Nancy and Pasha
Member
Anyone else have this happen? We took Pasha in for a BG curve a few weeks ago AND HE'S NOT DIABETIC ANYMORE!!
A couple of spot checks since then confirm it. No shots, but random BG has been like 132 or 124; water consumption normal.
What happened is that last December, his BG FINALLY dropped to a better range after being always (since his diagnosis the previous June) in the high 300s or 400s even on high doses of insulin. We switched from dry to wet food and boom! his BG went down, but still it was not consistent, all over the place. Switched to PZI but we still could never get him properly regulated through the day.
At that point the vet suspected he had kidney cancer, he already had FIV and an unknown myopathy, could barely walk due to diabetic weakness in his hind legs, was losing weight, and we thought he was a goner. Also, I couldn't seem to get home readings from him anymore--only error messages despite thinking I was doing everything right. So, we stopped torturing the poor guy with the constant trips to the vet for blood curves, stopped poking his little foot, and decided to let nature take its course, though continuing with a regime of shots, wet food, and buprenorphine for presumed pain (teeth, kidney, whatever).
Well... nature's course was: his back legs got better, and in a matter of weeks or a couple months he was walking and jumping normally, he became more active, gained a little weight. So in the spring we decided to go ahead and risk anesthesia to take out his few remaining teeth, which were all either infected (due to FIV, probably), loose, or suspect. After he healed up, we took him in for another curve, and got the ecstatic phone call from the doc: "Pasha is not diabetic anymore!"
We are not sure when he turned the corner, but we think that getting rid of the constant low-level tooth infection might have tipped the balance. And the vet said sometimes cats just become non-diabetic for one reason or another; their metabolism or some other factor changes.
And... I figured out what stupid mistake I was making with the home monitor. I had started, for no reason in particular, to hold it with the display downward (facing the floor) when sucking up the blood drop from his foot as my husband held Pasha on his lap. I thought the test strip would pick up the drop OK if simply held straight against the drop, but somehow it didn't work well when I held the monitor turned the other way. So now we can continue to spot-check him at home.
He is still pretty skinny but eats well, is very active and strong, seems fine! Wow!!!
Thanks everyone for all the help you've given us! I hope Pasha won't relapse...we'll sure keep an eye on him.
Best wishes,
Nancy
A couple of spot checks since then confirm it. No shots, but random BG has been like 132 or 124; water consumption normal.
What happened is that last December, his BG FINALLY dropped to a better range after being always (since his diagnosis the previous June) in the high 300s or 400s even on high doses of insulin. We switched from dry to wet food and boom! his BG went down, but still it was not consistent, all over the place. Switched to PZI but we still could never get him properly regulated through the day.
At that point the vet suspected he had kidney cancer, he already had FIV and an unknown myopathy, could barely walk due to diabetic weakness in his hind legs, was losing weight, and we thought he was a goner. Also, I couldn't seem to get home readings from him anymore--only error messages despite thinking I was doing everything right. So, we stopped torturing the poor guy with the constant trips to the vet for blood curves, stopped poking his little foot, and decided to let nature take its course, though continuing with a regime of shots, wet food, and buprenorphine for presumed pain (teeth, kidney, whatever).
Well... nature's course was: his back legs got better, and in a matter of weeks or a couple months he was walking and jumping normally, he became more active, gained a little weight. So in the spring we decided to go ahead and risk anesthesia to take out his few remaining teeth, which were all either infected (due to FIV, probably), loose, or suspect. After he healed up, we took him in for another curve, and got the ecstatic phone call from the doc: "Pasha is not diabetic anymore!"
We are not sure when he turned the corner, but we think that getting rid of the constant low-level tooth infection might have tipped the balance. And the vet said sometimes cats just become non-diabetic for one reason or another; their metabolism or some other factor changes.
And... I figured out what stupid mistake I was making with the home monitor. I had started, for no reason in particular, to hold it with the display downward (facing the floor) when sucking up the blood drop from his foot as my husband held Pasha on his lap. I thought the test strip would pick up the drop OK if simply held straight against the drop, but somehow it didn't work well when I held the monitor turned the other way. So now we can continue to spot-check him at home.
He is still pretty skinny but eats well, is very active and strong, seems fine! Wow!!!
Thanks everyone for all the help you've given us! I hope Pasha won't relapse...we'll sure keep an eye on him.
Best wishes,
Nancy
