she's overall in better spirits than she was a couple of months back.
 
Looks she is already bouncing from +4. After today's cycle, do I continue with 2 units, reduce to 1.75 or reduce to 1.5?
 
She's still in :D, though! She got close, but didn't quite dip below your reduction point, so continue with 2.0 (unless she does dip below later).

I'm glad she's feeling a bit better. The neuropathy is rough-- it can take a long time to resolve. I hope that gets better soon, and that she can put on a bit more weight, too. :bighug: :bighug: :bighug:
 
Nan & Amber (GA) said:
She's still in :D, though! She got close, but didn't quite dip below your reduction point, so continue with 2.0 (unless she does dip below later).

I'm glad she's feeling a bit better. The neuropathy is rough-- it can take a long time to resolve. I hope that gets better soon, and that she can put on a bit more weight, too. :bighug: :bighug: :bighug:
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Thank you! i hope so too. Really cannot watch her struggle to walk. Her numbers aren't that high either. So I am surprised she has neuropathy at all!
 
Looks like Bandit is heading up now. She is still looking pretty good! Had a nice time in the lagoon and has not bounced too high yet. I know how discouraging it can feel, my Zhoom is a very bouncy kitty.

Also I wanted to mention that it took Zhoom about 6 months to start putting on some weight, so don't lose hope that Bandit will also start to regain some of what he had lost. Zhoom is still not back to his normal weight. I think it takes some time.
 
Hi. I do see progress! You are starting to see green. Max was a bouncy kitty his whole first year. It got to the point that I had to wait for three below 50 to take a reduction because he never held reductions. Then the second year he was tightly controlled. I then had to take smaller reductions and increases and guided his cycles with food. You aren’t at that point. I’d follow the protocol and see if the time in normal numbers increases. I just wanted to let you know that this is common and IF it continues there are other strategies to try.
 
Are you giving folic acid with the methyl? Or does the methyl you give have it in it? It helps the methyl work. The methyl helps the nerve pain in the legs. It can take a while to see improvement and of course getting the glucoses down.
 
Chris & China (GA) said:
I'd hold the 2U dose too

It can take weeks or months for the Zobaline to help. Nerve cells are the slowest type of cell to regenerate.
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Thank you. You don't think she is getting too much insulin? I wonder if those ugly pinks could be avoided with a lower dose? She was at 1.75 when we were transitioning her to YA. And she started seeing green on that. Even though she was eating a mix of her HC kibble and YA.

I wonder if by increasing her dose I am only aggravating her bouncing. Also wondering about a switch to Levemir if that will give her flatter cycles.

Would appreciate your input.
 
Glad to see Bandit told you to hold the dose with that nice stretch of green last night.

Bandit's Mom said:
You don't think she is getting too much insulin? I wonder if those ugly pinks could be avoided with a lower dose? She was at 1.75 when we were transitioning her to YA. And she started seeing green on that. Even though she was eating a mix of her HC kibble and YA.

I wonder if by increasing her dose I am only aggravating her bouncing. Also wondering about a switch to Levemir if that will give her flatter cycles.

Would appreciate your input.
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Bandit will tell you she's getting too much insulin by going under the reduction point. She got close, but not quite last night. Bandit likes to bounce, try to ignore the bounces. They are a normal mechanism. The only way to stop her to bouncing is find a dose where she can see as much normal blood sugar numbers as it is safely possible to do. That and patience. It took Neko a year to stop bouncing to red. Then over time pink starting going away. If it helps any, I think it's well over 90% of all caregivers ask the same questions you are asking.

Levemir is an option but some cats are just as bouncy on Levemir. There is no guarantee it will flatten her out. Neko still bounced on Levemir, just not quite as much. Actually the part I liked most is that she didn't drop as fast.
 
Thanks a million, Wendy. Will hold the 2 units and see where it takes us. I have one more cartridge of Lantus. Maybe I will take another relook at the Levemir option when I come close to the end of that.
 
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