October 12, Simba, 193

Mariella & Simba

Mariella & Simba

Member Since 2018
Hello everyone, this is my first post on the Lantus board for Simba. I got his spreadsheet done, hopefully correctly. Short history, he was dx'd mid-August, first curve at vet 8/19 (I don't have those numbers), subsequent four curves done at home and on his spreadsheet, along with a "comment" that I hope you will be able to open, about this week. Because of low readings on his last curve on 10/6 we stopped his insulin, hoping he was going into remission. Vet instructed us to do AMPS reading for a week, and if it stayed below mid to high 100's, continue for 3 weeks, and then we would do a fructosamine test. The comment on his spreadsheet gives his AMPS numbers for 10-7 through 10-12, ending today at 193. Since it was the continuation of his trend through the week, and today's number was a large jump from yesterday, I started him on insulin again at 1 unit (he was increased to 2 units on 9/13), rather than let him continue to climb. I called those numbers in today to the vet, haven't heard from her, may not hear until next week, as I think restarting at one unit is what she would prescribe, as she mentioned it.

It has been suggested by those on the main forum that he may do best on 1.5 units, but vet seems reluctant to prescribe partial units, due to fear of me improperly reading the syringe markings and overdosing. I have 1/2 unit syringes on hand, and I think I can safely handle that, and will tell her that.

Any observations are welcome. Thank you.

Mariella & Simba
 
Mariella Ross said:
I got his spreadsheet done, hopefully correctly.
Click to expand...

You need to change the permission so we can see it. Go to the top right corner where it says "Share"....click there and a new box will open. Go to the bottom right of that box and click "advanced".....choose "anyone with the link" can view.
 
Mariella Ross said:
along with a "comment" that I hope you will be able to open,
Click to expand...

Can't see anything but the word "Comment" where the Date would go. You might want to move it over to the "Remarks" on the far right side of the spreadsheet (or just post it here)

The 2U dose looked great as of 10/6....without being able to see any test results after that, really can't give you any helpful advice.
 
Chris & China (GA) said:
Can't see anything but the word "Comment" where the Date would go. You might want to move it over to the "Remarks" on the far right side of the spreadsheet (or just post it here)

The 2U dose looked great as of 10/6....without being able to see any test results after that, really can't give you any helpful advice.
Click to expand...

Okay, the "comment" said "Insulin stopped 10/7/19 Per vet's instructions took AMPS readings 10-7 through 10-12, which were 113, 120, 145, 150, 159, 193"
 
Mariella Ross said:
Vet instructed us to do AMPS reading for a week, and if it stayed below mid to high 100's, continue for 3 weeks, and then we would do a fructosamine test.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the LB&L forum! Great to see your SS up and running. You don't need to do a fructosamine test at your vet's office - since you're home testing you already know what that test is going to tell you. Save your money for other things like insulin, syringes, a backup test meter/strips and lots of varieties of low carb foods and treats. :)
 
So you went from 2U to nothing? Sounds like your vet doesn't know much about treating feline diabetes (but we hear that a lot here)

As for your vet thinking you can't measure 1.5, I have to laugh. The way we recommend doing things is to have our cats "earn" reductions by dropping below 68 (on Tight Regulation) or 90 (on Start Low Go Slow. There have been thousands of other members here who've learned how to do much smaller increments without worrying about "improperly reading the lines".

So if you were doing TR and Simba dropped below 68, you'd reduce his dose by .25 unit (you have to eyeball the .25 and .75 doses ) Some people also use calipers where you ignore the lines altogether.

Each time he would "earn" a reduction (by dropping below 68 or by staying in normal numbers for 7 days) you'd reduce a little more......all the way down to a dose of .1 !!

We aren't shooting for a fast remission here...we want a strong one! By continuing to give the pancreas some support for as long as safely possible, you're much more likely to get a strong remission that lasts longer than a week.
 
Wow, this is so helpful, thank you! It seems I am on a slippery slope with this vet. When he was diagnosed, she offered us the opportunity to have him treated by an internal medicine specialist, but all three of them left our specialist clinic due to takeover by Blue Pearl. We had used them, and they were great vets. She hasn't professed to be an expert on diabetes, but is fairly adamant in the beliefs she has, such as we must feed only 2x a day, which I have ignored for about six weeks, as he is a regurgitator with IBD and does best on smaller frequent meals. So, I even have on hand the syringes with half unit markings from another cat that passed away before we could start treating her, but still need my vet to prescribe insulin...or do I? I have used an offshore pharmacy in Vanuatu for myself and my cats with other drugs, no prescription required, but no refrigerated meds. Do the Canadian online pharmacies require prescriptions? I am reading about the pens they sell.

For now, Simba is on a "Start Low, Go Slow" dosing protocol, I guess. I am not quite up for testing before each dose, and calculating the dose per that reading. I feel I need to get smarter about the disease before I would attempt that.

Again, thanks so much for your very informative post.

Mariella and Simba
 
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