Newbie ... Maya Diagnosed

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Dee_Jay

Member Since 2010
Hi All ...

I'm a "Newbie" here and was directed to this Board since Maya is on Lantus. At the moment I'm still over-whelmed by all of this and hoping I do things right with Maya. < I did "everything" wrong with a previous Diabetic "Smokey" - relied too much on an incompetent Vet [/i]**sigh** >.

So here "we" are ... Maya was diagnosed October 8 and started on 1 unit Lantus October 12. We did one increase to 1.5 units and yesterday increased to 2 units. She gets her shots 2x/day. And I am doing BG readings as well. I have a spreadsheet ... can this be posted ? Or shall I just list her BG numbers ?

I'm not sure what to expect from Lantus ... I have printed a lot of your Stickies though.

When we first started her insulin I was pushing the air bubbles back into the vial of Lantus. Have I damaged the insulin ? Not doing this anymore ... learned from one of your stickies.

Another concern that I have is that Maya is over-weight. She is raw and wet no-grain fed ... and actually not over-fed. Even before her dx though she was always "demanding" food.

Oh ... she is a Stomatitis kitty as well. Back teeth removed and for the most part all inflammation has disappeared. Not sure if this is a factor with diabetes or not.

Thanks ... DeeJay ~ Maya ~
 
Welcome DeeJay and Maya!

Great that you are hometesting, and have already printed out the stickies! Now, in order for us to see your spreadsheet, you will need to publish it and link it in your signature...instructions for that are here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/view ... 07&start=0

We are a very data driven group, so those BG test results are very important. If you have trouble with the SS, you can list your test results in your posts, but try to get your SS linked as soon as you can because it shows patterns visually much better than lists can.

If you could also create a profile, you won't get asked the same questions over and over about other health issues, feeding schedule, food, etc... instructions for that are here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/view ... 66&start=0

It's hard to know if pushing the air into the vial has damaged the insulin...it may affect the potency or it may not. You will need to watch for floaties, cloudiness, or diminishing effectiveness.

You mention stomatitis...was Maya given steroids? Is she on any other medication besides insulin?

I'm sure others will be along to welcome you, and give their thoughts as well. Welcome again!
 
DeeJay

I'm a relative newbie, too....Gracie and I have been in LL since Sept 13 or so. I mainly want to welcome you here. You will find so many knowledgeable and helpful people. The biggest thing is to ask questions. The Lantus advisors are very, very wise and have helped innumerable kitties. As Laurie said, the spreadsheets and the profile are very important...esp the SS because the advisors can see what is going on and make their recommendations. Also, as Laurie said, we are very data driven..the more data you can collect on what Maya's BG is at different times, when her nadir is, etc., the better they can help. While it is overwhelming and there is so much to learn, you won't find a more helpful, patient group than the people in LL. Some of them have been at it a long time, some for several months, some (like me) not very long but we try to support and help each other as much as possible. Maya has made it just in time for the Halloween Party that the cats are planning!! As many will tell you, just take a deep breath and jump in.

You will read in one of the stickys that we each do one "condo" for the day. Each morning, we go back to the previous day's condo, copy the browser, and then open a "new topic" and paste the link to yesterday's condo into the current day's condo. That is so the advisors can see what happened the day before. Many of us put a quick recap of BG readings from the day before. Each day, your condo subject title will be "DATE, MAYA, and then her AMPS. As you get her other numbers for the day (+2, +4, etc), then you would reopen your original condo, click on the "edit" button, edit your subject line to add the next test, and then "submit". If you want to add a comment, then you would reopen your condo, click on "post reply" and then make your comments. So at the beginning of the day, your subject title would look like this:
10/28 Maya AMPS 222. As you add, it might look like this 10/28 Maya AMPS 222 +2 180 +4 150; with the second cycle of the day, you would edit it so it would look like this:
10/28 Maya PMPS 155 and so on. You can scroll through and see how folks have done it. Let us know if you have any questions.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Lantus Land!
 
