8/8 Michael AMPS 427 +9 231 pmps 312

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Re: 8/8 Michael AMPS 427

part of why he's so high is because you skipped his shot last night. not a bounce.

i think you should go back to 0.75u tonight. Lantus doesn't work as a hammer to bring down high numbers very well. You make dosing decisions with Lantus based upon the nadir - how low will this dose bring my cat? What you know is that the 0.75u can bring him down at least into the 70's, likely lower. When I see he was at 77 at +11 last night, that raises the possibility that he may have been lower earlier in the cycle. maybe not - no way to know.

Is your goal to get him off of insulin and becoming diet-controlled, or do you just want to maintain him on insulin? if you want him off, you're going to want to shoot lower numbers. Like last night, with a 77 at +11, we'd have encouraged you to recheck again at +12. He'd likely have been able to get a shot then.

Lantus is best when shot into low numbers - it has this awesome ability to hold the blood sugar flat in the normal ranges. But you need to shoot those numbers in order for it to happen.

Not sure if i've given you this link already - i kept writing the same thing over and over for new kitties about the benefits of shooting normal numbers, but if not, here is a recent post explaining it.

In preparing for shooting lower numbers, it would be helpful if you can sprinkle your tests out a little more. Get a +10 once, a +1 another time, just test different times so we can see a better picture of what's going on. Read the "Shooting and Handling Low Numbers" sticky at the top of this forum, particularly the part on becoming data ready.

There's absolutely no reason to believe he couldn't be one of the cats that goes off of insulin. Over 90% of newly diagnosed cats in the most recent study who become tightly regulated become diet-controlled. Newly diagnosed is important - the sooner the better, before the damage is too great to their pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin. When you get a preshot number between 50ish and 120ish - that's an opportunity to lower his whole range and flatten out his blood sugar. ya gotta grab it though!
 
Re: 8/8 Michael AMPS 427

I saw on his SS that your vet recommended that you don't shoot under 300. I'm sorry but that is crazy. Your vet obviously wants him to stay diabetic as he will not have a chance at remission with that tactic.

I agree with Julie that you will need to learn to shoot lower and lower numbers (although we don't recommend you ever shoot below 50). We help caregivers do this all the time. When you get a 150 or lower at shot time, don't feed Michael. Post and ask for help and we will walk you through it. If we help you shoot lower, someone will stay with you on the board.

It gets easier. When we were new, I couldn't imagine that we would ever be able to shoot below 150. It didn't take us long to change our minds. :-D
 
Re: 8/8 Michael AMPS 427

Thanks Julie & Marge.
The vet said for me not to shoot under 300. I agree that is odd. When he dropped to 77 I didn't shoot because he was under a 100. I wanted to keep him safe. He went hypo once and that scared me. I don't want to take the chance of that happening again. It's very possible that he will not go into remission due to the fact he has hyperT. I just want him comfortable and regulated. I'm going to email the vet and tell her by not giving the shot last night, that @amps he went to 427. I am so confused.
You guys are wonderful!. It seems no matter what I do, he just doesn't want to regulate. Somehow I just have to keep muddling thru this. I need this vet as she only treats cats and she is willing to work with me. I also need her for scripts. Michael's ears are bothering him. I think I must be poking to hard and to much. I think I need to ease up a little.
Paula
 
Re: 8/8 Michael AMPS 427

if you aren't using neosporin with pain relief on his ears, get some and try it. it heals like you wouldn't believe! i bought the ointment and am still on the first tube - we used it every night on punkin's ears and they heal overnight. i doubt you're doing anything wrong with your poking. you want to wipe most of it off before you test so it doesn't goo up the strip.

i don't think you're doing anything wrong, paula, or that Michael won't get regulated. it just takes more time with some cats. there are almost no cats that get regulated immediately. His responses so far are pretty normal.

there's nothing wrong with just wanting to maintain him - so it's good to know what your goal is. we just like to make sure new people understand that if their goal is remission, they don't have months to get used to the idea of shooting low and for the best chance they want to get on it.

hang in there! don't be discouraged - he'll improve. :YMHUG:

by the way, you can change your post icon (in the first post of this thread) to "none" if you got your question answered. That way if you put it back up again, we'll for sure notice and your question won't get missed.

hope you're having a good friday!
 
Thanks Julie.
It would be nice if he could go into remission. I think that is what the vet is hoping for. Having him regulated would help also. Yes I do use neosporin on his ears. Maybe i'm not putting enough on. I'm trying not to get discouraged but it is so hard not to. Dealing with 2 fatal diseases and my Challenges from 3 brain aneurysms is a bit ovewelming. I feel like if I make the wrong move Michael will end up dying. That would be more than can handle. He is all I have and although I know his time will come, without him I have nothing. I love him very mPaulauch and I am trying to do what is right.
 
you wouldn't be here and hometesting if you weren't committed! i have no doubts about how much you love him - he's a lucky little guy.

i met a woman yesterday (quilt shop owner) who told me this long story about ending up adopting a 10yr old cat, and how she thought the cat was young because in the past she'd only adopted kittens. she was completely put out because the cat was hyper thyroid and she had to give the cat TWO PILLS EVERY DAY! Then the cat had a stroke and the woman put her to sleep and went and got 2 kittens.

i didn't tell her that she didn't deserve that kitty. :cry: I won't go back to her shop.

Little side story there - you're obviously committed. One day at a time. You've got a lot of things going on and still, you're plugging on helping your little buddy. He's doing ok. Just keep asking questions and we'll help you through this, paula.

:YMHUG: julie
 
I think you are doing great, Paula. FD is a marathon, not a sprint and so it can take time to get a kitty regulated.

In the meantime, focus on how much better he is just because he is getting insulin. We will help you get him into better numbers. :-D
 
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