Newbie Kristin and sweet Calley

Status
Not open for further replies.
Kris10mo

Kris10mo

Member Since 2014
Hi all,

Mel told me that the relaxed Lantus board is where I need to be....so here I am.

My journey with diabetes began in Dec 2013 when my sweet calico/white 14yr old kitty went to the vet after I found her peeing/drinking excessively. She was peeing everywhere BUT the litterbox. It seemed to develop almost overnight.

Anyways....so to the vet we went. Her bg was in the 400's. So home we came with needles and insulin. I was given Lantus to begin with and we started at 1 unit/2x daily. Her weight then was around 11 lbs.

Vet did not tell me....or didn't stress to me how important it was to change her food so I didn't. So while giving Lantus for five months, with increasing dosage up to 6 units/2x daily....there was no change. I did bring up the litter box from the basement and put in the LR and that seemed to help with her peeing everywhere(thank god). She has used the box religiously...though she tends to miss the box a lot as she stands on the side for some reason.

I used the lantus until it ran out in May. I could not afford to buy more Lantus so the vet put me on Humulin....also as a hope that a different insulin would help Calley. About that time I also changed Calley to an all wet food(Friskies pate).

That did not help much until I took Calley into do a curve at the vet's and found that her numbers were good. She came back home and that day/next day her poos were normal and she did not pee/drink nonstop. So that triggered something in me...getting me to wonder what the vet did differently that I was not doing...since things seemed to improve that day/overnight. So then I learned I was not mixing the N correctly(I had been shaking it...not rolling). So I started rolling it and things improved even more. Calley stopped drinking as much and her pees were normal and she started having formed poos too. LOL TMI.

HOWEVER....it was her voracious appetite that continued. She wanted(still wants) to eat nonstop. Even to the point of biting the hands/food out of my children's hands at meal times. She jumps on the table at meals and tries to eat whatever she can get.

Calley has been on N since May and I have seen improvements....but yet Calley vomits violently and often....almost daily. On 7/7/14 she went hypo on me(this was also the same day my beloved Yellow Lab Sommer died).....and luckily I was home to see her and got her to the vet in time for them to revive and save her. Her BG was 20.....omfg. Needless to say....I started doing home testing the day after.

My learning to test Calley hasn't been that hard. She just lays in my lap. I can get blood out of her most times the first prick....:)

Anyway.....I'm here and needing help. I can't afford to switch Calley to another insulin...I simply do not have the money. So Mel has linked me to a friend that is going to help me get some Lantus to see if that might help her. I have serious doubts that anything will help Calley.

I am so done with all of this. I am so stressed with all of this....I can't sleep well at night worrying about Calley and if I'll find her dead in the morning. I hate testing her....I hate having to give her shots(though her numbers are low enough that she really only gets one .5 shot once a day and some times she often goes 24 hours with no insulin at all.

I do a AMPS and a PMPS and that is about it. She is normally in the mid 100's in the morning and mid 200's at night. She eats several meals a day....but that is going to be stopping as I will be returning to teaching in three weeks. Then she will need to be on a 12hour schedule.

Last night I was ready to take her to the vet and put her down. I have been there several times and have even told my young daughter that. The cat is miserable and so am I. The vomiting is the worst part. Luckily for Calley, the vet is out of town until Tuesday so she is still with us at least that long.

I won't give any promises. I am at my wits end. I can't deal with the stress of this much longer and poor Calley is not happy, healthy etc. She bites, sits under a chair in the DR and does NOTHING all day long. The only time she gets up is to eat, drink or use the box.

Ok....I think I have covered it all. Ask me anything......as I might have missed something important to tell you all.

Thanks in advance for any help and support. I need it and Calley needs the prayers.

Kristin and Calley
 
Hey Kristin

Glad to see you and sweet Calley made it over here
! Weekends are notoriously quiet around here since most folks work full time so weekends are the running days. Normally I'm around more but today I had an eye exam and they sprung on me that this year was the year to have my eyes dilated....oh joy!!

Cj sent me a message that you two got in contact with each other and you'll have the Lantus by Tuesday. Yay!!

Right now I'm just going to give you a brief (okay I'm very seldom brief. Lol) run down on how this ISG works and an general overview of our protocol for Lantus.

If you've looked over this forum much you'll see each kitty has their on thread or as we call them Condos. Unlike Tight Regulation that requires daily condos we aren't so demanding here although in the beginning it's suggested so we can help you catch small problems before they become major.

