3/14 Simba PMPS 140, +2 203, +4 205, +8, 171 AlphaTrak

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Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158 AlphaTrak

What a gorgeous surf last night. I don't think it had a thing to do with Simba being picky at dinner time. (Sorry that you didn't get much sleep though!)
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158 AlphaTrak

heehee. well it was curve time, so I planned ahead and slept all morning!

so his not eating didn't cause the drop? why might his values have dropped so suddenly at +2 and again at +4?

(I think I might need coffee soon lol ~O) )
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158 AlphaTrak question?

It's possible the drop at +2 was due to Simba not eating at pre-shot time -- or maybe not. Gabby is notorious for a fast, early drop. (E.g., 2/199 in the PM she went from PMPS of 335 to at +2 of 96). The drop at +4 is due to Lantus onset. If the blues last night were only due to Simba not eating early on, once he ate, numbers would have risen. Instead, you saw a very flat cycle right into this morning. This is just the kind of cycle you want to see with Lantus.
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158 AlphaTrak question?

yaaayyyy flatness! so.. when do you think his nadir is? or is it hard to tell?
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158 AlphaTrak question?

Good Morning, Sarah and Simba,
Very impressive numbers last night! Glad to hear that Simba is eating. Today you can go out and get him some real food! I can't answer your question about the drops at +2 and +4. These things happen. Don't forget that Simba is still getting used to his dose. Also, Simba is a cat!
Good luck at the vet's today. Stand your ground (respectfully)! Also, return the Purina DM and simply say that Simba won't eat it. The manufacturer is obliged to take it back.

Ella & Rusty
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158 AlphaTrak question?

Obligated. What a damn fine word!! Wooot!
Since he lovEs the recovery so much (and doesn't completely trust me with his food again yet) I'm going to stick with it for now. Will definitely phase in other foods over time depending mostly on him mood (lol he IS a mooooody puss) and see what clicks.

Maybe that can be tomorrow's project ... :razz:
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158 AlphaTrak - nadir question?

Wow what a great surf Simba had last night and good luck at the vets you know i am a vet tech not currently working but had been with my vets for 16 yrs and I had to stand my ground big time with DL since my vets are sooo darn backward on FD treatment at least now after a year has gone by the main vet I see for DL at least agrees with me now and lets me do my own thing but it was very hard for me at the time since I was working and well to argue with those you have trusted for years anyway I am rambling but hope your trip is a smooth one today and Simba has a great amps this morning :mrgreen:
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158, +2 126. AlphaTrak - nadir question?

Thanks Lisa! I bet it was super hard to stand up to your 'boss' and long-time vet. So happy for you that you did, and I will too! She's not the boss of meee!

I'm a little manic this morning ... woot!

Time for light snooze and maybe some coffffeeeee

Huggles all around :YMHUG:
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158 AlphaTrak - nadir question?

Sarah:

I inadvertently opened Simba's profile. Can you talk to your vet about an alternative to the Petromalt. It contains barley malt syrup -- aka sugar. Many here use Miralax for constipation or even plain Vasoline.

I think you're going to have to wait until you have a cycle that doesn't involve a bounce or a bounce clearing in order to get a better idea of when Simba's nadir is.
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158, +2 126. AlphaTrak - nadir question?

Hey, thanks Sienne. Thanks for confirming I'm not a dolt and there's no obvious nadir this time around! hehe

As for petromalt, I did raise it as a concern, and her take was to adjust the insulin to fit what he needs... but definitely I'll ask her if she's heard of mirilax.

The good thing about petromalt is he LOVES to eat it. soooo delicious... so it's no trouble to keep him 'regular' (as long as I have it in-house and aren't being lax myself)

does mirilax taste good? I can't imagine vaseline does... not that that won't stop me from trying!

Cheers,
Sarah.
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158, +2 126. AlphaTrak Vet update

Update on the vet visit:

Edit: she estimates at least 6mo before we can think about tooth removal. Also wants at least 3mo on orbax for bladder infection

no +4.. we didn't do a reading. No particular reason. I think she may have forgot which is alright by me - she charges out the wazoo for a bg test!

no dosage change, I think it's a good idea to see where he goes on the 1u now too. Those blues are purrrrrdy.

She wants me to try to keep him between 5-10 (or 90-180) this week instead of taking it any lower. We see her again next week to reassess.

She's very happy with:
his lungs
his heart
his coat
his hydration
his overall demeanor
his paws (no moar 'cement booties' or 'crusty paw'!)

She's not concerned about ketones now.

He's lost .5lb since last visit, March 9th. She says gradual decrease in weight will actually help his condition. He's 5.99 kilos. (13.21lbs) Don't look at me like that, he's TALL. o:-) Just like his bean.

She's not 'with' the feeding high carb to gently increase bg values. She feels that immediate control with syrup is better. I smiled and nodded for the most part.
She knows about Janet and Binky's chart and agrees I can find something high protein/low carb that will work for him there. (She was disappointed he wouldn't eat the DM, agrees that recovery is good for now, but not a good long-term diet - I can't remember why, but I've heard that before).

I asked her about miralax, and it seemed to ring a bell but she couldn't quite remember.. she insists that keeping him on petromalt to keep him regular is a) best for now as opposed to risking constipation, b) the amount I'm giving him is not enough to upset his numbers and c) she wants to dose him according to what he's already doing. TBH, I would hate to risk him getting constipated by switching products. Especially this early in the game. It's such a balance changer. next week I'll be happy to re-evaluate and slowly introduce something like vaseline or mirilax. My gut tells me to keep giving petromalt for now. (I've actually been overshooting the number on the food chart.. it's more like 3/4-1in).

