Help - Simmie - too high curve done today

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LydetteSimmie (Iceman)

LydetteSimmie (Iceman)

Member Since 2014
Hi everyone,

Today was the day I was going to start going to the TR group, actually, after I completed a curve with Simmie. :-D

Anyway, I am really unhappy and I don't know what happened and I hope I didn't do anything to hurt him, So Simmie was acting kind of 'off' today. He didn't go after his ice like he usually does and didn't eat as much. He did eat though...if he didn't eat I would call out every EMT in the area! And his numbers were higher than I expected after his shot this morning and now, after his last test about a 1/2 hour ago he jumped 100 point in 2 hours!!!! He's not scheduled for his pm insulin till around 11 pm tonight.

He has seemed to be doing so well. Another thing I noticed today is his neuropathy...he had been getting so much better but today, he was sliding all around the floor.

Ok, I thought I was ok but giving you the info has made me a mess. Why can't I control my baby? And I am seeing his vet tomorrow at 3:15 to tell her what has been going on and how I've been such a good mom by following the advice of this forum, which she is very skeptical about...but all I care about is Simmie.

I am so down because I am not helping my baby...and as of this morning, with his numbers, I was so happy.
 
{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}

I know this is stressful and I am fairly new myself to all this. I would STRONGLY recommend that you come on over and join us in the TR group.

You can start a new topic with the subject line of; 7/22 Simmie AMPS 226 +2 234 +4 266 +6 256 +8 356 and use the question mark icon and ask away with questions.

I am by no means an expert, but Simmie did spend most of today in the yellow zone, which isn't bad. Trust me, I have had my fair share of meltdowns since Skooter was diagnosed thinking that I wasn't doing the right thing and screwing up. I will tell you what the TR group told me....You are doing a great job! Patience pants are a MUST, especially when newly diagnosed and trying to regulate. There will be ups and downs, but that is ok, too. You are doing the best for Simmie and in time, it will get better.

But as we all know, cats do things the way they want to do them, regardless of what we would like them to do. Just like weight loss in humans, we didn't get fat overnight, so we can't expect to get skinny overnight. It took time for Simmie to become diabetic and it will take time to get him regulated. Unfortunately, bounces are a part of life. Take a look at Skooter's spreadsheet...he spent PLENTY of time in the blacks, reds and pinks before he found his way to the pretty colors of yellow, blue and green. Skooter had three great cycles, getting some green numbers in and then BOOM tonight, he decides he wants to bounce. It is our cat's way of LEARNING to allow the lower numbers and not being afraid of them.

So come on over and join us in the TR group and let the amazing experts (of which I am not....yet) help you through this. With their help, Skooter has transitioned from dry food to wet food and went from 5u twice a day to 2u twice a day currently.

I hope to see you over there soon :)
 
Lydette - I read a lot of good things about Zobaline, a B12 supplement for cats with neuropathy. I ordered it from Amazon and Alice started taking it on July 8. We haven't noticed any miracles yet, but she is definitely more active when playing with her laser light and other kitty toys.

Also, I noticed Simmie is on 2 units, twice a day. Is that what the vet recommended for him? Is he a really big cat? When was he diagnosed?

Here's a quote from BJM:
The formula to estimate the starting Lantus dose is:
How much does he weigh?
How much should he weigh?
Take the lower of those 2 numbers.
Convert to kilos if in pounds (divide by 2.2).
Multiply by 0.25.
Round down to nearest quarter unit (we often eyeball these).

As Skootersmom suggested, join one of the Lantus forums, either the TR or the Relaxed. Amazing, supportive people in both of those forums.
 
Any brand of methylcobalamin (the specific Vitamin B-12), with no sweeteners in it should help in addition to good glucose control. Another brand is Vitacost. It may take a few months to get the neuropathy under control.
 
Hi everyone,

How I love the support you provide.

I didn't want to haul my butt over to the TR until I've finished the curve today, Then I had my meltdown. I just think I should start out on the forum with the proper information (I haven't done simmie's profile yet). I don't know. I'm just a mess today.

I know ECID and they evolve over time but it just seemed so strange for him to start bouncing upwards again.

I do give him Zobaline for his neuropathy and have for about 3 weeks. Unfortunately, that was the key issue that got me in in a bit of a quarrel with my vet, who I am seeing tomorrow. She didn't know about methyl-b12, I remembered reading though that it really doesn't help much if our sugar babies aren't regulated. I thought I saw, without question though, that my Simmie was definitely doing so much better with that.

I just took another test and when he saw me he actually came over to cuddle as if to say "what's wrong mom?" The poke didn't bother him. I want him to have a full life, you know?

