3/17 Charlie AMPS 426, +2 354, +4 337, +6 317, +7 335, +9 339, PMPS 352

[Charlie'sMom22]

Previous post

Wishing you all some lovely greens for St. Paddy's Day!

I started the new dose this morning. I'm really struggling here. I feel like pinks and reds were so much rarer in the beginning and now they're all I see. I'm sorry to be such a pain in the butt, I feel like a crazy person.

He woke me up early the last couple of mornings yelling for food and has been drinking a bit more water, so he's even acting more diabetic.

I really hope the new dose makes a dent in these numbers. I'm starting to feel like I'm just giving him shots of Nothing.

 

[Brianna & Xander]

I understand how you're feeling! It's so hard to see all those pinks and reds and try to wait.

I see you just increased to 3.5 this morning - good luck with the increase! hopefully Charlie will be seeing some yellows, blues and even greens soon.

 

[Charlie'sMom22]

I understand how you're feeling! It's so hard to see all those pinks and reds and try to wait.

I see you just increased to 3.5 this morning - good luck with the increase! hopefully Charlie will be seeing some yellows, blues and even greens soon.

Thanks Brianna, I hope so too. It’s just me and him and the vet hasn’t been the most helpful, so I have no one to express my concerns to. Thanks for being reassuring again

 

[Bandit's Mom]

I know how upsetting higher numbers can be - especially when it makes the symptoms of FD so much worse. Hang in there. It looks like you are seeing some glucose toxicity and TR will help you get to a breakthrough dose sooner rather than later.

 

[Charlie'sMom22]

Thanks Bhooma. Is there anything I can do/look out for other than keeping an eye on his behavior? I test for ketones every day as well. Sometimes twice a day.

 

[Bandit's Mom]

You can take a break from tests! You have to take care of yourself as well. You don't need to test as much when he is seeing flat and high cycles

If he doesn't have a history of ketones, you don't need to test for them twice a day either.

 

[Charlie'sMom22]

You can take a break from tests! You have to take care of yourself as well. You don't need to test as much when he is seeing flat and high cycles

If he doesn't have a history of ketones, you don't need to test for them twice a day either.

That’s a relief about the ketones. I’ll dial back on the testing. It’ll be good for him too I think. I’m thinking maybe just pre shots and an AM +4 and PM +2? Thank you so much for your advice.

 

[Bandit's Mom]

I’ll dial back on the testing. It’ll be good for him too I think. I’m thinking maybe just pre shots and an AM +4 and PM +2?

We usually suggest starting with a +2 which can be an early indicator of how the cycle will play out. If he is quite a bit lower, you need to get more tests later in the cycle. You can mix up the tests i.e. test at different times each day. Do +2 and +4 one day and +3 and +5 another etc. If he stops dropping at +4/+5, it is safe to stop testing till PS. At least when he is in high numbers like he is now, you can take a break from testing. Once he gets closer to a good dose and you start seeing lower numbers, you would need to get more tests.

 

[Brianna & Xander]

Thanks Brianna, I hope so too. It’s just me and him and the vet hasn’t been the most helpful, so I have no one to express my concerns to. Thanks for being reassuring again

I totally understand how you're feeling. I always describe it as being like one of those movies where a person is diving from a boat and the boat leaves them behind in the open ocean. It's a horrible feeling. I hope the forum helps you some, it definitely helps me!

 

[Helen + Noogi]

Jess, I know how you feel too

It's so hard to keep positive when you can see your kitty having a tough time and it feels like nothing is working. Especially when you are the only caregiver (it's just me and Noogi too, so I know that feeling of responsibility).

Noogi was doing quite well in the beginning of the year and then spent weeks in the pink zone. I was getting so despondent, with a constant feeling of anxiety and frustration and helplessness. Suddenly things changed and he's started coming down into the blues and green again. I hope that happens for you SOON with Charlie. Hang it there!

In our case, I think we finally hit the right dose again for Noogi (after bringing his dose down dramatically when i changed his food to low carb). And he was battling with a skin irritation condition which seems to be improving. I also have a theory that the insulin I was using was losing efficacy as the improvement coincided with the start on a new pen (I don't know if I'm correct, but it does feel like a weird coincidence).

 

[Charlie'sMom22]

Jess, I know how you feel too

It's so hard to keep positive when you can see your kitty having a tough time and it feels like nothing is working. Especially when you are the only caregiver (it's just me and Noogi too, so I know that feeling of responsibility).

Noogi was doing quite well in the beginning of the year and then spent weeks in the pink zone. I was getting so despondent, with a constant feeling of anxiety and frustration and helplessness. Suddenly things changed and he's started coming down into the blues and green again. I hope that happens for you SOON with Charlie. Hang it there!

In our case, I think we finally hit the right dose again for Noogi (after bringing his dose down dramatically when i changed his food to low carb). And he was battling with a skin irritation condition which seems to be improving. I also have a theory that the insulin I was using was losing efficacy as the improvement coincided with the start on a new pen (I don't know if I'm correct, but it does feel like a weird coincidence).

Thank you Helen, I looked at your spreadsheet and it gave me some hope! I'm so glad you finally got the right dose with Noogi and he's doing better What a beautiful boy he is!

I've been wondering about the efficacy of my insulin as well. I actually moved mine from the fridge door to the cheese drawer last night because I read something about the temperature changes affecting it. I also used to roll it at first (my vet instructed me too). I'm hoping I didn't damage it...

Another thing I've been wondering about is his food. I switched proteins and with that came a slight carb change (new food is 2% lower). In theory that should've helped his numbers. Is there a way to "test" another food to see if it changes anything?

 

[Helen + Noogi]

Thank you Helen, I looked at your spreadsheet and it gave me some hope! I'm so glad you finally got the right dose with Noogi and he's doing better What a beautiful boy he is!

I've been wondering about the efficacy of my insulin as well. I actually moved mine from the fridge door to the cheese drawer last night because I read something about the temperature changes affecting it. I also used to roll it at first (my vet instructed me too). I'm hoping I didn't damage it...

Another thing I've been wondering about is his food. I switched proteins and with that came a slight carb change (new food is 2% lower). In theory that should've helped his numbers. Is there a way to "test" another food to see if it changes anything?

I keep my insulin in the fridge door too. I'm not aware of that being a bad idea! Maybe that shortened the life on the previous pen (if that was in fact an issue, which is still an open question). Maybe I need to look at keeping it inside the fridge proper too. And I always roll/move the pen around a bit before I draw.

I'm not qualified to give you advice on food. I'm kind of winging it as so few suitable foods are available here in South Africa. I give as much LC as I can, but it is not all the same percentage carbs, and some is nudging into MC territory. So Noogi is used to eating a variety of different foods. I do give him lots of small meals, especially in the first part of his cycle, which seems to work for him. Not sure how to handle testing new foods when you have your boy on a more regimented program, and also have to factor in the constipation issue. Hopefully someone else can assist.

I see he had his first yellow in a few days. Good boy Charlie