new - terrified- could really use reassurance

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JanetNJ said:
cerenia is usually given as needed (1/4 of a 16 mg tablet is the most common dose) So you said she's hungry? Is she actually eating the food?
What did they give her for pain?

When my cat had pancratitis he got cerenia, bupe for pain, and we did 100 ml of daily sub q's for about a week. He was back to himself after about 5-6 days.
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She does eat a lot, especially compared to how picky she usually is with her food. She's underweight right now so I am giving her as much low carb wet as she wants - usually about 2-3 tbsp every couple of hours. I am unable to work myself right now because of my own illness so at least I am able to be here and check her and feed her all day if needed.

Monks got pain meds for the 3 days she was in the vet hospital but we were just sent home with antibiotics. Regular vet (who I'm not happy with at the moment for recommending once daily dosing) said that cerenia, if used at double the dose for nausea is actually an anti-inflammatory and there's apparently 2 schools of thought about pancreatitis in cats - one being that it's idiopathic and the other that it's an immune system response and anti-inflammatory meds should help. Now I'm concerned if Monks is still looking like she feels pretty crappy, I'm just not sure if it's from high bg? Vet is not open Sundays but I'll be ready to leave a message with the receptionist that I am doing 0.25U BID and perhaps ask about pain meds?
 
So far her AMPS was 22.4 and she had 2-3 tbsp of food, she was 23.0 at +2, had 2-3 tbsp of food at +3:30, tested 23.8 at +4, and she's having another 2-3 tbsp now (+5). Hoping that's normal for it still to not go down?
 
Most likely she's still bouncing today from the hypo yesterday. It can take 3-6 cycles for a bounce to clear. Just hang in there and as long as she's over 15 (usually I'd say 11.1 but raising it a little til we see how she adjusts to the twice daily dosing :)), stick with the 0.25U twice a day.
 
Yong said:
Most likely she's still bouncing today from the hypo yesterday. It can take 3-6 cycles for a bounce to clear. Just hang in there and as long as she's over 15 (usually I'd say 11.1 but raising it a little til we see how she adjusts to the twice daily dosing :)), stick with the 0.25U twice a day.
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All of yesterday (first day of 0.25 BID) she was quite high from the bounce, but since her AMPS today of 20.3, she was 16.8 at +2, 11.3 at +4:30, and 14.6 at +6:30. Should I continue with twice daily?
 
Thanks everyone :)

I left a message at the vet's office about changing the dose myself and I emailed them Monkey's spreadsheet - I'll still continue with twice daily dosing regardless of what they say though as long as it's best for my little one.
 
nightglo said:
Thanks everyone :)

I left a message at the vet's office about changing the dose myself and I emailed them Monkey's spreadsheet - I'll still continue with twice daily dosing regardless of what they say though as long as it's best for my little one.
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Yes! So happy to see that you giving monkey the insulin twice a day. I've been following along the whole time and was hoping you would do that.
Everyone is awesome here! Thanks to all the help I've gotten, I was able to get my 1st diabetic cat into remission and I also got skittles into remission for over a year until his tooth got infected. And I hope to get him back into remission once I can finally afford to get his dental work done .
 
I'm happy to report that when I stocked up on Cerenia at the vet today, one of the other vets (regular one wasn't there today) said the twice daily 0.25 is just fine :) I didn't realize I was supposed to keep giving Cerenia every other day because they just gave me one box at the time, so I hope Monkey will start feeling better with that on board.

I was wondering about doing the BG checks because for the last few days I did a ton of them because I was so panicked, but would it be safe to just do AMPS, +6, PMSP, +6 (so, every 6 hours)?
 
nightglo said:
I'm happy to report that when I stocked up on Cerenia at the vet today, one of the other vets (regular one wasn't there today) said the twice daily 0.25 is just fine :) I didn't realize I was supposed to keep giving Cerenia every other day because they just gave me one box at the time, so I hope Monkey will start feeling better with that on board.

I was wondering about doing the BG checks because for the last few days I did a ton of them because I was so panicked, but would it be safe to just do AMPS, +6, PMSP, +6 (so, every 6 hours)?
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Go you! Well done for being really brave! :bighug:

I did amps when I was working I came home at lunch and did the + 4 or 5 or 6 depending on when I could get home. Same in the evening for pmps etc. But my kitty was very reactive so I was most concerned around or coming up to nadir.

