BG curve: ranged 402-567

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NoahAndStar

NoahAndStar

Member Since 2021
I'm at my wits end here so please be kind. I become more overwhelmed every day so please tell me the high-priority items first, and list other things second.

I had a BG curve of Star done yesterday and their (singular kitty) BG reached a low of 402 and a high of 567.

Previous curve made no sense -- BG started high and only went down. This was the same day as my carpet was being removed from Star and my's room so they probably thought we were moving. They didn't eat almost all day

I've done everything my vet recommended and some things from this forum, too.

They're peeing outside the litter box on a daily basis, drinking water constantly, need encouragement and emotional support to eat their food

Is the insulin even working? It's clear, and had been in the fridge this whole time
 
Your spreadsheet is a little sparse of entries.Yu had very little BG and time at 1 unit and then jumped to 2 units and not doing that well on 2 units.
I myself would go down to 1.25 units and take more BG measurements. We usually take one BG right before each shot and then periodically between sheets. WE usually hold one does for 3-5 days before increasing dose but it going too low we immediately reduce dose.
 
Larry and Kitties said:
Your spreadsheet is a little sparse of entries.Yu had very little BG and time at 1 unit and then jumped to 2 units and not doing that well on 2 units.
I myself would go down to 1.25 units and take more BG measurements. We usually take one BG right before each shot and then periodically between sheets. WE usually hold one does for 3-5 days before increasing dose but it going too low we immediately reduce dose.
Click to expand...


Thank you for the reply! I went directly to 2 units because that's what my vet told me to do.
Since the BG is so high on 2 units, I don't understand why I should decrease insulin rather than increase.

I'm having trouble keeping my head above water in all regards and at this time I don't know how to prioritize what to focus on. More BG measurements? More curves? New vial of insulin? Harassing the vet so they fix things? Finding a specialist? Cleaning the litter box so they don't pee in my bed quite so much? Cleaning the bed (again) because I prioritized wrong? It's too much :(
 
Previous posts
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/first-glucose-curve.258926/#post-2910287

Intro post
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-member-very-overwhelmed.256204/
SLGS: You hold a dose for 7 days (unless a reduction is earned). You decrease the dose when the BG falls below 90. The aim of this protocol is to keep the cat in the 90-150 range. This is more suited for caregivers who can't test as much as TR requires. You do a weekly curve with SLGS.

TR is a more aggressive protocol with increases as often as every 3-5 days. Reductions are earned when the BG falls below 50. The aim is to keep the cat in the range of 50-100 (which is the normal BG range for cats). To follow TR, you would need to get at least one more test per cycle in addition to the pre-shot one i.e. 2 tests per cycle or 4 tests per day. You would also need to be feeding only LC canned food and no dry food.

You could try TR if you are feeding LC wet (and no dry) and if you think that's more testing than you can manage, you can switch to SLGS.

, if you are feeding any dry food you can't follow TR you have to follow SLGS until he's off all dry food completely.


Read about the dosing methods here
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...-low-go-slow-slgs-tight-regulation-tr.210110/
Your previous post mentions you went from 1 unit to 2 units
We don't increase by whole units, we increase or decrease by 0.25 units at a time
Have you read the 2 different dosing methods , they will tell you when you need to increase or decrease the dose.

Can you please start testing him everyday and night so we can see how the insulin is working , that's the only way we can give you any advice
If you are still feeding the dry food you will have to go with the dosing method SLGS
 
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NoahAndStar said:
Thank you for the reply! I went directly to 2 units because that's what my vet told me to do.
Since the BG is so high on 2 units, I don't understand why I should decrease insulin rather than increase.

