4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 PMBG=68 +1+71 +2=54 +4.5=66

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quilterkitty

Member Since 2013
yesterday's condo

Good start today. Star was asking for playtime as soon as he had a bite of breakfast. I have to be out for a few hours later this morning into the afternoon, but I will test several times today. Paws crossed! :-D
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 AMBG=81

All paws crossed over here - good luck today and Go Star Go!!!
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 AMBG=81 +13.5=93

hi Phyllis,

You probably don't know me because I don't post as much as I used to, but I have been here a long time and I still try to help out when I can.

I would like to encourage you to consider continuing that drop of insulin for the next two days. Star *might* be fine if taken off the juice now, but our goal is to try for a remission that will last. The best way to get that is to give the beta cells as much healing time in normal numbers as possible before removing the training wheels and having them try to hold their numbers down on their own. That is why we usually encourage caregivers to stay on 0.1u for at least a week before stopping shots (unless the numbers drop too low).

Star was in pink and red numbers on 1 unit just one week ago. I know you have to go out of town on Thursday so you wouldn't have been able to do a whole week on 0.1u anyway, but an extra 48 hours of a drop of insulin might make a difference in whether he is able to stay off insulin or not.

It's your call, you are the one who is there. Sometimes newly diagnosed cats' pancreases are not as damaged as those who have been diabetic for longer, so he might not have needed as much healing time. I just would hate to see you have to come back in a week or a month because his numbers went back up, when I can see something that might help prevent that. I know two days doesn't seem like a lot, but when you consider that Star was on insulin for such a short time anyway, two days is fairly significant.

Just my thoughts. Have a good day!
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 AMBG=81 +13.5=93

Hi guys .. pretty greens for star today! Good luck with the trial! have a great day guys!
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 AMBG=81 +13.5=93

YAY... another OTJ trial starter this week! Welcome to the club Star! Let's keep it in the :mrgreen: greens :mrgreen: for you and momma bean! Congratulations on your trial! I look forward to seeing your progress over the next few weeks!
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 AMBG=81 +13.5=93

Hi Libby,
Thanks for your thoughts. You're right, I don't see that one drop of insulin for four cycles will make that much difference, but I trust that you know what you're talking about. :-D Actually, the .25 dose I had been giving him was closer to .15 (I didn't realize this until I looked at some demo photos to figure out how much .1 was), so Star has been on a lower dose for at least some of those cycles. ohmygod_smile But I take your point, and I'll watch his numbers today and make a decision at the evening regular shoot time. Thanks--I do appreciate your input!
 
Re: 4/2 Star OT: met a future FDMB member

Fun story: this afternoon I was at PetSmart, stocking up on Fancy Feast for my pet sitter (the online ad said the cans were 50 cents, but when I got to the store they were 54; the whole reason I went to PetSmart instead of Petco was to get the better price! Must have been a weekend-only special), and while I was searching for my flavor I saw that another woman was also perusing the aisle. She commented, "Our cats can be so choosy, can't they?" I said yes, they can, but I was the choosy one because one of my cats is diabetic. She said hers is, too! Of course I asked her if she knew about the FDMB, and she didn't. I asked her more about her cat, and we had a nice conversation. I encouraged her to check out the message board and said she would find a lot of great advice and support. She said she would look it up when she got home. You just never know who you'll meet in the canned cat food aisle at PetSmart!

And . . . all the varieties of Simply Nourish freeze dried treats (single ingredient--poultry, whitefish, or shrimp) are on sale, 2 for $5 with a Pet Perks card. Go get 'em! bcatrun_gif
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 AMBG=81 +13.5=93 +20=64

Thanks, everyone! I haven't been able to test him as frequently as I would like today, but he's doing great!
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 AMBG=81 +13.5=93 +20=64

Just curious...when was the last time that Star ate before that +8 64?
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 AMBG=81 +13.5=93 +20=64

At about 8:00, which would have been at AMBG+1.5. If I had realized I would be out that long, I would have left food out for him. Lesson learned. :smile:
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 AMBG=81 +13.5=93 +20=64

No, not a problem, Phyllis! The number is beautiful.

I had hoped you were going to say "About an hour before that test" actually. A drop soon after eating would say "hey, my pancreas did that all by itself!".
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 AMBG=81 +13.5=93 +20=64

Yeah, I am realizing I should be testing him after food. Rookie mistake. ohmygod_smile Which is a more useful number: a +1 or +2 after food? And should I test just before food, too?
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 AMBG=81 +13.5=93 +20=64

Test before food for sure. I think it takes 30-60 minutes for low-carb food to "show up" on the meter. Ideally, you'd see a low number before food, and then probably a higher number within an hour. And then a lower number by two hours after food.
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 AMBG=81 +13.5=93 +20=64

I will do that. Thanks, Carl. Still debating that one drop dose of Lantus. If I do it, then I can't test Star when he goes off it completely because I'll be gone. But if I don't, I could be hurting his chances for a full remission. Tough choice. Guess I'll have to make up my mind pretty soon. :?
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 AMBG=81 +13.5=93 +20=64

