Raising dose

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RobinCot

RobinCot

Member Since 2013
I usually rely on the advise and consent of the rescuer who brought me my sugarfoster but since she is having her own health problems I don't want to bother her anymore. I am on my own now... and relying on the experts here to help me. After Snoball's semi-curve this weekend, I feel like he needs to have his dosage raised. When I got him he was on 1u BID and then we lowered him to .50 BID. During this time he was being integrated in with my three civvies. After that calmed down, seeing his numbers were consistently in the 300s or high 200s I stepped up his dosage to .75u BID and then back to 1u BID. His curve was pretty flat so this morning I started a new dosage of 1.25u BID. I hope this is okay.

Snoball is back in isolation as of yesterday afternoon after finding him peeing in my chair. Apparently he doesn't like it when the civvies use his box but that is the price of his freedom. He is baby-gated back in his room (which is where he spent most of his freedom anyway) but he is NOT happy about it. I will probably let him out in the evenings where I can keep an eye on him. I don't know if his going back into isolation will cause him more or less stress - less for me though, that's for sure.

Should I have gone to 1.5u BID or is the 1.25u BID for this week a better approach? I would like to try another curve this weekend now that I have enough strips.
 
I would stay with the 1 1/4 for five days (unless the preshots indicate otherwise) and do a curve on the last day.
You seemed to have gotten better (lower) preshots on 1/2 units (but yo had no BG between shots) so maybe even the 1 unit was too much
 
Larry - Thank you so much for answering - I will keep him at 1.25 and get some in-between tests this weekend. I think the lower numbers on his chart were from when he was out of isolation and allowed to roam free with my civvies. I am considering giving him a second chance with this freedom but if he abuses it - he will have to go back into isolation for good and I would not be able to adopt him for he would only be suited for a home without other cats :sad:
 
I do think a change is needed in Snoball's insulin dosage. Not sure if this should be up or down with only that single curve to look at. Especially, since the curve mid-cycle numbers look like a bounce.

We look at the nadirs at mid=cycle to see how low the cat is going before we adjust the insulin dose with Lantus.

I'd like to suggest 1 or 2 more tests a day, to help fill out the data on the SS and give us a better idea of what is happening at mid-cycle.

Some suggestions for some other test times are:
1. A test just before you go to bed is good.
2. A test at +2 is always good.
3. Then, instead of a curve, some random tests, trying to get some around that +6 or at +11 would be helpful to see. That +5 to +7 timeframe is when a lot of cats have their lowest BG reading, also called the nadir. We base dose changes on that number.

I'm going to post over in ISG Lantus TR and see if someone else has some other suggestions for you. They may see something I am missing.
 
It is very difficult to get any in-between tests in during the week as I work full-time and have a long commute. The evening schedule is crazy with testing and feeding and cleaning up and litterboxes and see who ate what and... well you all know. I may be able to get a +3 tonight as that is usually the end of the mad-dash, evening cycle and just before I collapse and start preparing for the following day. I have two bad knees so if I am still able to walk, I can try to get another test tonight - otherwise, it will have to wait for the weekend. A +5 or above is not possible during the week.
 
Robin:

Lantus dosing is based on the nadir. I would strongly encourage you to get that test in before you collapse at night. Without any spot checks to speak of, I'm not comfortable making any dose suggestions. It is entirely possible that Snoball's numbers are dropping low mid-cycle and there's just no way to know what's going on.
 
That mad dash you do sounds exhausting! How many are in your crew of furchildren?

Thank you for looking over the list of suggestions for different tests and picking one.

A before bed test right before you go to bed would be wonderful. A +3 gives us some more data to work with. If some nights it's only a +2 that helps too. Maybe one night it will be a bit later, a +3.5 or +4.

I have two bad knees so if I am still able to walk, I can try to get another test tonight
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Bad knees here too. Those bad knees make it tough to get the kitty in position and get the test and shot done. Wink was always so wiggley, that I ended up kneeling on my arthritic knees to stop him from escaping. The old bones don't want to cooperate these days and those body parts are rapidly failing. :roll:

It is very difficult to get any in-between tests in during the week as I work full-time and have a long commute.
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A +5 or above is not possible during the week.
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I hear you. It isn't possible for a lot of people that work during the week. Or for those people that work 7 days a week. We have one member that does that. Don't know how she manages, but she does.
 
I hear you all and am so thankful for your comments. I will get in a +3 tonight - before my knees go on ice. Snoball is great at testing, he actually comes up to the top of the table at the window in his room and settles right down. In fact his picture to the right shows him sitting exactly where he gets his test and shot. Thank goodness he is so good because I could never do this on the floor. It's the running up and down the stairs and getting over the baby gates that is a little troublesome but these aren't excuses - I can definately get a +3 tonight.
 
