3/5 Clovis 129 AMPS

[sweatergirrl]

Hello-

I finally got my spreadsheet done for my Clovis. She is normally pretty good about taking her shots but she fights me all the way on ear pricks. So, I tend to give her breaks and time for her little ears to heal but after seeing my numbers I noticed that perhaps I don't have enough data???

My Clovis has been on 1.5 units of lantus for the last two weeks. Last night her sugar went up to 355 at her PM reading and I got nervous and increased her insulin to 2 units AND gave her shot a half hour early. I read now that all of this is like a double increase because I gave her the shot early and increased her by .5 units. Her sugar did go down to 55 last night. And I took the advise of one of the members of this board and gave her a 1/4 can of high carb fancy feast, which she loved and seemed to fill her up. She fell right asleep after that so, thank you so much for the great idea!

Anyway, any suggestions on where I should take the dosing would be much appreciated. I feel that I'm close to finding a good dosing level for my kitty but I'm still too new or don't completely understand how this insulin works. Thanks.

Sandra

 

[Ronnie & Luna]

Hi Sandra

welcome to the Lantus forum

you'll want to start with reading the information stickies from up above (all threads with the "star" icon)
New to the Group:

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=157

has an example of a typical curve with Lantus and how your is responding to lantus in cycle.

What is your schedule like? you are keeping a 12/12 shot time schedule? Are you around in the daytime? Evenings? Weekends?

Unfortunately, you will need a bit more data (spotchecks) to determine if your cat needs more or has earned a dose reduction, there are plenty of experienced lantus users her who can guide you with the doing aspect. You do not want to be dose hoping thou. The more data you collect, the easier it is to advise.

Read up on the Tilly protocol we follow here, proven to be effective for many kitties here
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1581

Anytime you delay a shot or shoot early, you need to be able to make up that time for the next shot time.

Also, we really encourage preshots here, so you know if it is safe to shoot. I see in your spreadsheet you gave Clovis an "ear break" - that's fine, but try to get into the habit of getting the important preshot numbers first. Lots of members here use neosporin or polysporin ointment for the ears, helps them heal faster and soothes the pokes.

Are you around tonight to answer any questions others will have? And to do a couple of spotchecks.

It'll get busy here tonight, so stick around if you can, read, visit other threads/condos and ask questions.

 

[Libby and Lucy]

welcome Sandra and Clovis!

It sounds like you've already done some reading here, which is good. The first step is to promise to get readings at every single preshot, and also to try to get other readings whenever you can. All of us here push for the "before bed check," which is just a spot check right before you go to bed. Lots of cats have more action at night, as you have seen with Clovis, so that test can be crucial in knowing how Clovis is using that particular Lantus dose. Consistent dosing is the key to using Lantus.

We need to find a dose that you can shoot comfortably every 12 hours, and then work from there. In looking at your spreadsheet, 2 units was leaving her too low for you to shoot pretty often. 1.5 units looks better from the tests that are there, or you could even go to 1.25. We want to pick one of those doses and hold it for at least 6 cycles (3 days), even if some of the numbers are high (if the numbers go too low, then we'll reduce before the 6 cycles are up, but we won't raise the dose until after 6 cycles). Get those spot checks whenever you can, and after 6 cycles we'll evaluate to see how that dose is working out. She might need a little more or a little less. Have you read the sticky that contains the Tight Regulation Protocols? That sticky explains how we make our dosing recommendations here.

Don't worry about trying to learn everything at once, if you post here every day people will help you.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to Lantus Land!

Congrats on getting started with home testing! That is a huge acommplishement. As Ronnie and Libby have both mentioned, it will be very helpful for you to become familiar with the dosing protocol that we use to guide dosing decisions. One of the things you will read in the Tilly Protocol is how important shooting a consistent amount of Lantus is. So, it is very important to do what you can to not skip doses. Likewise, raising doses is based on what Clovis' blood glucose is at it's lowest during a cycle. Thus, it's important to not only get pre-shot levels as a way to make sure it's safe to give a shot, but it's equally important to get spot checks during other parts of the cycle. Getting data throughout the morning and evening cycles is critical. If you aren't at home during the day, you can get data in the evenings and on weekends.

When you have a chance, could you also complete a profile. The instructions are in the Tech forum. A profile will include information about what you feed Clovis, any health problems, etc.

Please visit other condos (i.e., threads) here. Look at our spreadsheets. And, please ask questions.