BG 48 +3.5 **update from vet**

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ja9390

ja9390

Member Since 2016
Just as the title says. Thank god I was off today and home. He was acting really listless and sleeping in a weird place up against the wall. When I picked him up and tried to get him to go outside and watch the rain, he walked out for 2 minutes and walked right back in like he was confused. I checked him and it was 48. Gave pancake syrup and 8 minutes later he's at 51. I called his vet and they're closing in 15 minutes for lunch and said to keep checking him, if he goes lower instead of higher I need to bring him to the ER. I will keep checking every 15 minutes to make sure he's still rising and then I'm taking him in.

I just found it ridiculous that I would call and say "Hey, my cat may be about to have a stroke" and they're like "But we're eating lunch".

I haven't had an opportunity to interview any vets because it's storming over here. For two days. There's flooding and that's why I'm off in the first place. I think I will take him to at least one clinic I've had in mind on my way back from getting him checked out once they reopen since I'll have him in the car anyway. He needs a third opinion badly.
 
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His AMPS was 257 at 7:15. At 7:20 he had already eaten and I gave him his 2u at that time. It's 12:15 right now.
 
Yikes...looks like he is really diving today. Thanks for putting up the AMPS ...that is quite the drop. I would give a bit of HC food and recheck again in 15 minutes. The syrup will bring the numbers up quick but it also wears off quick.
 
I wonder if he has been doing these dives a lot during the day. Since you aren't testing most days after the preshot number the Novalin could be hitting hard and furious and bringing his numbers way down and then bouncing up later in the cycle
 
He's eating some grilled FF in gravy right now. I'm documenting all of this in his little notebook. The last time I showed this doctor a particular time when he had dropped from 500 to 80 in a matter of hours, she said she didn't believe it even though I wrote the time and the reading and all of that down.
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
I wonder if he has been doing these dives a lot during the day. Since you aren't testing most days after the preshot number the Novalin could be hitting hard and furious and bringing his numbers way down and then bouncing up later in the cycle
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That's what I'm afraid of too.
 
ja9390 said:
He's eating some grilled FF in gravy right now. I'm documenting all of this in his little notebook. The last time I showed this doctor a particular time when he had dropped from 500 to 80 in a matter of hours, she said she didn't believe it even though I wrote the time and the reading and all of that down.
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HOLY CRAP!!! That attitude sucks!!!! Along with the don't bother us while we are on lunch. You should take your meter in and show them the numbers...most meters will have a memory function...even if yours doesn't they should NEVER ignore information like that.

Have you considered a different insulin like Prozinc. Levemir or Lantus?
 
Glad you were there to catch that low number and act on it!!! Sorry you are having so much trouble with the vets. I did a phone interview to find mine, I wrote down all the pertinent questions and issues I wanted to address, and made sure to find out if the vet could work with me on these things (I am a very hands-on kitty mom). I lucked into my perfect vet on my first interview, thankfully, but that made it so much easier than trying each vet and having to rule them out.
ja9390 said:
I just found it ridiculous that I would call and say "Hey, my cat may be about to have a stroke" and they're like "But we're eating lunch".
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ja9390 said:
The last time I showed this doctor a particular time when he had dropped from 500 to 80 in a matter of hours, she said she didn't believe it even though I wrote the time and the reading and all of that down.
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That's outrageous! :mad: Yes, definitely new vet time! :)
 
Have you ever done a 12 hour curve? I am not well versed in Novalin so I have no idea when the nadir might be.
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
Have you considered a different insulin like Prozinc. Levemir or Lantus?
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I have been trying my hardest to get this doctor to put him on Lantus and she refuses. She called me personally yesterday after I blew up on the via email and literally called them unethical for allowing this to continue without at least trying another insulin. She said she doesn't see a need to switch insulins because he's gaining weight, so he isn't resistant to the Novolin...WHICH ISNT THE POINT.
 
ja9390 said:
I have been trying my hardest to get this doctor to put him on Lantus and she refuses. She called me personally yesterday after I blew up on the via email and literally called them unethical for allowing this to continue without at least trying another insulin. She said she doesn't see a need to switch insulins because he's gaining weight, so he isn't resistant to the Novolin...WHICH ISNT THE POINT.
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You don't stay on an insulin that isn't working properly just because he is not resistant to it. That is like saying take this antibiotic..it won't cure the infection but you are not allergic to it. Time for a new vet for sure!!!
 