Many people do your schedule and then a curve once or twice a week. That works too.
I think really it's what you are happy with yourself and what makes you feel confident. :)
 
nightglo said:
I was wondering about doing the BG checks because for the last few days I did a ton of them because I was so panicked, but would it be safe to just do AMPS, +6, PMSP, +6 (so, every 6 hours)?
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Definitely AMPS and PMPS, as for a +6 every day, if you are able try to switch them around to cover periods between +4 and +7. So one day get +4, next day a +5, and so forth. Helps in finding her nadir too :)

Glad you had some support from that Vet about two shots a day :bighug:. We'll be here to support you both too :cat:
 
0.25 twice a day has been going okay (I think? hard for me to interpret her spreadsheet), but today at +7 she's at 22.7 and she was 17.2 at AMPS. Is that normal or could I have done a furshot?
 
nightglo said:
0.25 twice a day has been going okay (I think? hard for me to interpret her spreadsheet), but today at +7 she's at 22.7 and she was 17.2 at AMPS. Is that normal or could I have done a furshot?
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I think she's bouncing from those recent blues. I think the twice a day dosing is the way to go. Keep this dose for another couple of cycles but I think it'll be time to try 0.5 u twice a day in the near future.
 
I hope not Yong... hopefully we will hear something soon.

Edited: I just looked at Monkeys SS and the .25 is bringing him down nicely. I wonder what a fat .25 would do!
 
Tomorrow's day 7 of 0.25U twice a day - should I do a curve to see if her dose could be raised to 0.5U? Or wait a bit longer?
 
nightglo said:
should I do a curve to see if her dose could be raised to 0.5U? Or wait a bit longer?
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You really don't have to do a curve at all as long as you keep testing as often as you are.....as long as you can get at least 1 mid-cycle test on the AM cycle and a "before bed" test on the PM cycle, that's enough to tell us what we need to know.

I would like to see an occasional earlier test on the PM cycle...Like a +2 or +3

Look at your spreadsheet and find where big "holes" are that there aren't any test results and try to sprinkle tests in those places.

I think you're good to increase to .5 tomorrow
 
That's an impressive SS!
Way to go both of you! I can see the insulin his bringing him down. :)

If you are concerned about going straight to .50 you could give a fat .25 for a few cycles and see how Monkey does. A fat dose is simply where you draw a little more than .25 into the syringe.
 
Yong said:
Could be a bounce from last night. Have you gottena ketone test recently?
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She's stubbornly stayed around 17 today which I wasn't expecting :( I've yet to do a ketone test, I have the ketostix and today I've put saran over the box and put our civvie cat in another room, but of course now Monkey doesn't seem the least bit concerned with the litter box. Was really hoping to get one today but there's only so long I can stand our civvie scratching at the door so I might have to try again tomorrow.

Is it okay to stay at 0.5U twice a day given her numbers today?

Edit: Success! Ketones are negative :)
 
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I'm confused because tonight (at +2 and +4) after her PMPS, she's gone up instead of down. It's getting a bit harder to give the injections and I'm not sure if maybe I'm not getting it right or if this is just something that happens with BG levels. Another night of no sleep for me I guess because I can't stop panicking that something is wrong :banghead:
 
nightglo said:
I'm confused because tonight (at +2 and +4) after her PMPS, she's gone up instead of down. It's getting a bit harder to give the injections and I'm not sure if maybe I'm not getting it right or if this is just something that happens with BG levels. Another night of no sleep for me I guess because I can't stop panicking that something is wrong :banghead:
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It all looks ok to me, yes they are flat and high(ish) but give it a few cycles to settle down and see how it is from there. Nothing is wrong kitty's system is just adjusting to everything :bighug::bighug:
 
nightglo said:
I'm confused because tonight (at +2 and +4) after her PMPS, she's gone up instead of down. It's getting a bit harder to give the injections and I'm not sure if maybe I'm not getting it right or if this is just something that happens with BG levels. Another night of no sleep for me I guess because I can't stop panicking that something is wrong :banghead:
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:bighug:
Could just be a flat bounce from the yellow PMPS. As Tara said, her system is probably trying to adjust so things look a little backwards. She's just being a little Monkey ;). What is becoming more difficult with injections? Please make sure you get some rest and take care of you. We have to stay healthy since our kitties rely on us :bighug::bighug:
 