Sorry Wendy - right after his test, the night-feeding routine begins for all civvies and Snoball so a +4.5 would have had a food bump. I can get more tests in this weekend when I don't have to get up at 5am. I almost gave the cat up last night. I grew up in a house that smelled of dog piss and after living in a very noisy apartment for 30 years, I was finally able to buy a house of my own two years ago. I don't want this house to smell and I have never had a cat pee anywhere but inside the box - especially because I keep them so clean. The funny thing is that he does it when I am watching. First on my chair and then on the rug in his room as I was coming in the door. And he is not spraying, he is crouched down and letting it loose. So I spent the entire evening steamcleaning and running to Petco for Cat Attract litter and switching out the World's Best Litter... and just being really mad at him and coming real close to calling the rescue people to come and get him. I decided to give him one more chance - with the litter. If he refuses the litterbox because another cat uses it then I will not adopt him and his time with me will be short-term. I can't keep crawling over baby gates to care for him. :-x
 
Ok, sorry. I am over my little snit with Snoball. He did use the litterbox this morning and I let him out of isolation so he could sit in my lap for a while. He is back in isolation though until I can watch him full-time this weekend. It may have been the litter change (i.e. my fault). I hope so because I really do love this cat even though I have only had him for seven weeks. I just don't think it is best for him to be cooped up in one room for the rest of his life.

Still at 1.25u BID with PS numbers in the 300s - only second day on new dose.
 
Sorry Wendy - right after his test, the night-feeding routine begins for all civvies and Snoball so a +4.5 would have had a food bump.
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I wanted to clarify what looks like a misunderstanding.

The only tests where we don't like to see a food bump, are the pre-shot tests. Sometimes, even those have a food influence for some people. Any tests taken after the pre-shots are expected to have a food bump or influence.

So in hindsight, you could have taken that +4.5 test last night.

Ok, sorry. I am over my little snit with Snoball. He did use the litterbox this morning and I let him out of isolation so he could sit in my lap for a while. He is back in isolation though until I can watch him full-time this weekend. It may have been the litter change (i.e. my fault). I hope so because I really do love this cat even though I have only had him for seven weeks. I just don't think it is best for him to be cooped up in one room for the rest of his life.
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Good to hear Snoball is back in your good graces.

I have needed to use some behavior modification techniques on one of my civies to get him to stop spraying. Isolation and some other changes, used in conjunction with Prozac, got him to cease and desist. Restricted quarters and lack of human attention are big motivators for cats.
 
Thanks for the clarification Deb. I am thinking of a +4 tonight - it will be right after his night snack but as long as that doesn't matter - his PMPS was 256. All is calm here unlike last night. He apparently didn't like the new litter. The Cat Attract litter is back in the box and so is he. I even got to test him and give him his shot downstairs this evening. That was nice. Except for Snoball's occasional hissing and growling, we are all just sitting in total quietness enjoying a hot summer evening on the patio. No TV, no phones... I like the 256.
 
I am thinking of a +4 tonight - it will be right after his night snack but as long as that doesn't matter
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No a snack will be just fine before that +4.

Glad the Cat Attract litter seems to be helping.

I'm liking that PMPS 256 also.

Stay cool if you can, hot here in MA too but probably not as humid as down your way in VA.
 
Thanks Deb - Summer in MA must be soooo nice - especially since I am not a fan of hot weather. I like winter and snow - lots of it!!!

I got a 200 for his +4 last night which I liked. I am going to lay off on the between-shot testing for a while. I need his ear to heal a little better if I am going to try to do a curve on Sunday. Unpoked territory is getting hard to find on his testing ear.
 
Looks like he may well be dropping low at night. I wonder if you can go to bed and set the alarm for a PMPS + 6?

Dont worry about poking twice the same spot (unless it feels swollen), just use the neosporin on it. as you get better at it you wont see bruising any more so wont be able to tell where you poked before ;)
 
RobinCot said:
Thanks Deb - Summer in MA must be soooo nice - especially since I am not a fan of hot weather. I like winter and snow - lots of it!!!

I got a 200 for his +4 last night which I liked. I am going to lay off on the between-shot testing for a while. I need his ear to heal a little better if I am going to try to do a curve on Sunday. Unpoked territory is getting hard to find on his testing ear.
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If you like winter and snow, you should move even further north than I am, northern New Hampshire gets some nice snow. Or western NY state with that lake effect snow is interesting. It's where I grew up.

Thank you for the +4 last night.

How do the ears look? Swollen? Red? Bruised? Little bumps? Does the other ear you are not poking look the same or different. Maybe because Snoball has white fur pink ears, it looks worse than it really is.
 
