Peeps has rejoined the insulin world

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Michele and Peeps

Michele and Peeps

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Hi everyone,

My Peeps is back on insulin after quite a long time being diet controlled. She developed diabetes in January of 2008. Peeps then went into remission in September of 2008 after she hypoed (I was not home testing at the time). We originally had her on vetsulin, but we switched to PZI today. I am new to home testing a cat on insulin, and am new to PZI. She has gone back to being insulin dependent since she has been receiving shots of steroids to help manage cancer found in her intestines in May. The steroids have been great, but they have elevated her bg enough that we felt it was time to give her a little help. I have opted out of surgery based treatment for her cancer. Putting her back on insulin is purely quality over quantity of life. The vet gave her (best case scenario - with surgery) 6 - 12 months. We are now 4 months into the non-specific therapy for her cancer. I do not expect her to be with me very long.

We just wanted to re-introduce ourselves into the forum. I have set up a spread sheet for her which is linked in my signature. If someone could take the time to make sure it looks right, and if you have any comments/suggestions - we very much welcome them.
 
Awwww. Welcome, though sorry it's under such tough circumstances. Hopefully we can help you keep her as comfortable as possible with her BGs.

If you don't see much shift in her #s by tomorrow night or so, I'd bump her up to 1u, unless you have a specific reason for thinking she won't need that much. Occasionally there is a cat who responds to a dose under 1u, but I haven't seen it come up much - mostly they usually need a bit more to get into good #s, though sometimes then they'll take a dose reduction to stay there. PZI builds up a little overlap for some cats, usually with the first 2 or 3 shots. So often by that point you can see if a dose is going to do anything or not.
 
Hi Joanna!

I started out so low basically because of paranoia. She's not happy about bleeding several times a day (and I am very out of practice), and she was just very recently treated for a bad bladder infection. She still seems kind of stressed out going into the litter box, and the other cats are giving her grief still since she was sick. Just because I really don't know how stressed out she is from being ill, and the other cats, I decided to start obnoxiously low and go slow. I'm not liking that 400 she gave me today, but I had already decided that paranoia was going to win. I will take your suggestion to heart and perhaps not wait the 7 days I initially thought of before I bump up her dose. Thanks so much for your insight!
 
Hi Michelle,

I'm so sorry you had to come back and under such sad circumstances. Harley and I had to go back on insulin last June.

I agree maybe go up to 1 unit when you're ready.

BTW I havn't forgotten about that motorcycle ride, maybe next summer. How is school going?
 
Good to see you again Rob & Harley :)

Is it back on insulin time for Minnesotans? What are the odds!

I didn't get around to getting my motorcycle endorsement this summer... I only thought of it when I would see expensive bikes that no one would want to borrow me for my test :D School is going fast. I think I may have bit off a wee bit more than I can chew this semester, but I am hanging in there. I'm taking another class with my Minnesota Geography teacher, because he is just a hoot and makes Minnesota not boring, though he has a big role to fill as he has to make World Geography not boring. He hasn't disappointed yet.

Peeps is about to get her PM shot, I'll have my spreadsheet updated before the top of the hour.
 
Bummer, I had my Sam in remission but he had to go back on insulin just last week.He was in remission for over a year. It's hard to start up again. We suck at getting blood from his poor ears. Good luck with Peeps. :YMSIGH:
 
Sue and Sam-

It is really hard to start up again. Before I could make plans around shoots, but I wasn't expecting her to go back on insulin when I started designing the next few months of my life. This is probably going to be just like riding a bike - you never forget... or so I hope! She seems to remember that the shoulder poke makes her feel better. She's still not too keen on multi-ear pokes a day. I'm already planning on stocking up on supplies she can actually eat as treats... She's always loved jelly and spinach and venison jerky - but she just realized recently she likes bison jerky and roast beef. The only problem is her human likes all of those things too, and is quite a snack freak.
 
The testing comes back pretty easily but the newbie number freak out takes a while longer to settle in.

Glad to hear school is going well.
 
