4/6 Tugger PMPS 72 +2 55 +5 73 +10 121

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Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

Might only be a cycle of the 1u before the next notch down.
He's moving fast. I am tempted to say shoot a s1u this AM.

I'd be crazy to try and predict what is going to happen but I keep thinking he'll slow down when dose gets to around .25u. By slow down, I don't mean he'll stop going down the dose ladder, just slow down.

Tugger is our hero on how a change in diet works.
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

Morning Marvie, wow look at your amps!!! Looks like Tugger is in a race to the finish! I better tell Scrabble to pick up the pace or he is going to fall behind lol! Hope you have a great day!
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

Go for the skinny 1u -- I really think he wants less insulin. I also think he can deal with the regular 1u.
Might be 1u tonight -- think Mr. Shed needs a lil' emptying.
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

He looked at me when I was done as if to say "Well, you ever gonna do it?" That's so tiny he couldn't even tell I did it lol.
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

(((Marvie and Tugger))) :thumbup
Looking grrrreat!! Cheering you both on for a beautiful day!!
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

We aren't going the typical route down the dose ladder -- this is sort of a customized plan for Mr. Tugger. It wouldn't work with many kitties.
ECID.
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

He is doing so great, Marvie...well done.

I told Esse and Eeyore to read this condo; while ECID, I think they can take a lesson from here...LOL.

Best-
Michele
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

Tugger could surely give them some pointers I'm sure :lol:

I never expected this to happen so fast. I really didn't. Kinda figured he'd always need the stuff, if for no other reason than how much he's enjoying all the love and attention he's getting out of it :lol: He may like the attention, but I'm pretty sure he's over the shots and poking ;)
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

Go Tugger, go! :mrgreen:

Looks like Tug is going to have a great day! All those greens! Just when I think Max is going to get a pretty block like that, he throws me a 120 after dinner. But Max doesn't like to be predictable... :roll:
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

I bet we see some blue tomorrow. Tomorrow is interview the new vet day. As much as Tugger hates the car and as afraid as he gets at vet offices... I expect high blues at least.

Anyone have any tips for interviewing the vet? I've never actually gone in with the intention of interviewing one so I'm not real sure what I'm doing. Do I be open about the fact that I'm interviewing or should I be "sneaky" about it? Meaning, do I let on that if I'm not happy with his answers and suggestions that I'll head straight on over to the next clinic on my list of potential FD vets for Tugger that I know will work with the customized plan we've got going on for Tug because they are Carolyn and Spot's vet? I'm giving this guy a shot because we used him when Tug was a kitten up till when we left for Germany. He's closer than Carolyn's vet, which makes a difference with Tugger, but if he's not open to how I'm handling this and what we're doing with Tugger.... I'll put Tugger through the extra five or ten minutes of car ride to get a vet who will go with what is obviously working so beautifully.

I think he will be willing to work with us, I got good vibes when I spoke to the receptionist. She knew Lantus, she knew it's expensive as hell, knew it expires, was shocked Tugger hasn't been seen by his diagnosing vet since dx, was happy to hear I have a SS and asked me to bring it in and they encourage home testing.

She did say he will probably want to run a Fructosamine (sp?) on him. Is this a necessary expense? I would think we have enough info on the SS to not need one. I'd rather not spend the money if I don't have to. If it's needed, then I'll do it of course. We've got just about three weeks of data since I started testing him regularly and getting plenty of spot checks. Would the test tell him anything my SS won't?

I was going to print off the info in the stickies about the protocol etc. to take with me, just in case he's not familiar with it. But since we're not following it exactly because Tugger likes to be special, should I still print it and just explain that his dosing is a bit modified?

I know he'll ask how I came to decide on decreases etc. and I want to be able to explain it clearly... something more than "I'm just doing what Ms. D tells me to do because it's working and she knows a hell of a lot more than I do and I trust her more than I do the previous vet when it comes to how to care for this big guy. Now, show me how smart you are." :lol:
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

That fructosamine test is likely a waste of money. Why? Cuz you home test and your ss tells you what's been happening. Do you really need to spend money for someone to give you an average overall number? I don't think so. I got one done just to see and because it was tossed in with a bunch of other stuff, and what did it say? It said that Shadoe was unregulated and gave us a number that was around her average at that time. The time to do that test would be at the time of dx, before you give any insulin or do any home testing. That way you can see what has been the kitty's numbers BEFORE dx.

