Nala is doing well. I'm getting the hang of getting her readings now. I'm hoping she stabilizes soon since I may be going on vacation and may have to leave her with a caregiver that may not know how to take her sugar readings.
When should I consider doing a dose reduction?
Also, where do most people purchase Lantus from? I got a 10mL vial from Walgreen's for almost $150. I spoke with two friends who are both pharmacists and they recommend that I shouldn't use it past 28 days per the manufacturer. However, I have read the FAQ that many people can use their Lantus for a few months before getting a new vial. My friend recommended that maybe the 3mL pens are a better option.
Your friend is right...the pens are much more economical and there's a lot less waste. Some pharmacies will sell them individually (my Target will sell them to me for $45 each); others will require that you buy the entire 5 pack, so call around. Some people do order from the Canadian pharmacies as well...very good prices there.
I'll leave your dosing question for more experienced eyes, but Nala is looking good!
Hello....I am not sure I have posted in your condo before so welcome.
I agree with your friend that buying the pens would be a much better value. They are a little more money up front but a vial will only last a little over a month although a lot of people do get longer use from the vial and the pens are much smaller and they come in a five pack so you can get about 5 to 6 months and you are not wasting a lot of insulin as you would with the vial.
Some people purchase their insulin from Canada at a good price. I buy mine at Rite Aid which gives me a AAA discount.
Just wanted to stop by and say hello. I don't think I had stopped by before so welcome! I've been using the same vial since February and it's still effective (knock on wood, antijinx). There have been a few times where I've forgotten to put it in the fridge or have had to fly cross country with it. It's still ok. I'm switching to the pens next b/c it'll stay fresher than vials.
I'm far from a dosing expert but I was looking at your spreadsheet and recommend getting more test frequency. Dose increases or decreases are based on the lowest point of the cycle called nadirs. On 6/26 when his AMPS was 110, the next test was probably a food spike. Other than that you don't know how low he went. The post "No tickee no washee" is a good one to read.
Also if you have not done so already, please get a hypo kit ready. Going back to 6/26, he could have dipped to 30's and 40's and risk hypo-ing. Here's the post for the hypo kit. Once you get about a weeks worth of nadirs, post in your subject line your normal date/name/numbers and then something like "Dosing Question" to flag their attention.
I know it's hard to test often and I'm guilty of not testing enough too. Just do your best and understand that the more info you have, the easier it is for those with more experience to make dosing recommendations.
Nala is at a point where she is responding to the insulin well enough that you really, really need to get some spot checks. I'm not sure what your situation is. Many of us are not home to test on weekdays, but we all try to get at least a "before bed test" every single night. That one test can give a wealth of information. Then of course you'll want to get spot checks any other times that you can. We know that Nala hit lower green today, and there are hints on her spreadsheet that this has happened before. If she is earning reductions, you need to be testing to catch the low numbers.
About leaving her with a petsitter, please post here before you do that. Usually we recommend lowering the dose if the cat will be left with a petsitter who cannot test. Lots of cats run lower when their person isn't home, so it's safer to lower the dose (and be really, really, really sure your petsitter knows how to measure the dose correctly).
On the insulin - I find the pens abetter option - much less waste. With the vials I was throwing out more than I used. I know they say 28 days, but I usually could get 2 months out of a vial.
Very nice numbers today. Libby is right - try and get as many spot checks as you can. It's tough if you work, but even the evening cycle will provide a wealth of information.