I had told his current vet that I'm bringing him in to be checked out at 2pm when they open back up. It's 12:30 now. I gave the clinic that has been recommended to me the most a call and explained my situation. She seemed more than empathetic about it said that although I would be considered a walk in if I came right now, I would still be seen but she can't determine my wait time since the appts get priority. Since I'm off I have decided to get everyone ready and packed up and we're just going straight there to wait. He's eaten some pancake syrup (which he loves...child of mine.) And an entire can of the FF grilled in gravy. Numbers are up past 70 so I feel like he's stable enough to take him out of the house for a while. This is the literal last straw. I could handle him being high for a while but not low. What if I had come home to a dead cat today??
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
What is the approximate nadir time for Diego that you can determine?
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I'd say about +5 and then he creeps up. I have mentioned my dislike of this pattern that Novolin gives us but I keep getting told that it's because his body hasn't had enough time to metabolize the drug yet. Excuse me?
 
Good luck JC! Fingers and paws crossed for a successful vet visit and a new good vet for Diego who's little face I still want to smooch.
 
ja9390 said:
I'd say about +5 and then he creeps up. I have mentioned my dislike of this pattern that Novolin gives us but I keep getting told that it's because his body hasn't had enough time to metabolize the drug yet. Excuse me?
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With the fact that you are not always able to test between shots and the fact that you have noted a number of times how large a drop the Novalin causes, that should be enough reason to change insulins. Novalin is an in and out insulin. When first starting any insulin the numbers may be wonky for a few days since the kitty is not used to "outside" insulin, but this is almost a month since starting. A vet owes it to their patients to figure out the proper insulin for both the cat and the caregiver. If you are unable to test much between shots then a harsher insulin like Novalin does not fit your life pattern.
 
Good luck with the new doctor. Hopefully this one will have some up to date knowledge about feline diabetes
 
I got my Lantus prescription. The vet is a relatively new grad with up to the minute knowledge and says he treats a lot of his diabetics with Lantus. Only one of the practicing vets here treats with Novolin and that's because it's the only insulin the owner could afford and was willing to use. He let me choose between PZI and Lantus too and said he knows I know what I'm doing and he's going to make sure he's here to guide me. Said to call him once he's been on it for a week and if he's still in the 400 to 500 range he will tweak his dose. In three weeks we curve him. He's open to what I feed, how I test, and suggested I do my own curves at home sometimes.
 
ja9390 said:
I got my Lantus prescription. The vet is a relatively new grad with up to the minute knowledge and says he treats a lot of his diabetics with Lantus. Only one of the practicing vets here treats with Novolin and that's because it's the only insulin the owner could afford and was willing to use. He let me choose between PZI and Lantus too and said he knows I know what I'm doing and he's going to make sure he's here to guide me. Said to call him once he's been on it for a week and if he's still in the 400 to 500 range he will tweak his dose. In three weeks we curve him. He's open to what I feed, how I test, and suggested I do my own curves at home sometimes.
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Wonderful news!!! Sounds like the vet is more up to date on treating feline diabetes.

You will have to do some reading on Lantus since it acts differently than Novolin. Also remember that it can take about 3 days to get the Lantus depot established so that you can see how it is working for Diego.

Hopefully the Lantus will give good results and flatter numbers through the cycle.
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
Wonderful news!!! Sounds like the vet is more up to date on treating feline diabetes.

