3 August, Minerva: AMPS 378, PMPS 329, increase due? Very poor curve data

Joy W

Member Since 2021
How has it been 2 weeks already? There is just so much going on. So much for every day (screams internally).

Since I was here last, Minerva has improved in leaps and bounds, mostly. For a couple of weeks it was 2 steps forward 1 back, but now it is 5 or 6 forward, one back. Adding Mirtazapine was the winner, even though her behaviour suggested that she was hungry and I would have thought that cerenia was enough. We had progressively improving days and then she ate 2 days worth in one day! Must have been making up for lost time. She lapsed a little after about 5 days drug free, and a single dose of each has kept her going for nearly a week, although we are currently eyeing up another dose of each.

Now to try to get a better grip on her sugars, which continue to run higher than they did before this flare. We are still not actively fasting her for 2 hours for each preshot, I wanted her to get used to her hunger stimuli so didn't want to stop her instinct to eat, plus her smorgasboard doesn't fit in the feeder!

I had intentions of doing a really decent curve Sunday just gone, which was my first opportunity in 3 weeks which made it the first opportunity since we got her home from the vet and started her meds, and I just really sucked at it. I kept missing the time! I normally set a series of alarms but didn't and we had a guest and I just did a really utterly terrible job of her curve. I'm devastated as it is a fortnight from that curve until my next opportunity.

Based on that awful data I still think that going back to 1.5 would be good for her, but would appreciate any thoughts. That was the dose she was on at the very that saw her go to a 2.8 (50) preshot and who knows what her low was, but she has never run this high before - even though I know not all of her preshots are properly fasted, even the ones I am pretty confident she has not eaten are running at 18-19, not her old sub 16s. But I am a bit worried about this increase without the data to back it up.

She is eating far more raw now than she was before her admittance - there are very few low-carb wet brands here in NZ and she must have developed an aversion for Fancy Feast as she is not having it now, and she never liked the others. I know some people have found a more raw diet results in higher sugars. The increased sugars means she is peeing so much more as well. I am really keen to bring this down (but worried the vet will be horrified haha).

As always, my huge thanks to everyone who has kindly helped me over the last few weeks, despite my poor ability to post daily (it is nearly midnight here and my partner has got mad at me staying up to post this, but otherwise it is yet another day gone). Everyone's advice is very much appreciated.

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...ng-serious-eating-issues.266043/#post-2978408
 
You need to start testing more to catch the nadirs. When can you do a curve testing every two hours for 12 hours or every 3 hours for 18? The preshots are food influenced which is fine given the higher bg but we have no clue how much of an increase it’s giving her so don’t help us at all with dosing. It sounds like she’s feeling better which is great but if still needing an appetite stimulant might not be fully recovered. When did you last try weaning off mirtazapine? You could try every other day and see what happens. Are there vitamin/mineral mixes available so you can make your own low carb food perhaps?

I would be inclined to increase her dose to 1.5 given her symptoms suggest she’s not likely going low and bouncing but more testing is needed. Is that possible?
 
Last edited:
Yes would like to do more testing! But I have very few opportunities to do curves although that will improve shortly. Only weekends as I work weekdays, and over the last two months I've traveled every on average every second weekend for work - and it was two weekends in a row before last Sunday! That's why I said it was my first opportunity for a curve in 3 weeks, and I'm so mad at myself for doing such a terrible job (partly because I was so exhausted that my brain didn't work well!).

Unfortunately I'm away again this weekend, which is why I said it would be a total of 2 weeks until I can do another curve. So, my next curve will be Sunday 13 August.

So I can increase now, or I can increase after a curve on 13 August. Regarding symptoms of being high, her water intake and peeing have both increased since pre-vet which makes me think she is running higher all day, not just at night. I'm pretty sure that her accidentally fasting pre-shots are the ones about 18 or so.

I haven't been able to find pre-mixes in New Zealand unfortunately. I might look at that cat.info recipe but it's chicken based and want to make a low allergen version so need to work that out, and it will also have to wait until I'm home for a whole day! Her mirtazapine was only every other day to begin with, I think due to her age, so we're now holding the cerenia and mirtazapine for as-needed, even if its every 4 - 5 days for a while.

She ended up eating every mouthful I left out for her overnight and is currently reminding me she is hungry so that's good!


At least travel should start to slow down soon: I might have another weekend away in August yet, but only one away in September and October each and then I think nothing for some time. So I should be able to arrange my other life adventures to do a weekly curve most weeks.

I meant to do a bedtime test after posting but I was so exhausted that by the time I got off the computer and down to the bedroom to find her I had already forgotten :banghead: Hopefully my ability to function as a human will also improve as I travel less!

Thank you so much
 
Even if you can get a before bed test if it’s after +2 would give some info. If lower by much then set an alarm for a +5-6. If flat don’t bother that night. If you can grab some tests that way a curve won’t be needed at this point. I understand working and traveling makes all this especially tough. We don’t want insulin resistance and yet don’t want a hypo either. I’m trying to figure out how to keep you healthy and your kitty too. :bighug:
 
Thank you so much for your kindness :bighug: I am running on fumes and caffeine right now so definitely not at my best and I know that is flowing through to my care of her.

Funnily enough that was our plan last night - except that I drew down the same amount of insulin, dosed, and then 20 minutes later went "damn! I was going to go up!". As it turned out I totally brain misfired later on and missed the bedtime test as well! I posted, said to myself "go get the testing kit and test her", turned off the computer, and then autopilot kicked in and I just - totally forgot, basically immediately.

Her AM this morning was MUCH lower at 14.8 (266) so it might not have been a bad thing tbh. She ate well over night, polished off everything I put out, so might just have been less hungry yesterday as her overall food intake from AMPS to AMPS was lower than average, but still reasonable. And this morning I offered her some Fancy Feast and she happily ate a bunch without complaint much to my total astonishment!

I am just about to go start today's thread, I basically test/feed/shoot/leave in the mornings so usually create them at night when I actually get to sit down for 5 minutes but I have a window to create it now! Then time for today's first caffeine hit!
 
Back
Top