Thanks so much everyone. Just a bad day. I will move to the TR group tomorrow. Just really down tonight. Thank you so much for your support.
 
I came to the TR group a hot mess....they have really really helped me out....they will definitely be able to help you as well...

If you have time, go through and read some of the condos tonight....there is a WEALTH of information....

Don't get down on yourself...remember he is more than just his numbers....he is being snuggly, which is a great sign :)
 
Hi Lydette!

First, here's a hug :YMHUG:

Next, it's really important for us to know what's going on during the PM cycle...if Simmie is going lower at night, that could explain his higher daytime numbers. It's not necessary to do a full curve on the PM cycle (although you can if you want!) but if you can just get a "before bed" test in, it might help. I see you're shooting pretty late at night though, so it might help for you to decide what time would work best for you to be able to shoot every 12 hours. I absolutely HATE mornings, so thought I'd go with the 11/11 schedule...then I figured out that at night, if China went low, I'd be up all night testing, so we switched over to a 6/6 schedule. That allows me to always get a +2, as well as if she looks like she's going low at night, I only have to be up until midnight to get a +6...and usually that's late enough (not always though!) As much as I hate mornings, it's gotten to the point where I can get up to test/feed/shoot at 6 and if my day allows it, go back to bed for awhile

Another reason you might be seeing such wonky numbers is that you've been changing his shot times around quite a bit (and we understand that isn't something you're doing on purpose...things happen!) but Lantus craves consistency..it really needs to be giving every 12 hours, with only about 15 minutes leeway. If you want to work your way onto a different schedule, you can change the times 15 minutes per cycle or 30 minutes once per day until you're on the shooting schedule you want.

If you can get a +2, it's a great test to get. I call it my "crystal ball" test. If the +2 is lower than the Pre-shot, that's a good indication that they're going to have a very active cycle, and you definitely want to plan on getting more tests in.

If the +2 is about the same as the Pre-shot, it's a more normal cycle, so if you can get a test in somewhere between +5 and +7, and occasionally get tests at other times in the cycle, that will help a lot.

If the +2 is higher than the Pre-shot, it could indicate the beginning of a bounce...and when they're bouncing, it's a good time to give their ears a pokey break.

We all really do understand how frustrating it is to see those icky numbers, but remember than high numbers take time to do their damage..it's the low ones that kill quickly, so it's always best to be safe and not freak out when you see the high numbers and increase the dose unless you are pretty darn sure it's necessary. Without knowing where he's going at night, there's just no way to know for sure what is causing the high numbers. It could be that he's going lower at night and then bouncing during the daytime.

Come on over to the TR forum...you have your spreadsheet working and you're home testing....that's all that's "required" to move to the insulin support groups and you'll get the most experienced eyes watching over you and Simmie there

Hang in there! Things WILL get better!
 
(((Lydette)))

You're a great cat mum, don't be hard on yourself. When I have to get up, I put my alarm and my phone alarm on, the other thing you might want to do his have one of them out of reach so it will keep going off until you get up to turn it off. I have ADD (without the hyperactivity) and it really affects my sleep patterns, but this seems to work.

Doing Angel's curve today and tested at +4 and he was higher than at +2, really unusual. When I tested him at +2 he was in my friend's garden and we gave him a couple of bits of cooked chicken (without the skin) so maybe that is it, don't think it was breast meat. I have to do it as part of the trial he's in, thinking I maybe should have abandoned it and done it at the weekend. The weather is hot and I either have to keep him in or make sure my friend's gate is unlocked if she's out coz he sits in her garden when he's trying to avoid the rice sock!!!

I would say maybe complete his curve for today, give him a couple of days where you're shooting at +12 and then do another one.

xx
 
Hi my dear friends,

First of all, I really needed the comfort you are providing. It truly helps. I really don't know if I could have managed this without all of you.

Secondly, Simmie was at 341 this morning so I did increase his dose to 2.5. That is still much less than the 4 units the vet put him on (slowly though...they did it by 1/2 units starting at 1).

I will start to test him more frequently beginning today.

I am also bringing him down to a more practical testing time because 11 for me is late but sometimes when my doctor fools around with my meds it happens - I oversleep so I'll need to use the alarm clock. BTW I'm reducing his t/f/s time by 15 minute increments as recommended.

I'm going over to the TR group today sometime after I see my vet where I'll be having an educational sessions with her!

Thank you again. Especially reminding me about shooting consistency with Lantus. I knew that but like someone said, things happen. I'm going to need my alarm clock - this proved it to me more than ever!

xo
 
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