Getting worse and won't regulate, should we change insulins?

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Mackenzie Obermeyer

Mackenzie Obermeyer

Member Since 2016
Mayton has been on Latnus since he was diagnosed in October 2016. We've never really been able to regulate him. He started walking weird about 2 months ago, and now he fully walks on his hocks (see pictures below). We've been giving him the Zobaline tablets that people recommended for over a month now and he is just getting worse.

We went to the vet an hour ago because of his legs and his eyes have been runny. The vet mentioned changing his insulin to see if another would work better, but is going to call another vet to see what they thought.

We haven't really been keeping up with testing (besides pre shots) or changing his insulin after every week like the protocol says so that may have to do with him not being regulated. Yesterday was my last day of school though so I will be able to test more during the day this summer. Will changing insulins help or set us back?
 

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Oh no! Really sorry to hear that Mayton hasn't been making good progress.

It may indeed be that Lantus is not the insulin for him, but after looking at the spreadsheet, I'd be inclined to wait a bit until you can go back to filling in some more data on mid-cycle numbers. He may just not be at the right dose right now.

Poor little guy-- it is so hard to see them struggling with neuropathy. A month probably isn't long enough for the Zobaline to take effect, plus of course he needs to get into better BGs for more of the time to keep the problems at bay.
 
Nan & Amber said:
It may indeed be that Lantus is not the insulin for him, but after looking at the spreadsheet, I'd be inclined to wait a bit until you can go back to filling in some more data on mid-cycle numbers. He may just not be at the right dose right now.
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I will do a curve tomorrow on him to help get an idea of what his numbers are through the day. We have also had the same insulin bottle since he was diagnosed, so if we don't switch insulins she said we should get a new bottle.
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Hi Mackenzie! Good to see you. Will you be done with classes soon? If so, could you get more aggressive with the dosing and switch to TR which would require more mid cycles test. There are gaps in the SS and more data would be helpful.
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Well I just finished high school, and I will be home this summer so I will be able to get more mid cycle tests for sure. I would have to look more at the TR to see if we would be able to do it, but we have really stopped the protocols in general, so we will be easing back into the SLGS for now, but once we get going again I will for sure look in to it.
 
Hi Mackenzie! I suspect a good part of the problem is not having been able to get those mid-cycle tests done. Those blues and reds at preshot times look to me like there's a strong possibility you haven't been catching the lows. "If" that's the case, he's been bouncing... spending more time in high numbers than low.

What's your schedule like now that school's out? Will you be able to commit to monitoring often? I see Bobbie mentioned switching to TR. If you can make it work, I think it's a great suggestion! You have a built in support system here for the summer! :D
 
Mackenzie Obermeyer said:
We've been giving him the Zobaline tablets that people recommended for over a month now and he is just getting worse.
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How much Zobaline are you giving him? If memory serves me well, the pills are 3 mg each. I know of many others who have given up to 10 mg a day. Kitties will pee out excess methyl B-12.
 
Jill & Alex (GA) said:
Hi Mackenzie! I suspect a good part of the problem is not having been able to get those mid-cycle tests done. Those blues and reds at preshot times look to me like there's a strong possibility you haven't been catching the lows. "If" that's the case, he's been bouncing... spending more time in high numbers than low.

What's your schedule like now that school's out? Will you be able to commit to monitoring often? I see Bobbie mentioned switching to TR. If you can make it work, I think it's a great suggestion! You have a built in support system here for the summer! :D
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Yes, besides a vacation in 2 weeks, I will be home and will be able to get lots of mid day tests! We've just been very busy lately, but now I will definitely be able to start back up with Mayton. I'm going to go a curve tomorrow too.
 
Hi Mackenzie,
I like both Bobbie and Jill's suggestions.
Ask any questions you might have once you get to reading about TR again.

Regarding the zobaline, it can take quite some time to see the effects, hang in there with that.

Some question have you been keeping he insulin in the fridge? Is it clear? Can you see any floaties?
 
Jill & Alex (GA) said:
How much Zobaline are you giving him? If memory serves me well, the pills are 3 mg each. I know of many others who have given up to 10 mg a day. Kitties will pee out excess methyl B-12.
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yes it is 3 mg. We have just been giving him 1 pill a day, but I have been thinking recently that we should try 2. Maybe we can start giving him 1 in the morning and 1 at night.
 
