Curve doomed before it is started?

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MollynSkooter

MollynSkooter

Member Since 2014
So Skooter moved at the last minute and I am pretty sure he got himself a fur shot tonight....

I am not going to attempt again, but I was planning on doing a curve tomorrow....if he starts out super high in the morning (guessing he will be around 500ish) is that gonna ruin the whole curve, or am I better off waiting and doing the curve on Sunday?
 
If you can do either day, and it does look like a fur shot, then I'd vote for Sunday.

BTW, EVERYONE has given a fur shot. Even people who have been giving insulin shots for years.
 
Yes, discouraging, but nobody's perfect. :mrgreen: It might be interesting to get a couple numbers tonight. Sometimes it is surprising how much insulin really did get in.
 
HIs fur was wet, he got nuttin lol....

Plus he was finally getting down again, 291 this morning and 323 tonight, so I am screwing with his system as well.....
 
This just isn't the ending of the week I was hoping for....


Everything (work, cat, EVERYTHING) has been super stressful and I was actually looking forward to doing it.....I think I feel breakdown number 2 coming on
 
Glass of wine, chocolate, kitty treats, an evening of snuggles. You are doing a super job; this is one small set back. Are you remembering that breathing thing?
 
RIght now I am remembering the crying thing.....


I am so overreacting and this isn't really what I am upset about, but just the straw that broke the camel's back I guess....
 
I should also admit, I am super jealous as it seems so many people on here have been able to get their cats regulated or within a decent range pretty quick....


We are going on about 6 weeks and I am just struggling to get his numbers within a normal range....
 
Check out Michelangelo's spreadsheet. He went "unregulated" for almost a year and a half while on Lantus. I know your frustrations! :YMHUG: Also check out the fur shots I've noted on his spreadsheet. He usually clears them out by the next cycle or two (most cats do) so it's not a major setback, but it is frustrating when it happens.

Have you had him tested for any high dose conditions or do you think it might be from his IBD? That might be part of the problem. You might also want to look into switching to another insulin. Some cats just don't do well on one insulin compared to another (that was definitely Mikey's case). "The best insulin is the one that works on your cat."
 
I am confident that the Lantus will work....I kmow I need to be more patient, just been a bad few weeks with work and home etc....

My vet and I are fairly confident that the high dose is due to other illness....she warned me in the beginning that he most likely would need a higher dose and it might take a bit longer...

Just difficult when the set backs (ie: fur shot or doing the wrong thing) is my fault and I feel like I am prolonging him being able to feel better....
 
You can still do it. He might surprise you tomorrow. ;-) Otherwise, would it be difficult to just push it back a day till Sunday?
 
Not really....

I had planned my weekend around this and made plans with Skooter for tomorrow night into Sunday (going to my sister's house to spend time with my great niece)....

But I want his routine to be as normal as possible for his first curve, so that means no fun quality time with great niece, no fun sleepover and no fun brunch on Sunday.....

He will not surprise me, lol, this is not the first fur shot....last time, he shot up to 501....I just hope that the Sunday curve is "valid" because then I will have to wait until next Friday or Saturday to get a curve in....

I was looking forward to getting some more knowledge and information about how the Lantus acts in his system, which would then help me figure out and understand how to adjust his insulin based on his numbers, at least I thought that what was part of the reason for doing it....then again, I am so new to this and seem to be making mistakes left and right, I wouldn't be surprised if I got that wrong, too.
 
You can still do the curve tomorrow. It would show you how he reacts to a fur shot (if it's still affecting his numbers by then). Then next week, you'd have something to compare to and see if there's a difference and by how much.
 
