Absolutely little to no progress, 5 months later.

[Randi & Effy]

Hey guys! Back again, sorry i've been MIA on here lately! Things have been pretty stagnant for us so I haven't been on here much. Here's my problem, we've been on 2.5u twice a day of Lantus since December, just finished our first 10mL vile a few days ago and seriously nothing has changed for the better. I updated my SS, you can see I have a few blank readings where I still shot. I chose to still shoot because his numbers pretty much stay in the same realm. We've rarely had a low enough number where I would have to withhold a dose.... There were just some days the past month or so where he just absolutely was not having his ear pricked that time. Anyway, I did one last curve with the end of the first vile on 5/1. Took him to the vet Tuesday to try and get Levermir or just any other insulin than what we've been on. Well, Tuesday our usual vet was not in and we saw a woman that is unfamiliar with Effy. I told her all my problems, showed her the ss, told her I increased his dose myself over the past few weeks and saw no change. She was adamant on staying on Lantus, upping the dose to 3.5u, and doing a curve in a week and going from there. I did not want to spend another $300 on insulin that has done nothing for him but I basically had no choice as she wouldn't give me a script for a different kind. So here I am, with another 10mL vile of Lantus. Has anybody on here went this long with this high of numbers on Lantus? Did anything change? Just looking for some opinions I guess. I also have a few questions, don't beat me up for what i'm about to ask, lol!

1. I know you're supposed to test prior to feeding and shooting, and after two hours of no food. I stopped really regulating the food intake before the preshot test, should I make it a point to put the food up at 345, if i'm testing and shooting at 545 am and pm? Does it make THAT big of a difference, since his numbers are always high and not just after he's eating, but also throughout the day after his dose?
2. I sometimes don't test and shoot EXACTLY, 12 hours between. I always (try to test atleast) test and shoot at 545am, but sometimes his second shot will be later than that, the latest his second shot has been is around 630pm. Is it effecting him THAT much if i'm not doing it on the dot 12 hours after the am shot? And is it like, detrimental that I'm testing and shooting at the same exact time everytime? For example, some mornings he'll wake me up 20 minutes earlier than my alarm and i'll just wake up and test and feed and shoot earlier than usual, should I be making it a point to do it at the exact same time everyday, everytime?
3. He's been eating FF classics pate with water mixed in so it's more of a soupy mixture, this is low carb according the food chart but should I try and find a different food? Is it possible this diet is just not cutting it for him?
4. Sometimes after I shoot him I'll rub the shot spot with my other hand right after I take the needle out and smell insulin on my hand, even though I know for sure the needle was all the way in, is it possible that this is a fur shot even when I know the needle is all the way submerged? Or is what i'm smelling the little droplet of insulin that rolls down the needle after i push the bubbles out?
5. Is it possible that the place i'm giving him the shots are effecting how the insulin is working for him? I've been shooting him between his shoulders, in the fatty part of his back where it's easy to lift. Should I try shooting him in other spots on his body? If so, where should I try putting his next shot?

That's all I can think of for now, hoping I get some opinions on this!!! I'm getting frustrated with the lack of change. I was excited to try lantus in the beginning but now i'm just mad at it, lol. Nothing is changing, his numbers are still so high, and I'm afraid of taking this long to regulate him and his chance of remission or just regulation in general is getting slimmer and slimmer. EEEEEEEEE! I wish I knew what to do! He's fine and his normal self for the most part but i'm scared this new normal is just something i've gotten used to and I just don't remember what he used to be like anymore. He's still all over me and being precious but boy does he look unkept and crazy, like straight off the streets crazy. He barely grooms anymore, and his cloudy eyes make me so sad that he's going to lose his vision soon. I know he's an old man but I just want him to spend whatever years he has left with me better than he is right now!
I posted something along these lines in the lantus forum but kept all my questions for this one, since I get way more interaction on this thread and barely any on the lantus one.

 

[beggargirl]

If you've been using the same lantus vial for 5 moths it's possible it lost efficacy. I've been using the same vial since feb and the numbers started going up recently. I went out and got a new vial a few days ago and I'm getting some better numbers.

It might be a coincidence, but it's something to think about.

 

[PiePie]

Randi, I use Prozinc, but I'll just give you my thoughts. We had to put Keaton (my kitty) on a really high dose (3.5) before we finally broke through. If you search on this forum for glucose toxicity (which sounds scarier than it is) you'll see that sometimes cats get "stuck" with high numbers and you have to break through and then start bringing the dose down. I always disclaim, my spreadsheet and testing aren't perfect, but we had Keaton on 3.5 for a whole week before we started making progress and are now trying to figure things out around 2. I defer to those on this forum with way more expertise than me. I also had posted a couple months ago about the way I was sticking the needle in, and I think my angle was too shallow and the insulin was getting only under the skin as opposed to more "in the body". So regardless of where you stick the needle, if you're not getting the insulin in correctly, that could also be affecting things.

Not sure if that helps, but I can tell you that seeing someone else admit to struggling with the testing/ear torture makes me feel better knowing I'm not the only one

 

[JanetNJ]

You waited too long to raise the dose and now have some insulin resistance. This just means you'll want to follow a protocol on the lantus boards (yellow stickies at the top. Read TR and SLGS protocols and decide which you are more comfortable with.) until you find your breakthrough dose and the numbers and dose start heading down.

 

[Olive & Paula]

You never raised the dose to what was needed in 5 months. It is unknown if lantus works or not. We went to 8.5 units before breaking through high numbers. Insulin is not a 1 dose forever answer to FD. I think you need to follow the protocol, read the informational stickie notes here and you will see some progress.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

I totally understand the feeling of being overwhelmed that made you take a long break from FDMB. You WILL be able to get your kitty doing better but it'll take some very regular dose changes to break him out of (very likely) glucose toxicity. I strongly recommend that you go to the Lantus forum, read the yellow info stickies there (and reread, make notes, etc. - there's a lot to take in) and decide which of the dosing guidelines would work for you, TR or SLGS. If you can possibly manage it, I think TR would be best to get him out of these high numbers as quickly as can be done safely. There are many very experienced people on that forum to help you.

I also strongly recommend testing his urine for ketones regularly. Here are some tips:

• put the end of the test strip right in his urine stream as he's peeing
• slip a shallow, long handled spoon under his backside to catch a little pee - you don't need much
• put a double layer of plastic wrap over his favourite part of the litter box and poke some depressions in it too catch pee.

Most test strips have to be dipped and allowed to develop for 15 seconds before viewing the colour change in very good light.

Don't give up!