New Member - Struggling for Control...

Hi all,

I just found this board after struggling since late July to get my cat Eli's diabetes under control. After reading some of these posts, I'm a bit overwhelmed and worried now that we haven't been doing enough. His vet has only had me testing him twice per week, and other that one day when he was in the high 200s, his numbers have not been falling at all. After lurking on this board the past couple days, I did try to do a partial curve the past couple days which you can see on his spreadsheet. A problem is my cat is a big boy (he's about 17 pounds of Maine Coon mix) and he does NOT like the needle pokes in his paws. I've tried his ears, but he's actually more sensitive about his ears and also, I can't see if I've actually gotten any blood because his ears are black. So, I just don't think daily curves are something either of us can handle.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated! He has started to develop some neuropathy in his back legs, and I don't want him to get any worse if we can get this sorted. I know it's a slow process, but it's frustrating that we don't seem to have made any progress. Thank you!!

Please let me know if I've left any info you need out of my signature block or spreadsheet!

 

Welcome to FDMB The absolute best site on this planet for you to learn everything you need to know about feline diabetes. We ( you may have noticed) are dedicated to helping any and all that grace our forums. And we want to help you too!

Your signature looks great but I'm sure others will help you fine tune it. Spread sheet as well.

You're right about one thing there IS more you can be doing for Eli. Your Vet sounds like he hasnt had too many diabetics as clients.
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Then come back and ASK questions. Theres a wealth of information here just waiting for you to discover it, with lots of good people to help you navigate it all.
WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY!
jeanne

 

Hello Eli's mom! So glad you found us! May I say what a HANDSOME fella he is, I'm very partial to tuxedos!

Take things slow, there's a lot to understand but don't worry. I can see you're already off to a good start with Lantus and LC wet though!

I want to first point out by peeking at your spread that the dosage has been increased far too quickly and honestly you haven't been given a chance to even see what the effect of a single dose can do. I imagine that's your vet bumping the dose up. Lantus is a depot insulin, meaning it takes 5-7 days for the "pool" to fill and start seeing what the dose ACTUALLY does to blood sugar. After that initial filling, it takes at least 3 days of waiting before you can be sure if the dose is adequate. Poor Eli hasn't had that chance for the depot to fill properly.

Rest assured, this can be corrected fairly easily! 5u is a high dose for a cat, most don't need more than 3 but we can't be sure yet.

It is something you will have to be able to do to get Eli feeling better, because without daily data we won't know when Eli needs dose adjustments. No worries though - there is definitely a learning curve in the beginning, for both cat and owner! Once you two get into the swing of things it'll be second nature (and a lot easier once the capillaries in the ear form, it makes bleeding easier). My girl also had long, black hair on her ears and it's not difficult to see the blood once it forms. It may be that you're just not getting a big enough droplet and/or it's running through the fur instead of forming so you can't "see" it. What size lancets are you using? You may need a bigger one, 26 gauge is good to start with.

Note the reason you're not seeing any progress is because the Lantus hasn't had a chance to work the way it should yet. It's not a lost cause.

Here is a link to some great tips for home-testing. Note getting Eli used to have his ears messed with will make it easier on you both - introducing treats will help! Play with his ears and give a treat.

As a safety precaution we do ask that everyone tests before shooting - you never know when Eli is too low to receive insulin! Right now "too low" is anything under 200.

 

Thank you for that link! I hope I can get him used to ear pricks. I'm not sure what size lancet they are, they're whatever came with the meter my vet gave me.

And I figured 5 units was a lot ... is it possible his correct dose is closer to the 3.5 where he had the 278 BG? How do I go ahead with decreasing him if that's what I need to do? Or am I getting ahead of myself?

 

Hee hee heeeee hes a stunningly cute kitty cat!

 

Thanks Elizabeth!

 

Thank you!! He's a very good boy, and I want to get him feeling better!

 

No, I think you're right on the mark! That 278 from 3.5u is a good start but he may need less. Tagging @tiffmaxee if they're still online. I'm not great with offering reductions on Lantus, there's a lot more qualified people around here than me for that insulin! I also recommend going to the Lantus forum and make a post basically saying New Member - up to 5U, how to reduce? and see what they say. That's where all the Lantus smarties congregate.

Did the lancets come in the original box with the size maybe?

I do think, just for safety reasons, you should pick up some ketostix (you can get them at any pharmacy or Walmart over the counter) and be checking his urine for ketones for when you decrease.

 

We do too!

 

Ooh and @Red & Rover (GA)

 

From Amazon reviews, it looks like they are 28. I will post on the Lantus forum about decreasing - thank you for all your help so far!

 

You are very welcome!

28 isn't too bad - 26 will give you a bigger drop though. I often had to still use 26 gauge on my girl, especially in winter.

 

Welcome!

As you saw from the Amazon reviews, the lancets that come with the Alphatrak are 28-gauge.


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