I'm having trouble keeping my head above water in all regards and at this time I don't know how to prioritize what to focus on. More BG measurements? More curves? New vial of insulin? Harassing the vet so they fix things? Finding a specialist? Cleaning the litter box so they don't pee in my bed quite so much? Cleaning the bed (again) because I prioritized wrong? It's too much :(
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We don't increase by whole units, we increase or decrease by 0.25 units at a time
because you may be missing a good dose for Star.
We don't increase or decrease the units by what the AMPS or PMPS is we adjust the dose by how low Star is dropping during each cycle, (the nadar)
You have to be testing Star every day and night to see how the insulin is working and how low Star is dropping.
Once you get Star regulated she should stop peeing outside the litter box.

You said they are peeing outside the litter box, so I assume you have more than one cat peeing outside the litter box?

Does Star have any other health conditions? If so can you add them to your signature
You said Star
Star the cat was diagnosed with diabetes and congestive heart failure in early November 2021.


I see you wrote this in your introduction post
Hi, I'm very overwhelmed with Star's health. I use they/them pronouns for Star, who is a singular kitty!
So do you only have one kitty Star?
 
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Welcome to the FDMB. Hello from Los Angeles. It is really hard to advise on dosing now because we don't have enough information. Did you do the curve or was it done at the vet's office? Stress would be a factor if done at the vet. My boy was a very docile cat but became aggressive when caged at the vet for the first curve after his first shot and never had another curve done there. I would get the suggested tests for a few days and then I would feel better making suggestions as to dosing. Meanwhile read about our dosing methods. Will it be possible to get amps/pmps and one other test each cycle? You would test before insulin morning and night and grab another test between +2-6.

Too much insulin can look like too littles if it is done after your cat went into lower bg numbers than normal for him. So normal bg makes the cat feel like too low and the liver causes them to go high causing a bounce. That is why it was suggested that you lower the dose. You could do that or leave it where it is and get the tests.
 
To prioritize, first step is to try and get a blood sugar test before every shot, so you know it's safe to give insulin. If you can do that, plus the odd curve or test in between the shots, we can help you figure out how to change his dose. Getting Star into better blood sugar numbers will help with the amount he drinks and pees. Don't worry about picking a dosing method just yet, unless you want to. Baby steps. :bighug: We all know how overwhelming this is at first.

Once you've gotten a better handle on how he's doing on this insulin dose, we'll talk about food and changing him to a more appropriate diet for a diabetic cat. A better diet will also lower his numbers. But don't change that just yet, until you can do more testing. One step at a time. Start with the testing.

Your insulin sounds like it's fine, don't worry about it.
 
Just seconding what Wendy said.

I know in the past you mentioned having someone come to test. I'd prioritize learning to test yourself, and start with before each shot. The Libre is also an option if you want an idea how things are going while you're learning.

Second priority, testing urine ketones once or twice a week.

Insulin is likely fine. Vet sounds like 90% of the vets we see here, I wouldn't stress about vet yet (most of us just do our own thing and use the vet for prescriptions ;)). Litterbox sounds normal, just keep an eye out for signs of UTIs and things like that.

I thought you have another cat if I remember correctly - but generally the recommendation is twice the number of litterboxes as you have cats. Plus another one for the diabetic :rolleyes: that said, not even that helped us much. I ended up keeping Mr Kitty confined to tile/linoleum/cemented areas for the majority of the day. While I felt a little bad he couldn't have free reign, he still had plenty of space, and I had my sanity. I couldn't keep spending hours of my life washing bedding + ripping up carpet + padding + subfloors.
 
FrostD said:
thought you have another cat if I remember correctly -
Click to expand...
Hi Melissa I thought she had more than one cat also until I went back to her introduction post and read what she said which was
Hi, I'm very overwhelmed with Star's health. I use they/them pronouns for Star, who is a singular kitty!
I tested their glucose level at home for the first time today on ReliOn human meter and got 464
We had skipped insulin yesterday because they were barely eating. I gave them 1 unit of Lantis immediately

Introduction post
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-member-very-overwhelmed.256204/
 
Thanks Diane, I do remember the pronouns. I still thought there was another cat, but I've been following so many cats lately I can't keep my head on straight sometimes :joyful:
 
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