8/23

[Melanie and Smokey]

I couldn't get this caretaker to joins the boards, so I have been trying to help her through the sugar dance. Her vet is worthless in regards to feline diabetes, handed her a bag of dry DM and told her it was doubtful Mazzy would be able to get under the 200s.

Mazzy has been a bit bouncy the whole way, takes a long time to settle into dose reductions, then rises before dropping into the 50s. Her caretaker is VERY panicky and it took me a lot of work in the beginning to get her to test more than once a week and now as we get into regulation/remission territory to understand the 70s and 80s are perfectly normal numbers.

So anyway. Anyone have any input looking at Mazzy's chart? https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... sp=sharing

Keep holding at .25? Go back up? I can't see going off of insulin as long as she is still putting out 140s, 150s consistently. Possibly old insulin not quite working as well? She did just get a vial donated to her. I hate to break into a new vial if we are going to use 0.25U for just a little bit, but if its the insulin and what gets us over the last hump then maybe that's what we need to try.

We did notice morning was higher than evening. She feeds most of their calories in the daytime, a tiny bedtime snack 2-3 hours after evening shot. We talked about evening out her food and moving some more calories into the evening, as late as possible. It happened a few times, but last time I discussed it, it was still that 2-3 hours after shot.

Any thoughts? This is a very nervous caretaker. I'd love some help to help her get this kitty into remission!

Mel

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Re: 8/23 Mazzy - any input/help appreciated on cat I am help

Hi Melanie and good for you for helping out Mazzie and her bean. Does she have an auto feeder? Several smaller meals in the first half of each cycle is best. One trick that can help kitties on low doses is to try a +9 snack of 1-2 tsp LC, to see if Mr. P is reporting for duty. Try that for a bit on this dose before increasing.

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

Re: 8/23 Mazzy - any input/help appreciated on cat I am help

way to go, melanie! our FD kitties need all the help they can get.

I agree that the first step I'd take is to get a 1-2 tsp snack of low carb into Mazzy at +9 both cycles and see if that doesn't bring down the preshot numbers.

Recently I bookmarked a post explaining about shooting low here. Perhaps having her read that and help her interpret the spreadsheets as to what happens when the CG shoots low. Shooting the full dose into normal numbers will often flatten out the entire range. I suggest looking down the amps column until you see a green ps, then look across that cycle to see what the blood sugar did. Then go down until you see another one - eventually shooting normal numbers brings the flat Lantus cycle and hopefully, remission.

The warning is that she must test at +1 and +2 whenever she shoots a lower-than-she's-shot-before number to make sure Mazzy isn't diving, and she has to continue to monitor to catch how low Mazzy goes.

With a spreadsheet like this, however, remission is definitely a possibility. That's a pretty powerful incentive for most people - short term intensive program for a big gain.

I'd also explain to her that many, many cats have their lowest numbers in the night cycle. she really needs some pm tests so she keeps Mazzy safe. When your cat is running in low numbers, as you know, you can't get complacent and assume they will continue to surf. As a cat's pancreas heals, she will need less insulin and the only way to know that's happening and respond by reducing the insulin is to test.

She's so lucky to have you helping her.

 

[Melanie and Smokey]

Re: 8/23 Mazzy - any input/help appreciated on cat I am help

Thank you julie and Wendy! I absolutely agree that spreading the food evenly might even out the cycles. She has 5 cats, says she can't isolate and the latest she will feed is around +3 or +4. I think food would hold up any low bottoms and maybe keep the AMPS lower. I will stress that one again.

Mazzy is a very fractious cat, was a feral kitten when they got her. It takes two to test her so it is limited to when the husband is home and willing to help (if he works, he won't get up in the middle of the night to test). Took a bit of stern pushing from me, and a few low numbers in the beginning, and a lot of tears from the wife for them to test more than once a week. While I was inputting the last sheet of numbers into the spreadsheet I noticed testing is down again. Will have to find out why.

Thank you for that link Julie. I don't know if we can use any of her lower preshot numbers to interpret much, I am pretty sure all of the numbers following increased because of caretaker influence ;-) but an explanation about the numbers flattening out helps. I try to explain these things, but when panic sets in something she could reference without needing to find me might be helpful. I keep waiting and hoping for that flat Lantus cycle to show up, but Mazzy isn't cooperating.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Re: 8/23 Mazzy - any input/help appreciated on cat I am help

Good to hear from you and thank you for helping this CG out! Would she be willing to read here vs. post? The information -- especially having it in writing -- may help her out.

I have 2 thoughts. If she has several cats and can't segregate Mazzy, what about suggesting Young Again Zero Carb food that she could leave out for everyone overnight? Is she feeding Mazzy different food than the other cats? If so, why not switch all the kitties over to low carb. It will make life easier for her providing her other kitties don't hoover up all of the food.

I second the notion of pointing out that it looks ike Mazzy is heading toward remission. Whatever she and her husband have to do will be worth the short term inconvenience if it gets Mazzy to the point of where they can stop the shots and most of the testing.

 

[Melanie and Smokey]

Re: 8/23 Mazzy - any input/help appreciated on cat I am help

Thanks for weighing in Sienne, I do pop over occasionally to read even if I don't post. It gets hard seeing all of the kitties crossing the bridge that ran this race with my Smokey girl. I did encourage this caretaker to post over here at first and having people around to answer questions pretty much 24/7 would be very beneficial, when I can't answer my phone she panics. But so far no go.

They feed all the cats the same except one was still getting dry food at least when we started this because Mazzy was stealing it. But she controls their calories very tightly so leaving food out to free-feed in not an option. Mazzy doesn't do well on leaving food sit long anyway, she will eat until it is gone I am told.

All kind of moot now, caretaker raised the dose yesterday evening. I am a little concerned as Mazzy has went high right before dropping and needing a dose reduction on almost every other dose. So we might have a dose increase right at the time she is going to drop. I stressed the need to be testing to make sure they catch problems.
Cross your fingers this girls glides down gently!