Mackenzie Obermeyer said:
Yes, besides a vacation in 2 weeks, I will be home and will be able to get lots of mid day tests! We've just been very busy lately, but now I will definitely be able to start back up with Mayton. I'm going to go a curve tomorrow too.
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Great! Do a curve if you like, but try to start getting random tests to fill in the blanks on his ss. I've probably said this to you before... think of BG tests as pieces to a puzzle. The more you have, the clearer the picture. :)
 
Mackenzie Obermeyer said:
We roll it in our hands for 20 seconds before we fill up the needle too
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I think it's best not to do that with lantus. I seem to remember reading that somewhere, I'll look it up and get back to you. Or maybe someone else will comment.

It's good that it's clear/no floaties, there's a good chance it's ok. As it's expensive, I'd start by getting some tests in before getting a new bottle.
 
Mackenzie Obermeyer said:
His is PMPS was 138, pretty low for him... he has been having a pattern of low in the evenings for a couple days now.
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I wonder how low he dropped today... really glad you'll be around now to get some mid-cycle tests. If he bounces, a curve tomorrow may be a waste of time and strips. See how things go...

ETA: Are you able to get a +2 tonight just in case he was breaking a bounce and is heading downwards tonight?
 
Jill & Alex (GA) said:
I wonder how low he dropped today... really glad you'll be around now to get some mid-cycle tests. If he bounces, a curve tomorrow may be a waste of time and strips. See how things go...

ETA: Are you able to get a +2 tonight just in case he was breaking a bounce and is heading downwards tonight?
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yes I can, also he threw up his dinner. I don't think he ate much at lunch today, which could have helped with the low numbers. He is eating a small amount of food now.
 
Hmm... small amounts for now is a good idea.
All you can do is keep an eye on him and get that +2. It's getting close to dinner time here, but you have lots of eyes on your thread. I'll check back to see how things are going in awhile.
 
I respectfully disagree about not trying fresh lantus. Nine months is a long time on a single vial. Mine died after 5-6 months. I'd see I'd you can get a single pen to try. JMHO. Whatever the cause (I suspect causes) I hope you see better numbers real soon.
 
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Jill & Alex (GA) said:
Ha! He's not giving us any clues!
How's he acting? Has he eaten any more since earlier?

How much longer were you planning on staying up?
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This isn't much help, but I haven't been in the same room as him so I wouldn't know haha. I think he is being normal though. Yes he has eaten, he ate about 30 minutes after the dinner he threw up, a little at +2 and some at +4. I am probably going to fall asleep soon, but I can always set an alarm if we think he is going to go low and I need to feed him. We also have a automatic feeder set for about +7.5
 
Gill & George said:
I think it's best not to do that with lantus. I seem to remember reading that somewhere, I'll look it up and get back to you. Or maybe someone else will comment.

It's good that it's clear/no floaties, there's a good chance it's ok. As it's expensive, I'd start by getting some tests in before getting a new bottle.
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Hi Mackenzie. I had used the vile too for awhile but then found the pens. Some pharmacies will sell a single pen or they come in a 5 pack usually. You just have to call around to all the pharmacies to find one that sells a single pen. I find my pen at Costco in my area & u dont need a membership to use pharmacy. I use Lantus solostar pen that is 3ml at about $90 a pen. It lasts about 2-3 months depending on your dose but it helps to have a fresh pen every few months without wasting any. Good luck!
 
Hi Mackenzie, I was just thinking about you guys wondering how Mayton was doing. I hadn't seen you post in a long time and actually looked at his spreadsheet last night as well. So glad you are back on the board and able to take a more active roll in managing him now that school is out. I can't help with dosing advice but I wanted to stop by and say "Hi"!
 
When was the last time Mayton had bloodwork done? Diabetic kitties can be prone to potassium deficiency, which looks like neuropathy, or can make neuropathy look even worse.
 
Squalliesmom said:
When was the last time Mayton had bloodwork done? Diabetic kitties can be prone to potassium deficiency, which looks like neuropathy, or can make neuropathy look even worse.
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The last time he had blood work was when he first started walking funny about 2 months ago. His potassium levels were at the high end of the normal range.
 
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