You will have to do some reading on Lantus since it acts differently than Novolin. Also remember that it can take about 3 days to get the Lantus depot established so that you can see how it is working for Diego.

Hopefully the Lantus will give good results and flatter numbers through the cycle.
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I'm going to be reading all about it this week. I'm ordering it from the Canadian pharmacy for $119 and it will take a week to get here. In the meantime he said to reduce his Novolin to around 1.5 or less depending on what kind of numbers I'm still getting because he is bouncing way too much on the 2u
 
ja9390 said:
I'm going to be reading all about it this week. I'm ordering it from the Canadian pharmacy for $119 and it will take a week to get here. In the meantime he said to reduce his Novolin to around 1.5 or less depending on what kind of numbers I'm still getting because he is bouncing way too much on the 2u
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Sounds great!! At least THIS vet is recognizing that Diego is bouncing too much on the Novolin, just as we were discussing earlier instead of telling you that you were wrong, like the other ignorant vet. Hope the Lantus gets to you quickly! ;)
 
A Lantus Rx and a better vet! Yay!! :woot:

The behaviour of your 'bad vet' was disgraceful.

What starting dose of Lantus did the new vet specify, JC? Also, how much does Diego weigh at the moment and is he under/overweight?


Mogs
.
 
Critter Mom said:
A Lantus Rx and a better vet! Yay!! :woot:

The behaviour of your 'bad vet' was disgraceful.

What starting dose of Lantus did the new vet specify, JC? Also, how much does Diego weigh at the moment and is he under/overweight?


Mogs
.
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We are quite pleased with the entire office. Everyone is great and friendly and they listen to me. They said they will obtain Diego's medical records through fax so I won't have to drive all the way over there. Once they get them in I will ask for hard copies of everything. He started him out at 1u twice a day of Lantus. I'm also incredibly pleased at Diego's recent weight gain. Since his last appointment ten days ago, he has gained almost an entire pound. He went from 8.5 to 9.4. His original weight was 10 pounds before the diabetes started to eat him alive. I've noticed too that his hair is very silky again and he's starting to shed way more.
 
ja9390 said:
I've noticed too that his hair is very silky again and he's starting to shed way more.
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Without going all the way back to your first posts, did you change from dry food to canned? If you did, that's probably why....when you change to a species appropriate diet, it's pretty common for the "old coat" to fall out and make way for the "new coat"....which is usually really soft like a bunny!!
 
Sharon14 said:
So glad you found a vet to work with you and Diego. Hope your safe from the floods.
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Thankfully we are safe from flooding where we live. When I was waiting at the vets, two different people came in to board their dogs because their houses flooded
 
ja9390 said:
I got my Lantus prescription. The vet is a relatively new grad with up to the minute knowledge and says he treats a lot of his diabetics with Lantus. Only one of the practicing vets here treats with Novolin and that's because it's the only insulin the owner could afford and was willing to use. He let me choose between PZI and Lantus too and said he knows I know what I'm doing and he's going to make sure he's here to guide me. Said to call him once he's been on it for a week and if he's still in the 400 to 500 range he will tweak his dose. In three weeks we curve him. He's open to what I feed, how I test, and suggested I do my own curves at home sometimes.
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That's awesome!!! So glad this vet worked out for you, sounds like he knows what he's talking about and is happy to have you take a hands-on approach (all unlike your other vet!). It's just like finding a doctor for your child, it's gotta be someone you can trust, who will listen to you and recognize that you know your baby better than anyone else!
 
Chris & China said:
Without going all the way back to your first posts, did you change from dry food to canned? If you did, that's probably why....when you change to a species appropriate diet, it's pretty common for the "old coat" to fall out and make way for the "new coat"....which is usually really soft like a bunny!!
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Yes I did! The first day he got his diagnosis we switched to canned. He feels like a straight bunny right now. The last time I remember him feeling this soft was well over ten years ago!
 
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