His ear drops have a little prednisone in them. Some studies suggest that prednisone is not absorbed when administered through the ear, but some studies say they do. She suggests it varies from cat to cat and that we *could* try something else, but by his values, it appears as if the pred is not inhibiting insulin absorption.

The testing protocol that she'd like to follow is amps +4 +8. I tend to agree. I know it's not the protocol of the boards, but 3, 6, 9 is just too stressful for me right now. Plus I think his ears need time to grow more capilliaries, it's hard to get a good drop lately. If needed I'm happy to do a +2 or a +10 if things are looking weird.

She does tend to adjust dosage in the .5's. I told her about all the amazing things you guys are doing, including .01's so when it comes up, I don't expect to meet an issue over moving by the .25's instead.

I found a chocolate bar. a 70% cacao chocolate bar! It was HIDING on my dresser. Oh chocolate bar, I'm so glad I found youuuu *singing*

There's something else I was going to say about the appointment but I can't remember what it was. I say blame it on mister chochy chocolate over here. So delicious he is.

Coffee. Staying up so I can go to bed later and reverse my pattern.

Thanks everyone, hope you don't mind the long laborious post.

I-)

AH, no... ~O)
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158, +2 126. AlphaTrak Vet update

Great vet report! She sounds like a vet who will work w/ you. :-D

On the Miralax, it's a human laxative that draws more water into the intestines. I give it to Tess every morning, a scant 1/8th tsp. It's a flavorless powder and I mix it into her food. She's never notices.

I actually have Petromalt in my hypo kit to bring her up quickly if she is diving, it works just like syrup on Tess.

You'll work out when to test according to what Simba is doing. Preshots to know she is high enough to give the shot, near her usual nadir and as circumstances dictate. Before we switched to Levemir Tess was an early diver so I always got a +1, now onset is much later so I don't have to . Things change. You will soon start to see trends in her numbers and learn when an extra test is needed. But simba is a cat, as soon as you figure it out , then it's time for a change! :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158, +2 126. +8 124 AlphaTrak Vet update

Hi Sarah and Simba,
It sounds like a good Vet visit, and she seems open to how you're caring for Simba. I think they do encourage the DM food for our pets, but most usually end up returning it! I still have some of the DM dry and give Maggie a couple kibbles when she's low. She loves the dry DM, but it really spikes her bg! You are doing a great job with Simba, and, as you can see, the Beans here are wonderful and you will get the best help/advice from their experiences.
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158, +2 126. +8 124 AlphaTrak Vet update

Good job, Sarah! I think your vet sees that you are becoming knowledgeable about FD and respects you for it. Is there a reason why she wants to keep seeing Simba every week? (Does he have other issues besides FD?) edit: (Well, I just looked at his profile and I guess he does!!)

Have a great evening and enjoy your chocolate bar!

Ella & Rusty
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158, +2 126. +8 124 AlphaTrak Vet update

Thanks everybody :)

Simba tends to like routine, so I'm hoping he'll go with something for at least a little while! When he switches it up, it does tend to be sudden and completely without warning, however!!! (Like suddenly deciding his favourite spot to lay and watch things is in front of the bedroom closet door instead of the living room corner rug after 6 months of LOVING that spot).

I know I'm in good hands and I feel So lucky to be here!!

:YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG:

I will definitely look for that powder next time I'm at the pharmacy. flavourless in food = woot! tysm :smile:
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158, +2 126. +8 124 AlphaTrak Vet update

Great visit today!! And Simba is having lovely green numbers as well (you're using an AT, so subtract 30 from each of those numbers, and you get... :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: !)

I would definitely look into the Miralax. Anything you can use that will work just the same but not impact BGs is a good thing in my book.

Hope you guys have a great night!
 
Re: 3/14 Simba AMPS 158, +2 126. +8 124 AlphaTrak Vet update

Mirilax is called Restoralax up in Canada. I get it cheapest at Walmart for Maverick. 1/8th of a teaspoon sprinkled on food - over the course of the day, not all at once. I'm so glad we can get it in Canada. Its very gentle. It isn't likely to cause diarrhea like a lot of other options like lactulose. And it won't spike blood glucose.

Link: http://www.restoralax.ca/ENG/index.html

Haven't had time to read your full update but overall it sounds like it went well. Great job!!!!!!! Simba is looking awesome!
 
Re: 3/14 Simba PMPS 140, AlphaTrak, Vet update

Thank you ladies :D

Yes I definitely need to figure out how to make my actual 'green' numbers appear automatically.. GREEN! I'll get to that eventually, but for now, I'm srsly happy (and srsly scared (of a drop))

Thanks for the info on the laxative, I guess I'm scared because he's done So Well with petromalt... I'll get there too, I promise! sooner the better, I know. I have to go to the pharmacy soon for lancets anyhow. I'd like to have LOTS in stock!

I'm happy to report that Simba blessed me with the gift of well-placed pee. He is NEGATIVE for ketones. Can I get a whut whut!

Now I"m going to give him one more med and get my arse to bed for what I hope will be a restful and productively green night.

Hugs n kisses for all the little kitties out there

Sarah.
Special thanks to GA Sadie for watching over me.
 
Re: 3/14 Simba PMPS 140, AlphaTrak, Vet update

It sounds like a good vet visit with some give and take on both sides.

Ask Georgia/Simon about ear drops with steroids in them. You're very lucky that Simba isn't reacting.

It's fine to use Karo to bump up numbers. Many of the cats here who have gluten sensitivities/IBD will use Karo rather than HC food. Either works.
 
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