Can someone help me understand my SS

Status
Not open for further replies.
RockStar033

RockStar033

Active Member
Just wondering if anyone can help me understand my numbers being so wonky since Annie starting Lantus?

The numbers are really all over the place, and some areas you can see blue, like on the first day, then 2 days later, then not till 9 days after.

just to note, we shoot her at 11/11, and we feed her at both shot times and at +4, we feed her half a can of Wellness at each time.

Also, she is on 2 different meds right now for her Pancreatitis which just got diagnosed 4 days ago, and she is taking Potassium with her food in the morning, and she's on injectable B12 as well.

Her Pancreatitis meds are:
Prednisolone 5mg - 1/2 pill once a day
Clavaseptin 50mg Chewable - 1 twice a day

I added in an evening shot as per suggestions of some board users, and i thought it would help a great deal. she's only been on the changed dose 2 days... How many more days should i hold the 0.5u? we go see the vet again on monday morning.
 
When do you give the prednisolone?

Pred (a steroid) will often increase BG's, and in some cats cause the diabetes. My cat was a pred induced diabetic.
How much a cat reacts to the steroid is individual.
You are likely to see higher numbers on the cycle you give the steroid.

Also remember, you are just getting started here with the 2 shots a day, right? It will take a few days or longer for the insulin show you what it is really doing.
 
Most cats will get a pain reliever for pancreatitis. The most common is buprenex, not prednisolone. Unless the vet thinks it is needed for inflammation, I would ask about switching.
 
that's what i've read, and when i talked to the vet he said she probably is in some pain..... so why wouldn't he give me a pain reliever?

i'm feeling so discouraged about her numbers.... i feel like any chance of her going into remission are slipping away :( i know it takes time, but now with her Pancratitis her numbers are so skewed.
 
You also haven't had a good, consistent BID dose of Lantus since you started with it--regulation is marathon, not a sprint. It can take weeks of consistent BID dosing and gradual dose increases before you see an improvement in numbers. Lantus likes consistency. If she's in pain because of the pancreatitis inflammation, that can also raise BG. Once the pancreatitis is handled, that should also lower BG. I would definitely question the pain meds again.


Here's a good treatment recommendation list: http://www.idexx.com/pubwebresource...pec-fpl-treatment-for-feline-pancreatitis.pdf

You are by no means in a hopeless situation for remission! I've been helping treat my friend's cat Sydney, who was suffering undiagnosed for a month or two, and then was on the wrong insulin (Humulin N) for 4 months, 5u twice a day, and ended up with neuropathy so bad he had to pee on a puppy pad on the floor because he couldn't walk more than 5 steps. I got them started on Lantus TR at the end of November. Today is the first day of his remission trial. :-D
 
I second that, you are no where near looking at giving up on your chances of remission. Tomorrow my husband and I are going to welcome home our third diabetic, Autumn hasn't been treated for her diabetes for the last 7 months and lord only knows how long she was diabetic before she was dxed. And yet, I have every hope in the world that she will one day be able to become OTJ, my other girl Musette and I have been dancing the sugardance for nearly a year (a year June 25th) and yet she is showing signs of flirting with remission as well. Devon's Mocha took nearly two years to go into remission and they are just about to celebrate their first year off insulin.

And even if Musette & Autumn or your baby never go into remission it doesn't mean that their quality or length of life will suffer any, they will still be healthy and happy kitties that just happen to take insulin.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
There are two possible dosing protocols you can follow when using Lantus -- the Tight Regulation (TR) and the Start Low Go Slow (SLGS) Protocols. One of the major differences between these dosing strategies is how long you hold a dose. The TR protocol is more aggressive -- dose changes are made after 3 days/6 cycles. I would also point out that their is published research supporting this protocol and it has a strong track record for getting cats into remission. With SLGS, you hold the dose for 7 days.

That said, you can increase the dose by 0.25u this evening if you opt to follow the TR protocol. I would strongly encourage you to read the links to the protocols I provided. With TR, you must be feeding a low carb, canned food diet and be able to continue to monitor Annie's BG the way you have been. There is a great deal more information about Lantus in the starred, sticky notes at the top of the Lantus board.
 
Thank you

I've read all the information, she is already on low carb canned food. My syringes don't have those markings so it's hard, i even find it hard to give her the 0.5, doing 0.75 with these syringes is going to be impossible.

I want to start doing tight regulation and i figured today would be a good day because i'm off today to be able to test her any time today, and i'm off tomorrow, and my hubby is off monday... so we have three days right now that we can test her and watch her if we up her dose.

i have those links a few times but still get a little confused sometimes and want to make sure i'm doing the right thing. i just can't increase it by 0.25 right now, i figured increasing it to 1u would still be ok because she was at 2u to start with. The protocol says if the nadirs are greater then 300(which they have been) then to increase by 0.5
 
I'm from Mississauga so we're neighbours it seems! Just wanted to let you know that I got my syringes with the 1/2 unit markings from Loblaws Superstore, but I found them also at Walmart, Shoppers and Pharma Plus. When I first started, my vet gave me syringes without the 1/2 unit markings and so when I needed them I just went out and bought a box - then when I moved up to a full unit again, I went back to my old ones (so that way I didn't waste them). Maybe that could help? Just so you can see the dosing a bit easier - they really do help a lot :)
 
RockStar033 said:
that's what i've read, and when i talked to the vet he said she probably is in some pain..... so why wouldn't he give me a pain reliever?
Click to expand...

The most common medication used for pain in cats with pancreatitis is buprenex. You could ask for that and see if it would be possible to wean your cat off the steroid. A steroid should never be stopped cold turkey. But do make sure to ask the vet WHY they felt a steroid was the best option.

When/if you start weaning off the steroid, please make sure to continue monitoring BG's as they may become lower.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top