6/19 Tomcat AMPS 449, +4=343, +6.5=177 NEWBIE

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tomtom13

tomtom13

Member Since 2013
Hello all,

I have been posting on the Main Forum and a few members suggested it is time for me to come over here! I have just recently been testing as I should and hopefully have enough info regarding Tomcat to see if you think he needs a decrease/increase/stay the same......

He was on Humulin N for about 6 weeks and I never tested at home (CANNOT BELIEVE THAT!) -but after visual observations only, I demanded the vet give Lantus a try. he really didn't want to but agreed. At the last vet curve, Tomcat was so stressed he started panting like a dog, and I realized then I HAD to take this seriously and start home testing. You all remember as newbies, everything is so overwhelming that the thought of even 2X daily shots is a lot to take.....but as everything in life....you adjust and slowly add on.

Tomcat has always been pretty much a free eating LC can eater....I had dry out and he would eat a few bites here and there. So the food situation is good, although he will not be "cured" by diet alone sadly.

He needs to gain some weight, kinda "ribby" (as an owner I can't imagine why I never noticed this before DX). He has weighted as much as 15 lb ...should weight about 11-12 lb (per vet)....and currently about 10 ish (I have baby scale).

He purrs, poops, pees ( still a lot and very cement like ), cleans himself (much more lately hence hairballs! hates his furminator but I try....when the poor thing isn't getting shot or ear poked out comes the brush....not too happy to see me lately),

he has a good appetite, enjoys being outside-basically walks around garden and then sleeps (only when I know levels are safe and never over-night), and DOES NOT play. Still working on that.....I break out his favorite string...but still a no go for that. I monitor his mood by if he uses his 2 scratchers or not, he actually scratched an actual tree the other day while outside which made me smile.

When his BG levels are low, he goes into a nice heavy deep sleep---I was thinking that he would be like a young spring chicken and run around feeling so good then, but nope.....dozes away. is that normal?

He may have an UTI. when first diagnosed, I brought in a clean catch urine sample which did have Bacteria within. he was treated with Clovamox (?) for one week until had entire day of throwing up, Vet switched to Orbax for about a month, still had trace amounts....vet said to just hold off until BG numbers get down. as soon as BG numbers become better, I will bring another sample in.

I have urine strips, which always register high. I do not have the ketone strips (on shopping list) - vet told me not to worry about ketones until he loses a lot more weight like down to 6 lbs.

Last phone call with vet on 5/29 after at home "curve", vet said to increase to 4 units. I didn't.

All of my values on SS prior to 6/10 were taken with Freestyle Lite, so values are most likely much lower than they actually were. Using Relion Confirm now.

I was the queen of fur shots a few weeks ago (grab and roll doesn't work for me) but have since just grabbed below scruff and that has worked, I will move location spots once I become pro at this. He has been given consistent good shots and that depot should be good and full.

If you think I am due for an increase, here is my concern (being a newbie an all):

Sometimes Tom's values drop up to 300 points.........how can I, without losing my mind) even consider shooting at a PS value that is less than 300? I realize Lantus TP is all about the nadir value....but still worried.


Obviously, I am scared to death....but am ready to tackle this aggressively and correctly. Help me get my sweet kitty feeling better.......I know I am in good hands. Sorry if this was too long-winded, but I know information is key.

Thanks all......your value to me is price-less

~~~kelly
 
Hi, Kelly and welcome to Lantus Land. This is literally the best place you never wanted to be!

Great news on getting home testing accomplished and for getting your spreadsheet (SS) up and running. It's also wonderful that Tomcat is a canned food kitty.

A couple of things from your post:

UTI - getting a clean catch at home will more than likely always show bacteria. The minute you open a sterile container, it's contaminated by air. Likewise, any bacteria that is on your cat's fur will contaminate the sample. In order to determine whether a cat has a UTI, you need a sterile urine draw. The vet inserts a needle into the cat's bladder (it's called a cystocentesis) and the urine is then cultured to see if any bacteria grow. The results of the culture are then subjected to a test to let you know which antibiotics the bacteria are sensitive to. This process is referred to as a culture and sensitivity (C & S). If you opt to do this, you'll need to wait until the Orbax is completely cleared out of Tomcat's system otherwise, you'll get a false negative reading.

Weight - if Tomcat needs to gain weight, he should be eating at least 233 calories per day (Required calories per day = [13.6 X optimal lean body weight in pounds] + 70). I'm assuming you're using the food chart that Lisa Pierson, DVM put together. The calories for the various foods are listed there. You may want to add water to your kitty's food if you're not already doing so. It may help to loosen up the poop situation.

Sometimes Tom's values drop up to 300 points.........how can I, without losing my mind) even consider shooting at a PS value that is less than 300? I realize Lantus TP is all about the nadir value....but still worried.
Click to expand...
I have a kitty that is infamous for her dives -- especially soon after she was diagnosed -- so I can relate. You're welcome to look at Gabby's SS. You'll also notice that we do shoot low numbers here. What usually happens is that if you have a pre-shot of 150, your cat is not going to drop 300 points. The drops are somewhat proportional. You typically see those big, 300 point drops when you're starting from a high pre-shot number. We also encourage you to get tests in early in the cycle if you're shooting lower numbers and/or to routinely get a +2 or a +3 test so you have some indication if numbers are dropping. While TR is an aggressive approach to dosing, it's also safe BECAUSE you have the skills to monitor your cat's BG and because we''ll help you to learn how to steer the numbers with high carb food should you need to. Safety is our primary concern. There is also no expectation that you will shoot low the first time. Rather, we want you to be comfortable with shooting progressively lower numbers. I shoot pretty much anything above 50 but I've been at this for a while and I have a ton of data. Becoming data ready is hugely important as is knowing when your cat's onset and nadir fall.

It does look to me like Tomcat could use a dose increase. He's bouncing around a bit but his nadirs are not all that low.

Please let us know if you have questions. The people here are very generous with their time and knowledge and are invested in helping you to learn to manage Tomcat's diabetes. I hope you'll post on a regular basis so we know how Tomcat is doing.
 
Welcome to LantusLand! I'm sorry you have to be here but it's the best place to learn how to care for Tomcat. Here is the link to your post on Health. Great job on everything, wow, you have made a ton of progress. Sienne didn't specify but I think she meant to increase by 0.25u to 3.5u.
Liz, Zener's other mom
 
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