Quest for Lantus

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scoobydoox

Member Since 2016
Last week at my vet appointment on wed the vet mentioned that there was a donation of Lantus pens. He told me to talk to the other vet but that he wasn't there until the next day. Of course I waited all morning for him to call me back on Thursday. Nothing. After 1pm I called there and was told hes in surgery call back after 4. I call back again and I'm told he left for the day and won't be in until Monday. Of course while one person is telling me this another of the staff is calling me leaving me a message to call back Monday. One tells me 8:50am am the other tells me 12:00pm. You can see I am starting to get pissed. All this running around when I need one answer. Can I buy the Lantus from you or not even though it was a donation from a client? I call this morning the girl at the desk tells me hes not there until 9am. So I said well your people told me to call last week at 850am and the other vet told me to call him, she then cuts me off please hold. So the vet decides to deal with me at last. First thing he says we have 6 lantus pens in the fridge that were donated but i have a client that takes lantus herself and her cat was diagnosed as diabetic so she is using them. So then hes like this isnt a supply for to use. So I reply your partner vet told me to call and ask you about the lantus pens we are switching to lantus before i go out with a prescription to buy it. Can I buy a pen or not from this donation supply you have. I need to talk to your vet call back after 12:00pm. This vet also started talking about how he has all these diabetic cat patients. Hes had cats on 5 units and one cat on 12units of insulin. So I am thinking RED FLAG this vet does not seem to know what he is doing. I am so glad I didnt end up with him. My cat would probably be dead right now.
Is it really worth all this bullshit I am going through? I mean honestly shouldn't the two vets be discussing this to start with and not me playing the middle man? I am so irritated. I am only playing nice until I get the script from this vet and then I am looking at other vets.
 
I'd mention this all to your vet assuming you haven't. I'm sure your vet probably thought he was doing you a favor but it sounds like the other one is being a PITA.
 
I can see where Jane is coming from but, given that you're planning to shift practice anyway, it might be wiser to hold your tongue, get the Rx and then move to another practice. If you complain to your main vet about the other colleague's carp behaviour, even though they will know you're well within your rights to complain, out of professional loyalty they might close ranks against you and make getting the written Rx difficult. They'll get the message soon enough when you vote with your feet. ;)


Mogs
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Critter Mom said:
I can see where Jane is coming from but, given that you're planning to shift practice anyway, it might be wiser to hold your tongue, get the Rx and then move to another practice. If you complain to your main vet about the other colleague's carp behaviour, even though they will know you're well within your rights to complain, out of professional loyalty they might close ranks against you and make getting the written Rx difficult. They'll get the message soon enough when you vote with your feet. ;)


Mogs
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Well I did mean after getting the script.
 
I think if it's possible, I'd just walk in, tell them you're there to either pick up one of the donated Lantus pens or a written script for Lantus (as you've been promised for several days now) and then just sit in the lobby until you get one or the other (although if they DO finally come up with a pen for you from "their supply", I think I'd get the script while you're there for the "next time" so you never have to deal with this kind of silliness again with them)
 
Ok I called back after 12:00 he kept telling me to stick with the vetsulin and i said i want to try the lantus. so he finally agreed after some more talking and i said i will be there in 15min. i flew out there.he did a lot more talking before he gave me two donated pens and a box of pen needles. no script and wants me to call him in a week with an update. i went to walmart pharmacy right after to get the other syringes but now im not sure if they are right or not. Did I get the right things?also the pen says 100 units but the vet said there 300 units can someone explain how do you get 300 units from a pen that says 100 units on it? also he said that you only refrigerate the pen that isnt open? open ones you dont refrigerate?
Pics(what do you guys use to host pics to share on here)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2byix2jV8mTUDBjbVI1SlZObTA/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2byix2jV8mTSlRxaHFCc2NobGc/view?usp=sharing
 
Can you post the description of the syringes from the box. (Should be something along the lines of U100 (insulin type), ??ml (barrel size), ??mm (needle length).)

Does the pen say U100 3ml?


Mogs
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Critter Mom said:
Can you post the description of the syringes from the box. (Should be something along the lines of U100 (insulin type), ??ml (barrel size), ??mm (needle length).)

Does the pen say U100 3ml?


Mogs
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oh click the links those are the pics of the box of syringes and the lantus pen
 
The pens hold 3ml....each ml contains 100 units....so there's a total of 300 units per pen

Those syringes are fine, but most of us use 30 or 31 gauge instead of 29 because they're tinier
 
Yes...you want to keep all the pens in the refrigerator

Since you're not using the "special" pen needles, it doesn't matter if you keep the "open" one in the refrigerator ....and it'll last a lot longer. It's only good for 28 days if you leave it out of the refrigerator.

