10/3 Ozy AMPS-149,+5-78 PMPS-202,+2-207

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donaleen and Ozy

donaleen and Ozy

Member Since 2013
A couple days ago http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=105542

Today it is three months since Ozy was diagnosed. Yes, he is better than he was when he was diagnosed. He is not nearly as well as I would like him to be. And he is not regulated. Not even close. This is not how I expected it would work.

What did I expect by three months? I thought he WOULD be regulated and that treating him would be pretty routine. I thought by this time I would have a dose that would work for him and I would test him about four times a day. I figured that his blood glucose would be under control unless he got sick or something unusual happened. I also believed that **I** would know enough to handle treating him about 90% of the time.

Big, big, big sigh.
 
Re: 10/3 Ozy AMPS-149 Three months since Dx

First, I want to point out something that's obvious to me, although it might not be to you...

Look at your spreadsheet. Reduce the zoom so you can't see the numbers, just the colors.

Now look at the first two months of treatment. How much green do you see?

Compare that to September. Notice any difference?

He might not be doing as well as you'd hoped. But he's doing a heck of a lot better than you think.

I'll be back with more...

Carl
 
Re: 10/3 Ozy AMPS-149 Three months since Dx

Don't be so glum, chum. I know it's impossible not to be discouraged. But I think this is the best chance for wellness.
I don't know how to do the virtual hug, but I'm sending you one.
 
Re: 10/3 Ozy AMPS-149 Three months since Dx

Do you see the "smilies" off to the side of the message window? There should be a link that says 'view more smilies". That's where the hug is hiding. :YMHUG:
 
Re: 10/3 Ozy AMPS-149 Three months since Dx

Hey Donalee, I agree that Ozy is doing much better then he was 3 months ago.

I looked at Jupiters SS today... He was diagnosed on March 14th... so I went and looked at his "3 month mark". On 6/14 he had a red AMPS! But even at that point, Jupiter had come a long way and made progress. I tried not to get discouraged though and just kept at it. I think we all get discouraged at times, but seeing our kitties feel better and getting better helps to encourage us to keep trying for them.

You are doing a wonderful job with Ozy, and I really hope that soon enough, his diabetes will be well regulated. Its what we all want for you and Ozy.

:YMHUG: :YMHUG:

Hope you have a great day!
 
Re: 10/3 Ozy AMPS-149 Three months since Dx

Thanks all... this is turning into a PITA day... they are flushing our main water line and the water is brown and unusable. My computer is having yukky weird problems so I may not be around much.

Ozy went green at +2.5. I know, green is good. But I had to cancel my appointment because I need to monitor his BG.
 
Re: 10/3 Ozy AMPS-149 Three months since Dx

Hello Donalee. Do you keep track of the two week running averages on your meter? I try to take a look at least once a week to give me a better idea of progress for Neko. That average means you don't need to focus on the pinks or other outliers and gives you an bigger picture of how things are going.

I do hear you on the expectations. We switched to Lantus after 2 failed months at Caninsulin, and the vet who got me onto Lantus said I could expect PS of about 180-216 and nadirs of 90-126. Boy did that expectation get blown away by my little acro cat. At our 3 month mark, Neko gave me 4 black AMPS in a row. :shock: But I use Carl's trick of zooming out on the SS. I don't even like to look at our first years worth of data now.

But FD is really hard on beans. It took me a long time to stop being a helicopter parent. :YMHUG: :YMHUG:
 
Re: 10/3 Ozy AMPS-149 Three months since Dx

Donaleen, hang in there. Not every kitty can get OTJ or regulated quickly. The important thing is that Ozy is doing better and will keep getting better every day because you are doing all you can to help him. :YMHUG: :YMHUG:
 
Re: 10/3 Ozy AMPS-149,+5-78 Three months since Dx

there's no doubt it's hard. cats are hard to get regulated. dogs are relatively easy - they get the dose figured out at the vet's office then you give 2 shots a day and in another 6 months or year you take the dog in to get checked again. my neighbor's dog is diabetic and blind and she's given him the same dose for something like 10 YEARS!

it is hard. but the payoff is unreal. in exchange for your life, Ozy will give you the closest relationship you'll ever have with a cat.

there was a woman on FDMB when i started who wrote this cool little letter when her cat went OTJ. i saved it and have shared it here and there. maybe you'll enjoy it, too.

A Break-Up Letter to D'Artagnan's Diabetes
 
Re: 10/3 Ozy AMPS-149,+5-78 Three months since Dx

I forgot about Mo's post. What a great read!

