2nd dose of Levemir

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Last night was Pixie's first dose after the switch from ProZinc to Levemir:

9:30 PM 240-260 (took two readings) - 1U of Levemir administered
+2.5 - 188
+4 cat was asleep & stretched like he always does indicating he was relaxed and comfortable and breathing was normal so opted not to test
+5 (see +4... plan on testing at +6 even if I have to wake him up)
+6 - 155 (had to wake him up)
was comfortable with these numbers so went to bed

Today, although I was not able to monitor him as closely, the results are just as promising if not more!

10:00 AM 179 - .5u of Levemir administered
+7 - 81!! (very pleased with this number!)

I just hope it goes back up by 9:30 to give him his 2nd dose! I'll probably test again at +9 and/or +10. I may give .25u at next cycle if it's lower than the 179 he started with this morning.

-=][V][=-
 
SEE!!!

This is great, but this is why Vicky and I both said the 1u was probably too much. And now he is getting "used" to it and things can change quickly. I would get another test in at +9 or +10 if you can (is there time?) make sure he isn't still going down. If he is "surfing" (staying about the same) great, if he is dropping, say below low 70s, feed him a small snack.

For evening shot, I have to laugh about you wanting him to raise so you can shoot, lol! :lol:

I would say don't shoot if he is under 150 - wait and retest in 30 mins. If over 150, yeah a quarter unit sounds good. Look at Beau's SS back in June of last year for his first two days on lev for why I say that.

Are you practicing the micro dose insulin draw? I posted in your last thread - oh, yeah you must have read that since you started a new post :mrgreen:
 
I'm Eastern time zone. And here's the current breakdown (good news again!):

10:00 AM 179 - .5u of Levemir administered
+7 - 81!! (very pleased with this number!)
+9.5 - 94 (going up! this is what I wanted so I can shoot and he can get balanced out & possibly let his pancreas heal!)

Yeah I read about giving small doses. Need to re-read it though as they were very good pointers. Will go do that now actually to prepare for shot time in a couple hours.

-M
 
Hi Mike -

Boy am i impressed at all you have learned thus far! I hope you are as well, as Pixie is one lucky kitty to have you!!

Is Pixie still on antibiotics? Did i miss why he is on them (i read your other thread quickly)? I have concerns that if an infection is present, that once that infection is under control, the need for the same amount of insulin (or insulin at all) will be greatly reduced. Let me just also add that Sheila and Vicky, who you have been posting, are much more experienced with the insulin than i (i was a PZI user for years and am fairly new to Lev myself).

As for the gf who is a bit squeamish - yeah, meet my dh Will (the others will prob tell storeis here :smile: Go on, tell him). He is a power lifter who lives for football, drinks beer and has such a love for our Molly that if she meows in discomfort he buckles at the knees. Teaching him to test was a feat in of itself (meanwhile Molly is the best patient anyone could ever ask for! The girl begs to be tested just to get the treat -in which i highly recommend Beefeaters Chicken Livers). And don't even get me started on the dosage! He likes to make up his own dose if he feels she's too low at pre-shot (the man has systematically derailed more momentum than i care to tell you about! Again, the others here will tell you). Your gf will get it, give her time. Really.

Lancets - i just recently started using the ReliOn lancets in my Bayer Contour lancer. They are a hell of a lot cheaper than the others and work just as well. We no longer use a rice sock but did initially - a warmer ear means a better bead of blood. It took us about 6 months until we could lose the sock. Our method was to use a cotton sock, dump 1/4 cup of white rice into it, tie it in a knot and cut off the rest of the sock. Heat in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds. Try it, it works well.

It's Friday, i'm out the door to go enjoy dinner and a cocktail or two - please keep us updated on how Pixie is doing.

p.s. wait until you meet Pamela, Melissa, and Lynda, you're gonna love them!
 
He was on antibiotics for a mouth infection / tooth that had to be cut out. He just took the last of it last night. I'm going to take him along with my other arthritic cat who is going in for her checkup tomorrow and have the vet look in his mouth to see if he needs more antibiotics because his mouth always seems to have problems like it never wants to heal up correctly.

Well, it's test / dose / feed time! Will post shortly!

-M
 
Beautiful.

AMPS 179 - .5u of Levemir administered
+7 - 81!! (very pleased with this number!)
+9.5 - 94
PMPS 155 - .4u of Levemir administered (did my best to hold syringe close to the light and squint and measure a hair less than half)

Numbers speak for themselves. ;-)

-M
 
Those are beautiful numbers - and early. It usually takes a few weeks to get good numbers going.

