I am so confused and I think I am giving up

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mimi4neeyah and Loki

mimi4neeyah and Loki

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:oops: on trying to understand this whole diabetes thing. No matter what I do I cannot understand how this works. My poor boy has been dealing with this for 1 year and dealing with me just not getting it right for him. I will continue to test him as needed and try to follow what I have been told but beyond that I am just no doing him any good at all. He is happy, eating and playing but I am failing him so much by not understanding this whole disease. I have read and re read but still cannot get it. I have no clue why it's so hard for me.
So sorry for the rant and I appreciate all the help you guys have given me this past year. Thanks again from the bottom of my heart. I just love my boy so much that I am not sure if I am doing more harm than good. :cry:
 
mimi4neeyah and Loki said:
:oops: on trying to understand this whole diabetes thing. No matter what I do I cannot understand how this works. My poor boy has been dealing with this for 1 year and dealing with me just not getting it right for him. I will continue to test him as needed and try to follow what I have been told but beyond that I am just no doing him any good at all. He is happy, eating and playing but I am failing him so much by not understanding this whole disease. I have read and re read but still cannot get it. I have no clue why it's so hard for me.
So sorry for the rant and I appreciate all the help you guys have given me this past year. Thanks again from the bottom of my heart. I just love my boy so much that I am not sure if I am doing more harm than good. :cry:
Click to expand...

What problems are you having? I looked at the ss attached but the last numbers are from Oct/2012... do you have some more recent numbers so that people can give you some feedback?

what are you not understanding? if you post what you don't get, others may have different ways to explain to you.

Now, if you can post how much insulin you are giving now, and post a few numbers from the last couple days, it would help.
The last comment on your ss says you are up to 4units per the vet - are you at a higher dose now?
Are you still using the PZI and if yes, have you considered trying a different insulin? While PZI is a fine insulin for some, maybe you can get better numbers and results from another insulin.
 
Mimi,

Ask one question at a time. Let us help you learn this step by step. It's very overwhelming. Learning in pieces is the best way to deal with it.

Get us the last couple of weeks of data you have. If you try to catch up since October, it'll never happen. That's ancient history anyway. If you have a log with the doses and numbers over the past two or three weeks, that'll help us to help you.

Carl
 
I agree with Carl, you don't have to figure this whole thing out on your own. If you post here everyday we can answer your questions as they come up and tackle this together.

Believe me we all understand how frustrating, overwhelming and emotional this sugar dance is.

Gentle hugs to you and your most handsome orinch boy.
 
Re: I am so confused and I think I am giving up ......Update

:shock: I am so happy you have no idea at your responses and willingness to help Loki and I. When I first opened the post I was so apprehensive to read but then the tears of relief came that I am really not alone in dealing with my boy. I am off to update his SS and will come back to add anything that you guys think I need to.
The one thing I can add right now is that Loki was on DM wet and dry but he decided to hate the wet and will pick a little bit on the dry but not much maybe 5-6 pieces at a time 1 to 2 times per day So I copied the food list here and got the Fancy Feast ones and Wallmart brand ones that I could find that were on the list. I tried wellness also but he got bored with it too, the chicken and turkey ones.
I am just so nailbite_smile about having not done him any good or bad and this disease will take him away sooner that I can deal with.
I will be back to answer and read your advise which is so appreciated and welcome.
BTW he is on 4 units of PZI in the AM and 4 units in PM, no shoot # is 200 prior to eating but to recheck in 1 hr then shoot according to #'s.. If he is at 200+ then I am allowed to give 2 units, if he is anywhere higher it's 4 units.
Ok off to adjust and add to his SS.
 
Darn. Looks like with the transfer to the new board, your morning post was deleted. So I will try to recapture what I said: Skipping this am is most likely to give you a high midcycle and a high pmps. The 4 units last night at your mid 300 number gave you the unshootable number this am, so 4 units looks like it was too much insulin last night.

Come on as soon as you have a preshot number and get some dosing advice.

