3/6 Ole Out of town dose ?? PMPS Hi +2R Hi

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Rebekah

Rebekah

Member Since 2013
Good Morning

viewtopic.php?f=9&t=114897

All is well here, and Ole is nice and mellow this morning. Some mornings he is positively frantic in the mornings, usually resulting in a high PS, so I was hoping that he was lower this morning. Last night, Ole did thieve some of Alex's pizza. He is such a naughty opportunist! I am most likely seeing results of that little caper.

A and I are leaving town next week. There was a slight mix-up, and my nurse neighbor is going to leave for Norway mid way through the trip. Liz has generously agreed to come over to shoot Ole during the weekend. The schedule is as follows;

Yassi watches Ole Wed pm, Thur am & pm, Fri am, then off to watch the auroras in beautiful Norway.
Liz watches Ole Fri pm, Sat am & pm
Sunday am, my friend Melissa, who has been the CG of a sugar kitty (ga) will test Ole Sunday morning.
Rebekah returns Sunday for pm cycle

I feel absolutely rotten over this situation, but the suggestion of me staying home was met with sad frustration over feelings of neglect. My relationship with Alex needs some attention too. Luckily, I have loving people willing to help me out. I am so grateful to Liz and Yassi. I can't express my thankfulness, but I will find a way.

I believe I should do a dose reduction as Ole and Loki will be alone most of the time and there will be minimal testing. I realize his BG's will be higher, but it is safer to be high, and of course we want him safe. Please help me with a dose suggestion, and how I get there. I thought that perhaps I should reduce to 8-9uL. I don't even know if I have given myself enough time for that reduction. But the mix-up was only recently discovered. It is completely my fault as details are falling through the cracks of my busy, sleep deprived life.

Thank you so much for your help, all of you! You're aces!

Rebekah
 
Re: 3/6 Ole AMPS 348 Out of town dose ??

I don't think you don't have to reduce ahead of time but the acro gals should weigh in on that. Sienne shoots a reduced dose when she's out of town. Another thought - you could probably hire a nurse from the vet's office to give Ole his shot on Sunday morning.
Liz
 
Re: 3/6 Ole AMPS 348 +3 248 Out of town dose ??

Rebekah,

I don't have any suggestions, either, but I feel your pain about leaving and not being completely comfortable with the arrangements. We don't have any friends that live near us, so when our trusted cat sitter can't come stay with our babies, we have to board Cinco and one of our civvies that is on daily meds. I know Cinco is safe when boarded, but it messes up his schedule as they are not as anal as I am about his insulin and won't test him as often. However, he always makes it through and we get him back on track fairly quickly when we get home. I hope you find a solution you can be comfortable with.
 
Re: 3/6 Ole AMPS 348 +3 248 Out of town dose ??

Ole, you little devil stealing the pizza. :o :lol: I don't blame you though. Looks like he's already starting to ditch those carbs out of his system. ;-)

Regarding the dose, will there be any testing at PS? I have seen some people come up with a vacation schedule that depends on the PS values. If not, the the idea of being slightly more conservative is a good one.

Your departure is a week away, so the actual dose can be determined probably early next week, depending on what dose you are at then. I'm thinking a reduction of one or two units. Post and ask on Monday for thoughts on actual dose. A lot can happen between now and then. You could leave Yassi a sample syringe filled with colored liquid to show where the dose is. It's great Liz is helping out.

If Ole was getting frequent lower greens, I'd worry more about stepping down his dose a cycle or two before you leave, but if he sticks to blue nadirs then I think you are OK with just reducing the last shot you give.

Four nights of long sleep and time away sounds like bliss!!
 
Re: 3/6 Ole AMPS 348 +3 248 Out of town dose ??

I don't know about the dose, but I hope you can find a dose you're comfortable with. That's nice you have friends who can help out. Family time is important. I hope you and Alex have a good trip.
 
Re: 3/6 Ole AMPS 348 +3 248 Out of town dose ??

i'd encourage you to have as good of a time as you can, enjoying a much-needed respite. you do a fantastic job taking care of Ole, and it's ok to take a break now and then. Try not to feel guilty. Have a great time, Rebekah!!

i agree that you don't need to do anything in advance, just have the first dose as you are leaving be a little less - I'd guess 10% less rounded down to an even unit or half unit so it's easy to measure. Leaving a colored water-filled syringe for a comparison dose is an excellent idea. if you are available by phone, you could consult that way.

