1/11 - Gen, AMPS >400, +1 371, +2 267, +3 188, +4 114

Allie & Gen

Allie & Gen

Member Since 2025
Yesterday

Well, here we seem to be going again - fifth cycle of the new dose, and he's diving dramatically. Not sure how far down he'll go, and I'm contemplating giving him a bit more food shortly (since I have the luxury of being home to do so) to see what happens.

Also, today the only kibble he got was a few crushed up as a topper. Does that count as being off the dry? Am I allowed to keep using it as a topper and still consider him on an all-wet diet?

He's still in the collar, but it doesn't feel sustainable to me (uncomfortable for him, too many possibilities for getting the sensor knocked off), so I've ordered him a shirt with a bit more coverage that ought to protect the abraded area on his side. (I haven't been able to get what I'm positive is a bit more surgical glue off, not with coconut oil or Brava spray. I will have to discuss with the vet. I hope I can convince them to discontinue using the damn thing for Libre installations, for any cats, not just mine.) I also ordered some chicken-flavored gel caps, for another attempt with the antibiotics, though those don't arrive until Tuesday.

My trip is from Friday afternoon through Sunday night, rather late. I hope I can get him into a reasonably stable place for that. The petsitter is fine to administer insulin but I'm not going to ask him to do anything fancy with dosing, food, etc while I'm gone.

Anyway, there's never a dull moment, is there? (And I never can seem to make a short post!) Wishing you all a nice, peaceful Sunday with safely surfing kitties. ❤️
 
He seems pretty content today, at least! He did not (to my shock) give me a giant fuss about the kibble, possibly because of how I managed the meal (1 can of wet as normal to start, with a little of the kibble topper and the usual Miralax & probiotic; then after his shot, a second half-can of wet with more kibble topper and torn-up rabbit nuggets - I've been getting him used to a changing ratio of kibble to rabbit, so maybe the change didn't seem that drastic).

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Allie & Gen said:
He seems pretty content today, at least! He did not (to my shock) give me a giant fuss about the kibble, possibly because of how I managed the meal (1 can of wet as normal to start, with a little of the kibble topper and the usual Miralax & probiotic; then after his shot, a second half-can of wet with more kibble topper and torn-up rabbit nuggets - I've been getting him used to a changing ratio of kibble to rabbit, so maybe the change didn't seem that drastic).

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Good job with the food transition! I hope he continues to do well with the wet food.
Gen looks pretty cozy, despite his cone 💓
I hope he approves of the new shirt and you can get that damned glue off!

Seems your vet will hear you about the glue and it’s a win for all cats in the practice 😘
 
Mary & Jude said:
Allie, I notice he has wide swings in the numbers, for instance, 114 and 230 @ 4.5. That's only on the Libre, right?
Sure glad to see that 114 and that he's getting down into some lower numbers.
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I'm not completely sure what you mean? All the numbers are from the Libre, yes, but according to it he was at 114 at +4 and 230 at +4.5. He had a very steep cycle in general today:

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This is all he seems to be able to do when he goes low ... dive and then shoot back up. I was still glad to have him in some blues today, but I have to wonder if we'll be able to do anything gentler than this until he has his surgery.
 
Gotcha! I just wasn't sure if one number was a handheld and the other the Libre because the numbers are so far apart. He is all over the place, isn't he?!? But, yes, it's absolutely wonderful to see some blues with that 1.25 kicking in!! The insulin IS working!! He'll get there, Allie.

What was it like when he was diagnosed the first time? Similar to this?
 
Mary & Jude said:
What was it like when he was diagnosed the first time? Similar to this?
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I wish I could make more of a comparison, but no, I don't think so, or we wouldn't have been as lucky as we were! After the home blood tests went so badly for us over and over, my vet had me stop trying, and we were only able to check him on (fairly frequent) visits to the office. I was shooting completely blind every day. (A terrifying notion to me now! At the time I don't think I grasped quite the enormity of the risk.) We never went above 1u (I can't remember if we were ever below that, either - I tracked his shots in a notebook and it's lost somewhere in the mess of my drawers). Then, just three or so months in, remission.

