Miriam and Putty said:Did you shoot at +10?
Caryl and Alex said:Hi Jay,
I saw the comments on your ss and do understand your frustration. But you did have pretty much of a 'flat curve' yesterday. Not much of a 'curve' at all on Saturday.( I know that you have a life and so do we all but if there isn't much to go by then it's hard to figure out what should be done next). Whether or not you were happy about the numbers is another thing, but it was flat. Frankie didn't fluctuate much all day.
People ARE trying to help you!. While I'm sure it's not impossible, it is very difficult to try to evaluate what little data you gather during the week and make educated decisions on whether or not a dosecrease is called for. And no one will advise you to do so because if something happened to Frankie and he 'tanked out', who would want that kind of responsibility? You just started Lantus a few weeks ago. There are some of us who have been on it for months(myself included), a year, more! who are still not where we would like to be , but haven't lost hope. You really should take the time to look at spreadsheets of other people(have you)? Look at my Alex's some time..there are days when I want to pull my hair out. Look at Kathy and Kitty. Kathy works all day too and believe me when I say that she has had as much angst as you, if not more and Kitty is now down to .5 U bid.(He started at 10Units)! If you want more ss's to look at let us know and I'm sure anyone would be happy to provide success stories for you to look at that started much the same as Frankie...if not a whole lot worseThe point is, you're not alone and we all follow protocol and many many cats are regulated and even OTJ as you know! Frankie's PS this morning was pretty nice. Unfortunately you won't know what happens from there. if he goes into the 100's, it would be irresponsible for one of us to suggest an increase even if his preshot is pink.
You really need to be patient. If you want to keep using Lantus and benefit from the wonderful insulin that it is, then keep reading the protocol. You should NOT shoot at +10 because you feel that is when Frankie clearly needs his shot. This is Lantus and that's not the protocol ( which by definition means the plan for carrying out a scientific study and I know you know this). Doing it ones own way has been proven time and again to backfire on those who have tried...that's why people are advising you not to do that.
I saw that my last cat's vet(The owner of Feline Health in Manhattan, the 2nd oldest cat's only hospital in NYC) is a fan of FDMB on Facebook and I wrote him a note telling him that I have a diabetic now and what he wrote back to me is : "Hi, Caryl. Glad to hear all is well with you. So you have a diabetic cat now. That has become a much more prevalent disease in cats over the past 10 years. I've actually had very good success at stabilizing and in a fair proportion of cats reversing diabetes on Lantus insulin."
I know other people have told you this ad nauseum, so just add me to the list. You have to go slow with Lantus , but in time you'll have Frankie at a place where you won't feel so anguished.
That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it :razz:
My comments are borne out of my total frustration as you may be able to tell.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm expecting too much.
Hillary & Maui said:My comments are borne out of my total frustration as you may be able to tell.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm expecting too much.
Jay, you have heard this countless times, but it bears repeating yet again.
YES - you are expecting too much. You are expecting Lantus to work the same way PZI did and the reality is - these are two very different insulins, without different protocols and methods of working.
You need to relax and allow the Lantus to do what it is supposed to do, WITHOUT attempting to force it to do what you THINK it should do. If you follow what we are telling you and the Lantus protocol AND give it a fair chance, you will see that in time (NOT YOUR TIME TABLE), you will find what you are expecting and seeking - the right dose for Frankie and your ability to "have a life" too.
So, what does this mean? This means, that you need to stop fighting us, the Lantus and the protocol and instead, start listening and following the directions being given.
If you continue to change doses and shoot at off hours, NOBODY on this forum can safely advise you on what to do, how much to dose and when to dose. You have only been using Lantus since March 5 - that's only 18 days. And if you look at your ss, in these 18 days you went from 1 unit to 2.5 units - this includes skipped shots, cycles with absolutely no testing done, that it is hard to know what is truly working and what is not.
You are not giving the insulin time to work, you are not holding to one dose level and you seem to get upset (frustrated) when one BG test doesn't go the way you think it should go.
Yet, the one thing you are full of is complaints. We can only help you, if you allow us and IF you follow our advice. If you are unwilling to do that, then sadly nobody is going to feel comfortable telling you what dose to shoot, because there is too much concern that you could be endangering Frankie and nobody on this boards wants to feel responsible for that. I know I certainly don't.
We all get that you work long hours, you want a life and you want Frankie healthy, happy and regulated.
We all want the same thing. There are many, many people using Lantus who work long hours, are able to have a life AND still follow the protocol.
So it is really up to you. Are you willing to work with us - stop complaining, follow the protocol and dose at the time and amount we recommend?
I apologize if this comes across harsh or too strong, but I think this needed to be said.
Dyana said:Hey 2 yellow PSs today. Maybe, he'll be blue at +6.
Sometimes a new dose will cause NDW (new dose wonkiness) for a few days. Sometimes a new dose takes 3 days to show what it's going to do. Maybe, you're getting closer :smile:
Caryl and Alex said:Numbers look good tonight, Jay. Just stay patient. They say it's a virtue (whoever 'they' are).... ;-)
Jay said:Hi
Yeah...patience...patience
Wasnt that a GunsN Roses tune?
Caryl and Alex said:Numbers look good tonight, Jay. Just stay patient. They say it's a virtue (whoever 'they' are).... ;-)
Gayle and Shadoe said:Jay,
I hate numbers, and curves, and testing all the time. I can't see patterns and sometimes I am pretty frustrated too. Just take a peek at Shadoe's ss and you will see where I am sitting. I still try to stick with the protocol, making sure we don't jump around with the doses and taking into consideration the shed needing to fill or drain. I think sometimes the changes you make now may not be realized for quite some time, partially due to the effects on the shed.
OK what's important here? Frankie. How's Frankie doing? If you allow it, you will drown in the numbers and lose sight of the most important thing here, and that's Frankie.
How has the change affected Frankie? Eating habits? Litter box habits, drinking more or less, etc. How is Frankie at testing time, likes them or not?
Like I said, the numbers really suck sometimes, but try to focus more on Frankie and you may find that even with the crappy numbers, Frankie's doing better.
And that's what's most important: Frankie.
So hang in there, Jay. It's darkest just before the dawn. One day it's all crap and then Frankie will turn the corner and you will start to see big improvements, when Frankie's ready.