I just read your post about switching from Lantus to levemir. I have questions. Is there a reason you waited 5 months to switch to levemir?
Now I'm worried that the same thing can happen to ravan. If he keeps going up in dose I don't know what i'll do about the cost. Since this started 11 weeks ago everything is on my credit card.
I didn’t wait 5 months, I just didn’t have any reason to switch until around the time that I did. Lantus was working well enough for Asia, as time went on and I saw some her patterns that might work better if she were on Levemir and realized it was stinging her (which isn’t the case for many cats, by the way), I decided it couldn’t hurt to try it out and so I did.
Ordering insulin from Canada or on the supply forum should be less of an impact to your wallet, but no doubt, diabetes is an expensive disease to manage the way that we do. With any luck, you can get Ravan in a good range and he may go into remission.
How long do I wait till I know Lantus is not going to work for him?
Lantus and Levemir work very well for most cats. They each have their benefits and drawbacks. If you are considering switching I would say wait at least until you find a breakthrough dose and then see how he does for a bit from there and reassess. Switching can be a bit like starting over, and I’m sure you don’t want to prolong the waiting to get there phase by switching soon.
I see some people micro dosing. I thought you're supposed to adjust doses by .25 units?
We reduce by .25 units in most cases, but some cats .25 is too much and literally a drop of insulin will regulate them. We also recommend tapering off insulin slowly to increase odds of a strong remission, that’s why there are 2-3 levels of microdosing under .25. Alternatively, some long term diabetic cats can maintain on a drop dose or a hair more to stay well regulated, yet they can’t do on their own without insulin just yet.
Some people are using only 1.5 units & getting nearly all green #'s except for the amps in the 300's What causes that?
You are seeing frustration in action! There are many reasons for higher preshots while mid values stay in the desired range: dawn phenomenon, dusk phenomenon, lack of duration (numbers rise rapidly near the next preshot, insulin poops out a bit for a variety of reasons), as well as bouncing from a steep drop or too low a number and finally, sometimes the preshots are higher because of a postprandial response, the higher carb food or sugar given to steer the cycle can take hours to clear the system and show up in this way some hours after being eaten. There may be more reasons, that’s all I can think of at the moment, but it’s challenging for sure. I very much have this problem with Asia. Not everybody encounters it to any degree of concern.
I see people changing doses from 4.5 to 2.5 & changing every few days up or down. That's OK?
It’s okay in that you hold the syringe and it’s your cat. If you’re asking if it’s in line with what is spelled out in either of the dosing strategies we use (SLGS or TR) it is not.
The more I read,the more information ,the more confusing this all is!
I empathize! I cried a lot in the first few months, I was overwhelmed and exhausted and didn’t think there were enough hours in the day to learn all I felt I needed to understand. It’s so much to take it, but is awesome that you are so interested to learn, it will serve you and Ravan well. I’m still learning every day. It does get easier after you get over the initial learning curve hump, I promise you that.
So if i increase Ravan's dose to 2 units tonight it just feels I'll keep increasing with no results. I thought each increase would drop him to lower #'s but it looks like he is just staying in the 300's for so long.
I have this picture that a month from now i'll be at 5 units with no better results! This is so frustrating. No end in sight. Very discouraging.
It just feels like you’re going to increase forever with no results, that’s not reality. Many SSs look like little difference has been made with each increase until...the magic dose is reached and then you start seeing blues and greens! Sometimes it’s more gradual than that, but sometimes it’s just like a light switch got flipped on. When that happens for Ravan you will be doing the happy dance, and I will be doing it with you!
I know it’s discouraging, and there is an end in sight, we just can’t predict when it will happen and at what amount of insulin it will take to get you there. The only consolation I can offer is, get there as soon as you can by increasing when it’s safe to do so; you
will get there.
