Marley Update!

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AmySawyer

AmySawyer

Member Since 2014
Hi everyone! ;-)

Thanks so much for all of the info & advice on using Lantus.

So far Marley has been on .5 units of Lantus for 2 1/2 days & she has not gone over 400 since making the switch from Humulin! This makes me so happy! We have been doing a lot of random BG tests to figure out her pattern on the Lantus, & so far so good. (All updates are on her spreadsheet).

I also took the time to make up a profile for her so that everyone can know her full story. (the link is in my signature)

Thanks again for making Marley & I feel so welcomed to Lantus Land! :smile:
 
It looks like Marley is responding very nicely to Lantus! I love her teeny tiny baby kitty pictures - what a little sweetie...and she is so lucky to have found you.

Have a great day, guys!
 
Thank you Amy & Trixie Cat :)

Her baby pics make me swoon every time I look at them!

We are very please with the way she is responding to Lantus so far. We plan to perform our first curve test next week Sunday (March 2nd).

She is already acting like herself again! The small positive changes bring so much hope to my husband & I!

Hope you have a great day too! :)
 
Hi Amy!

love the profile and the pics - and have to say that my husband's name is Daryl too! i don't meet too many men with that spelling!

Marley's doing well on the 0.5u. Let's give it the full 5-7 days to settle in and see what it does. Typically the numbers improve over that time and then we can decide if she needs more. If you catch a number under 50, that would change the situation.

From the Tight Regulation Protocol
"General" Guidelines:
Hold the initial starting dose for 5 - 7 days (10 - 14 consecutive cycles) unless the numbers tell you otherwise.

Kitties experiencing high flat curves or prone to ketones may want to increase the starting dose after 3 days (6 consecutive cycles).

Each subsequent dose is held for a minimum of 3 days (6 consecutive cycles) unless kitty earns a reduction (See: Reducing the dose...).

Adjustments to dose are based on nadirs with only some consideration given to preshot numbers.
Click to expand...

You are doing daily curves already. You don't have to do anything special on March 8th - you're doing a super job of testing now. congrats on that - it can be very difficult for some people.

and YIPPEE that she likes the chicken breast!

I want to raise a flag that you're using an Alpha Trak. That can make a difference in how we perceive her blood sugar. What you are seeing most everyone else posting on the subject line are human meter numbers, which are lower than the AT. For example, when you get an 80, that's roughly equivalent to a 50 on a human meter.

You no doubt just bought the AT, but i'm going to suggest you consider buying a human meter. Of course you don't have to do it right away and don't have to at all if you're loving the AT. The AT strips cost about $1 each. The less-expensive of the accurate human meters has strips that cost about ten cents each. It won't take long before you've recouped your investment of a new meter. Many people use the Relions by Walmart and then buy generic Arkray strips through http://www.AmericanDiabetesWholesale. You can also preregister at http://www.mrrebates.com and get a rebate on any ADW purchases.

If you want opinions on what meters people like, just add it to your subject line. You'll get more than you want! :lol: everyone's got an opinion and we like to help! ;-)

If you want to keep using the AT, please add it in BOLD to your signature line, and repeat it if you run into low numbers (80 or less on an AT.) That's going to be important because you don't want people advising you thinking they are human meter numbers. does that make sense?

I wanted to ask a little more about Morley's overall health - i'm thinking in terms of what might have brought about her diabetes.

Did she eat dry food? Is there any dry food at all that she could be getting into - dog food, for example?
Is she obese?
Has she had any steroid shots?
Does she have any delicate skin conditions?

If any of those are yes, would you explain and also add them to her profile?
 
Hi guys,
Those are wonderful pictures of your girl. And you are doing a great job testing and getting a spreadsheet up and running. I agree with Julie that you may want to get a human meter. The cost of the strips for the Alpha Trak is really sky high (and if you run out you can't just run to the store for more, you have to buy them from the vet). The Walmart meters and strips are very good and very inexpensive. You can buy the Walmart "ReliOn" meters online from American Diabetes Wholesale. Look for the brand name Arkray (the Relion meters are Walmart's re-branding of the Arkray meters). We have an Arkray Glucocard 01 "Mini" (= Walmart Relion "Micro") and an Arkray Glucocard 01 (= Walmart Relion "Confirm") and love them. They take a very small blood drop and are very accurate. Here's a link to the Arkray Glucocard 01 meter kit with 200 test strips:
http://www.americandiabeteswholesal...rd-01-blood-glucose-monitoring-kit_4045_1.htm

and here's a link to the Glucocard 01 "Mini" meter kit:
http://www.americandiabeteswholesal...-mini-blood-glucose-monitoring-kit_4040_1.htm

Both meters use the same test strips: Arkray, Sensor 01.