Today her AMPS was 21 and I just gave her 0.5U but once again had trouble with the injection and I'm not sure how much went in. At first she clearly didn't notice the injections but now she is jumping away right after I poke her and just as I'm going for the plunger I'm kind of having to chase her to get it in. I'd go by the smell of the Lantus to see if it was a furshot but she always has the faint smell of it on her fur around her scruff now. This morning was the first time I'm more convinced I missed than I am that I got it. I can try putting my arm all the way around her chest and doing the side of her scruff for her evening shot? :(
 
nightglo said:
Today her AMPS was 21 and I just gave her 0.5U but once again had trouble with the injection and I'm not sure how much went in. At first she clearly didn't notice the injections but now she is jumping away right after I poke her and just as I'm going for the plunger I'm kind of having to chase her to get it in. I'd go by the smell of the Lantus to see if it was a furshot but she always has the faint smell of it on her fur around her scruff now. This morning was the first time I'm more convinced I missed than I am that I got it. I can try putting my arm all the way around her chest and doing the side of her scruff for her evening shot? :(
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I suffer from needle phobia (I'm not just afraid of them I can go into anaphylactic shock) so you can imagine this was difficult for me. My vet gave me a small vial of saline to practice with. So I got a small soft toy and practiced prob close to 100 times on it. When I'd run out of saline I used water.
I shot her between her shoulder blades not her scruff, I also held the syringe barrel between my hands to warm the insulin up to body temperature. It also helps to watch which side the bevel on the needle is too as that can help.

Maybe just practice your technique a bit? And always reward after.
 
Was hoping someone could take a peek at Monkey's spreadsheet just to let me know everything looks okay and that we're on the right track. Today was the first day I've seen so many yellow numbers and her PMPS was 14.1 (I'm working on the assumption that this is a good response?). I haven't been able to sleep for a few days now from worrying but tonight I'm really going to make the effort to resist staying awake to test her during the night.

Ty everyone for the hugs, advice, and support :bighug:
 
nightglo said:
Was hoping someone could take a peek at Monkey's spreadsheet just to let me know everything looks okay and that we're on the right track. Today was the first day I've seen so many yellow numbers and her PMPS was 14.1 (I'm working on the assumption that this is a good response?). I haven't been able to sleep for a few days now from worrying but tonight I'm really going to make the effort to resist staying awake to test her during the night.

Ty everyone for the hugs, advice, and support :bighug:
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That's looking promising! I think people might suggest you give a little more insulin, either a fat dose or go a wee bit higher to .75 but wait and see what they say. I'm really just here to give a bit of moral support and shake my Pom poms and cheer people along.
Definitely on the right track! :)
 
nightglo said:
I'm really going to make the effort to resist staying awake to test her during the night.
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YOU are important too, so tonight just get a +2 or +3 (before bed test) and if it's her usual drop, go to bed :). That was a lovely green last night. Personally, I would hold the 0.5U for another couple cycles (2 cycles per day) to see how she does during the day with it. Then maybe re-evaluate and fatten the 0.5U or move to 0.75U BUT I am still a newer Lantus member so you could always post over there to ask more experienced eyes to look :cat:
 
Lovely green last night. Yes, hold the 0.5 u dose for now. Please post on the Lantus forum and have a look at the TR and SLGS yellow info stickies there. There are guidelines in each that tell you when to hold a dose, lower it or raise it based on PS numbers. You'll find it very helpful.
 
Thought I would post this here as well as the Lantus group in case I got a quicker response, Monkey's AMPS just now was 10.1 - should I hold her shot today??
 
Not sure what's going on but today is the second day Monkey's AMPS has been blue (yesterday was 10.1 and today was 8.4). I skipped yesterday and she went up to 22.8 during the day. I know 8.4 is right on the line of being safe to shoot as per the Lantus ISG guidelines and when I rechecked in 15 mins she had actually gone down to 8.1 so I decided to skip today as well. Can someone please give me an idea of what's going on? I posted in ISG but nobody responded
 
It's kind of like a delayed bounce, so the depot is probably stabilizing. What I would do when you're going to be home with her is try the 0.5U dose if she gives you another PS of like 8. With Lantus they like to say "shoot low to stay low" but it is definitely nerve wracking the first time :)
 
Well my anxiety is intense but she was at 9.3 and I was still able to do her 0.5U shot - I just hope I can keep taking deep breaths until I know the danger of her going hypo is over :(
 
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