LB15/7 238 Amps 215 +5 119 +11

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Anyname

Anyname

Member Since 2010
Little Boy doing better for 2 days. He maybe eating too much - which means he is putting all the lost weight back on - and making it more difficult for him to respond better to 4.24 units x twice daily. Lower weight is better isn't it?

I know the policy of the group on testing more often. I guess I am not totally on board because on days that he's already high @ +10 I don't want to do more damage to his ear by testing him again at PMPS. I rather do a test before bed time (help me know whether he's ok for the night). While he's not changing much I do less tests. I think the +10 test is a good indication of what PMPs will be. I caught a nice low number at +10 today after we had been out for a few hours and hence no food. Realised I should test and not wait till PMPs. Although my choice isn't strict adherence I'm doing a lot more than the average person whose cat is dx for diabetes. Little Boy has had amazing quality of life since dx. He's never eaten so well in his life. If he stabilizes at lower numbers I will test more often.

I am mostly posting for some kind hearted person to give me their opinion based on the data that I have. If you can't give an opinion from the numbers I have then don't worry.

I find the group a bit difficult to fit in with but still feel I need some support.

thanx
 
Hi there! I do see improvement in Little Boy's preshot numbers. No pinks for the last couple of days and a pretty blue at AM +10. This gentle insulin does take patience but you are getting there. And if LB is feeling good and looks good... well that's terrific.

I understand about the testing. When a kitty is higher after a few tests in a cycle you don't have to be testing every hour or anything! We sometimes call it 'save a strip day' because you already have a good idea of what the range will be. Just make sure to get the preshots, I wouldn't ever skip those tests because you really want to know where he is just before you give him his shot. Maybe if you tested earlier in the cycle then you'd feel more comfortable testing at preshot time? So far I doubt if there has been any dramatic drops that would be worrisome, but when Little Boy's dose gets closer to the 'right' dose you will need to be very careful that he is within a safe range. (I know you already know that, I saw where you said you'd test more when he gets some green, but in case someone very new is reading....)

Then get some random spot checks during the cycles as you can. The spot checks don't have to be the same times every day. Change it up so when you look at several days results you can see the bigger picture. You know what I mean?

Sure it would be great if we all tested every hour everyday and then there would be no guessing. But that is almost impossible for most of us! Plus I don't think the kitty would be that happy about being interrupted from napping, playing or eating to get tested. :lol:

What are you thinking about regarding LB's dose? I do see that beautiful 97 and the blue 119. These are good signs. I hope you catch a few more pretty numbers like this. After that 97, it looks like he bounced a bit. Some kitties take up to 2 or 3 days to clear a bounce and I can't quite tell how long Little Boy is taking. But we'll figure it out eventually.

Hang in there, I think he will do even better as time goes on and the right dose kicks in for him.

I'm super happy to hear you say his quality of life is so great, that is what's most important!

Now I'm going back to bed... yawn... It's 5:30 am here...
 
Thanks for your reply. Its a bit lonely without a bit of affirmation from time to time.
I think I probably need to hang at the current dose a bit longer. I also think that I need to cut down the food intake as it may be fuelling higher numbers. He's a gutz. I had some clumpsy testing sessions recently so his ears are a bit mangled -it's winter and cold ears don't bleed as well (even though we try to warm them up before testing). Just need a couple of days for them to recover. In himself he's very good. He's got some "attitude" back. He was really annoyed that I wouldn't feed him yesterday so he went and sat facing the wall. The body language said it all. I laughed out loud and told him not to be such a baby! He is more like his old self. I will come for advice this time next week - hopefully things will look even better by then. nailbite_smile
 
I test a lot -- take a look at our SS. And I test only on one of Gabby's ears. On occasion, there may be a slight bruise but overall, frequent testing should not be a problem. There are fewer nerve endings in the ear so you are really not harming LB.

Just because you get a high +10 or +11 doesn't mean that the pre-shot number will be high. There are times that numbers can be dropping and having the late cycle test AND the pre-shot test will tell you that. And, like CD mentioned, as LB is better regulated, you need to know what the pre-shot test is in order to insure that it's safe to give insulin. I always remember what I read when I first came to the board -- if this were a child, would you shoot blind? It's no different for your kitty.

How is LB's weight? You might want to take a look at how many calories he's consuming given what his ideal weight should be so you can decide whether he's getting too much food. Being overweight is a risk factor for diabetes but you also don't want to under feed your kitty unless weight loss is the goal. Dr. Lisa Pierson's feline nutritionwebsite uses this formula to calculate calories:
Required calories per day = [13.6 X optimal lean body weight in pounds] + 70​
 
I am loving to see LB with such nice numbers; you are doing a great job!

I had to laugh at the facing the wall comment; Oliver pouts every morn because he sees I am up at 5am but he can't seem to convince me to feed him till after his shot at 6am. So he pouts and goes to sit someplace facing away from me :lol: I know it's hard, but it's best.

So, about the ps testing .... I can NEVER miss those because Oliver has a late nadir and he will sometimes just keep dropping, at +12 and even after! So please be sure to get that ps test, making it no sooner than 15min before shot time.

I also test alot, but the testing definitely gives info about how the insulin is acting. The lanect holders I have can be adjusted, so maybe if you have the same, you can adjust the setting so that it does not poke as deeply. It's strange about the ear temps; Oliver had much thicker ears and they are always toasty warm. Cold ears for him are an oddity. With Shadoe, her ears are paper thin and NEVER warm, but I can get enough of a drop from her anyways. Another thing is that I have to poke her on the outside of the ear flap but Oliver is better if I poke him on the underside of the earflap.
It's true every single one is different!

I am also trying to cut back on the amount of food that Oliver eats as he does not need to gain any more. What I do is decide on a daily total to feed him, then divide it up into 4 or maybe 5 equal meals. That way he is eating more often, but not as much. You could try that too ... give smaller portion but more often, just to see how LB likes it. Maybe there will be less facing the wall!
 
thanks for all the comments.

I think I need to work out how many cals he needs and divide the meals into portions. Good idea. (though I doubt that LB will agree with it) :o
 
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