Linus 4/10-4/11 WTH?

[Dragonfly229]

I haven't been home during the day to get any kind of nadir, and am getting barely enough sleep as it is, so haven't been checking at night. Linus has me seeing RED the last two days. Pre shots in the 400's. The best number I've seen was a 275 at +3 yesterday.

What the heck could he be getting into? We don't have any close neighbors, so eating another cat's food isn't an issue. I'm picking up the dog food or making sure it's eaten. The horse's grain in the garage is covered. We're trying not to leave anything on the counter he could eat. I sure haven't seen any numbers in the past to make me think he is bouncing - he's never been that low.

I will do my best to get some other numbers, I should get a +9 at 5:00 tomorrow morning, and a +8 tomorrow afternoon as I'm running in and out.

Any ideas what he could be finding to eat, or why he has these high numbers all of a sudden? I was feeling like we were making some real progress, and then reality happened. I feel another dose increase coming, and I was hoping not to go there.

 

[Jenn & Baxter]

Hi Sue,

I know how setting the alarm & all the testing can be very exhausting. Hang in there.
Is there anyway you can get some more testing in on the weekend. I have read that's when many members do their curves & dose adjustments.

Here is one thing I noticed about Linus SS....the times you are shooting. Some days he goes longer without insulin then others. If I am reading the SS right. If you can try to only leave 12 hours between each shot. I know if I get off Baxters schedule he has crazy numbers.

Have you had Linus teeth cleaned recently? Teeth play a important role in health. If cats teeth are dirty then there is a high level of bacteria in there system which can cause high BG.
What about infections? Is it possible he has some type of infection somewhere?
What about constipation? It can cause stress on the body & raise BG.

Maybe this will help.
Just a few things to think about.

 

[Dragonfly229]

I got up in the night, so went ahead and tested at +5.5 and got 258, so slightly better. +9.5 was 333.

Linus was at the vet in January when diagnosed - at that time teeth were ok, don't know if the soft diet may lead to more plaque buildup but I'll check to see if they look bad. He is acting fine, eating, etc. He is spending more time outside due to the good weather and not using his litter box, so I've not been able to test for ketones and have no idea about constipation. I could close him in the house all day, but the bathroom is the only option for that, and he really likes being outside. He goes out the dog door, so no way to just shut him in unless I shut them in, too.

As far as the schedule - we are doing our best. I'm a 911 dispatcher and work some really odd hours. Today, for instance, I had to be at work at 6:00am, husband and son leave the house at 7:30 for school and work. My son has a track meet tonight an hour+ away from home that probably won't end until 7:00pm, and we will stop and grab dinner on the way home, so I know his shot tonight will be late - hopefully not too late because we start over tomorrow morning with the same times, and am shot has to be before 7:30.

Sorry if I sound defensive. I had just hoped that by now his numbers would be tolerable and we would be cruising somewhat. Instead, I can't seem to make a difference.

 

[Blue]

Linus was at the vet in January when diagnosed - at that time teeth were ok, don't know if the soft diet may lead to more plaque buildup but I'll check to see if they look bad.

The soft diet is not bad for the teeth; it's better than any of the dry. Did you see the info on Dr. Lisa's site?
Feeding Your Cat: Know The Basics of Feline Nutrition

There is no need to apologize for your schedule; I am sure you are doing your best, but if you wanted to post the difficulties, like late shots, etc, I bet the others using the same insulin as you may have some helpful suggestions.

When looking at his ss, you did get that nice blue 112 on 1.6u and the 191 & 91 on 1.8u, so maybe he's bouncing and might do better back at 1.8? It's just a guess, but with the 400s around ps, it might be that Linus is bouncing quite low while you are away and can't test.

I have not used your insulin, so I am sure those more familiar will have good suggestions for you.

 

[Jenn & Baxter]

It's so easy to get so frustrated at this. You are doing a good job for the busy schedule you keep.

Sounds like you have a very interesting job. I bet you have some stories about calls.

I don't know if this will work for you, but when I know I am going to be late on a shot or need to be early I will start back up 30 minutes each day until that day comes. Then I'm on that time I need.
So the hours apart even out.
Not to long ago I had the mind set of I will shot Baxter before he gets to high. Well that back fired. He was going longer without insulin on one cycle & not even 12 hrs on the other cycle. It caused crazy numbers.

One thing to remember is when you need to shoot early that is like a dose increase. So you might want to shave a little off from the dosing amount. When you shoot late that is like a dose decrease.
I hope that makes sense.

So tonight you will test, feed & shot @ around 9?
Morning you need to test, feed, shot @ 7?
If so then shave off a little from each dosing because you are only 10 hrs apart with the insulin. Insulin will still be in Linus system in the morning. So you don't want to give him the full dose.

I hope this helps.