For questions, make as list of what's important to YOU.
Ask about how the vet would treat the various things that could occur.
Pancreatitis, and others could happen, so it would be nice to know how the vet would handle them.
What pain meds, nausea meds, fluids, etc does this vet rx for kitties? Ask about dental stuff too; you never know what could happen in the future.

As for handling YOUR cat, sometimes you just need to smile and nod when it comes to the differences. You state what you WILL be doing and the vet can work WITH you on the whole package. I take my vets office the ss for Shadoe, and TELL them about my testing and dosing, but they do NOT tell me what I should dose. They are to do their part which is run tests, clean teeth and pull bad ones, give rx for conditions as needed, etc. Consider the vet as part of a team, but most definitely NOT in the driver's seat. That's Tugger and you are the assistant. The vet is the helper.

Most definitely, print off the stickies, and give copy of the protocol, just state how you are modifying it. It will be your way of helping him help other kitties that come to him.
I have a binder for each cat of mine which is taken with me every time I go to the vets, with or without the cat. I keep copies of ALL tests and charges and ask for itemized receipts. I do not accept a stupid lump some of gimme $500. Um, no. gimme a breakdown and then I'll give you the money.
I can't comment on what tests you would like done or how thorough of bloodwork to request as i don't know what you have had done so far. Other than be sure to spend your money on the dental and scrap the fructosamine test, I can't suggest much more.

Good luck with the vet visit.
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

No fructosamine. That's silly -- zero need for one.

Your SS is the ticket -- if you hand that spreadsheet to a vet and they don't get it well.....

Do you want me to write up something explaining the path we are taking? I think it could be fairly short.

My cats have three vets because I could never find one vet that covered everything I wanted. Depending on whats up with them I pick one of the three.
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

D that would be awesome, because while my gut tells me to do what you tell me to do, my gut doesn't tell me *why* lol.

Gayle I love the binder idea. I put together one for Tugger's diabetes info, I'm now thinking I should put all of his vet records in it so it's all together.

I'm not sure what blood work was done at his dx appointment back in December, the new vet is supposed to get a copy of it all from the first vet. I never thought to ask for copies for my own records, but now I will! The only time I've ever gotten a complete copy of anything was when we moved to Germany and I got complete copies of their records from the vet. That was before all the big stuff happened though, nothing but shots and neutering. I'll definitely be getting all of our records better organized in the very near future, for all of them.

Not really sure what I should ask for either, I guess I'll wait and see what he says once he's seen what vet1 did and we'll go from there.

Now I have to go see if I can just email the SS to him for tomorrow because I'm just not in the mood to try to figure out how to print it off without issues. I want the whole thing not just parts of it, because I want him to be able to see the notes and feeding info as well as the numbers. Seems like it'd be easier to just give him the link. He can figure out the printing if he wants a hard copy for the file ;)
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

I rethought this statement "
Your SS is the ticket -- if you hand that spreadsheet to a vet and they don't get it well..... "

Not fair of me, most vets are not going to get what we are doing -- I predict a vet would say reduce the dose or withhold insulin at this point. You could point out that we are reducing the dose, more rapidly than many other cats.
I wouldn't count it as a negative if vet doesn't understand why insulin is still be given or why we are reducing dosing in the increments we are. I would consider it a huge positive if vet responded open-minded to what we are doing.

You might print out some other OTJ cats SSs.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key= ... _dHQ&gid=1

George is a good one to show. You could point out how Tracey shot green, like you are doing with Tugger, Lantus isn't like other insulins that way (to my knowledge, I don't really know that many insulins outside of the Humulins). We want Tugger's pancreas to have as much assistance time as safely possible in the hopes that it will heal stronger than if you just pulled him off insulin.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key= ... vZW63qbbVQ
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

My hope is that the vet will see Tug's numbers and the progress we are making and not argue with me at all about it lol. I mean, really, one good look at that SS shows that what we're doing is working. If I were a vet, not familiar with this protocol and methodology, I'd be very interested in learning more about it after seeing Tugger's response.

I really liked this vet when we used them before, it seems like he was good about explaining things etc. But of course, we never had major health stuff in those days. I called and spoke to the receptionist about emailing the SS and she got an email address for me, so it's been sent, I didn't want to wait for tomorrow and run the risk of forgetting.