I upped to one unit today as was suggested. You guys are great & called that right away :) I think the next step will be one more unit, depending on her pre-shots tomorrow (I mean up it a unit on Thursday)? They seem to be going up.

Also, what is the feeling on early/late shots over skipping shots? I have an assignment coming up where I will be out of the house several hours before her shot time, and won't have the ability to move BOTH shots up or down to prepare for it. Do I give it to her that early, or however late when I get home? Or just skip it altogether? I don't really have anyone else that can do it. It's not that I don't trust the other human in the house to help out, but it is expecting a lot - to say the least.
 
A friend of mine had a neighbor that would give her mom's cat a shot if she went out of town. She had about 3 people that helped out and learned the way to shoot so Zeria would be covered.
 
Hi Michelle,

About upping Peep's dose, with Prozinc we usually up by .2's and let it settle in for 3 to 5 days unless it's glaringly obvious that you need more, sorry I didn't look at your ss yet, I'll look in a minute. Prozinc seems to give bigger results on smaller changes than Vetsulin did.

I usually opt for late but Harley's #'s have come down. What time do you shoot, maybe I can help out.

Robin
 
I am going to assume with your kind gesture Rob, that skipping shots is a hands down no-no. There is no one in my direct area that I could train to do this shot (unless of course I dump Peeps at the vets office), and a stranger coming into this house would upset my mom considerably.

So, I will consider my option. This assignment that is going to have me out of the house at the crack of dawn (or skipping class), is totally bogus and I wouldn't have taken the class if I would have known beforehand. Perhaps a chat with my instructor is needed to see if he knows of certain places that will allow me to do the assignment mid-day.
 
Yeah, 1u increases are out!!! I've seen either 0.2 or 0.5 suggested - I like 0.5 if you are pretty clear you're not near your dose, or if you have ketones or a super-sick cat. Then 0.2 when you are getting close.

Dose holds I think sometimes they say 7 days when you are first starting the insulin, then 3-5 after that for raises, again depending on how much luxury you have in the timing.

Preferable to skipping shots, you can often rearrange your timing & doses to give the best coverage you can. So maybe shoot a smaller dose at night if you know you have to shoot at +9 in the morning, or whatever. It takes some experimenting, but PZI is so flexible it's usually workable.
 
I offered because I'm close by and don't need to be trained, but we don't want to freak out mom (although I'm probably older than your mom and doubt I could freak her out much).

Prozinc is flexible, last night I shot 1-1/2 hour late and adjusted this morning. I wouldn't want to see you skip a shot with Peep's bg's so high. But if you have to, you have to. Life happens.

I agree with Joanna on the .5u increase with Peep's #'s.
 
Mom is freaked out by people in her house. I hope you didn't take offense to it, I didn't mean for that to happen if you did!

I do like the idea of an adjusted shot. The best I can guestimate is that I'll be out of the house 2 hours and 45 minutes before her shot time. I'll be home after her pm shot all night, and a huge chunk of the day after her following am shot. So if she is on one unit at the time, I give a .5 the night before, a 1u the morning of my absence, and then continue on at her normal pm shot with the 1u?

On the other side of this discussion, I'm pretty sure I did a fur shot on Peeps. She is so wonderful about her bruised ears and my slowness, and I go and put the insulin on her! I'm fairly sure it was a fur shot as I scratch her shoulders hard before and after the shot. The after shot scratch was damp. I feel like such a newbie all over again :( I can't remember - do we just skip refilling the syringe in the event of a fur shot incase some did get in?
 
We skip it after a fur shot. We don't know how much actually got in.

No offense taken at all, I completly understand. If it were me, I would give .5u the night before, .5u in the morning early and then 1u that evening.

Let's see how Joanna would do it.
 
How much later will you be home after the PM shot? If it's not too long, one choice would be a late shot that night, then split how ever much time in half and early-up the next too shots. So say late shot is at +14, then do the next AM at +11 (11 hrs after the late shot, which would be 1 hr after your normal AM shot time), and then next PM again at +11, which puts you back on regular schedule. If it's something like that, then you could probably shoot a full dose with each shot. Not sure I understood the timing of your absense :)
 
And I'm not sure what you just suggested Joanna :D

She gets her shots at the 9:45's of the day.