Have a good evening and keep up the good work,

Ella & Rusty

edited to say: whoops! I forgot that you live in the Bahamas. Do you have a Walmart there?
 
Hello and Welcome :cool:

What a lovely profile you put together -the photos are precious!

Hang in there and hang in here - things will get better.
Lantus Land is the best place a diabetic kitty can be - glad you found us
 
Oh that is a great Marley update! :-D

Just follow what the smarty pants folks around here say and you will be fine!

btw my 2cents worth I was using a accuchek meter when I got here and the strips were 80.00. I changed to the 15.00 relion meter at walmart and the strips are 9.99. big difference in my pocket book. Also getting strips last week when I needed plenty was simple and easy at walmart.

glad your still here. :-D
 
Hi Amy

Welcome to you and Marley! She is adorable and I enjoyed reading her profile and seeing her pics. I love little baby spotty tummies! She looks like she loves her brother Ziggy.

We're here to help you all and that includes learning to shoot lower and lower safely. Many of our members shoot any number above 50 once they have the data. Any time you get a number below 150 at shot time,don't feed her, post her number and we will help you. We have options which may help you limit the need to skip shots. As you gather more data, it becomes easier to learn to shoot lower and lower.....and we will help you learn.

Could we please ask that you put in your signature line "Alpha Trak" in bold letters? We have so many members that it will help us remember when we are looking at marleys SS.

Let us know your questions!
 
Love the Marley pictures (and Ziggy, too). Her eyes are fabulous - looks like she's wearing eyeliner! Thanks for sharing those.

Looks like you're off to a great start. Keep up the good work and Marley will keep improving. :-D
 
Welcome Amy!

Loved reading Marley's story and seeing those adorable pictures! And hearing how she is already acting more like herself :-D Good job Mum!!
 
Morning everyone! :smile:

Thanks for ALL of the advice! I added the AlphaTrak Meter & test strips in bold to my signature so everyone can remember that!

We just bought this meter from my vet, he said it would be more accurate than a human meter...? I am still completely new to all of this (& at that time I knew little to nothing about feline diabetes) so we got that & it's been working great so far.

Unfortunately we don't have a Walmart (or anything even remotely close to that kind of store) here in Abaco where I live in the Bahamas. So I am ordering all of my supplies (lanclets & test strips) from Amazon.com. Once I order it takes about a week for them to get here. When I was ordering through my vet he was charging me DOUBLE the cost on Amazon! So I thought this would be a much better option for me, & I also won't have to worry about running out because I will be keeping track of my inventory & ordering myself, not relying on my vet who is only on the island 2 days a week!

I'm still using the U-100 syringes that measure in 1 unit increments, looking into ordering from 1800petmeds to get the U-100's that measure in 1/2 unit increments.

So far we have not seen a number lower than 150 since starting the lantus. (I think) I have more data to enter on to my spreadsheet from last night & this morning. But I am so pleased with the way she is responding. Between the lower carb Fancy Feast food & the Lantus, it is amazing how much of a difference it has made in her BG levels & her overall demeanor! :smile:

& I'm glad you all enjoyed her profile ;-) I have so many photos of her I wanted to post haha but I just used some of the best out of the thousands that I have. We always tell her she's got eyeliner on too!

Will update my spreadsheet ASAP.

Thanks again guys! You all make me feel like we can handle this!
 
Oh & also forgot to mention, YES she used to be on dry food her entire life. & at one point she was really, really fat. I'm guessing those are the causes of her FD. She has never had any other health issues to date. & Since her diagnosis we have switched her & Ziggy to a low carb food. I will add that info to her profile as well.
 
Thanks for the links! I will look into it, we may eventually switch over to that, but for now we'll stick with the Alpha Trak 2 meter. (Mainly because we just got it about a week ago & my vet charged me over $200 for it!) Amazon.com is my new best friend! Will update spreadsheet shortly.

