12/12 Willie AMPS 351 First curve today. gah.

[Christie & Willie (GA)]

Hello all! My cat Willie was just diagnosed last Saturday and we started Lantus, 1 unit BID on Tuesday night. He is also getting over a nasty skin infection and is taking Clavamox BID as well. He appears to maybe have some weakness in his hind legs, so I had started him on a methylB12 supplement (not xobaline, which I've now ordered) that contained lactose. They are 1000mcg pills, and I gave him one last night and two this morning.

I've got an alphatrak rented from the vet through tomorrow, and I ordered one online that should arrive tomorrow. I had picked up a Relion and some strips last week and I've been comparing the numbers. I've learned on here that there can be up to a 20% from test to test (even on the same meter). The number variance today doesn't bother me so much as the direction and what to make of it.

Test Time AlphaTrak Relion
AMPS 351 didn't get
+2 489 444
+4 418 407
+6 400 374
+8 454 363
+10 400 344
PMPS 442 335

I think his numbers may have been higher today from the lactose in the b12 supplement, but I'm not sure what to make of the results. With scores that high, I know that they are within the 20% of each other... it would have been nice to know if he was bouncing up and down today (alphatrak) or steadily declining (relion). even though I promised my guy he was done tonight, I may stay up until midnight so I can do a +4 on him then. Just frustrated. It looks like we will need to play with his dosage, which doesn't surprise me at all, I'm just nervous about doing it during the week when I'm not around to monitor him.

 

[Rocket & his Mom]

Welcome to the group!
IMHO, poking twice to use 2 meters might be a bit too much...but if that is what the vet suggested...then i guess is ok...hope others can chime in on that

bumping your post for the experts to see so they can recommend things to you and they can get you started.

good luck!

 

[Pat+Raja+Shadow (GA)]

Welcome to Willie...and to you....may we have your name? It is so good to see you hear. :mrgreen:
Congratulations on your first curve...and I wanted to say that you did a nice job on your SS.

Many people have tried comparing two different meters. There is such a variation...especially between a human meter and the Alpha Track (which has more expensive test strips) I guess you feel the need to compare, but really, it is suggested that you choose one when you are ready...and stick with that one. (I use the Reli-On micro myself and really like it..plus the test strips are reasonably priced) You can drive yourself mad with the comparisons. We have all done that... :lol:

We open a new condo (thread) each day for our kitties. We show the AMPS and any updates as we go through the day. Nice job on your header BTW.. :razz: There are starred stickies at the top of the page.....You could start with the one entitled "New to the Group..." viewtopic.php?f=9&t=18139
There is so much information in all the starred stickies...please come back and post any questions you may have right here in your condo. okay?

In our first post of each day, we put a link to the previous day's condo. Do you know how to do that?
It keeps all our condos linked together....and it is easy for anyone to just click and see what transpired the day before.

What food are you feeding him?
Do you have syringes with half unit markings?
Do you have some canned High Carb food and karo syrup on hand?

I am so happy that you and Willie are here...and we all look forward to seeing his progress1 You are doing a great job...keep up the good work! :mrgreen:

 

[Christie & Willie (GA)]

Thanks for the welcome and the tips! My name is Christie.

I ultimately bought an AlphaTrak (which I'm sure I'll be selling in six months, but figure that is what ebay and/or craigslist are for, right? LOL), which should get here tomorrow. I was just curious this weekend with the curve to see how each monitor did, and thankfully, I've mostly been able to do both monitors with one poke, so it hasn't been too bad. Once I have my new monitor, I'll be sticking with that, though I'll keep the Relion around just in case of an emergency (whether for me or someone locally who needs one in a jiffy).

It's funny... as I was reading this, I was actually putting my "how to treat hypos" printout into a little binder I'm keeping with all my important kitty diabetes stuff in it so that I have everything in once place (which will make it easy for pet sitters, family members checking in, etc.). I've repurposed a two sided plastic basket that has all my kitty stuff in it, including a dedicated karo bottle, high carb wet food, nutrical (from the vet), food syringes, etc. as well as my day to day supplies. Can easily be tucked inside the ottoman where we do all of our "procedures" (or, as willie would put it, mean mama torture), but can be quickly pulled out in an emergency.