Hi, Molly

Gosh, you're going through lots of trauma. My Pudge led me a diabetic dance filled with all the colors on the ss chart for some 6 months. Then, decided he had had enough and went into remission at 1 unit of ProZinc (May 2012) Totally crazy dance! I cried, threw my hairbrush down the hallway on several occasions, etc., etc.. and today I'm 71 years old! Almost ashamed to admit it all... Sweetie, do the best you can that's all our kids want of us both the furry and human kids.
Thinking of you and Skooter
Best wishes,
Sophie
 
Thanks everyone....

the 510 this morning pretty much confirmed what I already knew, a fur shot last night :/

I am going to try to get several readings throughout the day anyways, as data is data....I made sure the insulin was injected this morning and his +2 was 344, so feeling confident that he got it. I will do a few more tests I think during the afternoon and maybe a few tonight.....I will also be doing some tomorrow throughout the day, hoping that he is getting back on his regular cycle.


I am thinking NEXT weekend sometime (as much as it would suck), I would like to do a PM curve, I am especially interested in how his IBD medication (that he gets around 21:45) is effecting his numbers.....

At this point in the game, I still feel like I know nothing so I am trying to get as much knowledge and understanding as possible, on feline diabetes in general and specifically for my Skooter. I am starting to feel a bit overwhelmed again and just a lot to do solo....I know many people on here do it solo, so I know I can too, just hitting an overwhelming time right now....
 
It takes a while. There is so much to learn and it is complicated! Just remember that you have the important stuff covered. You are hometesting so you can catch low or high numbers. You have a good insulin and know how to give shots. Lots of people take weeks, just on those two things.
 
I know I should be concentrating on the testing, numbers, etc.....


BUT I cannot figure out how to add a picture of my Skooterbear to my profile :cry: I want everyone to see my handsome boy....it keeps telling me the picture is too big....


Anyone know how to shrink the picture so it fits?
 
If you have Windows 7 or above, you can use the built-in MSPaint application to re-size the picture for you. Otherwise, check this thread for some online tools for resizing pictures.
 
So I have "finished" his AM curve....the next test I plan on is right before his PM shot......


I think he is recovering ok from his fur shot of last night and feeling pretty good that within 72 hours (I think that is what I read on here as how long it can take a cat to readjust after something like that) will be in the low 300s if not 200s....

I have updated his spreadsheet, but here are the numbers:

AMPS = 510 (due to fur shot last night)
+2 = 344
+6 = 470
+9 = 375

I have no frame of reference if this is a good or bad curve and again due to his fur shot last night, I am not sure how relevant any of it is, but as people have told me before....all data is good data....I know the numbers are still too high, but looking at his spreadsheet, I really think the 5U is what will work for him, I am anxious to do another curve next weekend when I do NOT have a fur shot :P

I am thinking of doing a few more tests tonight after he gets his PM shot and I am thinking I would like to do one a couple of hours after he gets his IBD medicine (appx 2.5 hours after insulin injection), to see what, if any effect that is having as well....

From a gal who swore to herself that she would never home test, I think I am finally getting the hang of it...going to try the sock trick tonight to see if I can get his right ear to bleed so I can give his left ear a break....
 
(((Molly)))

I had a similar experience with the so called emergency vets when I thought Angel had had a mild hypo. I brought in his under 10% food was told to take it home as they stocked it there. Turned out they didn't and they did his curve the next day on the Hills diabetic wet which is twice the carbs of the one he's on. I did complain and got another curve done with his usual vet for half the price a few days later. But they explained to me the results of the first curve were still valid to an extent as they showed the pattern of his curve, even if the numbers were somewhat out. So it's not a complete waste of time it showed me as I thought, that Angel's lowest reading is usually around 4-5 hours. If you want, have a look at my spreadsheet and the 2 curves.

I felt very much like you when all that happened, and also a few days before that when it took me 10 goes to get a decent blood sample from Angel, and you're so right, it is sometimes the last straw. What matters is that you are doing everything right for Scooter, and yeah I gave a fur shot once and I'm sure it won't be the last (hopefully will though!). I've also used his poor little ears as pincushions more or less, and also once gave him some very cool insulin.

I altered Angel's pic in Picassa, took me a while to figure it out though. You're more than welcome to pm me for my e mail address and send me a pic of Scooter and I'll do it for you. I'm in UK and probably won't be online for another 12 or so hours.