Does anyone recommend that we perform a curve test this Sunday? Friday afternoon will make a week since shes been on Lantus, & I thought I read on the forum that after a week a curve test should be done... Testing every 2 hours during a cycle... Just wanted to get your thoughts on that, because if we DON'T need to, we will just test as we do regularly. We've been doing 6am (pre shot) 12pm, 6pm (pre shot) & we've been trying to do 12am as well if we can manage to stay awake. (Or we go to sleep & set an alarm to test at 12am lol - talk about paranoid cautious parents!) do you all think the 12am test is still needed at this point as she is still getting regulated? Or maybe we can bump it up a little earlier to 9pm (which would be +3 instead of 12am which is +6) we've just been worried about catching that nadir #...
 
You could do what we call a "mini" curve: every 3 hours: AMPS, +3, +6, +9, PMPS.
For your general, everyday tests, a lot will depend on your work schedule. We suggest that you at least get an AMPS, a test near the middle of the daytime cycle, PMPS, and a test at bedtime. When you have more time (weekends, evenings) you can add tests at random times, to fill in those spaces gradually on the spreadsheet. Most people find that it can be very informative to get a +1 and/or a +2, especially if you are about to leave for work and need to know how the cycle may progress. For example, if the +2 is about the same as the PS or lower than the PS, this will often be an indication that it will be an active cycle and that you should take precautions that your cat doesn't drop into too low numbers, by leaving out food. (you will learn as you go along what percentage of carbs food works for Marley). ECID (every cat is different)

There are all sorts of subtleties in Feline Diabetes management! You learn them as you go along.

Hope this helps,

Ella & Rusty
 
Hi guys and welcome! I'm so glad that marley is having such a positive experience with the switch to lantus .. fingers crossed it only continues to get better and better for all of you!
 
Thanks Ella & Rusty, (& everyone else of course!) :smile:

That makes sense & we will do a mini curve on the weekend. We did one this past weekend also & she seems to be responding quite well. We haven't yet gotten a +1 or +2 BG value so we may try to do that on the weekend also, as during the week our schedules are kind of tight (especially since we are still needing 2 people to perform tests - but she is doing better now that she's getting used to treats at test & shot time!) I was wondering if feeding at shot time makes a difference with the +1 & +2 also. Because her feeding schedule corresponds with her shot times at both AM & PM. I was hoping that would be a good thing so that she wouldn't drop too low during those hours.

Still learning & sucking up as much information as my brain will hold! It's a lot to take in when your first figuring it all out, but I think we are definitely on the right track now!

About to update the spreadsheet! :)
 
I also added some more background information to Marley's profile. Everything that lead up to diagnosis etc. :)
 
Re: Marley Update! *what is ideal nadir range?*

+6 reading at 12pm was 61. This is the lowest it has been since switching to Lantus, which from what I've read, this sounds about right. This should be her nadir reading correct? She gets fed at this time anyway, so I was not too worried. She ate 1 3 oz can of FFC & we will test again at 6pm before her next shot.

Since +6 in this cycle was so low, should we be sure to test again at +6 during her PM cycle as well just to make sure it's safe? What is the ideal nadir range?
 
Hi again, Amy,
I will try to answer your various questions.
At AMPS and PMPS almost everyone tests, shoots insulin, and feeds within 15 minutes. It generally takes about 2 hours for food to stop influencing the blood glucose. So if the number at +2 is the same, or lower, than at PS, it probably means that the cat is poised to drop. I believe that with Lantus "onset" (when the insulin begins to work) starts somewhere around +2. Therefore, when you shoot, you should keep in mind that normally the cat's blood glucose will continue to rise up to "onset". ( And since there is food on board, the blood glucose will be influenced by the food, also. ) So you can see that a lower number at +2 would be something to take note of.

Today Marley had a steep drop by +6. This is probably her Nadir for this cycle. (Nadir is simply the term for the lowest blood glucose number in a cycle. It can occur at any point in the cycle and it can move around from one cycle to the next. In other words, it is not a set point.) It was good to give her some food. You can give food at any time during a cycle except during the 2 hours before PS. Many people do not feed after nadir because after nadir the blood glucose would normally be rising again. However, this is a matter of knowing your cat, since ECID (Every Cat Is Different). Many cats benefit from a light snack at +9.

