(((Mary)))
We can all relate to how frustrated and dispirited you feel right now. Try to remind yourself that it took time for Marmalade's body to run at too high a BG level and it will take time for his system to be 'retrained' to recognise and be comfortable with healthier BG levels. (Easier said than done, I know only too well.)
May I recommend a set of super-duper Patience Pants! (We do a roaring trade in these here at FDMB.
)
I feel like no matter how much or little insulin I give marmalade he is still not having decent numbers ...
I just had a quick gander at Marmalade's spreadsheet. While there's not yet much data it is clear that his BG does lower in response to the Vetsulin. Indeed he showed a HUGE drop of over 400 points (yikes!) between AMPS and +6.25 on 17 December. If he's been doing similar drops that you haven't caught with testing then his BG might be bouncing a bit in response. (Note: It may take a few days for a bounce to clear; speculating here, but some bounciness may account for the quieter, 'flatter' cycles with just yellow mid-cycle BG levels).
Note also that Vetsulin's peak period of effect where you are most likely to catch a nadir BG is
typically anywhere between +2 and +7 (on average nadir is likeliest around the +3 to +4 mark). If you are in a position to grab a test during these times it would give you a better picture of how low the Vetsulin is taking Marmalade. Vetsulin can really yank numbers down early in a cycle but again
typically it does not have sufficient duration of effect in cats to keep BG down for more than a few hours mid-cycle, and BG starts to rise steeply again in the second half of the cycle. Commonly by +8 the dose is all but worn off. (FYI, Vetsulin is marketed under the brand name Caninsulin in the UK. The clue's in the name; it was initially used for treatment of canine diabetes and, because they have a slower metabolism than cats, this insulin has a much better duration in droolers. That said, some cats do well on Vetsulin; there's no 'one size fits all' when it comes to diabetes treatment.)
Fret not! Keep up with testing and recording your results in your spreadsheet and keep a close eye on Marmalade's evening nadirs (get a before bed test each night for safety - he may be a kitty that tends to run lower on the PM cycle). When you have a little more data you and your vet will be able to assess the general trend(s) in Marmalade's response. Remember that, should Vetsulin not do the trick, there are other longer-acting insulins available for kitties. It takes time, but it
does get better.
Mogs
.
Check out my kitty's spreadsheet. He had high, flat numbers for quite a while & I'm finally starting to see some blues & I got a green a few days ago. But he's back in the yellows again so I just increased today & hoping this dose might give us more than 1 day of greens. Keep at it! It definitely takes time.