Maybe someone should start an online gallery where we can post pics of our cats!!!

x
 
Great job! There was a spike at his +6. Did he perhaps eat a little before that test? It could also e residual from the fur shot. Bounces take up to 72 hours to clear; fur shots on the depot insulins (like Lantus) are usually much faster at clearing and only affect a cycle or two.

You're doing a fantastic job with the testing as well and this is great practice. By next week, I'm sure you and Scooter will be pros at it. ;-) As to switching ears, don't get too disheartened if the other ear doesn't seem to bleed as well or if you have difficulties testing it (or it may be reverse where his other ear works better for you). It's often the case that one ear just works out better. With Mikey, it's his right ear. He doesn't like me messing with his left too much and it never gives much blood, so I've tested him mainly on his right for the last year and a half. After the first couple of weeks to a month, the ears clear up and don't look so bad any more (angiogenesis). You now can't even tell I test Mikey at all.
 
I noticed the spike at +6 as well....I was concerned maybe his insulin was not lasting long enough (because being new to all this, why wouldn't I go to the worst possible thought first lol), but felt better when the number at +9 was down...

I am not sure....He normally eats most of his food with each meal, but there is usually a little bit left that he munches on throughout....I think that was the test that I was super stressed for and I am sure he could tell that, which didn't help his numbers any....I am hopefully going into tonight's injection and tomorrow that he will be getting closer to the range the vet wants him to be in.....

Hopefully next weekend I don't screw it up with another fur shot....I have done those before, but of all shots to do a fur shot on, the one before his very first curve?!?! lol
I feel like I should have a t-shirt made that says: Fur Shots Happen lol


Oh well....I have to keep in mind, there is going to hopefully be many more years/opportunities for me to do curve testing on him :) If his numbers look good tomorrow (and for him that would be 200 range), I am thinking I will go ahead and do another curve tomorrow as well....just to compare the two....
 
I think I just became an official "home tester"....

Woke up for no reason at 2:15 am and figured I mind as well get a test in to get more data.....

Ahhhhh, how far you can come so quickly from saying you will never EVER do it, to doing it randomly at 2 am because you woke up....I even had to call Skooter to where I was in order to do it lolol....


308 at +7, soooooooooooooooooooooooooo close to getting into the 200s again......
 
congratulations to both of you.

I had really bad lpr (silent reflux) last night and was still awake at 3 am and tested Angel!! Had planned to put alarm on then anyway as it was his 5 hour mark.

x
 
So far today I have:

AMPS #: 320
+3: 294
+7: 354

I know these are still high but from what I believe KPasa said it can take up to 72 hours to "recover" from a fur shot....hoping to get some more numbers after his PM shot....

But so far I am feeling pretty good about bis numbers as they are fluctuating too kuch....

I am guessing that is the ultimate goal? While he will have spikes and lows..guessing more steady is what we are looking for?
 
So just did his +9 and got a read of 493....

I am battling the beginning of a summer cold, so been sleeping most of the day, setting an alarm to make sure I am getting the tests in....

I am trying not to freak out as he is still in his time to be re-regulating, for lack of better words...

Is it safe to assume that if I curve him next Saturday and I dont fur shoot him the night before, I will get more useful information?

Also, it there any value in waking up every fee hours to curve his pm shot? He gets his IBD medication around 2145 every night (not sure if that matters or not)

Please forgive my spelling errors as typing from my phone. ...I believe I mispelled Kpassa's name in a previous post....

Thanks for any feedback!
 
If you are able to get some tests overnight w/ the IBD meds that may give you some important information on how that interacts with the insulin.

If you'll be sleeping in between tests, it can be helpful to nap in multiples of 45 minutes - about 1 sleep cycle - that makes it easier to wake up.
Ex 45 minutes, 90 minutes, 2 hours 15 minutes, or 3 hours
 
I was planning on doing it this weekend. I have some summer cleaning to do and prefer to clean at night, so I was thinking I would set alarm for every few hours to test while I clean...
 
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