I found the main health forum, thank you Kris!!I suggested that Silvina move her post to this forum and the main health forum.
yes Im completing the last days, starting from today from the backFirst of all, Humulin R is the same thing as "rapid" that you've used before
You might just want to start a new spreadsheet.....if you can get the last 2 weeks or so worth of numbers in there, those are the most important....if you have time later, you can always go back and fill in the older numbers


Hi Silvina, read your post that was linked above on the main forum. I am not experienced in using either R or Levimir, we only have experience with Lantus and some with vestulin. But I wanted to come and offer support to you. I am so sorry for what you are going through. That's a lot for any one person to go through. Then to deal with your sweet kitty issues on top of everything just compounds the pressures. I feel for you Silvina and am sending prayers your way.
The only comment about your diabetes treatment that comes to mind is that I was under the impression that the R was used for high dose kitties and your kitty seems to have been on low doses of Levimir (never higher than 2Us) the entire time you have recorded on your spreadsheet. Did your vet recommend this insulin combo? Maybe you need to take the R out of the mix and stick with the longer acting insulin and follow one of the protocols recommended here: either tight regulation or start low go slow.
I am sure some of the more experienced members will be along shortly and can offer advice. Tagging @Wendy&Neko so she can offer advice when she comes along. I believe she is experienced in using R.
Another concern I have after looking at your SS is that your kitty went into DKA after 7 months of being on insulin and seeing a lot of blues and some greens on your SS. My vet had told me that kitties will likely not develop DKA again after being on insulin so this is a clear warning to me to keep testing my kitty for ketones (he also had DKA in the past). Your cat's DKA could have been contributed to by the other issues going on (dental, etc).
My heart goes out to you and I wish you the very best in getting this sorted out.
Good Luck!![]()
and of course thank you for your sweetnessHi Silvina, read your post that was linked above on the main forum. I am not experienced in using either R or Levimir, we only have experience with Lantus and some with vestulin. But I wanted to come and offer support to you. I am so sorry for what you are going through. That's a lot for any one person to go through. Then to deal with your sweet kitty issues on top of everything just compounds the pressures. I feel for you Silvina and am sending prayers your way.
The only comment about your diabetes treatment that comes to mind is that I was under the impression that the R was used for high dose kitties and your kitty seems to have been on low doses of Levimir (never higher than 2Us) the entire time you have recorded on your spreadsheet. Did your vet recommend this insulin combo? Maybe you need to take the R out of the mix and stick with the longer acting insulin and follow one of the protocols recommended here: either tight regulation or start low go slow.
I am sure some of the more experienced members will be along shortly and can offer advice. Tagging @Wendy&Neko so she can offer advice when she comes along. I believe she is experienced in using R.
Another concern I have after looking at your SS is that your kitty went into DKA after 7 months of being on insulin and seeing a lot of blues and some greens on your SS. My vet had told me that kitties will likely not develop DKA again after being on insulin so this is a clear warning to me to keep testing my kitty for ketones (he also had DKA in the past). Your cat's DKA could have been contributed to by the other issues going on (dental, etc).
My heart goes out to you and I wish you the very best in getting this sorted out.
Good Luck!![]()
Yes I loved Lysine, here in Argentina is extremely expensive but I will have to make the effort, since I have four cats at home and they may all be sharing the virus.I used R for J.D. and he was on a low dose of Levemir. I normally gave at the zero line or 0.1 of R when needed, and often it was too much or at the wrong time, but I did my best and it helped him.
Lysine might help Markies to combat the herpes. I use it whenever Jackson starts sneezing, and it helps him right away.
Typically the amount of R that is given is a lot LESS than the amount of Levemir. When Neko was on small amounts of Levemir (less than 1 unit), she was getting just drops of R. When she was on larger doses of Levemir (7 units), I was giving at most 0.5 units of R. It's possible your Levemir dose is too low, and the R dose too high. But we need a bit more data on the spreadsheet first.I normally gave at the zero line or 0.1 of R ".