What you want to do now is get tests between +4 and +7 to see if he goes lower before +7. And please test tonight. You are doing am awesome job for someone just out of the gate, but in case the dose tonight is closer to the dose from this morning than you think, you should test tonight. Can you stay up through +7?

Remember that lev has a "build-up" stage that you are just starting, so I am expecting the numbers to come down even more over the next few cycles. If you don't adjust the dose downward with them, he may rebound and it will be hard for you to tell regular high BGs that need more insulin from rebound BGs that need less insulin. Trust me. I know.
 
:RAHCAT

I can hardly believe how well Mr. Pixie is doing on Lev! Absolutely amazing. But Mike, it's because you are doing everything right and thank you so very much for really listening to what we explained and understanding and putting it in to use. Pixie and all the rest are very lucky to have you. Loved the pictures, BTW. And oh, does your girlfriend know she is lucky too?? :-D

Great job! I don't have anything to add tonight 'cause everyone else has the bases covered!

Question, if I may - how bad is your other kitty's arthritis? I have some experience with arthritis as Gandalf has it in his spine, hips and leg joints and we are doing several things to keep him stabilized - Adequan injections, acupuncture and Dasequin supplements. He's a very large bodied cat and 17, so we do all this to keep him as pain-free as possible. So there may be other options for him/her. Just thought I'd offer.
 
Unfortunately I'm only going to be able to do a +2.5 I am so exhausted from staying up late last night to measure that I don't have the energy tonight. I'm nearly falling asleep so I need to go ahead and test.

-M
 
Actually +2.5 results are not very comforting.

PMPS was 155

2.5 hours later he is 170

I know meters have 20% marginal error, so maybe it just hasn't fully kicked in yet? (Plus, he ate his half a can of Purina DM right after his test and dose earlier)..

I'm not sure how much longer I can stay up but will try to.

And my other cat Evie (only female out of 5 cats and 1 dog) has pretty bad arthritis in her back right leg. Vet may have mentioned spurs also; I find out more tomorrow during her check-up. She's about 8 years old or so, but is not very active at all (I assume because of her leg). She still plays every once in a while and gets around well enough (likes to hang out on top of the fridge... she can still jump up on counter and use the microwave to get up there), but I hate to see her limping all the time. Going to study up on feline arthritis next after I get more comfortable with my daily routine with Pixie.

-M
 
Don't get discouraged about the +2.5 number - this happens on Levemir, that you see a slight rise in the first 3 hours. The shed's probably not quite built up enough yet to keep that from happening.

About the arthritis, you may want to try either the Cosequin or Dasuquin supplements. Dasuquin is stronger than Cosequin (has more things in it I believe) but some cats with mild arthritis may achieve good results with them. Veterinarians recommend them now, they are made by a company called Nutramax and you do not need a prescription to get them, most online pet suppliers have them. I'm not sure what your vet has recommended, but that's the best starting point. They are basically Glucosamine and Chondroitin supplements but formulated for cats. Chicken & tuna flavored, yum! They are capsules you open and sprinkle on food.
 
Yeah, I got so I hardly ever tested Beau before +4 because he was always the same or higher through +3. Pretty much the same with Jeddie.

In addition to the "shed" not being full yet, the typical overlap with lev has the last shot wearing off (slowly) anywhere from +8 to +13 and the new shot not taking effect until anywhere from +2 to +6. This varies by cat, and by what/how much they ate, how active they were, etc, but you can see that there is a dip in insulin availability somewhere during that time and that allows the BG to climb. Not to worry.

You are in the gathering data stage, basically, although you are way ahead of many folks in understanding what it happening. This process can not be rushed (which is why a vet can NOT regulated a cat in a few days at their clinic), so be patient. He is doing great. YOU are doing great.
 
Thanks again for the encouragement.

His AMPS turned out to be right around where I wanted it.

AMPS 183 - .5u Levemir administered.

I have a vet appointment but will be taking my home testing kit and not allowing anyone near him with nail clippers! (They were testing his blood by cutting into the quick... *shudder*) They're going to have to take my word for it this time with the #'s. I'll add 30 to my human meter reading and tell them to write it down for their pet-calibrated meter. LOL

I'll try to get some more tests in this afternoon to see where he's at.

-Mike 'n' Pixie
 
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