I've got my printer working it's little inkjets off today =) Doc's either going to love me or hate me ;)
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

Marvie, I think you do know what we are doing. You should try and write it out in your own words and post back .
It will help you know that you actually do know why we are doing what we are doing.

Some notes:
Tugger had a fantastic response to his diet change.
His previous insulin had pooped out. With the new insulin on board it was clear the previous juice was dead. Tugger started needing intervention and had skipped shots.
We dropped his dose more than half to see how he did. He did great -- we were prepared to take him back up a bit but didn't need to.
Our initial goal was to keep him under 150ish. Let him ease into the greens.
Once in the greens we wanted to keep him there -- to strengthen pancreas.
We were willing to try reductions sooner because his numbers are flat and were trending downward.
We are now moving down the dose ladder fast. He may arrive at a dose like 0.5u or 0.25u and slow down, who knows, it is a matter of holding on for the ride. When Tugger makes a move, we move with him.
The longer he stays in green with assistance the stronger the pancreas gets -- then we take the training wheels off.
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65

The beauty of the ss is that anyone online can view it.
Send the link for the ss to the vet and the vet can check anytime at all.
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66

I'll do that D... very good suggestion =) Thanks!

Also... looking like it's a good day for surfing :mrgreen:
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66

You go, Tugger! And you rock, Marvie! :smile:

My vet likes me to email the link to Check's SS, then he can view it at his 'leisure', and see my notes also.

I've been keeping a journal for Checkers since I started testing, over a year ago. When he went on insulin, in Feb, I brought the journal with me.
Vet was impressed that I knew about LC food, and the records I kept, so did not have to have fructosamine test.
I told him at that time about FDMB, fully expecting him to scoff at getting advice 'from the internet'.
Lo and behold, not only did he know about this board, but actually complimented the advice givers!

Good luck with your interview, Marvie. :smile:
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66

Looking like a good morning for Tugger! It's getting really nice in your condo!! Hope your vet visit is a good one.

Oh, I need to add this since I just got finished reading yesterday's condo:
TWINKIE AND BEASLEY!! For what it's worth, I was on the transport team for these two orinch boyz and I KNOW they are angels!! They are the loveyest of love bugs, no lie. And such good boyz. Imagine having to test/feed/shoot two cats you have never met before...and do it at a rest stop on the Pennsylvania Turnpike!!! I was quite the nervous nelly about having to do that, but for no reason at all. They were so cooperative and just let me test and shoot them...And you should just see the video's that Dian has taken of them. If you really want to adopt another kitty in need, please consider one of these two....they DON'T have to come as a pair, although it would be nice since they have been together from the beginning, but Dian sez that they do have their own separate lives, lol. I have been hoping for the purrfect bean to come along to give them their furever home....maybe it's you???? As far as your DH goes, maybe send him the link to some of the pictures and videos....he may fall in love with them also....Just a thought. :-D
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47

Tug fell off his surfboard... but he's swimming along just fine lol. Gave a little gravy on his leftover breffis. I wasn't going to test for an hour since the +2 was the same as AMPS but he's been slapping me and yelling at me this morning, then when I went in to refill my coffee he raced me to the kitchen so I decided to grab a test just to see what number got him so frisky.... he really likes the 40's.
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47

Look at Tugger hitting the 40's again, holy crap there is no stopping your boy!!! I keep hoping Scrabble will hit the 40's, I think he likes the 50's and 60's better!!! I am sure he will pull something while I am work since he is famous for that, lol! Hope you have a great day. Good luck with the vets. I switched vets right after Scrabble was diagnosed because the vet was a total jerk and wasn't willing to work with me on anything. When I went to the new vet, I knew right away that I liked her. She was willing to work with me on everything. She wasn't that knowledgable on home testing but she was willng to learn everything with me which made me happy. The first vet told me I was being neurotic for wanting to hometest that is when I knew he had to go! Just trust your gut and I am sure you will be fine! Good luck, looking forward to hearing how it goes!
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47

Oh holy carp, yeah, I think I'd have run far from that vet too! Neurotic for wanting to make sure the insulin you are about to stuff into your cat isn't going to flippin' kill him or send him into seizures? Yep, far and fast. I'd rather be neurotic tyvm! I'm very hopeful for this one... but I'm not opposed to trying Carolyn's vet if I have to. At least this guy encourages home testing and is familiar with Lantus. We'll see tomorrow =)

Scrabble has been doing SO WELL since he got his sore and his teeth done, I bet you are just tickled green (we don't like pink!) :mrgreen: You know he's going to try to keep you home from work tonight lol. Scrabble must really hate it when you go away... or else he likes to stress your hubby out lol. I'll be watching your condo tonight to see the action :lol:
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47

At this rate you might not need a vet that understands FD. Way to go Tugger!

