Maximillian... Looks like we're back after 5 years. :(

[Maximillian's Person]

A little back story... Maxie and I came here about 6 years ago, me freaked out, him skinny and unhealthy and totally unregulated. Through home testing diet change, he became happy healthy and OTJ using the dreaded N insulin. Fast forward 5 years... I lost his half brother Buddy to what I suspect was cancer, I have moved from the D/FW area to Amarillo and I have a cat that has numbers creeping him back out of remission. This time we're going for Levemir.

Saturday I will start on insulin again. (Thanks to DCiN since I am unemployed right now.) I guess that is about it for now. I am woefully out of practice on this board. Heck, when I left after Maxie's remission it was still the "old" board!! I look forward to getting to know everyone again.

 

[Blue]

Re: Maximillian... Looks like we're back OTJ after 5 years.

It sucks, but welcome.
You got a really good insulin, so that's a plus.
I would guess you can post over on the Levemir forum as the guys over there can help you with any question you may have.
The link to making a spreadsheet to track you BG tests.
Create your Spreadsheet

Links with info on Lev:

Tight Regulation Protocol
Lantus & Levemir – Insulin Depot –AKA- Storage Shed
Lantus & Levemir – Data Ready to Shoot Low Numbers
Lantus & Levemir: Info, Proper Handling & Storage

I guess you already know the food bit:

Binky’s Food Lists
Feeding Your Cat: Know The Basics of Feline Nutrition
List of Low Carb Healthy Treats

Home testing I guess you already do/know, so I'll just mention that it's good to stay away from any of the FreeStyle meters as they give false readings for cats.... they may be OK for humans but it's been proven with many people's cats, you will get a bunch of numbers in the 200s but the cats are really much higher. I think the Relion is the most economical, and DCIN has Bayer I think. I love the Bayer meters myself, but any will be good.

I sure hope your stay here with Maxie will me just a short visit before his 2nd OTJ status.

 

[Sheila & Beau GA & Jeddie GA]

Re: Maximillian... Looks like we're back OTJ after 5 years.

Welcome , but sorry about the reason you are back. What have Maxie's numbers been? Do you have a starting dose in mind? Depending on his numbers it should probably be .5u bid, but no more than 1u bid. If the numbers are only "creeping back up and are still in the upper 100s, low 200s, maybe only .25u would work. You don't want to start higher than the best dose as that makes it harder to figure out if you need to raise or lower the dose.

Lev is a great insulin. It works completely differently than N, so read the info Gayle linked about it. You want to keep a consistent dose and let it settle for 3-5 days then do a curve and make dose changes based on nadir numbers and not change each dose based on the PS number.

Ask questions, and post his numbers even if yo have to post the "old fashioned way" (from the old board) like this:

amPS ~ 89 shot .5u
+5 ~98
pmPS ~ 207 shot .5u

etc. It works!

 

[Maximillian's Person]

Re: Maximillian... Looks like we're back OTJ after 5 years.

I had a spreadsheet for Maxie -- even color coded -- way back then. I'm a spreadsheet gal. I'll get it linked here. I'm testing (have been for several days now) to get some data prior to starting the insulin. I'll post links to both in a couple of days. It's all a bit overwhelming right now. I just moved a month ago and was hoping he was "off" because of the move and the house we moved into had had dogs living in it, so smelled 'funny' and not like him.

As for dose. Since his numbers are still low (and he's taking himself down to the 100s), I'm planning to start low, low. I've got to talk to the vet about it all.

 

[Sheila & Beau GA & Jeddie GA]

Re: Maximillian... Looks like we're back OTJ after 5 years.

If he can being himself down into the 100s than probably you want to start at .25u - maybe even .1u - depending on his numbers, which I will be looking forward to seeing soon.

Not challenging your vet, but I am betting s/he doesn't have much experience with lev on lower numbers. There seems to be too many vets that think dosing is still based on weight or that starting doses are always 1u. Believe me, 1u would be way, way too much, as, I think, would be .5u.

Still keeping paws crossed that all Maxie needs is a short course of insulin to get him back OTJ. Could he need a dental or have a UTI or something? Probably stress, like from a move and even a lingering dog smell, could push his numbers up and be hard to overcome. Moving is very stressful for them. And if the dog smell is still there in carpet, have them professionally cleaned if you can, or rent one of those steam cleaners. I found a good carpet cleaner for spot stains, but it is made to be used as a larger area cleaner too. It's called Final Answer Carpet Cleaner by Tech and is eco-safe, chemical and fragrance free and safe for pets and children. You can use it in the machines as well.