Could you scroll down on my spread sheet and check what I have been doing with the dos of R and Levemir? I have been administering one complete unit of R (in a U100 syringe the one that charges 100 units) and also his for example 1 unit of Levemir in his U100 syringe (the one that charges 30 units)
I would shop around if you can. I have seen many different forms of lysine. I've just always used the ones I showed you in the link.Yes I loved Lysine, here in Argentina is extremely expensive but I will have to make the effort, since I have four cats at home and they may all be sharing the virus.
perfect!!!! I will copy this in my facebook notes"!!Typically the amount of R that is given is a lot LESS than the amount of Levemir. When Neko was on small amounts of Levemir (less than 1 unit), she was getting just drops of R. When she was on larger doses of Levemir (7 units), I was giving at most 0.5 units of R. It's possible your Levemir dose is too low, and the R dose too high. But we need a bit more data on the spreadsheet first.
When you give R, your goal is to lower the blood sugar no more than 100 points, or you will cause a fast drop that will lead to even more bouncing. And you need to test more often when you give R to see how it is working.
oh I see... just nothing to do with what Im doing... Im doing a real mess.This is someone's version of 0.1 unitsI say that because not everyone's 0.1 unit is the same. You just do the best you can to be consistent.![]()
I called "at zero line", when I would push in the plunger hard on the empty syringe and then would continue holding the plunger in tightly as I inserted it into the vial, then I would release the plunger while the syringe was in the insulin vial and just a little tiny drop of insulin would fill the vacuum that was made when the plunger was released.
@Dyana do you know any cheap and good Lysine there in the US that can be easily bought? My brother and sister in law are skying not sure where, I think in the west side, so may be its cheaper than purchasing it here, obviously in case it doesn´t require prescription.I would shop around if you can. I have seen many different forms of lysine. I've just always used the ones I showed you in the link.

next blood work I will have him test for this. Yes at the very beggining he was test for thyroids, but not lately.It's possible that the places Dyana mentioned only carry Lysine online and not in their stores. If your brother can't find it at those places, tell him to check a store that sells nutritional supplements, like GNC or the Vitamin Shoppe. He should look for 500 mg capsules that have no ingredients besides Lysine.
Has Markies been tested for Hyper Thyroid? That can make a cat eat a lot and still lose weight.
Hang in there, Silvi. We'll do our best to help you and Markies.![]()
I know a lot of people here use NOW Lysine and get it from Amazon
The thing is that most of the or don´t ship to Argentina or shipping is even more expensive than the product
After this 6 cycles I should do a curve? Should I stop using Rapid?
Ok thank you Chris. I will hold the dose and try to avoind the Rapid, may be I see a change in the pinks and my anxiety goes down. Hopefully. Now Markies is desperate for food.. poor guy.. he keeps begging for food and he already ate. It´s 4.25 AM and I didn´t go to bed yet but I will in an hour or two.If you can, I'd get the Pre-shot tests and at least 1 mid-cycle on the AM cycle (like around +5 to +7) and then a "before bed" test on the PM cycle
If you absolutely can't do the daytime mid-cycle, try to always get the "before bed" test
If you can get a curve in, that's great, but we need to see at least 3-4 tests a day
I'd hold the dose for 6 cycles and post here as often as you can so we can just see how he's doing. You don't need to write a whole lot but we need to see updated spreadsheets as often as possible
Others may have better ideas for you about the rapid, but most people that use it here only use very tiny amounts, not 1-2 units (unless they've done a lot of testing and have learned how to use it effectively and correctly)
I'd stop it at least for a little while and see how he's doing in a few days
ok Chris, you may be of much help if you can tagg those people that are good at Rapid. I was just thinking that Markies was about four times on DKA so Im concerned that he ends this new high BG period having again something like this.1 unit is a HUGE amount of R
We usually start a .1....that's 1/10th of a unit (photo above) and do a lot of testing every hour the first several times we use it
If you want to consider using it again in a few days, let us know.....there are others here that have a lot more experience than I do using it. I'm not comfortable giving advice using R
Is there a veterinary dental specialist that you can take Markies for consultation and possible treatment?Markies mouth has gingivitis which some times bleeds at some spots.
The data you collect on the ss is critical in making the best dosing decisions, especially when adding R as a bolus to the Levimir. Can you bypass handwritten notes and place the numbers directly to the computer, on the ss, as they occur?Is an issue that I usually have with tresspassing my handwritten notes to the computer.
You will need to methodically raise the Levimir dose, perhaps as soon as every 4 cycles, in an effort to get Markies to safer numbers soon. Are you typically available to closely monitor his BG?(I know is not only my mess, I am doing a mess because he is not doing good on the dose he was at, he was on 0.75)
We can help you with a new R sliding scale based on Markies current circumstances.I forgot to tell you, I used to have a cheat sheet (thos papers that you use to not remember things and you put them in the fridge) with the previous protocol that I used to use in Gayle Charambura´s Facebook Group and I used to have a sliding scale.