With humans who use the "special" pen needles, they don't refrigerate the open pen because it can interfere with the mechanism, but since you're using regular insulin syringes, you don't need to worry about that
 
Chris & China said:
Yes...you want to keep all the pens in the refrigerator

Since you're not using the "special" pen needles, it doesn't matter if you keep the "open" one in the refrigerator ....and it'll last a lot longer. It's only good for 28 days if you leave it out of the refrigerator.

With humans who use the "special" pen needles, they don't refrigerate the open pen because it can interfere with the mechanism, but since you're using regular insulin syringes, you don't need to worry about that
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ok thankyou
 
Congratulations on getting Lantus! I submitted my Rx To diabetic cats in need today. And I'm hoping I hear back soon. I actually didn't think about donated pens. I'm going to call around to cat rescues tomorrow. They are incredibly hard to get and of around here :-(
 
Rescuemamaprays said:
Congratulations on getting Lantus! I submitted my Rx To diabetic cats in need today. And I'm hoping I hear back soon. I actually didn't think about donated pens. I'm going to call around to cat rescues tomorrow. They are incredibly hard to get and of around here :-(
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Thankyou. I got this from the vet though maybe ask the vets around where you are if they have any donated lantus.
 
I started the lantus today and finished the curve yesterday when he was still on the vetinsulin. How long do you wait to do a curve when you have switched to a new insulin? the vet told me a week?
 
Lantus takes 5-7 days to "fill the depot", but occasionally cats respond a lot sooner

Generally speaking though, you don't expect to see the full effects of the dose until the depot is full

What's important with Lantus is getting mid-cycle tests in as often as you can during the AM cycle and at least a "before bed" test on the PM cycle.

Lantus dosing is based on how LOW it takes them, so finding Gizmo's nadir will help to know how he's doing.

I want to encourage you to start posting in the Lantus & Levemir forum too. Everyone there uses Lantus or Levemir and have lots of experience to help you as you go forward!

There's also lots of great information in the "stickies" at the top of the forum that you should take some time to read through. It'll be important for you to decide which dosing method you want to use too. Tight Regulation Protocol is the one most of us use because it offers the best chance at remission, as well as allows you to change the dose as often as every 3 days if the dose you're on isn't getting the numbers you want. Reductions in dose are earned if they drop below 50 on a human meter

The other method is Start Low, Go Slow. With SLGS, you hold the dose for a week (which can be hard if all you're seeing is high numbers!) and then you run a proper curve (every 2 hours for 12 hours or every 3 hours for 18) and then doses can be adjusted. It's generally used by people who can't test enough or just aren't comfortable with the more aggressive TR protocol. Reductions are earned if they drop below 90

I notice you still have your spreadsheet in Excel....and if I go to look at it in Google sheets (so it looks like the rest of ours) it allows me to edit (which it shouldn't!!) Would you like some help getting set up with the spreadsheet the rest of us use? I'd be happy to help. Just click on my name and choose "Start a Conversation" so I can get some details.

It will be very important that you keep your spreadsheet updated so we can see how Gizmo is doing....the last thing you want is to have him do something unexpected and not be able to get the best help possible because we can't see how he's been doing
 
How many hours between the time you give an am shot and then do a bg test? and also how does that work for the evening shot and test?

Oh I started setting up the spreadsheet and then i thought i was getting the lantus last wed which you read about that disaster and didnt want to mix results from two different insulins on the ss. so i didnt want to do anything with that until i got the lantus which i started it today. i changed some options try again i dont think you can edit it now
 
scoobydoox said:
How many hours between the time you give an am shot and then do a bg test? and also how does that work for the evening shot and test?
Click to expand...

You ALWAYS test before shooting...take food up 2 hours before shot time and then most of us Test/Feed/Shoot all within about 5-10 minutes. After that, it's important to get a mid-cycle test if possible on the AM cycle....somewhere between +5 and +7, but if you can get tests at other times, it's all the better. The more data we have, the better we can figure Gizmo out.

Getting a +2 is a good test to get when you can because it can be a lot like a crystal ball as to what might be happening later in the cycle.

If the +2 is about the same as the Pre-Shot, it's usually a pretty normal cycle....gradually going down to nadir and then gradually going back up.
If the +2 is higher than the PS, that can mean there's a bounce starting, and those are cycles where it's safer to take a break and maybe not poke as much
If the +2 is lower than the PS, that's your "early warning" that he might be going a lot lower later in the cycle...those are the cycles where you want to get more tests in or leave down some higher carb food if you can't be home to test.