I switched vets just after Tess's dx too. They knew why we were switching at the new vet, I think that made them very receptive to what I wanted for Tess. So let them know that they are on the job interview and not the only candidate. You are looking to see if they are good enough for Tugger, plus you have lots of pets and that would be good for their business. Good luck! I hope they work out as well as Dr. Mimi did for Tess.
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47

Good job Marvie. Glad it was a skinny 1u. OK Tugger, let's see what you do with 0.75u, heck he could probably deal fine with 0.5u. There's no stopping this kitty.

P.S. I can picture vet looking at numbers and then looking at you with eyes saying "what the heck?"
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47

I know right! But the next kitty we get might be FD so it's probably still a good idea ;) I made it pretty clear when I was in the office talking to the receptionist the reasons I was looking for a new vet, with that same thought in mind. I also let her know that I have a freakin' zoo and would prefer to use one vet for all if I can. Hoping for good things tomorrow =)

LOL D yeah, I was thinking that when I put that 47 on his ss lol. He's really going to want to know what we've been doing to this cat rofl.
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47

Honestly, I think he could handle 0.5u. You have to sleep sometime. Let's think about that for tonight but wait until we see the rest of the numbers.
He's like a horse near the barn!
LOL that he gets so frisky in the 40s. YOu guys are too cute.
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47

I'm game for .5 tonight if his numbers don't go wonky on us. I slept like a rock last night, so I could be ok to get through the first 6 hours if I need to though. We'll play it by ear...

LOL at the horse reference, but yeah... you're right. He smells it and he's about to make a break for it bcatrun_gif
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47

As usual, a very exciting day in this condo.
Here I am at work, busy as heck and there is D's post saying, maybe a s1u....
It's like reading the ned of a mystery novel cuz I knew Tugger was already at 47.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Not funny that he is at the 47, just seeing where the decisions start, knowing where they have led too.

Good luck with the vet interview.
You got some great advice as to how to handle it.
I could not convince 4 vets to go along with me. spreadhseets, protocol, blahblahblah.
I hope you do better but really, you are the one treating Tugger and have done
an amazing job.
Enjoy the ice cream...
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47

regarding the vet - be open and honest - tell the vet you are talking (don't say interviewing - they will become defensive with that word) to several vets to find one who will partner with you and work with you to help Tugger.

If that opening line doesn't get you what you are looking for, then move on.

It's what I said when interviewing -- errr talking with a new vet.

Ask the vet if he/she is willing to join team Tugger....and of course then add all the rest that was already suggested.
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47

I like that Hillary, join Team Tugger =) Very good idea there. *nods*

Though right now I'm kind of thinking about stalling the visit for a few days, just to see what my dude is going to do. There's no pressing reason to go tomorrow, it's an interview only...
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47

Nice numbers as usual Tugger ;).

As for mom and the new vet: It actually doesn't matter much what you ask, you'll just know. What they know about FD or whatever random disease doesn't actually matter a whole lot, but their attitude as far as approaching treatment WITH you is very important.

As far as the fructosamine, it's actually a very reasonable thing for a vet to request. Keep in mind the "average" cat owner.. this vet doesn't know you from the average person who generally finds medical issues with their animals an inconvenient expense at best. I would guess the average person who walks into a vet clinic and says "I do home testing", tests about as much in a week as we do in a day. Once you show the SS, I expect the reaction will be some confusion, some weird looks at you.. and an agreement that the test isn't necessary.

Ask the easy questions, ask the hard ones, it really doesn't matter. You'll just know. You'll either feel like you found someone to help you through giving your animals the best life you can, or someone who looks at your pet like its a small household appliance.