Just to get this straight - assuming I will go to the service I have already chosen - I have to be 40ish minutes away by 9am. A friend might be coming along with me, so I have to adjust my leave time for changing cars (and expected unexpected grief from his wife). I will probably leave here at 7am. The service runs until 10:35. If I leave and come straight home, we're looking at about a 12:30pm arrival home. Even if I knock out the friend, my leaving and arrival times will not change much. I only asked the friend along because his car can handle city streets. Mine, no so much. I actually don't know what I'm going to do if he can't drive me.

The only thing is, I can't move up the following PM shot. Her shots are specifically designed around my Monday night class, as it is the latest I am out. I get home 15 minutes before her Monday night shot.

This seems to be getting entirely too complicated. I think I just confused myself writing all that out. Maybe a system of bells, whistles, and a power outage can make it possible for the other human to make Peeps' shot time.
 
Ok, so you could (double check my math!!!!):

-Shoot PM shot late, full dose at 12:45ish, which is +15.
-Shoot AM shot at 11:15, which is +10.5, so you could shoot the full dose, or a teeny tiny hair less maybe.
-Shoot PM shot at regular time, 9:45, which is +10.5, so again full dose or teeny tiny bit less.

OR

-Shoot PM shot early, at 7, which is +9.25, so probably shoot 0.2 or so less than regular dose, and maybe that morning shoot a little bit less also to be sure PMPS will be shootable.
-Shoot AM shot a little late but not full amount late (especially since last night's dose will have been a thin one), maybe shoot at 8 am so a +13, full dose. You could add 0.2 to this dose since it's late and the next one will be late too.
-Shoot PM shot at regular time, 9:45, which would be a + 14.45.

Ok, I have officially expended my brain power for today!!! :lol:
 
This is beginning to look a lot like algebra. Algebra and I are old enemies. Give me a few days to review this over & over again to see if it sinks in.

I think I may just print out this entire conversation and bring it to my teacher as an explanation why his assignment is so cruel. I took a night class because I am a night person. I don't function in the AM because I am an insomniac. He gives an assignment that makes a night classer have an early start to the day. Now, it's not just me he's screwing with - its poor Joanna too!

You guys are great though :) Thanks for all your help!
 
Probably.

Bells first, because she'll look around the house trying to figure out why the UPS's are making a new noise.
Whistles second, because she will look at Chip (the cockatiel) and begin to talk to him.

(The first two are to get her attention away from the computer)

Then a power outage, because she won't be able to continue playing her game/typing an email.
Then she will wander around the kitchen trying to find something to do, and she will then probably see the note and the syringes I've laid out carefully to spell PEEPS.

Mom isn't forgetful per say, she just has selective time telling skills. And I'm fairly sure if I ask her to give a shot, she will try her hardest, though computer games suck hours away... And if I specifically tell her, "Only give Peeps her shot between this time and that time, or don't do it at all!" she will freak out (from worry that I'm going to be cranky if Peeps doesn't get the shot) and give her the shot late if it so happens to be late when she remembers. So, I would really prefer not to ask, because the bells/whistles/power outage is really only a theory.
 
Hi Michelle,

I have a favor to ask since you are the most tech savvy person here. Carol & Carbonel are having trouble setting up their ss, I've put together a home made one so I could see the history (memory failure) and try to put it in a post for others to see but that won't help them long term. They need a real one.

If it wern't for you my handsome boy's picture wouldn't be up here.

So if you can, Thanks

Robin
 
I'm not even sure. She's in the UK, England so she is usually only here late afternoon. Maybe talk her through it in her posts, she said that her dad helped her to start getting it set up. Can you explain it to her without the tech talk?

When I was struggling to attach mine to my sig someone sent me the url to copy and paste, is that possible?

Maybe post on her thread and see what kind of help she needs?

I don't know, she just need some help.
 
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