9/7 Merlin AMPS 240; PMPS 172

[Merlin]

Well...Merlin is really throwing me for a loop here (I think that is the right saying). He is definitely getting us into unknown territory (lower numbers). He is getting a lot more pre-shot numbers in the 200's and recently some in the 100's. He is really feeling good and is walking better. Still has that nasty sinus problem but does seem to be a little better with the lower numbers. He continues to eat a lot from 6am till about 11pm and then it subsides. He also still pees a lot but maybe not as often. Fortunately, he doesn't do too much bouncing any more even when I have gotten him down to too low of numbers at nadir.

I just started a new prozinc bottle today. I was (and still am) really nervous but decided to start with a .2u decrease than what I would normally shoot; i.e. if I shoot a 1u for xx, I now shoot a .8u. It may be too much and may have to decrease to .4u but we will see. Anyway, right away today, he gave me a scare at +2, but he never got down to a number where I had to administer medium or high carb food. I feel like I am starting over when I had all his numbers figured out.

If you see anything on his spreadsheet that I should be doing, please let me know. I think everything is going ok so far. I know if he decides to go any lower, I will probably be posting for help.

Hope you and your kitties are doing well.

 

[Jen&Eddie]

Hi Cindi and Merlin!

So good to hear from you two! I peek in on Merlin's SS from time to time, and he's looking really, really good! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: Mr. Bouncy Boy's pre-shots are finally starting to come down. You're definitely on the right track with what you're doing by what I'm seeing. The only thing I might throw out there is if you start to see lower blue pre-shots (like below 150), you may want to switch to sort of shooting "as needed." For example, shoot a little earlier if you catch him on the rise and in the mid to high blues, and then shooting a little later if he starts giving you longer duration and you start seeing blue preshots that are too low to shoot.

Glad to read that Merlin is feeling better and the walking is improving. Hopefully as his general health has continued to improve those pesky sinus issues will start to improve as well. I know you've tried A/B's a few times without resolution of his symptoms. Do you think he might possibly have an allergy? I know there are a couple LL kitties that are on various allergy medications.

Hugs to you and Merlin!

 

[Merlin]

Thanks Jen for you input and great to hear from you too. I have been following Eddie's SS too. So glad they both are doing well. So are you saying that I may want to consider shooting like Lisa does for Cassie i.e. possibly every 18 hours? That is definitely something I could do and hope that someday I can get to that schedule. So if I get a 150 or below, I shouldn't shoot at all and then maybe test in a couple of hours to see if he is above 150?

I was wondering about allergies at one time. I wonder if he would have to go get a bunch of tests to see what he is allergic too? I am wondering if I just couldn't try an allergy medication. I could call my vet and ask him if he couldn't just try an allergy medicine. Do you know of any allergy medications? Do they increase BG numbers at all?

 

[Jen&Eddie]

Hi Merlin!

Yeah pretty much what Lisa does for Cass. A variable schedule would just be shooting when he's high enough to do so...whether that's at +10 or +14. That way you may be able to bring down some of the yellow pre-shots down into blue. BUT, he's looking fantastic right now with what you are doing!

I think they can run allergy tests on cats like humans, but I don't have any experience with that. Unfortunately, I also don't have any personal experience with giving allergy meds, but I'm pretty sure you can use some "human" ones like Zyrtec. Not sure on the dosing, or which variety, though.

 

[BJM]

There are both blood and skin tests possible for allergies.

What specific issues is he having? Itching? Flaking? Hair loss? And when do the symptoms happen - year round or seasonal? The more specific you can be about what you are observing, the more clues the vet will have about options for treatment.

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

Hi Cindi,

Good to "see" you and take a look at Merlin's beautiful spreadsheet! He is getting lovely numbers and spending lots and lots of time below the renal threshold. Very encouraging!

 

[Merlin]

He isn't itching, flaking and no hair loss. All it is is runny nose and sneezing bouts. It is continuous, not seasonal. His nasal discharge is usually clear and sometimes bloody. I usually have to once a day, clean his nose. Of all the AB's that I have tried, doxy seemed to be the most effective and that was about six months ago. Since then, I have tried two other ABs (Amoxicillin and Azrithomycin) that were not effective at all. I know he can't be on doxy all the time. His sneezing can be anytime during the day. When he sneezes, it is usually a series of sneezes, like he is trying to get something out (and he usually does).

 

[BJM]

That could be a virus, or a specific infection. There is a specialized blood test for Bartonella which IDEXX performs, as may other specialty labs. My GA Spitzer turned out to have that and NOT feline herpes virus, which explained why l-lysine didn't help him at all. I believe he got cyclosporin or azithromycin for that.

It is also possible for a cat to have polyps or other growths in the sinuses. There may be some imaging options which might determine this - CT, endoscopy of the sinuses,etc.