The only time we left punkin for more than just one shot (mostly we took him with us once he was diabetic) our son took care of him. I had him phone me so i could get the scoop and decide if i wanted the dose changed or not.

I do think dropping the dose some is a good strategy for safety when he's not getting tested mid-cycle. I'd keep trying for good numbers between now and then, just as you have been.

Yay Liz! You're an angel!
 
Re: 3/6 Ole Out of town dose ?? PMPS Hi

Well...

I don't know what is going on with Ole, but his food obsession is beyond the pale. Last night he stole pizza right from A's plate. Today, I don't know how he did it, but he opened a tin of cookies that has been stored on a high shelf for weeks now. He opened the tin and ate and ate and ate Swedish Pepparkakor (ginger snaps). I mean, he didn't push the tin over, he opened it up. What, does he grow thumbs when I'm at work? Our cupboards all have latches on them, we never leave food on the counter tops, and yet, he finds a way. I try to look lightly at his shenanigans and joke about them, but they are very troublesome. I gave Ole 11uL and .1uR this evening. I am getting busier and busier at work and I am so worried about everything. Tears run freely several times a day.

I am incredibly grateful for all of the help I am getting for this ski trip that we are going on. My friend Melissa, who cared for her diabetic cat for 2 years will come over to shoot Ole on Sunday morning. Such very giving friends I have. Yassi has shot Ole before, and she has dosed humans with insulin and other meds thousands of times. And of course there is Liz, whom I have never met, doing this very kind turn for us. I am very lucky that Ole is not at all a shrinking violet and warms to most people immediately. I hope I am able to have a good time skiing, but I doubt that I will. It is too stressful to be away, and my timing couldn't be worse.

Anyway, Ole is drunk on pepparkakor, I am depressed, Alex is full of pity, and Loki, well he's drunk on pepparkakor too.

Thank you for all of your help on dosing. I don't know what I would do with out your kind support.

Rebekah
 
Re: 3/6 Ole Out of town dose ?? PMPS Hi

((((Rebekah))))

You've got a difficult situation. The easiest diabetic cat is still challenging and you don't have the easiest. I have 2 kittens - nearly a year old now - that make it so we can't leave any food out at all. In fact, my husband just yelled "GET DOWN! BAD CAT!" at someone on the counters as i'm typing. My counters are covered with upside down plastic packing tape (sticky side out) trying to deter them. We do all food prep on pull-out cutting boards and can't even leave a dirty dish on the counter. I sympathize. I think it's not unlikely that it's growth hormones making Ole ravenous.

I don't have an answer but i'll sit with you while you're in this crappy place and keep you company. :YMHUG:

Here ya go:

my-cup-of-tea.jpg
 
Re: 3/6 Ole Out of town dose ?? PMPS Hi

Aww Rebekah!! Sounds like this trip is just what you need!! (((Hugs)))

Hang in there! It will get better!! (I know, easy for me to say)
 
Re: 3/6 Ole Out of town dose ?? PMPS Hi

Hi Julie,

Yes, I have been spending time on the Acro page, and reading up on it, and I agree with you. My future seems daunting, and I'm not sure I am strong enough for it. How can I work full time, be a pt student and care for an acro cat? Will I have any joy? We have tickets to Scotland this summer (3 weeks). I want to race the Imogene Pass run (I'm a runner) for my 50th birthday. How will we be able to do these things? Does A go to Scotland without me? Do I run an endurance race without support? I am just so very scared.
 
Re: 3/6 Ole Out of town dose ?? PMPS Hi

I find looking at the future like that to be very daunting when faced with something big. I'd try looking at it one day at a time and breaking the big picture down into tolerable chunks. For now, you're getting ready to go off with your sweetheart and go skiing.

As far as the summer trip, I think you and Alex should go together. Go run that race and enjoy Scotland!!!

