Kitty 6/1

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kse

kse

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A morning of good and bad!

First the bad (or not so good)---- amps 421-- shot 4 units

Now the Good-- she woke me up last night playing with her toy mouse! She ran to the back door this morning, wanting to go out with me to get the paper. Her appetite is good and she is grooming on the sun porch as I type.

So, my assessment-- I hate the preshot, but love the whole cat picture!

She will get fluids today. I am out of fluids, so I need to go to the vet to get some. I am going to try to talk to the vet about the numbers. But, I know the answer-- "don't worry Kitty is old and she seems to feel well. As long as she is kept between 200 and 400, you will be okay. Quit testing so much. You worry too much Kim-- she is fine. Cathy, will you please check Kim out? Debit or Credit?!"

I did update the ss--doesn't really look like it matters what I shoot--it all looks the same, except on the 2 units prior to DKA.
 
Nice whole cat report. Ugg on the PS.

Is it possible to get that great vet tech, who did such a great job of taking care of Kitty while you were gone, to come over and get the mid cycle tests for you. That would sure give you some peace of mind while trying to regulate Kitty.

It's sad that you already know what the vet is going to say before you even get there.

Have a great day.
 
The Vet tech works as a dental assistant during the week and at the vet on the weekends--so, I can't get any help there during the day.

I might can get a spot check today at lunch. I would feel better if I just knew she was coming down mid cycle. This will sound crazy--but, it is almost like I am scared to test, because I don't won't to see the 300s or 400s mid cycle on 4 units. That just makes me think something is really wrong. I know that is crazy, but.....

I might see if I can get another tech to come in a sit with her one day, the whole day, and curve her. I am certain there is someone I could hire to come in--and Kitty likes company.

I was really hoping the dry MD was the culprit. But, that is up now. I can't see that there are any outside things that can be in play, except of course--age, arthritis and inflamation.

Oh well--maybe today will be better.

Thanks for the continued support!
 
It is discouraging to see the high numbers, but the whole cat report is important. If she is active, playing and seems to be feeling good, that is a bonus. It would be great to get some mid cycle numbers if possible.

I do wonder how much pain (from the arthritis) plays into the picture. I know with Laura and Harley that pain was an issue. I haven't seen if he is doing a whole lot better on Levemir. Wonder if human diabetic numbers are influenced by pain....

Darn, I was hoping the dry food would be the bad guy also.
 
According to my vet (did I just say that outloud? :lol: ) pain does play a part in raising their bg's and also effects their quality of life. Before the Adequan injections Harley couldn't/wouldn't jump up on the bed or couch, he would climb up in stages but now he jumps just fine and he even forgets that his hind legs don't bend so well and tries to trot down the hall like he used to do, its very awkward and clumsy and makes me laugh but he has come that far. Knowing that they are happy and feeling good is also important.

I was hoping the dry food was the culprit too, so now we investigate other angles. How are her teeth? The infection is cleared up, right? Starting the Dasequin will help with the joint pain.

Scarry as it may be those mid cycle tests, no matter what they are, will tell you which direction to go, so they are important to know. I like your idea of getting a vet tech over to do a curve one day.
 
Teeth are bad-- I asked the vet about cleaning them etc, and she said we aren't going there.

I am on my way now to get the fluids.

Okay, I just went by the house and took a deep breath and got a +6 test-- 273--- about 150 point drop. Her nadir is normally around +8.

After the test she ran (literally) in the den and got on the couch. She acts like she feels good! I like running!
 
She has so many issues that you can't control. You might just take a deep breath and figure you will raise the dose until she gets into regulated numbers and settle there, figuring that is a pretty good quality of life considering everything else she has going on. It does seem to be the cats who have multiple issues that need to be on insulin longer than any of the others. As long as Kitty is happy, everyone is happy? :mrgreen:
 
Got a +6-- 273

Thanks for encouraging me Robin!

You wouldn't believe what a normally strong person I am, and how hard this is on me.
 
I LOVE the whole kitty report

I know it makes me so happy when Shakes gets up and talks and tries to be active
Its great to see them like that!

Hold on to that

I also hate to see the 400;s but the whole cat is good!

hang in there!

Denise and Shakes
 
((((Kim)))) It's scarry and sooo hard on us because we love them so much.

Yay for running, Yay for 150 point drop.

You should hear me some days at work barking orders, making snap decisions on the fly, then I go home and wring my hands over shooting .6u or .8u, ugg.
 
kse said:
I am going to try to talk to the vet about the numbers. But, I know the answer-- "don't worry Kitty is old and she seems to feel well. As long as she is kept between 200 and 400, you will be okay. Quit testing so much. "
Click to expand...

That's about what I'm getting from my vet! I really don't see how they can say you're testing too much! If I wasn't testing Thumper she probably would have hypo'd by now.

I love that she was playing with her mouse & running. That is a good sign!
 
Well if consistency was the goal, we'd be perfect today!

pmps 421-- same as amps

She got fluids tonight, sometimes that lowers her bg.
 
Running & playing is AWESOME!!!!! Although we can get very perfectionistic here, there really is something to what your vet says (although it used to annoy me when my vet would say stuff like that!!!). If she is happy and due to other health issues you aren't really expecting any OTJ miracle, there is nothing wrong IMO with taking a low key approach and just trying to avoid the mega highs and lows.

Once Bix was at a point where I knew he was going downhill from other things and it was just about trying to keep some quality of life, I really stopped the extensive testing, and just got PSs and a few spot tests here & there, and didn't worry about it. I didn't try to hit perfect #s, and I didn't stress no matter what numbers I got. I just tried to keep enough insulin in him that I thought he would be in comfortable numbers and not feeling worse from the diabetes. He tended to get long duration and was not a zoomer at that point, so I just went with SID (or less often), and didn't worry about it too much. Others might not do it that way, but to me you have to see what your goals are, and what QOL you think is best for you & for your cat. If you have a cat (just as an example) who HATES being tested and you know their time is limited, why push it beyond what you absolutely need to test for basic safety.

Last night I said I'd be more aggressive, but really that is only if that is what you are going for. If you want to get to steady blues & greens quickly then that's what I'd do. But if she is happy and comfortable and the odds of OTJ seem slim anyway, then I wouldn't worry about it really. I know that's not really the main theme of this board, but that's my POV.
 
The vet said she would be scary to put under anesthesia.

Kitty really looks good for her age and is very "with it" !

While I have never thought she would be an OTJ cat, I thought I could get her in better numbers. She acts and seems better than she has in a year. I just am frustrated by the numbers. If I wasn't testing, you couldn't convince me she wasn't regulated. She seems good.

I don't think she is in failing health. In fact, I think she is stable and if I could get her in better numbers I think she can have a good life for awhile. Her age is against her-- but overall she is a good looking senior cat.

Maybe the fluids will help tonight.
 
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