The PM cycle in general may or may not be similar to the AM cycle. Many cats go lower during the PM cycle (again, ECID). Tonight would be a good time to "try out" the +2 test scenerio. See if it gives you a hint about what she will do. When you give your bedtime test you will probably be able to confirm what you saw at +2. If Marley has dropped too much by bedtime, then, yes, you will have to stay up until +6 or even longer. If at any time you are worried that Marley is going too low, post and ask for help.

I hope I have answered your questions and not given any bad advice. If I have, I know that someone will correct me! Could I request that you use a subject heading for every day in the following format: 2/15 Marley AMPS 212, +6 61 . . .
This is the forumula we all use and it makes it much easier to see how a cat is doing and if help may be needed (most people don't look at spreadsheets as a routine thing). During the course of the day you can add more blood glucose numbers to your FIRST post of the day by editing the subject line. Also, we link our daily condo to the previous day's condo. You do this by right clicking (PC) or Control clicking (Mac) the subject heading of the previous day's condo. A drop down box will appear. Choose "copy". Put the cursor in your today's condo. Hit the "URL" button . Go up to the "Edit" line in your browser and choose "paste". The link will appear.

An awful lot to think about, huh? You are doing great. Marley is a lucky kitty to have you and Daryl as her people.

Ella & Rusty
 
Hi Amy:

Since you are doing a lot of ordering on Amazon.com, I just wanted to make sure you are aware of something. If you click on the "shop" link at the top of the page,it will take you to a page that has some Amazon links at the top left. Put your search item in the box of the appropriate link, and click. This will take you to Amazon.com, and FDMB gets a little commission. If we all do this every time we shop at Amazon, it will help the board out tremendously, since I know a lot of us shop there too much! :lol:

Great job so far with Marley. :-D
 
Thank you so much Ella!

I will definitely take all of that into consideration this evening when we test & shoot.
We will do a +2 (8pm) test during this evening's cycle & then probably a +4 (10pm) just to see how things are progressing.... if +2 is lower than PS we will definitely stay up (or set an alarm!) to test at +6 just to be safe! If we start to see a pattern forming (over the next few days) of her dropping too low at +6 we may start giving her like 1/2 a can of the 3 oz cans of FFC at +3 just so that things don't go into the danger zone during the night.

Still a little confused about the last part of your message about previous days condo & attaching them to new posts lol But I will be sure to start a new thread the next time I have a question with the formula you told me as the subject line. (hopefully I can remember all of that)

It certainly is A LOT to take in, but I am so grateful for all of the advice from you guys! We would be absolutely lost without this forum!
 
& Tricia I will definitely do that the next time I go to order :) I want to help out this forum in any way that I can as it & all of you have helped me tremendously over the last few weeks! :smile:
 
Hi again, Amy,
"condo" is simply Lantus Land jingo for the daily post. Because this is such an active board we post daily and do not add to previous threads. So every day you start a new "condo" using the formula (date, cat's name, AMPS number). The reason we link to the previous day's condo is so that people can go back to check on what may have happened previously (what advice may have been given, etc). The instructions I gave you are what you do to get the link into the new day's condo. Take a look at Rusty's condo for today. The link follows "Yesterday" at the top of the page. If you click on the link you will get the previous day's condo, etc. etc.

Sorry if it was confusing.

Carry on!

Ella
 
OOOOH! OK! Gotcha! Makes sense now. I will give it a try tomorrow or whenever I post again! ;-)

Thanks! :)
 
Hi Amy!
Just wanted to make sure that you know you can post here everyday...even if you don't have questions. A lot of peeps just post a quick WCR (whole cat report) saying how kitty is doing with the 5P's (pooping, peeing, purring, preening and playing). In the subject line for the daily condo you would just write "2/26-Marley AMPS xxx" and you would post the previous days link as well. Then you could update that throughout the day or in the evening if you felt so inclined :smile:
You absolutely don't have to post every day, but I know for myself, I loved checking in and having the other members take a peek at how Twice and I were doing. Sometimes they see stuff we don't when we are new and will drop a line to highlight it for you.
Just my thoughts for the day :-D
Have a great night!
 
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