Andy - newly diagnosed

[lennonej]

Hi all,

Just wanted to introduce myself.  My 11 year old 17lb. boy was diagnosed 3/12 via blood panel and urinalysis.  BG= 404 at time of testing.

 I have had nothing but cat diabetes and Andy on the brain for the past week. We've (Andy and Simon - 1 year old cat) switched to low carb Fancy Feast, Sophisticat, Authority, Friskies, Special Kitty, a little Core and a little Wellness (trying to figure out what everyone likes). Also, switched back to a little Evo Herring and Salmon just because he's a kibble junkie and misses a little crunch.  That'll be weeded out soon. Once we get regulated, hopefully we can get the weight down more. Any suggestions to do that safely?

My conventional vet recommended an initial dosage of 3 units of  twice daily.  I immediately recoiled in horror as I knew that was way too much (I work for a non-conventional holistic vet, so I have some background...Yes, I know my situation is a little confusing).  

I plan on starting with 1 unit of lantus for a week, then will do a home BG curve, will submit to vet (not the one I work for), then plan on increasing to 1.5 units 2xdaily for aN week, lather rinse repeat, stretching out to two weeks as he gets closer to his regulation dosage depending on his curve.  Lots of low and slow. I am hoping 2 units will be the magic dosage at the end, but we'll see. O

I kinda feel like I am on my own as the conventional vet instructed me for 5 minutes over the phone and really wasn't helpful.  She just seemed so very rushed and terse with my questions. Didn't explain clearly, etc. "Give 3 units of lantus and buy some syrup in case his blood sugar drops. Call me in a week." And unfortunately my boss is so into his holistic work, that he really can't and won't help me with insulin dosages as he has absolutely no experience in his practice with it. So so thankful for this site.

Started home blood testing this past Saturday. Got it on the second try, I cried my eyes out of happiness I have such a sweet good cat.  So far subsequent testings have been a cinch.  
Hope the shots go that well.

He really is the best.   I am so thankful everyday for my amazing boy. He's an angel at the vet and really puts up with a lot.  I have been battling with cat-mom guilt for feeding him carby-kibble and letting him get fat, but I try to remind myself that it isn't constructive and does nothing to help his situation now. 

Anyway, I wanted to say hi and thank everyone for their amazing knowledge, I have learned an insane amount the past week.

 

[Melanie and Smokey]

Welcome, it sounds like you have a lot of the important stuff down already. You are correct in recoiling in horror at 3 units to start, especially with a food change.

One question on the home testing, you say you are going to give 1U, then run a curve - you will be home testing while you are giving the 1U right? Pre-shot tests and catching some nadirs or other mid-cycle when possible? That food change alone will probably bring down the numbers quite a bit so you want to keep an eye on things.

 

[Jenn & Baxter]

Hi & welcome!
You are ahead of the game for a beginner. Way to go on home testing! Also planning a curve. Sounds like you have done the important reading & have the diet down. Except you do need to remove the dry food. Im not sure how to tell you to do that since you already started Lantus.
You are not alone you have tons of new friends who have or expierncing what you are going threw.
We all have guilt about what we fed our furry friends after learning about FD. The guilt goes away with time.
You want to make sure you don't feed the fish flavors more then twice a week. The mercury & phorphus levels are the concern in fish flavors.

I don't use Lantus so I can't comment on dosing. You should check out the Lantus insulin support board. The board has some amazing people that can help you with dosing as well as the curve. There is a protocol for Lantus & they we be able to help with that.

It all gets easier with time.
Jenn & Baxter

 

[Melissa and Bailey]

Hi and welcome to you & Andy! (What should we call you?) It sounds like you are doing fantastic so far, you have obviously done your homework. Great job with the hometesting!!

I am a Lantus user and 1 unit twice daily sounds like a great starting dose. Getting a curve is great too, but for daily testing most of us just get pre-shot tests, and 1 or 2 tests during the cycle as our schedules allow - you can save the curve for when you have a day off. You probably won't see big results with the first couple of shots - Lantus forms a 'depot' in the body and is released slowly over time, so you need to build up that reserve before you get much action.