When you open Calley's condo the normal format is the date, Kitty's name followed by her BG readings. If you've got a question that needs a fairly quick answer use the ? Icon if its an emergency and needs immediate attention then use the 911. We try to use the 911 sparingly for life and death kind of things as it tends to cause people to have heart failure. Lol. Candles and the Rainbow are for kitties that have earned their angel wings. We don't want to see either on Calley's condo for a very long time. And hopefully we'll get to see her flying the OTJ icon one of these days. Its much prettier than either the candles or rainbow. :-D

Occasionally I'll ask for a whole cat report or about her 5Ps. A whole cat report contains things like is she eating well, are her eyes sparkling, is her coat in good shape...soft and shiny, how's her energy level etc. The 5Ps are...peeing, pooing, purring, playing and preening. We want to not only stabilize her blood sugar with a good dose but make sure she's a healthy kitty.

Relaxed Lantus is Start Low, Go Slow protocol. Which means we don't test as often as Tight Regulation although no one is ever going to yell at you for testing too much. We have two ways to determine dose changes depending on your schedule. Either preshots, random spot checks and a light's out test in the evenings daily. Or just preshots only during the week with a full curve on a day off at least until we figure out what her individual pattern looks like. Lantus dosing changes are based on the nadir or lowest point in the cycle. A cycle is the 12 hours between shots there are two cycles in a day a.m. and p.m. Most Lantus cats nadir between +5-+7 so when you can grab spot checks around then either a.m. or p.m. is awesome.

Lantus is a depot insulin unlike the N you're now using which is an In And Out insulin. In other words Lantus forms a shed under the skin that is time released. Each shot builds upon the one previous until her shed fills. So instead of slamming her down from the 300s to double digits then wearing off by the middle of the cycle and letting her jet back up into 300s again making her sick to her stomach. Lantus brings her down gently and lets her slide back up gently until we get her dose dialed in then she'll be fairly flat. Bad thing about Lantus is that because it has to form a depot under the skin it takes about 5 days or 10 cycles for it to initially establish and really show what the dose is going to do for her. Very often you'll see improvements in the whole cat report before it shows in the numbers. That's pretty common especially in cats switching from N. Really wish they'd stop prescribing that crap for cats.

Eventually you'll need to get an online Google docs spreadsheet up and linked in your signature so we can see the numbers you're seeing. Its pretty nifty as its all color coded which makes it nice for spotting trends.

Now for our general silliness:-D You're going to see things like Party on the Lawn or Splash down in the lagoon or even Surf's Up for Autumn. Etc. Well caring for a sugarcat can either be stressful or fun we've choosen to make it fun. So we have our own language based on the colors on the spreadsheet.

Green (double digits) our cats are running in a field, chasing butterflies, or setting our picnic baskets

Blue (100s) they are swimming in the lagoon or splashing in the pool

Yellow (200s) They are working on their tans, playing poker on the sun deck

Pink (300s) They are wearing the pink tutu of shame or at ballet class. Yes we're nuts but hey sometimes you just gotta laugh so you don't cry.

I encourage everyone regardless of experience to visit others condos. Leave others notes as we're all a team.

Condos aren't limited to just cat stuff either. Feel free to just visit, tell funny stories, vent, have a melt down, lets us know what you're struggling with or if you found a cool new way to do things etc. I've been dancing with a sugarcat for 4 years and I'm still learning something new everyday.

The only stupid question is the one that goes unasked. If we don't know an answer we'll track someone down that does there are decades of experience and knowledge around here and chances are good someone is or has dealt with just about everything. We even answer drooler (dog) questions cuz we love the puppers too.

Well think that covers everything if I've forgotten anything someone will jump in I'm sure. Questions?

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
Hi Kristin
i'm so sorry that you are having such a bad time with your baby Calley. I just had one of my cats diagnosed with diabetes 2 weeks ago and I so understand what you have been going through and you have been doing it for so long !!! i know that this is a really good place for you to be. these folks are the best and so experienced with this illness. It is very difficult to schedule this treatment when you have to work full time. I hope for you and Calley that these folks can help you. i am new here and learning so much but i know it is still very hard. Mel and everyone else here are wonderful. Ask them anything and they will guide you. Please know that i am thinking of you and sending you hugs and positive thoughts and energy and hoping for you that everything gets better for you. please take care. nadine
 
Thanks Nadine for the welcome.