Oh, and one positive thing: in my seemingly never-ending quest for the Holy Grail of cat foods, the best quality that DH will agree to pay for, :lol: I learned that Nature's Variety canned cat and dog foods are identical formulas, even down to the taurine. So Star can have his proverbial cake and eat it, too. The rabbit flavor is still off the table (no stats, plus I read on another forum that the rabbit one is made in China--hold the melamine, please), but the duck variety looks promising, especially as an alternative to the Authority chicken. Even in the 13.5 oz. cans, I believe the NV brand still costs twice as much as Authority (though all the premium brands of canned cat and dog foods are 10% off at Petco through April 27), but it might be worth a little more money up front to better my kitties' health. At least that's my argument. :mrgreen:
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 AMBG=81 +13.5=93 +20=64

quilterkitty said:
I will do that. Thanks, Carl. Still debating that one drop dose of Lantus. If I do it, then I can't test Star when he goes off it completely because I'll be gone. But if I don't, I could be hurting his chances for a full remission. Tough choice. Guess I'll have to make up my mind pretty soon. :?
Click to expand...
You'll be gone for four days? So you'd miss the first 4 days of an "OTJ" trial, right? I think the pros to trying the one-drop outweigh the cons.
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 AMBG=81 +13.5=93 +20=64

It's too late to give a shot with dinner, but Star will get a snack at 10:30. I can give him his drop then.

What I had decided was to look at his dinnertime numbers and see if he had the rise at +1 and a drop at +2. If not, I could give the insulin at 10:30, and I guess I could set an alarm for 4 hours later, when he usually dips. So you think it's better to miss the first four days of an OTJ trial than days 3-6? Why is that? I still don't know all the ins and outs.
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 +20=64 PMBG=68 +1+71

I think it's better because
A- he gets two days of "drops" which can only help. And
B - if the trial appears to be not working, you'd know after only four days instead of six days later. So, less days with zero insulin is better if it turns out that Star still needs tiny doses.
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 +20=64 PMBG=68 +1+71

But I do think that tonight, the "trial" to see what happens between supper and +2 is a good idea.
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 +20=64 PMBG=68 +1+71 +2=54

So here are the results of the "dinner trial": before food=68, +1=71, +2=54. I'm not convinced I should give him the dose, even if it is only one drop. What do you think?
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 +20=64 PMBG=68 +1+71 +2=54

Lol, I'm not convinced now either. Those are perfect numbers, and I would guess that if I did the same trial on Bob, his numbers wouldn't look any better.
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 +20=64 PMBG=68 +1+71 +2=54

Um, okay. :lol: :lol: For what it's worth, I really don't want to shoot. If Star had been diabetic for longer (he showed symptoms for only a week before diagnosis), and if he hadn't responded so well to the insulin, I would say that final dose for 48 hours might be important. But given all his data, I really believe he's good to go.
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 +20=64 PMBG=68 +1+71 +2=54

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE BEGINNING OF STAR'sS DAY 1 ON OTJ TRIAL.
 
I know it's a difficult decision but Libby is pretty darn astute and I trust her advice. He is looking good but the point is more that he continue to look good and that he has a permanent remission.

If you decide to give a couple more days of insulin, it won't hurt him as long as you monitor. If you decide not to, good luck with the trial.
 
Thanks, Marje. Star is still dipping into the 50's without insulin, so although I trust your judgment (and Libby's), and I know I'm taking a chance on his having to return to insulin, I'm going with my gut here and sticking with the trial. If we weren't leaving town I would definitely keep him on the tiny dose for several more cycles, but I just can't stay up as late with him tonight or tomorrow night as I have been doing. When we get home from our trip and I test him, that number will be very revealing, I think. The timing is imperfect, not that there's ever a perfect time to leave town for four days when you have a diabetic cat. :lol: Thank you for caring about Star and giving me good advice. :smile:
 
Re: 4/2 Star OTJ trial day 1 +20=64 PMBG=68 +1+71 +2=54

quilterkitty said:
Um, okay. :lol: :lol: For what it's worth, I really don't want to shoot. If Star had been diabetic for longer (he showed symptoms for only a week before diagnosis), and if he hadn't responded so well to the insulin, I would say that final dose for 48 hours might be important. But given all his data, I really believe he's good to go.
Click to expand...
i agree with you. star's data supports your decision. the worst that can happen is you'll have to restart a small dose of insulin.
congrats on the trial! hope you come home to a nice normal number. enjoy your trip!
 
Nice work with Star! I hope it all goes well (anti-jinx anti-jinx) and you come back from your trip to some perfect BGs (anti-jinx anti-jinx)

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :RAHCAT :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 
Excellent - I think you made a good choice under the circumstances and Star is doing so good! Kat and I, the recently self-proclaimed Pancreas Whisperers, will stop by regularly and waive empty syringes over Star's belly to impart the essence of insulin just to keep it on track :lol: :lol: :lol:
 
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