New but not new - Need help!

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Hi there! It's been a while since I've been on these boards. Chigga - my little sugar baby was dx back in August of 2010. She actually went into remission in July of 2011. I was checking her every week just to make sure and around December 2011 her numbers started to get a little funny. At the time I was using the Freestyle lite meter. Some days her numbers would be in the 80s and generally remain below 120 and then they crept up to the 140s and stayed there til January. I didn't want to believe it so I bought a different meter. The Accucheck Aviva and low and behold her number was 190. I freaked out. I tested and retested. Even bought another meter. And it matched the Accucheck Aviva every time. I even tested myself each time. I did some searching and realized the Freestyle lite tested much lower than other meters and I was devastated.

Needless to say. I'm back with little Chiggabutt. I don't know where to begin. I'll admit, and please don't scold me, I just picked up at a dose of .75 (lantus) and her numbers started looking good but I wasn't getting her nadirs so I don't know if she was dropping too low but her amps and pmps were in the 80s and 90s so it's possible. Then recently her numbers have jumped from amps/pmps 85s and 90s to 120s to 180s to 240 in a matter of days.

I don't know what to do which is why I came back. I'm wondering if I should just start from scratch. Start her at .25 or even take her off the insulin for a few days to see how her numbers do and then start low and go slow instead of the stupid move I pulled. I will start my spreadsheet tonight once I know how to proceed.

I need help. I don't know what to do. :cry:

Erica
 
Erica & Chigga (ChiggaButt) said:
...
Needless to say. I'm back with little Chiggabutt. I don't know where to begin. I'll admit, and please don't scold me, I just picked up at a dose of .75 (lantus) and her numbers started looking good but I wasn't getting her nadirs so I don't know if she was dropping too low but her amps and pmps were in the 80s and 90s so it's possible. Then recently her numbers have jumped from amps/pmps 85s and 90s to 120s to 180s to 240 in a matter of days.

I don't know what to do which is why I came back. I'm wondering if I should just start from scratch. Start her at .25 or even take her off the insulin for a few days to see how her numbers do and then start low and go slow instead of the stupid move I pulled. I will start my spreadsheet tonight once I know how to proceed.

I need help. I don't know what to do. :cry:

Erica

Welcome back & we're here for you, so don't despair!

Thos preshot numbers are really low. Without testing at mid-cycle - around +6 hours, give or take an hour, hou don't know how low she's going and could overdose her. Please step back a moment and read over the Lantus board sticky posts on how it is dosed and adjusted. Then ask the group what you should give. Those higher numbers you saw may be her body trying to keep her glucose up at a safe level.

Also, tell us what you are feeding her - wet, dry, how much, how often. That may have an impact on the glucose levels.

And, when did she have her last vet visit? Has she had her teeth checked and cleaned in the past year? Dental infection is a common cause of glucose elevations.
 
BJM - I posted on Lantus. I just called the vet for a physical/dental and blood work. And I'm going to stop the insulin just to be safe since I'm not home during the days to give spot checks right now. This morning her amps was 240 - which was the highest it's been since almost a year and a half ago. She was throwing up this morning but it was typical - I just groomed myself hairball fun stuff. She was purring and active otherwise. She's been on wet only low carb (under 7 per binky's page) since dx in 2010) no more than 240 cal per day. And I did a semi curve on Sunday: amps 162, +3~ 172, +4~181, +5 177, +7~180, +8~ 190, +9~188, pmps~ 186 then gave her her regualr .75 of lantus and this morning she was a whopping 240 - when two weeks ago she was showing pre shots in the 90s.

She's fed twice a day but the food is left out for her to graze. SO she gets 120 cal in the morning and 120 cal at night and then self feeds.

Chigga's actually never had her teeth cleaned. She's had her teeth checked by the vet every time she's gone in and my vet has never seen plaque or anything like that. So I scheduled for a possible cleaning as well. I'm just freaking out about them possibly having to put her under since she's almost 11 years old. If her teeth look good is a cleaning needed?
 
As far as dental cleaning goes - you can't always see a problem when it is below the gum line. There could be infection or dissolving roots, which a dental x-ray will show.

If the vet feels her teeth and gums are in good shape, with no puffiness, redness, odor, etc, then its probably OK to hold off on a dental.
 
I would also first suspect an infection somewhere (the gums are a common culprit) with those suddenly rising numbers, as long as you're feeding a low carb, canned diet.
 
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