Yes...everyone I have met here on both boards are so nice and supportive and encouraging. Calley would be an angel now, as I was long over this stress, weeks back....but I'm still here and so is Calley....for the time being at least.

I need to figure out the daily vomiting. That is the main thing now. I need to know what is causing it and if this is something she is going to be dealing with long term..which I don't want her to have to suffer with.

Tonight her numbers were high....318 at +12 and 381 two hours later. I just gave her .25 insulin.

Funny thing...I noticed tonight that Calley was more mobile and wanting affection. She has been without insulin for just over 24 hours. So I'm wondering if insulin depresses the mood? Calley let me pet and hold her tonight; she came to the couch and jumped up on my lap. She hasn't done that in months.
 
Is there a pattern to when she vomits? Like immediately after eating? Only overnight? Etc.

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
It's not so much insulin depresses mood as it is that insulin makes her ill. She's on a continuous bounce.

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
She only seems to vomit in the mid morning hours....after I have done the AMBG test and after she has eaten. But the vomit is not food. It is clear and liquidy and there is A LOT of it.

It seems to be only after her morning feeding. Then she goes all the rest of the day and night just fine. She eats several meals a day and does not vomit after those meals.

This morning when I tested her I could hear her tummy gurgling. That was at about 8:30am. She then ate and was fine until around 12:30pm. Then she vomited up large amount...clear, foamy liquid. Took about 10 paper towels to clean it all up.

She hasn't had blood work done, except thyroid, since April maybe. I will take her for blood work on Monday.
 
Cool that will give us an idea if there are any underlying conditions that could effect dosing. And let you know exactly what you're working with.

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
hey kris, i am sorry to hear ur having such a hard time. i know what u mean abt not sleeping well (i dont sleep well anyway, but this makes it harder), i worry larry might not make it some night as well.
i have another cat, not diabetic, who vomits that weird clear, foamy liquid some. thank God its stopped right now. i wonder what on earth that is? with larry, and the others, i get lots of hairballs. i always wonder how much food he gets/loses with all that vomiting. not as bad as calley tho!
i sure hope she gets better soon. u have my sympathy. i hope u 2 can hang on, and she improves. welcome!
 
Kristen, first off, Welcome. Secondly, congratulations on hanging in there. This is a hard dance to learn, and just when you think you know the steps, the music changes. But in the end, it is so worthwhile.

Sammy was diagnosed last October. She had lost a lot of weight, and we didnt realize how sick she was for a long time. She had been an overweight cat, and i had switched her to a weight reduction formula of dry kibble. in fact, we celebrated how fast she was becoming more sleek, until we realized it was not a good weight loss after all. At the same time, we had another senior cat, same idea, he was getting thinner too. We thought we were such good cat parents. Turns out he had kidney issues.

BUT, and this is a very important BUT, I dont beat myself up over either one of those mis-reads. I was doing the best I could at the time with the knowledge I had. None of us are vets, nor are we clairvoyant. We just keep trying, asking questions, and seeking advice.

Sammy was diagnosed as Diabetic with readings in the high 500s and even 600's at the vet. We began with 1 unit Lantus, twice a day. After a week, I had found this group and began learning how Lantus works, and how to test, etc. My vet, however, thought that getting her regulated almost instantly was both possible and in fact essential in getting her eventually off the juice. She told me to go to 3 units twice a day. I am sure if i had listened to that advice my cat would have definitely gone hypo and i might have lost her.

I remember the fear, the uncertainty, and especially the frustration. It seemed that it was one step forward, several back for weeks/months. That is where the spreadsheet really helps, because you often are so deep in the trenches of testing, worrying, not sleeping, that is is easy to lose sight of the progress made, especially when its slow and subtle.

The good news is that Sammy eventually began to respond to the insulin therapy, and we got her off the juice after 142 days of hard work. During that time i made the decision to go off Lantus and onto Levimir, and made dose changes, sometimes based on my gut instinct. Without the help and support of this board and its fantastic members I would never had the courage and confidence to take ownership of her treatment. Sammy owes her life to this group, and I owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

That same support is here for you. At times group members might ask you so many questions you feel somewhat criticized . Please know that each and every comment and question is because the answers will assist us in giving you the best support we can. We have all been in your shoes, and we know how it feels.

