Blood sugar - remission

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Lisa Isabelle

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Has anyone heard of blood sugar ranges in the 300's being normal for a cat that is trying to go into remission? I have noticed that my kitty's numbers are getting better and we have reduced the dose of Glargine (Lantus) based on the lower readings. I have noticed that as she reaches 300 or lower, she is lethargic and her eyes are cloudy. As her blood sugar level goes back up to the mid 300's, she seems to feel better. Thanks!
 
She is researching for any documentation on this. My vet is wondering if Jewels has reached a new "normal" level that is normal for her since she seems to feel bad when she's below 300. She thinks that Jewels is trying to go into remission.
 
That doesn't make much sense to me. 300 should not be a 'normal' level for any cat. It is a diabetic number and I can't image that it is a good idea for her to be at those numbers. Do you have numbers that you can put in your profile or spreadsheet to show us what a normal day is like for Jewels?
 
Sounds crazy but some cats' bodies become so used to higher numbers that when the numbers do start going down, they feel weird, act differently.
 
Damage to organs can occur with numbers above around 250. I would definitely not advocate staying around those numbers, if possible. What Hope said is very true - it may be that your kitty's body wants to go lower than that, but is just not used to the feeling quite yet.
 
Thank you for all the good info and suggestions. I've attached Jewels' data that I compiled thru Jan. 2011. I am working on a spreadsheet for this info too. When we first started the Lantus, Jewels responded with lower numbers. Then her numbers went up and we increased the dose. Her numbers have been staying higher since we increased her dose in Feb. We increased her dose to 1.6U tonite.

Thanks again for all of your help!
 

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This is also true of humans and hypertension, depression, pain medication, etc. When you start getting your systems regulated, your body kind of freaks out because it's not what it's used to. It's like a form of withdrawal.

For instance, hypertension meds sometimes take several weeks for you to "get used" to them and for you to become asymptomatic. The same applies to depression drugs and opiate detoxification. Your body just doesn't want to change what it's used to, so when your blood pressure starts getting to "normal", safe levels, your body starts throwing off low blood-pressure symptoms.

The changes in dosage may just need to be progressed more slowly.
 
It might not hurt to see if you can borrow another diabetic meter to see if perhaps yours is reading high for some strange reason. I assume you've checked it with control solution, but still it wouldnt hurt to double check I suppose.
 
Their bodies adjust to the high BGs, even when those levels are not healthy for them. That doesn't mean they should stay there (and it has nothing to do with remission, unfortunately, but we hope she'll head there eventually anyway!).

That's why you will sometimes see rebound when the BGs start to drop - the liver "panics" and releases sugars to get back to what they have become accustomed to. It takes time to 'retrain' the body.

Just out of curiosity, how are you measuring 1.6u??
 
Jewel,

It would help us so much if you would put your numbers on the google spreadsheet that we use. It is accessible to all of us without downloading a document (which people are not willing to do) It is also color coded so will show you (and us) at a glance what has been happening. Here are the directions: Setting up a spreadsheet If you have trouble with it, just send me a pm. I would be glad to help you get it set up.

It's very hard to tell from your excel document what you kitty has been doing. But it does look like you got pretty good numbers at 1 unit. Then things started switching around. If you read the stickies on Lantus: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1581, you'll see that consistency in dose and times given are important. Also important are mid cyle numbers, which you are misssing. It's hard to tell how the insulin is working if you don't have the lowest point of the day to gauge by.

I think we could help get your kitty in better numbers with less insulin, but we need a good look at your history (spreadsheet) and you need to be more consistent with your Lantus protocol.
 
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