The high pmps and the unshootable amps/skipping (though it absolutely was the right choice) probably makes him feel like he is on a roller coaster. You want a preshot number in the 200-300 range with a midcycle above 40 - probably just under 100 - to be considered "regulated" That is what you are shooting for right now. To get him there, I think you need to give less insulin and hope that gives you two shootable numbers am and pm. Does that make sense?
 
I posted 3 times to update and all 3 did not make the response board. I hope this one makes it. This AM Loki was at 108 so I held and took away all dry food (he is miserable) then rechecked him at his 6hr and he was 366 so gave him 2 units will check again tonight at 10 PM and hope. I think this is right?
 
This one worked! I think the dose for the 366 was fine. But you are now off schedule, as you wouldn't want to give another shot until 10-12 hours from that shot and only if you were sure he was headed up, not down.

Getting a number at your normal preshot time will really be +6. Does this completely mess up your schedule to wait another 4-6 hours after that to shoot? If so, I would wait until tomorrow morning. He will probably be high as it will be 18 hours since his previous shot. But I would still stick with the 3 units and see if you can get back on schedule with two shots a day.

Does that make any sense? Sorry, it is hard to explain off schedule.
 
Ok so let me see if I get it. Will recheck at 10 pm and see where he is. If he is high over 200 then I can give him 3 units? What do I do if he is low? He is really still miserable because of the no dry food. Thanks.l
 
I would not give any insulin at 10 (I am assuming 10pm time is your normal scheduled shot time? Help us by using the +6, +10 language. I am in Colorado and your 10pm isn't anywhere near mine. :-D )

You want to be careful not to overlap, that is not to give more insulin before the previous insulin shot is completely out of his body. Say he was at 200 at your regular preshot time. It might be that, just 6 hours after the previous shot, he is heading down in numbers, not up.

So if the 10pm number is only 6 hours since your midcycle shot today, I would either skip till the morning or mess up your schedule by shooting 6 hours after that.

This is hard to do on line. If I have completely confused you, send me a private message and I can try to explain this over the phone.

Re the dry food, you can give him a few low carb treats when he is acting miserable, or give him a little extra wet food. Sometimes adding water and making the food sort of soupy makes them think they are getting more to eat.
 
FYI all. Michelle and I did speak over the phone. She had questions about the cycle length and when to shoot. I think she is planning to skip tonight.
 
I'm glad you and Sue were able to connect by phone. Geez it's hard to log on lately.

Maybe it's time to update our contact list because of all the board wonkyness lately.

I'm glad you are going to wait until morning to shoot again.
 
You guys here on PZI are so great - Michelle, you're in good hands. Just take it one day at a time. I have felt the same way you do, Linus was rarely ever under 300, but he is feeling good and looking good, so I felt that he was ok, and I've been able to let myself relax and do what I can. That's all we can do, we have lives and committments, and sometimes you feel like you're just not helping, but believe me, you are.

Find a good wet food that Loki will eat if you can, Linus throws me a curve and switches back and forth from the chunky style foods to the pate style. He always likes the kind I didn't just buy. I buy the Merrick brand foods and he eats them pretty well, and he loves the Petsmart brand trout, so that's his treat at night.

Don't be afraid to switch insulin - I finally got my vet to agree when ProZinc was in short supply and we've been using Levemir for a while. Numbers are much better at times, not so much at other times, and just as confusing. Hang in there - it'll all be good!
 
Hi all
I did skip last night and got a 224 this morning also updated his SS, gave 3 units, and will do a +6 later.
Also my house smells like chicken making his "treats" I feel so much better now that I can be proactive with this. Loki is just the same LOL lovable but miserable still because I stopped all dry food, but he will get used to it I am sure. Plus he is eating all the food I put down now. I give him 3 oz at feeding time.
Will keep updating you all.
 
