1/25 Cali AMPS: 342 (fustrated, con't)

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beclt

beclt

Member Since 2011
Previous posts http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=61838

Still feeling fustrated. I honestly don't know if this is working. I am still mystified as to how, everytime we've had to leave her for a long weekend without insulin, she produces lower numbers than when she is on the insulin. It makes all the hard work we are doing seem for nothing. I know you all feel as though it hasn't been long enough, but we are really fustrated. Cali's appetite is increased, which worries me. She is about 8 or 9 lbs and eats about 4 small FF cans a day. That seems excessive as before it was only about 2 cans a day.
 
Re: 1/24 Cali PMPS: 365 (fustrated)

Becky --

This may be a dumb question and maybe someone asked this and I'm just not remembering or maybe I missed the info on your SS, but how old is your insulin?

The other factor that may be contributing to Cali's numbers is that I'm not sure why you increased the dose from 0.5u to 1.0u. With numbers that are below 300, the recommended increase is 0.25u.
 
Re: 1/24 Cali PMPS: 365 (fustrated)

I got it from a package of 3 from a member on the board. I got it in December.

I think she might be getting to much insuin, to be honest.
 
Re: 1/24 Cali PMPS: 365 (fustrated)

Was the insulin shipped to you or hand delivered? If it was shipped, there's always the possibility that it was shaken in transit or it got too cold.
 
Re: 1/24 Cali PMPS: 365 (fustrated)

Hand delivered--put directly in the refrigerator.
 
Re: 1/24 Cali PMPS: 365 (fustrated)

Becky:

I have been looking at Cali's SS and I don't see why you think she did better without insulin. As far as I can tell, there was only one test done while she had no insulin and the BG was 274 on 1/17. She got down to 218 on 1u on the pm cycle of 1/22. If you look back in December, she was doing better on 2u of insulin.

Look at her a.m. cycle on 12/31...she got down into blue numbers. On the a.m. cycles of 1/9-1/11, you had no mid cycle tests. On any one of those, she could have come down into blue again and then bounced back up; same thing for all day 1/23 and a.m. cycle today. We don't really know where the numbers went. However, I'm just wondering if her "fitting" dose is maybe higher because of how well she did on 2u.

When we were new here, we were often told "sometimes you have to go up to go down". I'm still finding that to be true....sometimes I do have to take Gracie up to get her to breakthrough and come back down.

It take time to systematically build up to the right dose. Time to put those patience pants on.....
 
Re: 1/24 Cali PMPS: 365 (fustrated)

It sounds like the insulin isn't the problem.

I tend to think there's just not been enough time to really evaluate the dose. As Marje pointed out, you've seen some good numbers and then Cali bounces. It can take up to 72 hours for a bounce to clear. It can be hard to make sense out of what's going on if you are at work and can't get the spot checks in when you suspect there's a lower number that's triggering a bounce.
 
Re: 1/24 Cali PMPS: 365 (fustrated)

hi becky. i was asked to take a look at cali's spreadsheet.
from the "relaxed" group:
I don't think she ate that great (there was a house sitter here) but overall she was fine.
Click to expand...
if in fact cali's numbers were better without insulin... you've answered your own question. naturally, numbers will be lower if they're eating less than normal. i've been known to joke around and say, "alex wouldn't require insulin... if she didn't have to eat!" :lol:

as far as dose goes...
because of all the inconsistencies, it's difficult to draw a solid conclusion. however, based on all her data and years of interpreting spreadsheets, i highly suspect you just haven't reached a good dose yet. not to mention, stopping insulin for 4 - 6 days in a row tends to put you back at square one.

if you're looking for advice, i would pretend you're starting over and try to be as consistent as possible.
there was a time when alex would not let anyone test and shoot her but me. thankfully, that has changed to some extent. i do have a couple of people i can now rely on for backup. years ago it took a little more effort and planning. i ended up having to take her with me when i had no one else to shoot her.
 
Re: 1/24 Cali PMPS: 365 (fustrated)

hi becky - no advice to add - you've gotten advice from people who really understand lantus. i just want to send you a little encouragement. i know how hard it is and hope you can hang in there til you see better results. i've finally begun to understand why people have problems from diabetes. it's simply difficult to regulate because it's hormones that you're dealing with. :YMHUG:
 
I've been told conflicting things between boards. Some say go down to .5 again where she had some good numbers and wait it out a bit and others say go higher and wait it out there. This is mentally draining on us. I feel like every day someone is telling me it is a bounce. When is it not a bounce? When is it just her numbers not being great???

As much as I would love to say that we could take her with us or get someone to take care of her while we are gone, it is 100% not an option. I can't be more honest than that.
 
The boards have different approaches. The best suggestion I can give you when it comes to trying to decide which information is most credible is to look at the spreadsheets of the people who are giving you information.
 
It might be encouraging for you to take a peek at Binks' journey, in our signature down below titled
"Binks SS"

he went up, then down, then up a little...then one day his liver got with the program, he stopped bouncing...
and worked his way off insulin :-D

I realize ECID-every cat is different...
but I see his relatively short treatment time as kind of encouraging for newly diagnosed kitties.

celi
 
For me it wasn't about counting the number of days before you can decrease the dose. It was all about keeping the dose consistent until you reached a BG of 50. That may take 5 days it may take 5 weeks. The cat will tell you when she's ready to go to the next level and you can't rush that.

As for why kitty is lower after several days of no insulin, I think it's a combination of not eating as well or at all (as someone else mentioned) and you work all week to build her shed up and just when it's going to make a difference you stop the insulin. So she has to rely on emptying the shed every weekend plus not eating well equals low BG readings.

If the current situation you have of not taking her with you or having a sitter come in then unfortunately this is your life, a circle of frustration because FD needs consistency.
 
Does anyone know if PZI would be a better choice for a situation like this? I've heard it may have more "flexibility" than Lantus but I don't really know what that means.
 
Unfortunately, if you stop insulin, numbers are going to be effected. I'm not conversant with PZI. It is not a depot-type insulin (i.e., no shed). Whatever carryover there is that may give some insulin coverage over a weekend when no insulin is given won't be there. It may be a good question to ask on the PZI forum, though.
 
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