? Is L&L possible with a rocky schedule?

Panic

Panic

Member Since 2019
Hey all, while my girl does decently on ProZinc she's extremely bounce-prone and I wonder if Lantus or Levemir would help even her out... My problem is I need wiggle room with her cycles.

I keep her on 9AM/PM schedule.
I work evening shifts 2-3 days a week and usually get back between 9:05 - 9:15.
One day a week I have to be out of the house early, so she gets her shot around 8:15.

I usually break it up by 20-30 min increments to get on/off track. I cannot alter my schedule any closer, the early morning one day a week is what I base everything around because it's unavoidable. I technically would be getting home closer to 10 PM but after much pleading at work I got permitted to leave as early as I do now, and they've made it clear it's a pain for them. I would love to swap her to probably Lantus, since Levemir can have a later nadir that might be difficult for me to be home for. I know choosing insulin type depends as much on the caregiver's schedule as well as the cat, so I'm just wondering...what's the better option for us? She's not doing poorly on ProZinc and I really appreciate that 1 hour wiggle room, but Lantus might suit her better. Is it possible with my schedule or would it be too difficult? How do you 12 hour shift people do it!
 
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I work 12 hour shifts at the hospital and had a similar question the other day. I had decided to try and be no more than 30 mins late in a 12 hour cycle. I work from 7PM til 7AM overnight. On the nights I work, I do his shot at 6:45 as I am running out of the door. I try to get home around 7:15AM, but lately I haven't been able to make it in the door until closer to 7:20 which means he gets his shot closer to 7:25 AM. I do the best I can. He also has a late nadir on the Lantus, so...you mentioned not wanting Levemir due to that but ... I think every cat is different and as they say on the boards here- 'The best insulin for your cat is the one that works best for them'

here was our convo the other day about being late on dosing
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...pmps-231-w-snack-4-5-164.222473/#post-2487303
 
Thank you for linking your thread! How many days in a week are you late in your cycles may I ask? And how do you adjust for the evening when you need to leave early? Being late wouldn't bother me as much as needing to shoot early. :confused:

How late is Makoto's nadir? That's true Lantus could still give a later nadir, I just wouldn't want to encourage it xD Right now her nadir is between +5 and +6 and the days I work I don't have to leave until +6 so it's handy.
 
Panic said:
Thank you for linking your thread! How many days in a week are you late in your cycles may I ask? And how do you adjust for the evening when you need to leave early? Being late wouldn't bother me as much as needing to shoot early. :confused:

How late is Makoto's nadir? That's true Lantus could still give a later nadir, I just wouldn't want to encourage it xD Right now her nadir is between +5 and +6 and the days I work I don't have to leave until +6 so it's handy.
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I work 4 days a week usually. I end up giving him his shot 15 mins early and running to work at 6:45 PM. On days that I am off, we have gone to a 7AM/7PM shooting time, but that is a recent change. I was at 6:30 and 6:30 but I was moving his shot times around too much it seemed. This way, ideally I would be 15 mins early and then 15-20 minutes late on the days I work but nothing like the hour plus it was before. That's tough though if you have to be out of the house by 8:15 sometimes.
We just changed his dose so I am doing a curve this evening , but his number has been lower +6 through +9 overnight. That's nicer if you have a known and somewhat predictable low point in the cycle.
 
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Si am cat mom said:
I work 4 days a week usually. I end up giving him his shot 15 mins early and running to work at 6:45 PM. On days that I am off, we have gone to a 7AM/7PM shooting time, but that is a recent change. I was at 6:30 and 6:30 but I was moving his shot times around too much it seemed. This was, ideally I would be 15 mins early and then 15-20 minutes late on the days I work but nothing like the hour plus it was before. That's tough though if you have to be out of the house by 8:15 sometimes.
We just changed his dose so I am doing a curve this evening , but his number has been lower +6 through +9 overnight. That's nicer if you have a known and somewhat predictable low point in the cycle.
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Ah I see, so if I'm understanding right 15 min increments are fine but no more than 30 min changes a day total?
Yes that 8:15 shot is what makes everything difficult. It would be nicer if my entire schedule was early or late, but not both. >.<

I did break it down to see what kind of schedule she would ideally have each week:

Sunday - 8:45 AM | 9:00 PM
Monday - 9:00 AM | 9:00 PM
Tuesday - 9:00 AM | 9:15 PM*
Wednesday - 9:00 AM | 9:00 PM
Thursday - 9:00 AM | 9:15 PM*
Friday: 9:00 AM | 8:45 PM
Saturday - 8:15 AM | 8:30 PM**

* evening work day
** early leave day

@MrWorfMen's Mom do you think switching her is a good idea initially or should I stick to ProZinc?
 
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It looks like you have a good plan for shot scheduling and I think Lantus is worth a try. The gentler curve might be just the ticket to get Panic into better numbers and stop some of the bouncing. I've seen folks suggest they have shot up to an hour early or late with no discernable effect but that would be an individual cat thing. If you shoot early or late by 40 minutes vs. 30 minutes, I don't think you need to be overly concerned.

If you try the Lantus and find the schedule too difficult, you can always switch back so I'd say give it a try.
 
Thank you for your input! That's true, I can always go back if needed. I have another month maybe of my current vial so I'll do some studying before then and bring it up with her vet. :)
 
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