A good doctor will want to figure out what sort of pet owner you are too. I would also recommend in engaging in some sort of discussion, something medically trivial or something deep, FD related or not, again doesn't matter. But have a discussion and be open to what they say. With a good vet, the interview goes both ways, so you want to start the relationship working with them, not just using them as someone who can write prescriptions.

That's my random thoughts for the day haha.
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47 +4 68

They are very good random thoughts =) I'm really liking all the input from everyone on this. I'll be well prepared when I go in. Which will not be tomorrow. I decided to stall the appointment, much like a low PS number will make me stall his shot ;) I don't want to stress him out with an unnecessary vet trip while he's making such good progress. So I called them and canceled his appointment, told her why and that I'll call to reschedule once he makes up his mind about what we're going to do lol. She seemed very interested in his dropping numbers so I'll be sure to make plenty of notes in the ss so the vet can see what's going on between now and whenever we go in. Maybe when they see how well Tug's doing they'll start sending newly diagnosed kitties to FDMB for education and training =)
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47 +4 68

Good move...now i have more time to come up with MY questions, too!!!! LOL. J/k i wished we had done that. Hank was turning the corner right at the time we had a 'new vet' appt. I'd made it 10 days earlier when we operating without a net on our own (bad situation w/ other vet) & needed to establish a relationship somewhere had anything come up. We didn't even have a refill on file if I'd dropped the cartridge or something. But she was on Spring break, and by the time the appt. was coming around...i thought, why today? ... He's doing great! And by the next day we were reducing dose, and then again. So she was not the diagnosing or prescribing vet, never saw him sick, and there was nothing to do that day (except get the insane estimate for the dental) but having cancelled there once before already, when he WAS so sick and I was desperate to get him ANYWHERE to get him on insulin....and we'd gone instead to someone who could get us in earlier,(& we all know how THAT turned out) I was afraid they might never let me schedule another... So we went.
I have so many different questions now than then. i think this is SMART on your part.


BTW, that Tugger is something ELSE. It really is just so compelling to watch what he's going to do each day. probably a stupid question..but why did ya'll skip off the 1.50U after only a couple days last weekend. he didn't go under 50 that I saw. I could probably read your condo back and figure it out. Maybe later with more time. I guess he may have his own version of things. Doesn't really seem to want to stick around anywhere too long.
i love that he's only hanging low for a little while & back to comfortable numbers so you can breath free and go on with your day.
He's very considerate that way. Now he almost doesn't need a meter for you to know anymore where he is...if he swats at you and tail flicks, he's in the 40's!
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47 +4 68

I'll save you some time ;) I'm too hot to move right now so sitting here typing is about as energetic as I'm gonna get till the guy shows up with those air conditioners.

Tugger, being Tugger, is a bit of a speshul snowflayke and doesn't like to follow "rules" so Ms D is doing some custom stuff with his dosing. I'm still a bit fuzzy on some of the more technical details of it all but basically, dude's about done with this ride and we're just going where he leads.

Sunday was a special day because I had to be gone all day, from +2 till PMPS and with the way his numbers have been... I was afraid he'd dip low on 1.5u. He'd been threatening a decrease for a few cycles but not quite hitting the line and I just knew it was coming. So after discussion with D, we settled on 1u in hopes it would keep him surfing along. Tugger had other plans, he dropped to 51 at +1.5 on a half unit under his usual dose. nailbite_smile So I fed him up and made sure the sitter knew to be here in an hour to check and feed him up again. So that night we decided instead of going back to the 1.5 where he should have been that AM (gawd, can you imagine if I had given him full dose?) we'd just give him 1.25. He surfed along in comfy numbers a bit then he hit 45 at +2 last night, got a decrease, then turned around and did it again this morning.... so we're thinking over what the hell to do tonight lol.
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47 +4 68 +7.5 92

+11 (and a few minutes) is 73 got to run pick up boy will be back asap (in time for shot)
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47 +4 68 +7.5 92 +11 73

Sending HUGS your way for Tugger tonight hope his numbers stay stable for you so that you are able to rest :YMHUG: :YMHUG: cat_pet_icon
 
Re: 4/6 Tugger AMPS 65 +2 66 +3 47 +4 68 +7.5 92 +11 73

Back on the fence, I am. Thinking he may go to 60s for PS. Kinda want to keep the 0.75u but then again my instincts are telling me he will like 0.5u.
Hope I can check back in before shot.
 
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