There are only a relative few kitties who zoom through here and are regulated in 3 months. Did you ever consider how long Ozy was diabetic before he was diagnosed? I'd also point out that as much as you'd like to be in control of Ozy's FD, you're not. Ozy is in control and he's leading this sugar dance. He'll do what he's going to do and he'll do it on his schedule. After all, he's a cat!
 
Re: 10/3 Ozy AMPS-149,+5-78 Three months since Dx

Picknickchick said:
Donaleen, dahlink, I insist you watch this.
Click to expand...

Huh, that's one I don't have on my Ipod...
I saw the "buy it now" link, and it took every ounce of self-control in my body to resist clicking. ;-)

Donaleen, please tell us you watched it?

Lara, since you "went there", and since you enjoy good music, I think you might enjoy this old thread from the PZI forum. Especially the links to youtube.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=86138&p=922746
 
Re: 10/3 Ozy AMPS-149,+5-78 Three months since Dx

So, Wendy, how DID you stop being a helicopter parent?

Thanks, Carla. And Sienne. And Carl. And Lara. And Julie. You are all very kind and comforting.

That was a very good letter, Julie. I am getting Ozy a dog costume.

Just waiting for that plus 2 to roll around so I can try and read the tea leaves for tonight.
 
Re: 10/3 Ozy AMPS-149,+5-78 Three months since Dx

OK, if you see a significant rise at +2, he'll be bouncing from today's string of greens. If it's about the same as the preshot, that falls into the "typical" cycle description and you would probably be looking at just a normal cycle without too much drama. Maybe a test later if you wake up in the middle of the night. If you see a good sized drop by +2, then test accordingly to see if he continues dropping. Like a +3. Make sense?
 
Okay, the tea leaves are in... PMPS and +2 are essentially the same. So, AM 10/1 is pretty similar but about 50-60 points higher. If this cycle is similar then he could go pretty low tonight. Or if he follows 9/29, he could go high. I think I will get a +5.
 
Re: 10/3 Ozy AMPS-149,+5-78 Three months since Dx

Nice cycle today for Ozy.

I think I'm more of a Cessa parent now. :lol: :lol: A couple of things helped relax me a bit. First, I got DH to learn how to test and be able to do the test, feed, shoot thing. It took a bit of convincing, but it does give me some flexibility and allowed me to get out of the house and have some "me" time. Now he's fine with it anytime. Second, I started looking at the SS to see if I could see patterns. The most important question is "will she be safe this cycle". I try to look at previous times she went low and see if the current cycle is like any of them. And sometimes the patterns go over more than one cycle so you have to look at that too. If I think Neko will be safe, I relax on the testing. I think there's only a few times I've just tested 4 times in 24 hours, but there are lots of days where 5 tests have been enough. I just recently switched from Lantus to Levemir, so I've had to up my testing a bit, because I need to figure out again what her patterns are.

The other thing I've done is adjust PS times so that I can do things that are important to me. For example, Neko never went low until at least +3.5, so I've often given the shot and headed out the door for a few hours. Also, don't be afraid to leave food it you have to leave or go to sleep. Lots of people here work and leave food for their cat if they are worried about the numbers. I know you are worried about his weight, but safety comes first. I've often aborted a night time low cycle with HC if I'm pretty sure she won't earn a reduction and I just want her up. Now that part is specific to Neko - she is an acrocat and I have to use HC. She has a working pancreas and leaving LC or MC might stimulate her pancreas and make her go lower. And I've experimented a lot with her to have an idea how long HC will last and how much to give.
 
Re: 10/3 Ozy AMPS-149,+5-78 Three months since Dx

Carl & Bob said:
OK, if you see a significant rise at +2, he'll be bouncing from today's string of greens. If it's about the same as the preshot, that falls into the "typical" cycle description and you would probably be looking at just a normal cycle without too much drama. Maybe a test later if you wake up in the middle of the night. If you see a good sized drop by +2, then test accordingly to see if he continues dropping. Like a +3. Make sense?
Click to expand...

Well, PS and +2 were the same. +5 was 25-30 points lower. AMPS is lower/the same as +5. I wonder what happened in the interval? Did he have a late nadir or just surf in that range?

I put what you said under my rock. Thanks


And, Wendy, my DH has started doing some testing. Shots are not in the picture, at least not yet.
 
Looks to me like he surfed. Nice amps :-D

Oh, and I think the "under my rock" page on your spreadsheet is a great idea.
 
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