My cats are on a homemade diet. This batch is raw (turkey), though the vet would strongly prefer that I feed the kids cooked food. I use Feline Instincts supplements and their food is also supplemented with chicken liver powder and salmon oil. Starting soon, he will also be getting Standard Process supplments (Pancreaticthingamajiggy PMG and Feline Immune System Support).

Willie's got no teeth at this point, so he's been eating exclusively wet for 4+ years (and mostly homemade or low carb), which has the vet suspicious that his problems may go beyond diabetes, esp. given that he has a skin infection that may be upping his BG levels. Though, he was previously misdiagnosed with CRF, so I had been feeding them a higher carb homemade diet designed for CRF kitties that was not quite 50/50 ground meat/pumpkin. My other cat, Miss Belle, is thrilled by the change... she hates pumpkin! Though, she also hates the attention Willie has been getting.

Willie's got another week or so of antibiotics (at least), though his skin is overall looking much better. Next step is to figure out the source of the skin infection. Really hoping it isn't food allergies. It may be my imagination, but it sure seems like he's gaining a bit of weight back. He's a big boned cat... very long body and legs... and he was down to 11lbs when I first took him to the vet just over a week ago. I now really want to try to go weigh him on my scale (well, weigh me, then weigh us together), but he and Miss Belle are currently passed out all cuddled up on the couch, and after interrupting his sleep every two hours today for pokes, I figure I should probably let the poor guy get his rest!

Thanks for the tips on how to update my postings... I have to say, the spreadsheet has been very useful. It's amazing how much of a mess I'd already made of the little book that came with the Relion meter in just a matter of days!

I'm very thankful to have a group of people who have been through as guides. My vets are big proponents of home testing, but I don't always agree with their other ideas. It's nice to feel like I'm not completely flying solo!

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to Lantus Land!

Others have already directed you to the starred sticky notes at the top of the board. Those are the essential pieces of information you will need. Some of the notes are deceptively short -- there are lots of links that are embedded. Please take a look at the sticky on the Tight Regulation protocol. That is the information we use to guide dosing decisions. There are several other starred notes that periodically get bumped up -- ones on handling low pre-shot numbers, handling low numbers, the importance of spot checks, etc. You may want to print these out, as well.

If you are feeding raw and using the form of Feline Instinct that contains liver, are you adding additional liver? If so, I don't know if this is a good idea. You might want to ask over on the Health board about this. I think I remember reading that too much liver isn't a good thing -- I just don't remember where I read it. Maybe on Lisa Pierson, DVM's website on feline nutrition. If the skin issue is related to allergies, you may need to find a novel protein. Duck or venison will work fine with a raw diet. FWIW, my vet is not a big fan of raw either. I don't get into a discussion about it with her. I nod and smile!

With respect to Willie's spreadsheet, you want to hold the initial dose of Lantus for 5 - 7 days in order to get the shed/depot firmly established. It's also important to get at least one spot check during both the AM and PM cycle. Since Lantus dosing is based on the low point or nadir of the cycle, the importance of spot checks can't be emphasized enough.

 

[Michelle and Mannie (GA)]

Hi Christie! I just wanted to drop on in and say welcome aboard. You've found a great place to help you care for Willie. Great knowledgeable folks here, Welcome aboard!

 

[Laurie and Mr Tinkles]

Welcome Christie and Willie!

You've gotten a lot of good advice and suggestions already, I would like to suggest that you make a note of the the AlphaTrak meter in your signature and on your spreadsheet. If/when Willie starts seeing low numbers, that information is very important for people to know, since the range for the AlphaTrak and other pet meters is different from the human meters. If people don't know you are using an AT, Willie could be in low numbers when everyone thinks his numbers are wonderful. Most people here use human meters, so they are much more accustomed to the human meter ranges.

Nice to see you here, I hope you will post every day and ask any questions you might have!

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Hi Christie...welcome to Lantus Land where we are all in this together so we help each other as much as we can and intersperse it with alot of humor. Please ask
alot of questions....I am so impressed with what you have done so far. I use Standard Process, too, for Gracie. Great products. Hugs to Willie and we'll be looking for your daily condo.