Depending on the formulation of the raw and the no-grain, you may still have carbs in there, affecting the glucose control.

Pop over to CatInfo.Org for some info on feline nutrition, and to Binky's page for info on the carb content of specific foods.

The cat likely is hungry because insufficient insulin has been available to transport the glucose into the cells for use, so the body continues signaling the need to feed. Until a stable insulin dose is obtained, you may continue to see that.

Note: Lantus takes a while to build up in the body, so be cautious in increasing the dose too quickly. You could end up with it too high and have a hypoglycemic attack that lasts for a while ... or kills the cat (Got Karo syrup? If not, get some, please.) Folks here will be able to give you better advice, once they can see your spreadsheet.
 
DeeJay

One thing I forgot to add is many folks here are on a feeding schedule to control the curve. We take the morning allotment of food the kitty would get and divide it up into minimeals. We feed one MM right after the AMPS, and again after +1, +2, +3 and finally +8 or +9. Repeat in the evening cycle. You might want to talk to the advisors about this once they look at her SS and see if it could help her. It does take time to be effective..I'm still waiting and seeing minor changes but within a couple of months, many folks have seen the high AMPS/PMPS flatten out more and come down lower. So be sure and ask if that might be a good thing for Maya. And yes, get your hypo kit ready as it states in the sticky. You will gradually learn what %carbs she responds to. The first time Gracie's numbers shot down, I automatically reached for 18% and it sent her skyrocketing so I've learned she is very carb sensitive and it doesn't take more than a medium carb (MC) food usually to steer her numbers. But other cats in the group (EVERY CAT IS DIFFERENT..ECID) need higher %carb foods to control their curves. You'll have to learn what helps Maya just by experimenting.
 
Welcome to Lantus Land!

I suspect we're throwing a huge amount of information at you. Feeling overwhelmed seems to go hand in glove with finding out your cat has diabetes. There is a ton of information in the starred, sticky notes at the top of the Board. If you haven't noticed, many of the sticky notes link to even more information.

First, if you are using a 10 ml vial of Lantus (vs. the 3 ml Solostar pens or cartridges), it's OK to have injected air into the vial. It's not OK with the pens or cartridges. Just remember that Lantus is fragile. Don't shake or roll the container and don't let Maya think it's a hockey puck. Most of us use the pen or cartridge since it ends up being more economical. The manufacturer recommends using Lantus for 28 days once a container is opened. Many people here get longer than 28 days. However, if you are discarding Lantus even after a couple of months, the smaller containers are better than the vial.

If you've had a chance to read the dosing protocol, we increase doses in small increments -- typically in 0.25u. This reduces the potential of missing what could be an ideal dose. We also don't typically change the first dose for 5 - 7 days. Lantus is a depot type drug (see. the "shed" sticky) and needs to build up in the system before you begin to see any changes. After this initial period, a dose is held for 2 - 3 days before increasing.

For now, I'd encourage you to become familiar with the sticky on our dosing protocol and the new to Lantus/Lev sticky. The latter contains information on posting conventions, how to do a curve, links to our slang, etc.

Please consider posting on a daily basis. The people here are very generous with their support and knowledge and are very willing to answer your questions.
 
Hi DeeJay,
Welcome to Lantus Land to you and Maya. As Sienne says, there's a lot to learn, so just relax and don't let yourself get overwhelmed. Ask questions whenever you need to. Post every day.
Here is a tip that I posted last week for eliminating air bubbles in the syringe:

Hi Everyone,
It has been suggested that I post my technique for eliminating (or significantly cutting down on) air bubbles in the syringe. Here goes:

Work the plunger back and forth a couple of times, then push it all the way in and hold it there forcefully while sticking the needle into the gasket of the insulin cartridge or vial. Then draw up more insulin than you need. Remove the syringe from the cartridge or vial. If there is a bubble, it flicks out easily or is pushed out easily when you twist the plunger to get the dose down to the correct unit marking. But it is possible to avoid bubbles almost entirely by using this technique. The key is holding the plunger all the way in--putting pressure on it--while inserting the needle into the cartridge. This eliminates any air that might still be hiding in the syringe!