So here is my question of the day for you...... besides diabetes, is there any other health issues that Calley has? With Sammy, the last piece in the puzzle was to have her dental work done. She has resorptive disease, and needed to have most of her teeth removed. She literally bounced back from that surgery in a matter of hours, and from there began the process of weaning her off the last drop of insulin she was getting and into remission. The vet did not even look at her teeth until 4 months after her diagnosis and I saw that she was having a hard time eating. If I had it to do over again, I would have a full proper check up done on a diabetic cat immediately on diagnosis. Her dental issues were very obviously long term and should have been treated much sooner. But... live and learn. And pay it forward.
 
Thanks for the welcome everyone.

I don't know how much I'm going to be able to do in terms of spreadsheets and such....but i'll try to do what I can.

As far as I know Calley is fine other than the diabetes. She has had two blood works done...one in Jan 2014 when she was diagnosed and one in April when I saw a second vet and he wanted to do his own blood work. Both times she had clear results on all tests and nothing was wrong...not even the thyroid that the vets were concerned about.

The vet I saw last week when I took my black lab in for a visit said that he would guess that Calley has IBS.....as a reason for her vomiting. I wasn't real happy with him. I asked him when is enough enough for diabetic cats and his response was that his goal is just to keep them alive. That is not my goal. I want Calley to get well.....not exist in the hell she is in now. If the change to lantus does not work.....I will be putting her down and out of her misery. I don't want to keep treating symptoms...I want to cure the cause. She deserves to live a life outside of the dining room chair that she sleeps under 24/7. She deserves a life where she is not in pain and does not have her face in a bowl of food 24/7.

I will take her to the vet tomorrow and have more blood work done.
 
Do me a favour. When you are at the vet, have him check her teeth. It is really common for diabetic cats to have bad teeth. Solving that is relatively easy, and makes a huge difference.

Sammy used to puke up clear liquid a lot, usually when she was working on a furball. A bit less so now, but still can happen.
 
Hi Kristin and extra sweet Calley!

One of my diabetics, KT, did that huge foamy throw-up every morning for months - I finally figured out it was a combined issue of digestive problems, not eating anything overnight and, in his case, likely too much insulin causing him to be continually bouncing. I'm so glad to read that she came and sat in your lap for a while - see, she's getting better. It may be baby steps when you want leaps but baby steps arrive at the same place too! We've been doing this dance for over 3 years but FINALLY, we're about to try OTJ with KT. Baby steps!

Prayers and thoughts continue for ALL of you!

HUGS TOO!
 
How did you solve the daily AM throw ups? Calley did not throw up today, thank goodness. :) I did like Mel suggested and mixed in water with her food today and she has lapped it down like it was ice cream. She has had three bowl fulls of that today. Her BG this morning was low so no insulin and this evening it was 238 so just a little insulin tonight....eyeball method.

Yes, I was very happy to see her snuggle with me a bit. I was playing the Wii with my children this evening and she came and got in my lap while I sat on the floor. So good to see her up and out from under her chair in the DR.

Let's hope for another no vomit day tomorrow. :)
 
hi kristin
that's great news. you are doing a great job. so happy she is feeling a little better.
sending hugs
nadine
 
Welcome Kristin and Calley!!!

We are happy to have you here in the Relaxed Group. I have a kitty who used to throw up a lot of liquid and then a hairball. I think that her bowels might be irritated so I began mixing a lot of water in her food (all my cats get raw and low carb foods). I also sprinkle a little Fortiflora on top. This seems to help her as she still periodically gives me a runny gift but it certainly isn't everyday. Of course I get far less messies than when they were also eating dry food - which I believe is the cause of a lot of my throw-up girl's problems.

Lantus is a good insulin - I am glad you are getting it. You may even get Calley off the juice (OTJ) from numbers in the 100s and 200s. Of course this will take some time and patience. My Alska will never be OTJ but I am just happy to have him regulated.

I look forward to your condos and seeing Calley join Alska on the sundeck or in the lagoon and maybe even enjoying a picnic in the grass.

You will be fine!!! You can handle this - you are way ahead with the testing and for a lot of people that is the hardest part!
 
It is very challenging for our two legged companions to know what to do with us when we are diagnosed with diabetes. At first, the human was very worried that he would not be able to give me my insulin. And forget about taking my blood sugar readings!

Well, he learned how to do it so that I do not fight him. And I did some learning, too. I learned that the needle stick with the insulin makes me feel better! After I learned that, I stopped trying to get away from the human when he wanted to give me my shot. I still do not like the ear sticks, but I have learned to tolerate them.

It takes a lot of work but we felines know you care and are trying your best. That makes us love you more.
 
