Hi from Ricey and his tired Momma

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Kim & Weetzie

Kim & Weetzie

Member Since 2013
Hello all,

I posted over in the Relaxed Lantus board but I guess this is the more active board? Anyway, not really sure what we're doing yet, just following vets orders and trying to get used to this dance. I'm Kim and my beloved little boy is Rice, we call him Ricey. He has a biological sister too. She's Weetzie Bat and thank goodness she seems to be in good health. She is a squirmy little one and would not be tolerating at all what Ricey is.

Ricey was diagnosed about 2 weeks ago, but I was not happy with the vet we took him too. He was not compassionate or helpful. Prescribed Humulin N. discouraged home testing and essentially told me my questions were irrelevant. Needless to say we dumped him like a hot potato after reading up here. We never started him on the Humulin. We found a new, lovely, knowledgeable vet and Ricey started Lantus last week. A dose of .5 2x/day. We just began home testing this weekend and that's when things got tricky. We were seeing low #s before shots and were told not to shoot under 200.

I started Ricey's spreadsheet here if you want to take a look.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... PblE#gid=0

I'll be speaking to a vet today. But just wanted to introduce myself in a more relaxed manner than my post yesterday. This board has been immensely helpful and I'm so appreciative it's here. It's been a tough and exhausting couple of weeks but I'm thankful I found this board!

Kim
 
Morning Kim & Welcome ~O) :-D

You're right, its a lot more active over here. Ricey looks like he's responding well to Lantus already,
nice blue numbers on a pretty small dose. Do you know how high he was when diagnosed?

Again, welcome - there's some very knowledgeable people here (not me :lol: ) and you'll get all the help you need

Here's a link to your post in Relaxed
 
Hard to remember but he was hovering around 450 for his first vet visit (the mean one.) His second vet visit a week later he was around 350. His first day on insulin they did a curve and he spent the day at the vet. He had #s in the 300s and 400s. After the first vet visit we switched his food. In fact he had a pretty high carb food the morning of that first visit. Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken which could have attributed to that high #.
 
Welcome to Lantus Land.

If I may, I'm going to add a few details from your SS so people here don't keep asking. It looks like you've got Ricey eating a low carb canned food diet. This may be contributing to the good numbers!

It also looks like you're using an AlphaTrack meter. It helps us if you note that particular meter in your signature line. Just so you don't get confused, the point at which a newly diagnosed cat gets a dose reduction is 80 on the AT meter. It typically runs about 30 points higher than a meter calibrated for human blood.

Given the numbers you're seeing and the skipped shots, you might want to consider dropping Ricey's dose to 0.25u. FWIW, many vets will tell you to stop giving insulin with the numbers you're seeing. We like to see a cat solidly in the 50 - 120 range, with a lot of the numbers under 100.

Please let us know how we can help. The people here are incredibly generous with their time and information. This is a busy board and we will do our best to help you feel comfortable.
 
Hi Welcome! : )
Yes this board is much more active than the relaxed one. Just so you know.....Since so many people post here, sometimes posts get missed for a while. It helps if you have questions to make sure you click the question icon next to your subject posting when you need an answer relatively quickly. The 911 icon for big emergencies like if your kitty goes below 50 (80 with your Alphatrak) and you feel you need help dealing with the low BG....
Have a great day and good job finding this board and moving on to Lantus rather than Humulin N ! :-D
 
Hi Kim and Ricey and welcome to Lantus Land,

Good job getting the spreadsheet up and running. Ricey's numbers look good. At the top of this forum there are a bunch of informational "Stickies" that you will enjoy reading. Start with "New to the Group" and the stickey on the Tight Regulation Protocol. When you have questions, please do not hesitate to ask them.

Best of luck on your new adventure!

Ella & Rusty

p.s. Ricey is a handsome kitty
 
Hello Kim and Rice,

Welcome to the most awesome place on the Internet.

I am still new myself, but there are so many knowledgeable caregivers on the board.

You are doing great!

Rich & Rex
 
Hi guys welcome! So glad you posted over here! You are doing awesome so far! Your first vet sounds exactly like the vet that diagnosed Scrabble, we dropped him right away too. This board is amazing and there are so many people to help so don't hesitate to ask. You can start one condo every day with the date/name and numbers. Have a great day!
 