Ella
 
Oh Wow !! ... Sheesh !! Spreadsheets, Condos, MM, AMPS, Namirs, ..... :? , Thanks everyone for your replies. I really appreciate it.

It looks like I will need a separate Google spreadsheet. I have one already in Excel. **sigh**. I can see how the BG numbers are really important though so I'll get to work on the spreadsheet.

Stomatitis ... nope - no Steriods. When she first came to me from the Shelter in 2007 I had the Vet administer a one-time steriod shot. She was in excruciating pain and not eating. I needed time to research Stomatitis and find a solution. She's not on any medication now.

Raw ... we do the Feline Future supplement with chicken thighs. Wet is typically Evangers or Evo. I'll have to do some research. She also gets raw (with no supplements) Ostrich, Duck, Rabbit, Chicken as treats. I work full-time so feeding may be a challenge. However ... I've been taking her BG readings after she eats. Not sure if that is affecting the reading. And she typically gets a bit more food after her insulin shot.

You mention not to roll or shake the insulin bottle. ... I've been gently rolling it in my hands before drawing it into the syringe. Wrong ??

I'll get a profile up as well.

... DeeJay ~ Maya ~
 
some insulins you do roll - Lantus you do not.
It should appear clear with no particles.
Just hold it to warm it up.
 
HI! I just wanted to say welcome aboard. You've received so much information already that I won't add any more. :-D You've found a great place - very wonderful and knowledgeable people here. I wish Maya well, and know that she can get the help she needs here. WELCOME!
 
I also just want to say hello... and don't worry, you're not the first one to handle the insulin incorrectly. Our first/ex-vet had us rolling the bottle for four months! Then we found Lantus Land. :-D

Everything will settle in for you soon. You have lots of support from great people here.
 
I'm just popping in to say "Welcome" :-D
Hope to see you posting daily. We will help you.
 
Welcome DeeJay and Maya! I can't think of anything to add that hasn't been said already, so I'll just say Welcome to the Family and we are glad you found us!
 
Hi All ...

Alrighty ... no more "rolling" !! I had no idea. However ... "somewhere" in one of the stickies it talks about "rolling". I'll see if I can find where I read it.

Or ... is there a stickie that talks about why not to roll Lantus. I betcha my Vet would be interested as well.

I'm still really behind in posting ... I work full-time and so it's not always easy to keep up. As an aside ... my partner/hubby was killed in a motorcycle accident August 7 so it's taking me twice as long to get even the most routine chores completed. < just wanted to explain why I may be kinda in and out of posting >.

Thanks so much for all your warm welcomes. It's comforting to know that Maya is in good company.

... DeeJay ~ Maya ~ =^..^=
 
I am so sorry for your loss. That must have been devastating and then to have Maya diagnosed so soon after. You have found a great place here for information and support. Don't worry about not being able to post often - we are always here. I don't know, but you may be able to upload your Excel spreadsheet into the Google docs. Or if nothing else, I know you can copy and paste from Excel to the Google spreadsheet.
 
Welcome Dee jay and Maya. This group is always here when you need help, a shoulder or a virtual hug. Ask question , we all felt just like you when we started.
 
Welcome DeeJay and Maya to Lantus Land you will find all the help you need to help Maya get better. There is always someone to help. Take a deep breath and take of yourself too it can be overwhelming navigating FD.
 
I am so sorry for your loss I also cannot imagine (((((HUGS))))) I want to welcome you to LL this is such a wonderful group of helpful people they have done wonders for Do Lou and I hope to see you posting regular and Do Lou says Hi to Maya cat_pet_icon
 
i too want to express my condolences for your loss...grief is so devastating.
welcome to our group...as you can see from the posts above, you have found a great source of knowledge and support here...

celi & binks
 
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