Grayson & Lu
Very Active Member
Good Super Bowl Sunday to all!
I've been a silent observer until last night, It's thanks to Kim and many of you that my boy is doing so well after his diagnosis January 3, 2012.
Grayson was a strapping 21.6 pounds last June when he had his annual tune-up. I'd been trying to cut him back, but his appetite was ravenous... as well as his thirst, evidenced in the size of his pee pies. He also looked like an exploding teddy bear, as his soft gray coat was about triple thickness w/ dandruff, and the walls and floors looked like he'd burst.
When I returned from visiting family at Christmas, he looked like he'd lost 5 pounds. In to the vet and w/ BG of 451, he was confirmed as diabetic. I'm fortunate to have kept an e-mail inviting everyone to vote for some sugar cats to be on a calendar. One return e-mail w/ 20 questions resulted in a return phone call w/ 40 answers, and Grayson and I started on our journey.
We changed from the Kitt-N-Kaboodle he loved to Fancy Feast Classics per Kim's recommendation... and his numbers dropped (although he was still sneaking some kibble). His weight has since stabilized at 14 (where he belonged). I picked up a Relion meter & supplies, watched the videos, and eventually went on a field trip or two to practice poking. Since Grayson was determined NOT to be a bleeder, his fellow siblings became my guinea pigs! That helped considerably, as it was over a week before I was able to get him to bleed successfully. That was absolutely the worst frustration I've experienced with him. Happy to say that we've gotten through that, and although he still isn't a good bleeder, we are successful in getting enough for his tests.
We started 1.0 units of PZI on January 13th when he was holding in the 400s. As his numbers started to change, I was still VERY frustrated; no rhyme or reason, it seemed. After a week or two, I started seeing the PZI bringing him down for more than 12 hours. Sometimes +15, sometimes +21.5... and then BG only 250 or so. I started doing half and 3/4 units, as I was afraid to have him drop too low. So far so good.
As I read the posts of people having difficulty getting the blood, I can only reiterate the advise I had and have seen here: be patient and don't give up. Grayson and I are proof it gets easier. And now we test - a lot - sometimes as many as 9 or more times a day. Poor guy looks like he should have some tattoos to go w/ all his piercings, but he's been an awesome little trooper through all of this. Even let (with some reluctance) Kim shoot him once when I was outa town.
Haven't updated his spreadsheet recently, but will upload soon. Thanks to Kim & all that provided the assistance that got me over the hump! And if anyone can offer advise on micro-dosing, I think Grayson might be one that stays in the "less than 1.0" category - unless we stay with the inconsistent cycles and too broad of a range.
I've been a silent observer until last night, It's thanks to Kim and many of you that my boy is doing so well after his diagnosis January 3, 2012.
Grayson was a strapping 21.6 pounds last June when he had his annual tune-up. I'd been trying to cut him back, but his appetite was ravenous... as well as his thirst, evidenced in the size of his pee pies. He also looked like an exploding teddy bear, as his soft gray coat was about triple thickness w/ dandruff, and the walls and floors looked like he'd burst.
When I returned from visiting family at Christmas, he looked like he'd lost 5 pounds. In to the vet and w/ BG of 451, he was confirmed as diabetic. I'm fortunate to have kept an e-mail inviting everyone to vote for some sugar cats to be on a calendar. One return e-mail w/ 20 questions resulted in a return phone call w/ 40 answers, and Grayson and I started on our journey.
We changed from the Kitt-N-Kaboodle he loved to Fancy Feast Classics per Kim's recommendation... and his numbers dropped (although he was still sneaking some kibble). His weight has since stabilized at 14 (where he belonged). I picked up a Relion meter & supplies, watched the videos, and eventually went on a field trip or two to practice poking. Since Grayson was determined NOT to be a bleeder, his fellow siblings became my guinea pigs! That helped considerably, as it was over a week before I was able to get him to bleed successfully. That was absolutely the worst frustration I've experienced with him. Happy to say that we've gotten through that, and although he still isn't a good bleeder, we are successful in getting enough for his tests.
We started 1.0 units of PZI on January 13th when he was holding in the 400s. As his numbers started to change, I was still VERY frustrated; no rhyme or reason, it seemed. After a week or two, I started seeing the PZI bringing him down for more than 12 hours. Sometimes +15, sometimes +21.5... and then BG only 250 or so. I started doing half and 3/4 units, as I was afraid to have him drop too low. So far so good.
As I read the posts of people having difficulty getting the blood, I can only reiterate the advise I had and have seen here: be patient and don't give up. Grayson and I are proof it gets easier. And now we test - a lot - sometimes as many as 9 or more times a day. Poor guy looks like he should have some tattoos to go w/ all his piercings, but he's been an awesome little trooper through all of this. Even let (with some reluctance) Kim shoot him once when I was outa town.
Haven't updated his spreadsheet recently, but will upload soon. Thanks to Kim & all that provided the assistance that got me over the hump! And if anyone can offer advise on micro-dosing, I think Grayson might be one that stays in the "less than 1.0" category - unless we stay with the inconsistent cycles and too broad of a range.