I left punkin for about a week with my son (22 at the time) and he did fine. I think if you consider options now (do you know any young adults who could be taught to test and shoot who could come stay at your house?, any tech at your vet's office who would come test and shoot a reduced dose? a petsitter?)

Yes, I think it's very possible to work full-time and take classes and take care of a diabetic cat. I guess it depends on lots of things. Whatever you are doing now is what you would be doing later. Needing a high dose doesn't change the routine or schedule.

Punkin only survived 2.5 years after he became diabetic, but Tommy is now at 3.5 years and he didn't have the SRT done. Lauren was able to keep him incredibly well-regulated until just the past few months - and Tommy is 20! There isn't a perfect answer on what you should do - it's a very personal decision. When I was deciding on whether or not to have the SRT, I spoke with Dr. Lunn and she said it's a very reasonable choice to just give the amount of insulin that a cat needs.

I can say that as tough as it was taking care of punkin, i'd do anything to still have him and be taking care of him.

This doesn't answer all your questions, but sometimes i think just going one day at a time, with what you're faced with today, is enough. One of my favorite quotes is

If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you.
Calvin Coolidge
Click to expand...

I'm heading out to my quilting group but i'll check in when i get home and see how you're doing.
 
Thank you for your words of encouragement, Julie and Suzanne. They really mean a lot to me.

I am off to bed for a full night sleep, I'm sure things will look brighter in the morning.

Peace to you all, and as I said this morning, you're aces.

Rebekah
 
Re: 3/6 Ole Out of town dose ?? PMPS Hi

(((Rebekah))) I can so sympathize with loving a bread loving cat. :YMHUG: :YMHUG: Our first signs that something was wrong with Neko were tearing through 2 layers of foil and plastic to get at banana bread, muffins and baguettes. Like your place, our counters are clean - but I've even found her licking at the sink. We are lucky that we have doors so we can close off the kitchen. You are doing what you can. Mistakes will happen and Ole will get over it in about 24 hours. Like you I try to find the humor in it. It doesn't always work.

I agree with Julie that you should go to Scotland. Caring for a diabetic cat, and a large dose one, is a hard thing. You need to take breaks and recharge. I have a sport I love too. The time away this weekend is a good way to test how Ole will do on a longer trip.

Neko has been acro at least 2.5 years. She wasn't dx as diabetes that long ago but didn't show other signs until a bit later. Tip/Cindy is another high dose bread loving cat. She has been doing this for 2 years and Tip is still enjoying life. Cherish the moments when Ole wants to snuggle or play fetch. He's feeling good and that's what counts. The IM vet I saw at CSU also said that the most important thing you can do for a high dose cat is give them the insulin they need. No different than other diabetics - the dose is just different.

Sleep well.
 
Rebekah...you also have a ton of pet-sitter companies and individuals in the Flagstaff area. You might not have time before your skiing trip, but if you can't find better arrangements before you go to Scotland, you have plenty of time to find (and train if necessary...and I'm sure it'll probably be necessary) someone.

Here are just a few that I found! If you Google "Flagstaff Pet Sitters", you'll find a bunch more!

National Association of Professional Pet Sitters

Pet Sitters International

Sitter City Inc. (this one specifically says she does insulin...probably dogs, but might be worth contacting)

Care.com Petsitters, Flagstaff

AVG Pet Sitting

Kelly & Lita's Pet Sitting

Peaceful Hearts Pet Sitting

I think you get the idea :lol:

Now go skiing, RECHARGE YOUR BATTERIES, and return home fresh and ready to continue the dance! Taking care of you is just as important as taking care of Ole!

And we expect a great race in Scotland!! :-D
 
It's tough, no two ways about it.

But look - in spite of the late discovery of your scheduling conflict you pulled together a team and a solid plan in no time flat.
Pretty impressive.

I'm confident you will have arrangements (a plan A and a plan B) for the Scotland trip wrapped up well in advance now that it is in the front of your mind.

Take the opportunity to enjoy some time away with Alex. Ole will be fine on a reduced dose for those few days.
Remember - you have R to help get back on track, if needed, when you return. :cool:
 
the vote is unanimous! You're going to Scotland and running in the race! With Alex! :-D

I hope you slept all night long tonight and tomorrow morning things look better.
 
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