I'm pretty sure the "all over the place" part is due to his infection. I'm told that it's harder to regulate cats who have been in remission, as well, but it doesn't sound like Jude's BG was nearly so erratic when he came out of his?
 
Allie & Gen said:
I wish I could make more of a comparison, but no, I don't think so, or we wouldn't have been as lucky as we were! After the home blood tests went so badly for us over and over, my vet had me stop trying, and we were only able to check him on (fairly frequent) visits to the office. I was shooting completely blind every day. (A terrifying notion to me now! At the time I don't think I grasped quite the enormity of the risk.) We never went above 1u (I can't remember if we were ever below that, either - I tracked his shots in a notebook and it's lost somewhere in the mess of my drawers). Then, just three or so months in, remission.

I'm pretty sure the "all over the place" part is due to his infection. I'm told that it's harder to regulate cats who have been in remission, as well, but it doesn't sound like Jude's BG was nearly so erratic when he came out of his?
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I see. Listen, had I not stumbled on this forum, I'd be shooting blindly every day, too. I had the great good fortune to think to ask the vet tech, while she was showing me how to give Jude his insulin just after his dx, "what can go wrong," and she said, "well, he could pass out, and if he does, just rub some honey on his gums." That didn't sit right with me, so I came home and began my homework and came to FDMB.

Both Nestle and Tansi, who've recently gone into remission, had been in remission before. I think Tansi is on her 3rd remission. I think you're right, though, that it's difficult. I do know they (FDMB) suggest that cats who've gone into remission and come out should be treated a bit more aggressively to get them back into remission. You can see how Jude was when he came out of remission in Oct. 2024. Maybe not as consistently high in numbers as Gen, but fairly erratic. It wasn't until we switched to TR that I began seeing a real change in Jude. Also, Jude was a steroid induced diabetic, and as soon as I did a food change, and stopped the steroid shots, he went into remission. You know, ECID. Edited to add: his urinary issues (both FIC flares and UTIs), we believe, brought him out of remission.

I'll be very glad for you and Gen when you can get all the variables cleared up, and his body can focus primarily on regulation.
 
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Mary & Jude said:
I see. Listen, had I not stumbled on this forum, I'd be shooting blindly every day, too. I had the great good fortune to think to ask the vet tech, while she was showing me how to give Jude his insulin just after his dx, "what can go wrong," and she said, "well, he could pass out, and if he does, just rub some honey on his gums." That didn't set right with me, so I came home and began my homework and came to FDMB.
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I know I did some research ... I remember learning for myself that Lantus was the insulin statistically most likely to get Gen to remission, for example. And I found info and intervention instructions for hypoglycemia and stuck them on the fridge (never needed them, that time). But I didn't find FDMB. I remember that I was massively scared and overwhelmed; Gen had been in DKA at diagnosis and hospitalized for days, and I was a wreck. Normally I'm a bit more proactive. But still, I did only find FDMB this time around because a friend/former member sent me the link. 🤷‍♂️

Mary & Jude said:
Both Nestle and Tansi, who've recently gone into remission, had been in remission before. I think Tansi is on her 3rd remission. I think you're right, though, that it's difficult. I do know they (FDMB) suggest that cats who've gone into remission and come out to be treated a bit more aggressively to get them back into remission. You can see how Jude was when he came out of remission in Oct. 2024. Maybe not as consistently high in numbers as Gen, but fairly erratic. It wasn't until we switched to TR that I began seeing a real change in Jude. Also, Jude was a steroid induced diabetic, and as soon as I did a food change, and stopped the steroid shots, he went into remission. You know, ECID.

I'll be very glad for you and Gen when you can get all the variables cleared up, and his body can focus primarily on regulation.
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Me too! We're off the dry food, so we can start TR (though I am going to hold off until I get back from my short upcoming trip, for safety), but until he gets his surgery he has this significant barrier to regulation (which is probably the whole reason he came out of remission in the first place). I hope a second remission might be a possibility for him, but I'd be thrilled just to be able to get him reasonably well-regulated. The pattern we seem to be in (where each increase brings a few lower numbers, then a reduction-earning dive, and he's right back up in space for another week before we can even increase again) has been driving me nuts. 😮‍💨
 
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