Did not get a chance to get to the vet today......Calley has not vomited now in two mornings. I know, that isn't a lot of time to base decisions on. However, in my financial situation I can't take her probably like she needs to go. Once I am back to work in a few weeks and getting my paycheck again(I'm a teacher that is not paid over the summer)......I will get her into the vet and get her blood work done.

I am seeing improvements in her behavior. She is now hanging out with me on the couch in the evenings again. She is liking the watered down food and she even slept next to my bed last night.

Her BG was high this morning. 277 so she got tiny amount of insulin. Less than .5. I was up in the middle of the night last night and gave her a scoop of food at 2am...so maybe her number this morning reflected that food? You guys tell me...I don't know enough about all of this to know how long food affects the BG numbers.

The insulin is to arrive in the tomorrow and then I will start Calley on Lantus(again)...so hopefully with the change in food this time around, the Lantus will work and my Calley will be a healthy girl again.

Thanks again everyone for all the support....I hope to get around to doing a condo(??) and SS sometime.

PS...I hope Calley loves me for all the crap I am putting her through. I just want her to feel better.
 
i am glad u r seeing improvements! and calley is so lucky to have u. think how some ppl treat animals who arent evn ill.
give urself a pat on the back, and hold on. i think things will get bttr and lots of ppl r here to guide and support u. larry says hi calley!
big hugs to u both. cat_pet_icon
 
If she's recently had bloodwork done then you really shouldn't need to have it redone. I have a senior panel run once a year on all my seniors, but other than that I seldom take anybody in.

Once you get the Lantus I would start her no higher than .5 twice daily with a starting no shoot number of 150

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
Ok...so I give the Lantus if she is 150 or over? At .5 dose? I can do that.

How do I get a picture of Calley onto this website? She is such a pretty kitty I want to share her with you all. :)
 
u can go to resize.com i did yesterday to get this one of larry small! then hit add photo at the bottom of this screen.
 

Attachments

  • larryresized.jpg
    larryresized.jpg
    12.4 KB · Views: 430
To use it as an avatar you'll need to shrink it to 90x90 pixels. To just post it in the thread. Like this It needs to be no bigger than 400 x 600. Then you simply go to add attachment, choose file, pick the picture, add file, then place inline to put it where your cursor is in the thread.

Or you can link it in from a photo sharing site like photo bucket.

We'd love to see her I bet she's gorgeous.

Mel and The Fur Gang
 

Attachments

  • 14062938807370.jpg
    14062938807370.jpg
    100.5 KB · Views: 447
That's Lord Maxwell...OTJ since November 1 2010.

And my only true Lantus kitty. Musette and Autumn started out as Lantus then switched to Levemir and Cassanova has always been a Levemir boy.

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
Ok.....I have to admit...I'm a bit computer illiterate. How do you get a picture onto the computer in the first place???? LOL. All I have of her is a picture on my cell phone. Do I send it to Facebook and then save onto the computer somehow? LOL YES....go ahead and laugh. I know this is funny, but I just don't know technology that well.

My sweet girl slept on my chest for a long while tonight while I watched TV. Purring up a storm. :)
 
Okay before I can answer your original question I need you to answer a couple of mine.

Smart Phone? If yes, Adroid or Iphone? Can you access this board from your phone? Couple ways to do it depending on what kind of phone.

Mel and The Fur Gang
 
awww i am so glad she laid and purred for u. i think she is wanting u to hang in there, mama :)
i dont have 1 of those phns but was gonna try to explain, but looks like mel will/can :) i am sure she will do bttr. if worse comes to worse, u can email the pic to me. i think i know how to shrink and put them on here now! woohoo! in the beginning, i sent larrys to sum1 else who shrunk/posted for me, so i will pay it forward if u need.
p.s. if u know a teen or 20-something yr. old, they hold all the answers to technology! my friends daughter had to teach her abt the smartphn. kinda glad i dont hv 1, it wd drive me nuts. :D heheh
 
Hi Pam
How do you shrink the pictures? Everytime i try to upload it says my pictures are too big.
Thanks
Nadine
 
Welcome the lovely Calley. Just knew she was gonna be drop dead gorgeous and she is.

Mel and The Fur Gang
 

Attachments

  • 14066716993700.jpg
    14066716993700.jpg
    88.7 KB · Views: 381
Awwww. Yep...there's my sweet Calley. She is a pretty kitty.

Thanks for posting her Mel. How do we add her to the signature or whatever you call it so she is on each post I make? Is that possible?

:)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top