5/12 Polly. amps 340,+7=314,+9=304.PMPS 293,+4=334

[Marilyn and Sheldon]

Yesterday
Last night at PM +8 she was 189

Question:

Although her nighttime nadir hits the blue from time to time, should I up the dose from .75 to 1.0 with Polly's pm shot. (I still need input from experienced folks before dose change. Reassurance, I suppose.)

Thanks!

Marilyn and Polly

 

[Dyana]

Re: amps 340

If yesterday's AMPS was a fur shot, then I would wait to do an increase.
Somewhere on this board is a post on counting cycles. I'll try to find it for you.

 

[Dyana]

Re: amps 340

Counting Cycles

Because of the cumulative nature of Lantus and Levemir... stalling, shooting a reduced dose, shooting a BCS dose, skipping a shot, and fur shots can alter the effect on the insulin/depot on any given dose. If you have to do any of these things, the cycle count starts over. If you don't start over, you run the risk of kitty becoming over dose.

 

[Marilyn and Sheldon]

Re: 5/12 Polly. amps 340

Thank you. I love this board. And the beans, too!

Marilyn and Polly

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

Re: 5/12 Polly. amps 340, +7=314, +9=304. PMPS. 293

looks like Polly is coming down tonight. maybe she's recovering from the fur shot already.

some people ask for advice on dosing for years - you're in your first month! don't worry one bit about asking for help, marilyn. we all get that it takes some time to get the hang of it.

 

[Marilyn and Sheldon]

Thanks. Just an odd day. Gentle downward slide through am cycle; now, pm cycle is heading up. Usually she goes up through the last half of her morning cycle and then heads down through the pm cycle 'til nadir at about +8+9.

Am I too anxious to see her get back down to the yellows she was on during .5 units. Or even the blues she was getting before we started insulin? So much of this just doesn't make sense to me. I'm flying on faith right now (not big world faith, faith in the experience and wisdom of the board!). It's the "I don't get this" that makes this sooooo hard.

I'll keep her at .75 for another two days to complete the three day cycle following the fur shot. But I so desperately want to get her down to yellow and blue.

Thanks.

Marilyn and Polly

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

it helped me to understand a bit more when i learned that insulin is a hormone. think 15 year old girls and slamming doors. we know that even if you hold every variable constant, the absorption of any given shot can vary by as much as 50%. So sometimes things just don't make sense.

also, cats' bodies very quickly get accustomed to high numbers, causing Glucose Toxicity. When that happens, it takes even more insulin to bring down the numbers. That may be part of what you're seeing. It is common (typical) for cats to have to go up in dose until they hit a dose that is just right. then they start coming down the dosing scale. She's still very early in the treatment.

i do think that as soon as you get the 6 cycles-post furshot, if you don't see green numbers, i'd increase by 0.25u.

 

[Marilyn and Sheldon]

Thank you, Julie. I taught high school English for 30 years; I get the teen-age girl hormone analogy in vivid images! And that really helps me understand that I may not understand! And that's o.k. Polly and I will just keep walking this journey, one step at a time.

Your words have helped so much. I hope you know that.

Marilyn and Polly

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Hi Marilyn

I have been on vacation so I'm just catching up to the new members on the board. Welcome to you and Polly!

Is your vet certain her tooth socket infection is healed? When I look at her SS, the numbers certainly make me wonder if something is still going on. Julie is right that spending time at higher numbers can cause some insulin resistance but I find it interesting that she was in blue without insulin but is much higher now. The blue numbers still indicate a need for insulin but for her numbers to go up so much, I just have to ask if the infection is gone.

It can take a few cycles to recover from a fur shot but her numbers are pretty consistent the last 12 cycles. It's probably a good idea to give her a couple more cycles to get past the fur shot and see where she is.

I loved reading her profile. How wonderful she has come so far!

 

[Marilyn and Sheldon]

Hi Marilyn

I have been on vacation so I'm just catching up to the new members on the board. Welcome to you and Polly!

Is your vet certain her tooth socket infection is healed? When I look at her SS, the numbers certainly make me wonder if something is still going on. Julie is right that spending time at higher numbers can cause some insulin resistance but I find it interesting that she was in blue without insulin but is much higher now. The blue numbers still indicate a need for insulin but for her numbers to go up so much, I just have to ask if the infection is gone.

It can take a few cycles to recover from a fur shot but her numbers are pretty consistent the last 12 cycles. It's probably a good idea to give her a couple more cycles to get past the fur shot and see where she is.

I loved reading her profile. How wonderful she has come so far!

Thank you. Yes, she has come a long way. I still get a little misty-eyed when she so willingly jumps up on the bathroom vanity for the testing, the shots. She's a brave little girl.

The infections were identified March 28 or so. Full course of clavamox. Rechecked April 16 with physical exam, full bloodwork again, and a urine culture. Everything indicated she was clear. Still, I too, wonder about what's going on to make her numbers so wonky. My vet's willing to do anything I ask, but at this point neither of us know anything beyond what her tests reveal.

Right now we're just waiting for this post-fur shot cycle to end so I can up the dose and see what happens.

Again, thanks for the welcome and the understanding.

Marilyn and Polly