224 after 18 hours! That's fantastic! I definitely would test midcycle. I would even test at +3. I am a little concerned that getting rid of the dry may have made a huge difference and he may drop faster than we expect. If he is dropping into the 100s at +3, feed him some of the regular food and post for some guidance. I will not be on line today but will ask Robin and Carl to keep an eye out. If he drops into the 50-40 range, ask for help.

If you have questions or want help, start a new topic. If you don't get replies, post on Health.

This may be the break you have been looking for. We just need to manage it wisely.
 
I agree with Sue. If possible test before +6, and post the number. If Loki drops into lower numbers early, you can feed him to slow things down.

I have to go to work in an hour but I'll try to check back in during the day.

Carl
 
Any update yet?

Yay for getting rid of the dry food. Things may change for Loki very quickly now.

Do you leave food out for Loki between tests so he can eat if he goes lower bg wise?
 
Hi, all first I must thank you all. :smile: I am a little nervous because I just did his +6 and he is at 84, he does have a little food left from this morning out, not much though.
Should I post my next post in health? then or leave it here?
Will be leaving this page up so I can recheck it soon.
Thanks again nailbite_smile
 
I'm here, 84 is an ok number, if it falls to 50 or below you will need to intervene with a higher carb food. Can you feed a little low carb food now and test again in 20 to 30 minutes. Feed small amounts, like 1 tsp at a time in case you need him to eat later to bring up his numbers, you don't want him to fill up now and not want to eat later.

If you would feel more comfortable posting in Health then you should do that but I'll be hanging around if you want to stay here.
 
No problem if I stay here maybe the post won't get lost, just gave Loki a small amount of his new chicken treats I made this morning (thanks Sue for the recipe) he is really not happy without the dry but he is eating his new treats. I gave him about 15 small pieces of chicken treat, should I retest and when?
Let me know if staying here in this PZI forum is still ok?
Thanks
Michele
 
Yes test him again and let us know what his number is.

Good that he likes the treats.

You can stay here in PZI or go to Health which ever you are the most comfortable with. If you stay here I'll stay with you.
 
Ok just retested and got 48, just gave him 3oz of canned food and he is eating, he only had about 6 pieces of his treats before I retested. I will retest in 30 minutes if I understand right?
nailbite_smile
 
Do you have any higher carb food in the house.

And don't let him eat 3 ounces of food right now, you might need him to eat again later and he won't if he's full.
 
Also, you should retest in 15 to 20 minutes.

You are getting closer to danger numbers and you will need to stay on top of it.

The good thing is that the insulin should be starting to wear off soon.
 
Now is the time to get your hypo kit out and ready just in case. Put the Karo Syrup or Honey on the counter with any high carb food you have on hand so you can grab it in a hurry if you need it.

Coffee creamer or ice cream will work too.

If you were ever to get a number in the 20's or 30's, that is not the time to go around looking for that stuff, you need to be able to grab it in an instant.

Please come back and get another number for us.
 
Terrific!! He's leveling off, the higher number is probably from the food so you should keep testing every 30 minutes until you have gotten 3 rising numbers in a row, then you can relax a little on the testing.

Good job today!
 
Phew thanks so much will check him in 30 minutes for the next one, crossfingers it's higher, he is now so happy, purring away. Hope this works out. I can see myself typing away for the next few days.
 
Paws crossed here too that he keeps coming up. I love that he's purring away now, lets hope he remembers what normal numbers feel like and wants to stay in them. :-D
 
This check he is at 77 one more to go, hope it goes up. Now my next question is this, when do I give him his next shot? The last one he got was last night at 8:30, he was 224 and I gave him 3 units then.
 
Humm, your ss says he didn't get a shot last night but got 3 units this morning.

A couple of things.

You can see how taking away the dry food has brought down his bg's so you will need to lower the dose. He doesn't need that much insulin anymore. It's a whole new ball game now that you aren't fighting the high carb dry. Like starting over.

