Introducing Myself

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Tony (Sorry -- I just can't talk to you through your cat):

There are several very basic points that people have been noting if you want to successfully use Lev. To summarize:

• Lev and Prozinc are entirely different types of insulin. You cannot treat Lev like Prozinc and expect good results. Fundamentally, you need to forget everything you learned about insulin and think very differently about using Lev. Lev dosing is based on the nadir, not on your pre-shot BG number.
• Because the dose is based on the nadir, you do not use a sliding scale for dosing. The dose is the dose until either a dose reduction is indicated (i.e., numbers drop below 50 if Bagheera is within a year of diagnosis or below 40 if your cat is a longer term diabetic) or if, after 3 days, a dose increase is warranted.
• Pre-shot tests tell you if it's safe to shoot. You also need to start getting some spot checks during the cycle. Again, dosing decisions are based on the nadir. If you don't know how low the numbers are actually going, you can't keep Bagheera safe nor do you know if the dose needs to be adjusted. I'd suggest you use the spreadsheet that we all use to keep track of your data.
• Lev is a depot-type insulin. Prozinc is not. The effect of Lev is cumulative. By adjusting the dose every cycle, all you are doing is insuring that you are going to get very wonky numbers.
• A canned food diet is preferable. Cats are obligate carnivores -- they do not need anything besides protein and certain supplements. Cats do not eat dry food in the wild. There's no reason to give dried food. All it does is elevate BG numbers.
• If you're still giving Greenies as treats, they are very high in carbs. Most of us use either freeze dried chicken (or other protein), jerky style treats, or cooked chicken (or steak or shrimp or whatever is compatible with your budget) as treats.

 

[bagheerathediabeticcat]

I'd just like to suggest that for Bagheera's benefit, we start to talk to Tony. Thanks

Perhaps Bagheera can convince his human to start a thread in the TR insulin support group for the serious talk?

I have to admit this thread has been a lot of fun, but I guess there is a very serious issue here.

I was hoping to get more expert opinions on the starting dose. So perhaps we should see if Bagheera can check if his human will start a new thread here something like "Changing Protocol: What dose do I need?" and get a full guru pow wow going with the human?

What do you think Bagheera, think your human would go for that? :razz:

If he doesn't, I will bite him. I have ways to make him do what I want. Heh heh heh. I made him go and post to the Levemir forum.

Marje and Gracie, what my human has done is create a persona for me on the internet. He needs to keep it consistent across all the web properties to make it most effective.

Here, you will talk to other humans about feline diabetes. But on the internet in general, if it was him, and not me, it wouldn't work as well. People who are not informed about feline diabetes will just blow off a message from a human. They will say, there's some crazy cat person talking about his cat.

But when it comes from the cat, they think, awwww, what a cute cat.

We want to create awareness of feline diabetes so that people don't think that a diagnosis of diabetes is a death sentence. My human came up with the idea after many of his friends told them there was no way they would deal with what he has to do for me. They basically said they'd let their furiends die!

You do not have to play along. You can write to my human. He may respond as me, but it will get the message across to him.

 

[bagheerathediabeticcat]

Tony (Sorry -- I just can't talk to you through your cat):

There are several very basic points that people have been noting if you want to successfully use Lev. To summarize:

• Lev and Prozinc are entirely different types of insulin. You cannot treat Lev like Prozinc and expect good results. Fundamentally, you need to forget everything you learned about insulin and think very differently about using Lev. Lev dosing is based on the nadir, not on your pre-shot BG number.
• Because the dose is based on the nadir, you do not use a sliding scale for dosing. The dose is the dose until either a dose reduction is indicated (i.e., numbers drop below 50 if Bagheera is within a year of diagnosis or below 40 if your cat is a longer term diabetic) or if, after 3 days, a dose increase is warranted.
• Pre-shot tests tell you if it's safe to shoot. You also need to start getting some spot checks during the cycle. Again, dosing decisions are based on the nadir. If you don't know how low the numbers are actually going, you can't keep Bagheera safe nor do you know if the dose needs to be adjusted. I'd suggest you use the spreadsheet that we all use to keep track of your data.
• Lev is a depot-type insulin. Prozinc is not. The effect of Lev is cumulative. By adjusting the dose every cycle, all you are doing is insuring that you are going to get very wonky numbers.
• A canned food diet is preferable. Cats are obligate carnivores -- they do not need anything besides protein and certain supplements. Cats do not eat dry food in the wild. There's no reason to give dried food. All it does is elevate BG numbers.
• If you're still giving Greenies as treats, they are very high in carbs. Most of us use either freeze dried chicken (or other protein), jerky style treats, or cooked chicken (or steak or shrimp or whatever is compatible with your budget) as treats.

You don't have to talk to me. You can address everything to my human. He will read it and process it with his human head. Supposedly it's smarter than my feline head, but sometimes I wonder. For example, tonight, it was raining, and Jacey and I stayed inside, and wanted nothing to do with the balcony. Well, my human INSISTED on going to exercise, and didn't take an umbrella with him, and he came back all wet. Jacey and I looked at him like, you silly human.

I had him go back and look at all the blood sugar readings he has for me, going all the way back to August. From what you said, about dropping the dosing levels if my blood sugar drops below 50, that does not have to be done. And looking at my recent readings, maybe a dosing increase is warranted?

I'll see if my human can get a third, or even fourth, reading, during the day. It will not be something he does on a daily basis, but every now and then he will. Did you see the screen capture of the spreadsheet he does for the vet? Is that something which will be helpful?

I will follow Dale 'n' Chip's advice. I will start a new thread to get specific about my dosing.