Does he get the added supplements he needs, to the food you are feeding, like Taurine?Markies is eating only almost zero carb, no more canned whiskas (only raw chicken, raw pork, meaty bones, meaty pork, egg yolk, tunna fish, etc).
Hello again,
What method (special blood meter or urine ketostix) are you using to monitor for the presence of ketones?
With his history of DKA you should test for ketones daily. They can develop very quickly. My BKs ketone level once went from "trace" to "large" in exactly 24 hours.
Is there a veterinary dental specialist that you can take Markies for consultation and possible treatment?
To avoid another episode of DKA it is very important to address any and all infections/inflamations
R can help battle ketones while you work on safely reaching an optimum Levimir dose.
- not enough calories + not enough insulin +infection/inflammation = development of ketones
The data you collect on the ss is critical in making the best dosing decisions, especially when adding R as a bolus to the Levimir. Can you bypass handwritten notes and place the numbers directly to the computer, on the ss, as they occur?
You will need to methodically raise the Levimir dose, perhaps as soon as every 4 cycles, in an effort to get Markies to safer numbers soon. Are you typically available to closely monitor his BG?
We can help you with a new R sliding scale based on Markies current circumstances.
Hello again,
What method (special blood meter or urine ketostix) are you using to monitor for the presence of ketones?
With his history of DKA you should test for ketones daily. They can develop very quickly. My BKs ketone level once went from "trace" to "large" in exactly 24 hours.
I have urine ketone sticks "Keto Diabur Test 5000" from Accu Check". Sometimes its easy to be able to get the urine and some times not, so I put the stick in the litter (which I guess is not correct. I try tu use a spoon. I will try to improve the technique.
Is there a veterinary dental specialist that you can take Markies for consultation and possible treatment?
Yes, there is a dental specialist, but actually Im not sure that this is only a dental issue. I rather take him to a good general clinic vet and then she can tell me if its a dental issue or if there is something else.
To avoid another episode of DKA it is very important to address any and all infections/inflamations
R can help battle ketones while you work on safely reaching an optimum Levimir dose.
- not enough calories + not enough insulin +infection/inflammation = development of ketones
The data you collect on the ss is critical in making the best dosing decisions, especially when adding R as a bolus to the Levimir. Can you bypass handwritten notes and place the numbers directly to the computer, on the ss, as they occur?
Not really. That is very important for me, since its something that I usually take everywhere, to the vet when I take Markies, to the hospital when dad was hospitalized, and I feel safe. But I understand your question. I will manage to do both. I was having issues since I was much time out of home and having trouble with the forum password, changing computers, not being able to log from the hospital etc.. that´s why technology for me was difficult at times when my dad was whith his cancer and after when I was with no energy. But now I need to start all over. Before the same story starts with mom and I lose the energy again.
You will need to methodically raise the Levimir dose, perhaps as soon as every 4 cycles, in an effort to get Markies to safer numbers soon. Are you typically available to closely monitor his BG?
Yes, I live and work at home so Im clos Markies to monitor.
We can help you with a new R sliding scale based on Markies current circumstances.
I do need that sliding scale asap dear, numbers are on the sky and Im terrified. Im taking Markies on Tuesday, still we have two days and high numbers for long perids scare me a lot. Today as I couldnt find you (I got up very late since I went to bed very late, usually is like this, my life change dramatically) I decided to give Markies litlle less than 0.5 of Rapid. I know that yesterday I talked with Chris and China that I would stick only to levemir but ketones are there threatening and I just cant allow this to happen.
So Im anxius to have thta sliding Rapid scale.
Thank you!!!!
Silvi
IDoes he get the added supplements he needs, to the food you are feeding, like Taurine?
@Sienne and Gabby (GA) I just deleted my message hoping you didn´t read it not to offend you... shut..I didn't interpret your meaning as offensive in the least.
Just so you know, Gill (@Gill & George) speaks Spanish fluently. (She lives in Spain.) If you have any question about what we're saying or what you're trying to communicate, she can help. She's currently having problems logging on to the board, though.
Does he get the added supplements he needs, to the food you are feeding, like Taurine?