3/4 Edward AMPS-402 (possible anemia? labs inc'd) 320@+4

SnowKat

Member Since 2020
Yesterday's condo

I am so disheartened to see Edward's highest BG reading ever - 402 this morning. WTF is going on? He looked so good yesterday... yellows and blues. One step forward, two steps back :blackeye: I hate this roller coaster. It is a real honest to god strain on mental health. I just don't know what to do.
 
Would one of the more knowledgable members here mind looking at Edward's bloodwork from when he was diagnosed on 1/7? Maybe there is something the vets missed, that is hindering his ability to get stabilized? Now that I'm looking closely, the ZERO reticulocytes seems alarming.
 

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Did you retest that red? Sometimes it's just a bad strip when you get an odd reading like that.

Ugh, I didn't even think to retest. Funny, that 402 was actually from the second strip I tried this morning... the first strip I tried just shut down the meter, despite having a perfect amount of blood. ReliOn test strips do that a lot. THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME HOPE, Paula!!
 
Ugh, I didn't even think to retest. Funny, that 402 was actually from the second strip I tried this morning... the first strip I tried just shut down the meter, despite having a perfect amount of blood. ReliOn test strips do that a lot. THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME HOPE, Paula!!

If you can grab another test mid cycle and see what it reads. Could meter need new battery?
 
Hi Kat, Edward looks like he is bouncing from the good numbers last night. He might have gone a bit lower after +7. His body could still think the lower numbers aren't right, creating those bounces.
I'm wondering if he could use an increase. His lowest number has been 69 on the 1 unit.
Or should the bouncing ease up first?
So much of Edward's Blood work looks great - I look forward to any definitive answers you get. To me at this earlier stage of insulin treatment, his SS looks pretty normal. You are doing a beautiful job with beautiful Edward!
 
If you can grab another test mid cycle and see what it reads. Could meter need new battery?

I literally replaced the battery yesterday. But yes, I am DEFINITELY going to run home at lunch and grab a +4. Fingers crossed that it looks more "normal."
 
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Hi Kat, Edward looks like he is bouncing from the good numbers last night. He might have gone a bit lower after +7. His body could still think the lower numbers aren't right, creating those bounces.

You may be right, but... the only reason I don't think it would be a bounce is that he typically has "mellower" bounces from even lower numbers, you know? He's never hit the 400 mark.

I'm wondering if he could use an increase. His lowest number has been 69 on the 1 unit.
Or should the bouncing ease up first?

I ask myself the same question. I am afraid that an increase would send him below 50 and then we'd see some REALLY scary high numbers.

So much of Edward's Blood work looks great - I look forward to any definitive answers you get. To me at this earlier stage of insulin treatment, his SS looks pretty normal. You are doing a beautiful job with beautiful Edward!

Thank you! :bighug: :bighug: :bighug:
 
I don't feel very confident about this bouncing idea, since Tina didn't do much of it!! But I've seen other cats bounce. Keep in mind that was a very low 400:facepalm: Still, maybe it really was a bad test.
When I looked at your higher AM numbers after some great PM nadirs, I kept thinking, bounce!
 
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I hear ya & am with ya on the roller coaster!!! I had a black this morning with beautiful yellows sprinkled with a couple pinks yesterday....I guess this is the bouncy road for me. Hang in there! You're doing great! :bighug:
 
I hear ya & am with ya on the roller coaster!!! I had a black this morning with beautiful yellows sprinkled with a couple pinks yesterday....I guess this is the bouncy road for me. Hang in there! You're doing great! :bighug:

Ugh - those high numbers make me jump out of my skin, almost as much as seeing an unexpected neon green! These fur balls need to cool their jets and settle down. I really hope Nova cruises back into better numbers. Out of curiosity, are you checking for ketones? I would be, with any numbers in the pinks or above.

Thank you for the camaraderie! Prayers for our bouncy kitties
 
Ugh - those high numbers make me jump out of my skin, almost as much as seeing an unexpected neon green! These fur balls need to cool their jets and settle down. I really hope Nova cruises back into better numbers. Out of curiosity, are you checking for ketones? I would be, with any numbers in the pinks or above.

Thank you for the camaraderie! Prayers for our bouncy kitties
Right back atcha-----she had no ketones at Dx--I think my vet's eyes bugged out of her face when I asked about that at Dx, but she did have a UTI---Currently good cat-food breath--no urinating problems--no laziness, or lack of appetite...I don't think there's much more to look for?
 
Right back atcha-----she had no ketones at Dx--I think my vet's eyes bugged out of her face when I asked about that at Dx, but she did have a UTI---Currently good cat-food breath--no urinating problems--no laziness, or lack of appetite...I don't think there's much more to look for?
heading home now for her mid cycle snack & test...
 
Well, the 320@+4 makes me think that AMPS-402 was an accurate reading :( I made an appointment with my vet tomorrow afternoon to discuss other possible complicating factors. My primary concern at this point is anemia.
 
Well, the 320@+4 makes me think that AMPS-402 was an accurate reading :( I made an appointment with my vet tomorrow afternoon to discuss other possible complicating factors. My primary concern at this point is anemia.
Just got her poke done----248 @ 5.5---hope it holds---may be a late night for me to keep my sanity.
 
Bloods are good, Hematocrit (HCT) is lovely so no anaemia. Bottom line, Edward likes to bounce and needs an increase. TR says to hold doses with green for 10 cycles, you have done that. Trust the protocol.
 
Bloods are good, Hematocrit (HCT) is lovely so no anaemia. Bottom line, Edward likes to bounce and needs an increase. TR says to hold doses with green for 10 cycles, you have done that. Trust the protocol.

Hi Wendy - thank you for looking over his labs! Your response is very reassuring to me, but what about that creepy ZERO reticulocytes? Isn't that kind of weird?

OK, so... increase to 1.25u at this point? Ugh, I am so bad at judging when to adjust doses. And with Ed's tendency to bounce, I'm afraid that an increase will just jack his overall #s up even higher.
 
Hi Wendy - thank you for looking over his labs! Your response is very reassuring to me, but what about that creepy ZERO reticulocytes? Isn't that kind of weird?

OK, so... increase to 1.25u at this point? Ugh, I am so bad at judging when to adjust doses. And with Ed's tendency to bounce, I'm afraid that an increase will just jack his overall #s up even higher.


So, 0-1 % is the normal range for an absolute retic count in cats I thought- I see that the sheet you have doesn't show a normal range guide - it just says " %".

Some blood cells- especially platelet counts in cats are appear lower than they actually are due to clumping...which it looks like is represented in your cats blood work. Since immature reticulocytes are also produced in the Bone marrow- as are platelets- you would need a manual count from a slide to actually confirm low numbers- and to see if the cells you are seeing are immature ( aggregate) cells or mature cells.

I wouldn't worry since the hematocrit was normal but if you are - I would ask them about a manual count.
 
Hi Wendy - thank you for looking over his labs! Your response is very reassuring to me, but what about that creepy ZERO reticulocytes? Isn't that kind of weird?

OK, so... increase to 1.25u at this point? Ugh, I am so bad at judging when to adjust doses. And with Ed's tendency to bounce, I'm afraid that an increase will just jack his overall #s up even higher.
I'm with you...It was suggested I increase Nova's dose as well....I thought you were suppose to hold through a bounce? I am afraid it would cause an even bigger bounce!
 
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