Here is some info about Lantus from over on the Lantus board:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=151 General info about Lantus
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=150 About the depot or 'shed' as we call it

I would encourage you to come on over and check out the Lantus board. It is very busy and can be intimidating at first, but there are a lot of people there who would love to help you and Andy. Most of us don't rely on our vets for dosing info - they just don't spend enough time caring for diabetic cats to have a good understanding of it. Good luck and I hope to see you posting more - feel free to ask lots of questions!

 

[nwnews]

HI there - you landed in a great place for support. I'd agree with Melissa - most folks here do their own dosing after getting a feel for their cats blood glucose levels. Your plan of going low and slow is terrific and recommended - my cats blood glucose levels were all over the place her first three weeks until finally settling down. Lantus is a good insulin and the one I use. I'm lucky my vet has a lot of diabetic cats and is also a fan of home testing so its saved me money because I run my own curves and give her the results. A side benefit is that its gotten my type 2 diabetic husband to pay attention to his blood sugar levels finally - he said if the cat was okay with it he should be too :lol: . Anyway - welcome - and feel free to post in the lantus board if you have questions. Jan

 

[lennonej]

One question on the home testing, you say you are going to give 1U, then run a curve - you will be home testing while you are giving the 1U right?  Pre-shot tests and catching some nadirs or other mid-cycle when possible? That food change alone will probably bring down the numbers quite a bit so you want to keep an eye on things.

Plan on doing pre-shot tests (I am terrified of him going hypo). I am going to start lantus this Saturday the 24th and will be home until Tuesday. I have to go back to work on Tuesday.  3 days of close monitoring with pre-shots and possible midpoints/low points... Will three days be enough time to get him settled? I do have to leave him alone while I am at work. I  will check him at lunch close to the 6th hour after the AM shot and then be home before shot time again in the PM.  

I will do the home curve on the 31st. Check every 2-3 hours up to 16-18 hours if I can get it out of him. 


Also, after the curve is done, do you generally increase the dosage the next day depending on results? Will two days full of supervision after a dosage increase leave me with enough confidence to go to work? Still plan on pre-shot testing. Pre-shots will always be done. 

Food change seems to have brought it down a bit, I got a result of 366 the other day, but he still likes to hover around 400. 

Thank you for your help,
Esther

 

[lennonej]

HI there - you landed in a great place for support.  I'd agree with Melissa - most folks here do their own dosing after getting a feel for their cats blood glucose levels.  Jan

Thank you for the welcome Jan, I hope I can make a majority of the diabetics in my life pay a little more attention to themselves if they notice how I care for my cat.

I am so thankful for home testing and Fancy Feast and other bargain wet cat food and for the long-shelf life of Lantus.  I was so afraid I'd be out 200-300 a month, and luckily the only thing that will put a dent in my pocket book will be the vet visits.  Which *fingers crossed* will be few and far between once he's regulated.

Hi and welcome to you & Andy! (What should we call you?)

I am a Lantus user and 1 unit twice daily sounds like a great starting dose. Getting a curve is great too, but for daily testing most of us just get pre-shot tests, and 1 or 2 tests during the cycle as our schedules allow - you can save the curve for when you have a day off. You probably won't see big results with the first couple of shots - Lantus forms a 'depot' in the body and is released slowly over time, so you need to build up that reserve before you get much action.
!

Hi! Thank you so much! You can call me Esther,  I have been posting from my phone so I don't have my signature or avatar set up quite yet.

Thank you for reminding me about the shed. It'll help me from getting discouraged during his regulation. I'll be sure to read up more on the Lantus forum and will post this weekend I am sure.

Also, thank you for the reassurance regarding the vets, it does make you feel alone but I don't feel quite so alone anymore after finding this board.

Hi & welcome!
You are ahead of the game for a beginner. Way to go on home testing! Also planning a curve. Sounds like you have done the important reading & have the diet down. Except you do need to remove the dry food. 
Jenn & Baxter

Hi! Thank you for your reply and your support! I will try to ween off the dry once on insulin. He doesn't eat too much since it's not carby (he misses his carby Kibble) I  just like to have it out as a snack so he keeps his weight on. That evo is very high calorically. 

Thank you all so much,
Esther and Andy

 

[ohiogal]

Andy and Simon? Are you by any chance a fan of Duran Duran?

 

[lennonej]

Andy and Simon? Are you by any chance a fan of Duran Duran?

No, no, purely coincidental. Andy is actually Andrew, but he is called anything but his given name. He's had 100 or so nickname evolutions his whole life.