What I think is going to happen next is that these low numbers today are going to cause his liver to dump sugar into his system as protection from hypo, their body does this naturally when they go lower than they are used to so his numbers will probably be pink and red for 2 to 4 cycles. Don't let that scare you and don't react to it by shooting more insulin. This sugar dump will clear out of his system by itself.

Since these two things are happening at the same time I think I would start over at 1 unit. Now that you have gotten rid of the dry food, once he clears this bounce you will start seeing his new normal numbers and 1 unit should be a safe dose to start with.

You can shoot at your normal time tonight. But I would go with 1 unit.

Paws crossed for a steady rise for Loki.
 
Good job today, ladies! Michelle, you have survived your first low cycle with wonderful help from Robin.

I like going back to one unit and moving up in dose if you see numbers in the pinks and reds again. A bounce from the lower number today is definitely expected and as Robin says, stick with the lower dose even if he bounces high. My only caveat would be one unit tonight - IF he is at least at 200 by then. I think we would expect him to be, as he may shoot up after the lower cycle today, but just in case he surprises us - no shot under 200.
 
Hi again,
Loki +12 for this evening is at 252, he is eating and I did just give him 1 unit. Should I retest again tonight? Or just wait till his morning time?
 
Yes, I would get a before bed test tonight to see where he is headed.

If he is higher you can sleep well, if he is dropping hard and fast like he did today you can feed to bring him up.

The good news is that he didn't bounce up really high.
 
Ok thanks so much, will test before I go to bed. I am just wondering if in the am if I have to stick to the 1 unit rule for now but will post also in the morning
Thanks so much for getting me though this day.
 
No problem. :-D

I think for tomorrow I would stick with the same as we did today. No shot if he is 200 or under at AMPS and 1 unit if he is over 200.

I'll check back in the morning too.
 
What a great day - look at those lovely greens on your spreadsheet. And the pmps is also very nice. I hope you read the topic of your thread again - I think it's time to change it and start a new topic. No giving up here. You and Loki are doing great!

We'll watch for your post tomorrow if you need dose advice. Just no insulin under 200. If you get a number a little below 200, wait 20 minutes without feeding and retest. (go in another room so they won't bite your ankles :mrgreen: ). If he has moved up into the 200s, you could shot one unit or a tiny bit less. The rationale for waiting and retesting is to be sure he is moving up, not down, and above that 200 level.

Amazing how taking away that little bit of dry has made such a big difference! You'll need to share that with newbies who still want to feed a few crunchies.
 
Michelle,
If you see this, post the number before bedtime.

You did great today managing the low numbers, and I'm very happy that Robin was here to walk you through it! You were in good hands. :-D

Carl
 
Ok just checked him again, he has had it with me LOL but he is a trooper and did not give me any problems, he is at 238 right now. So, am I right in thinking he is safe till the AM?
I feel like I should tell you all to go to bed LOL and rest after this day I am exhausted with this but in a good way.
 
This was +2.5 hours or so after the shot?
I think it's a good looking number. :smile:
Yes, if you would normally give him a snack, you can do that. But you should be good to go till AMPS.
I was hoping you'd see my note and post the number, more to satisfy my curiosity than anything else ;-) Of course, if it was a 110, I would have gulped and stayed up late with you!

Carl
 
Not a bad number at all. Nice to see he didn't really bounce much. It will be interesting to see if he is one of the kitties who tend to have a flat higher cycle as a bounce after a low day.

So now the plan is to get midcycle numbers and see how the one unit works for a few cycles. (I'd vote for two days. What do others think?). If he isn't as low as you want, you consider a small increase.

Keep the dry food away. See if he won't embrace the wet and those lovely chicken treats. Looking good, Michelle.
 
Re: I am so confused and I think I am giving up(Good Update)

Hi, ok will do his +6 check and post here. I do have a question though; have to go out tonight and won't be home till probably 1 hr after his +12 check, is 1 hr late that bad?
 
Hey, you get to have a life. :mrgreen: He will probably be higher than we would like, but it's just one shot, one cycle. You can get back on track.
 
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