On the PM cycle, we don't expect people to stay up and get a mid-cycle every night, so getting that +2 and then a "before bed" test will help you to know when it's safe to sleep soundly and when it's better to plan on setting an alarm and getting up to test again later in the cycle.

Think of your spreadsheet like a puzzle....if the only puzzle pieces you have are along the edges or down the middle, it's hard to see the whole picture....but if you have pieces (test results) sprinkled all over, the picture becomes easier to see

scoobydoox said:
try again i dont think you can edit it now
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Yes I can if I want to (which I don't) ;)
 
Chris & China said:
You ALWAYS test before shooting...take food up 2 hours before shot time and then most of us Test/Feed/Shoot all within about 5-10 minutes. After that, it's important to get a mid-cycle test if possible on the AM cycle....somewhere between +5 and +7, but if you can get tests at other times, it's all the better. The more data we have, the better we can figure Gizmo out.

Getting a +2 is a good test to get when you can because it can be a lot like a crystal ball as to what might be happening later in the cycle.

If the +2 is about the same as the Pre-Shot, it's usually a pretty normal cycle....gradually going down to nadir and then gradually going back up.
If the +2 is higher than the PS, that can mean there's a bounce starting, and those are cycles where it's safer to take a break and maybe not poke as much
If the +2 is lower than the PS, that's your "early warning" that he might be going a lot lower later in the cycle...those are the cycles where you want to get more tests in or leave down some higher carb food if you can't be home to test.

On the PM cycle, we don't expect people to stay up and get a mid-cycle every night, so getting that +2 and then a "before bed" test will help you to know when it's safe to sleep soundly and when it's better to plan on setting an alarm and getting up to test again later in the cycle.

Think of your spreadsheet like a puzzle....if the only puzzle pieces you have are along the edges or down the middle, it's hard to see the whole picture....but if you have pieces (test results) sprinkled all over, the picture becomes easier to see



Yes I can if I want to (which I don't) ;)
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ok try it now i think i see what did this time.its set for view only and should be the right ss temp now(i had two)
i just did a bg test on giz (mostly cuz im paranoid now) 105 bg. and hes not just laying by the water bowl like he would after giving the vetinsulin shots. hes more alert tried to play briefly couple hours ago.
 
ok cool it works finally. i meant to get one before this morning but ive been really sick. i have an entire list of things written just for the gizmo to remember which insulin im giving and food and time and remember to do it all in order and alarms set -_-

side note his numbers on the vetinsulin were a lot higher some days
 
I'd try to get a +2 tonight....let's see if we can start getting in the habit of that since it's usually a pretty good indicator of where he might be going later in the cycle

Tomorrow, I'd suggest that you start posting daily in the Lantus forum so you'll get the most experienced people watching out for you and Gizmo.

Each day we start a new thread (we call them "condo's") with the date, cats name and the AMPS ## in the subject line.....as the day goes on, you "edit" the subject line to put the latest test numbers in...so like tomorrow's would be 3/30 Gizmo AMPS ###

In the body of the post, first put the link to the prior days post in.....then give the WCR (Whole Cat Report)...basically just telling us how Gizmo is doing, is he eating well? How about the 5 "P's"? (purring, preening, playing, peeing and pooping) Anything that helps us get to know you and Gizmo better as well as any questions you might have.

As people get to know you, they'll start to watch for your posts (we become very much like a family over there) and you'll get the benefit of lots of years of experience with using Lantus
 
Chris & China said:
I'd try to get a +2 tonight....let's see if we can start getting in the habit of that since it's usually a pretty good indicator of where he might be going later in the cycle

Tomorrow, I'd suggest that you start posting daily in the Lantus forum so you'll get the most experienced people watching out for you and Gizmo.

Each day we start a new thread (we call them "condo's") with the date, cats name and the AMPS ## in the subject line.....as the day goes on, you "edit" the subject line to put the latest test numbers in...so like tomorrow's would be 3/30 Gizmo AMPS ###

In the body of the post, first put the link to the prior days post in.....then give the WCR (Whole Cat Report)...basically just telling us how Gizmo is doing, is he eating well? How about the 5 "P's"? (purring, preening, playing, peeing and pooping) Anything that helps us get to know you and Gizmo better as well as any questions you might have.

As people get to know you, they'll start to watch for your posts (we become very much like a family over there) and you'll get the benefit of lots of years of experience with using Lantus
Click to expand...
237 for the +2
 
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