Thanks everyone. So nice to meet you.

One specific question about the home testing. First time we did it Ricey was an absolute champ. I couldn't believe how quickly we got blood and how good he was about it. He does flinch when the lancet hits his ear (I am freehanding it, no "pop") so I'm quite sure he feels it. Now that I've done about 7 tests in the last day and a half he's less happy about it. He gets more impatient and squirmier with every test. How do I deal with this? I was hoping he'd get used to it. I'm afraid he's going to resent me and be terrified every time I poke his ear. The look of horror in his face breaks my heart. Thoughts?

He gets a PureBite Chicken to get him on the table and then one after his poke is done. And of course lots of "good boys," pets and hugs.
 
A lot depends on the gauge (thickness) of the lancet. Do you recall what gauge lancet you're using? Most of the time, we suggest a thicker lancet (a 29 gauge or below) in the beginning since you usually won't have to poke multiple times to get blood. The trade off is that a thicker lancet is more painful. If Ricey's ears generally bleed well and you feel pretty confident, switch to a 30 or 31 gauge. The reality is that he won't resent you no matter what you do. You're giving him treats and helping your kitty to feel better! One additional thing you can do is take him to his testing spot and just give treats -- no test. Intermittent reinforcement is a very powerful means of getting the behaviors you want.
 
I'm using the lancets that come with the Alphatrak, I believe they are 28 gauge. I will definitely buy a box of the thinner lancets to see if I can still get blood with those. I'm amazed at how little blood the Alphatrak needs. So at least that makes it easier. I just want no pain for my boy, which I'm sure we all do!
 
Thanks everyone! Just talked to the vet and she suggested what Sienne and Gabby suggested, dropping his dose to 0.25 2x/day. She said he was responding quickly. If he's under 190 or doesn't eat I am not to shoot. So we'll see how he does with this new dose.

Also bought some 30 gauge lancets at lunch. Hopefully those will be less painful and I'll still get blood.
 
Kim:

We use a somewhat lower point that 190. Just out of curiosity, are you able to shoot any earlier than you currently are giving your AMPS? If you have the option to shoot earlier, it gives you more flexibility if you need to stall for a little while.
 
Lower than 190 even with the Alphatrak 2 monitor? I think the vet is being cautious because he has just started the insulin and we don't have a lot of #s to predict what will happen.

Also right now I'm doing his AM pre-shot test about 6:15, he gets food about 6:45-7 and shot at 7:30. He's a funny eater so he'll eat some, clean himself a little, then eat more. I give him about a half hour to get it all down. I can't do earlier than 7:30 in the morning because his PM shot can't be earlier than 7:30 so I'm trying to keep them 12 hrs apart.
 
Hi Kim,

Lantus doesn't begin to onset until about +2. Most of us test, feed, and shoot all within 10 minutes or so. Many people find that it is easiest to shoot while the cat is eating: he has his head in his bowl and doesn't even notice. Even if he "grazes", but finishes his food within a half hour, as you report, you will have plenty of time for the food to "work" before the insulin begins to kick in. If Ricey cannot have his P.M. shot earlier than 7:30 P.M. (is this because you don't get home from work until then?), then you have a good excuse not to get up so early in the morning! (You can start the "test, feed, shoot" sequence at 7:15 or so.)

Hope you are having a good day,

Ella & Rusty
 
No shot again this morning, he was at 161. Silly cat. I think he wills it so that we'll leave him alone for the day. I'll try again tonight with the .25 dose. His BG seems to be consistently up for the PM shot, we haven't skipped an evening shot yet.
 
Chances are that the PM numbers are higher because you've had to skip the AM shot.

I do exactly what Ella outlined. Gabby gets tested and while she's got her face in her food, she gets her shot. It actually takes me more time to get her food prepared and get the syringe loaded than it takes to test, feed, and shoot. With shorter-acting insulin than Lantus, it's much more important to have food on board. Lantus is far more forgiving in that onset usually takes an hour or two.
 
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