Hi Deb

Yes, we are planning to retire to a remote part of New Hampshire in about 15 years. BF is looking at land. Until then though I gotta get this sugarfoster regulated :smile:

So last night I got an under 200 number so I did not shoot. This morning it was 346 so he got his 1.25 dose. I am planning to do a curve tomorrow. I am sure that because he is white that I do notice his ears much more. The poking ear is a little more red but not swollen or blotchy. This is probably because it has trained capillaries by now. I can poke it so that he barely notices. He's so good - doesn't even require a treat, just a little brushing with his favorite purple brush. I may try to get some night numbers to see how low he drops - maybe a +4 and +6. I have been able to get his ear warm without having to gimp down the stairs to microwave his rice sock so I think I can try to do this tonight.
 
Hey there

Dont worry about a little red... If he doesnt even notice you are good to go. Also good job on the extra testing I am seeing some nice numbers with this latest dose - greens and blues! You can also see the impact of not giving the shots on the night of the 29th and morning of the 30th- he went up into red!

Normally at this stage we would teach you to "shoot low" ie to start shooting under 200. The mantra is "shoot low to stay low" which means if you shoot under 200 it will help to stop him having those reds. But at first it isnt safe to do this until you really know how his BG is going to behave... cos he could drop too low if you do that. Or not. I regularly shoot Tiggy as low as 50 because I know he wont drop too low. But you dont do that much testing so it isnt safe for you yet.

Saying that though I hate to think he is losing momentum and his chance at remission because of a lack of test data. So I am wondering perhaps if we can put together a plan?

First have a read of this http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=147

Second - I am thinking the next time you see a number between 150 and 200, you come on here and post for help ( and /or PM me and Deb) .. then you..
1. wait 30 minutes and retest - dont shoot or feed (remember no food 2 hours before shot time as that influences preshot test)
2. After 30 minutes if he is over 200, you shoot and feed. If he is the same or dropped, you skip.
3. Take another test in 2 hours to be sure he isnt doing anything scary.

Sound good? Deb - thoughts?

Wendy
 
Wendy & tiggy said Second - I am thinking the next time you see a number between 150 and 200, you come on here and post for help ( and /or PM me and Deb) .. then you..
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the only problem doing this in solely by a PM, is that when I am working, I don't have as much access to a computer. I'd rather have you post on the board AND send a PM to alert us if you do not see anyone online. You can check that at the bottom of the screen, clicking the Who is Online text. I know that some people prefer to remain hidden on the board, but that is not my style.

Plus, any suggestions I give, I give on the boards. Personal chit-chat by PM or asking to have me look at a post is certainly a good use of the PM system. There is too much of a chance that I might have missed something or misstated something so I like the peer review aspect of the public forum. What you can do, is PM me and Wendy to come take a look at your post.

There can be a lot of posts to get through in the Feline Health forum in a day and something that needs more immediate attention like shooting low for the first time needs to have a more immediate response. Always remember to put the question mark icon on the very first post in the thread, and edit your subject line to say something like "Help! Shooting low for the first time!!!!!". That will hopefully get our attention.

Sound good? Deb - thoughts?

signed Wendy
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Those were my thoughts above.

We all do fur shots even the most experience of us. Yes, skipping is deliberately giving no insulin and a fur shot is accidently giving no or a reduced dose. Cats will recover from a skip or fur shot. It takes a bit of time to recover and any cycle counting you are doing on a skip or fur shot starts over at cycle 1. I'm talking about holding dose increases for the 3-5 days suggested in the protocol.

If you are ever unsure of what to do when you get a low number and didn't write down the 3 options that Wendy gave you, it's always better to skip. Also, you can post in the Insulin Support Group for Lantus TR if no one is here on Health. Usually more people over there. There are certain days, like the last two when I've been working and had little time for here except to catch up on a few posts.
 
Gosh you guys are great! It was a tough day reading through all the Rainbow Bridge crossings.

I got a 197 for PMPS and decided to give insulin and then just got a 111 and gave him his night snack. I am determined to get a +6 tonight to see where he goes from here. So then, I came here and found your advice to shoot low and keep testing. We were definately on the same wave-length.
 
His AMPS was 207. Also I updated the chart because I realized that the "X" in dose was confusing. These were not fur shots - I intentionally did not shoot him because he was below 200. I will be able to get more +numbers during the holiday weekend.
 
Good work on getting those test numbers last night! That was exactly the type of information we needed and the results we were thinking we would see.

We thought Snoball might be dropping low at night, then bouncing up in the mornings. Looks like that is what is happening. Snoball, what a tricky, little devil you are. :evil: :lol: :lol: :lol:

It wouldn't surprise me at all to see him go higher at +3 today.

Was there no test on 6/26 PMPS? or just not on the SS? Maybe note in the Remarks column if N/A.



p.s.
Gosh you guys are great! It was a tough day reading through all the Rainbow Bridge crossings.
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It's heart wrenching sometimes. So, I cry my eyes out, step back for a few minutes, and the send my support and condolences. We all understand how devastating it can be to lose one of our beloved furry family members.
 
Snoball surfed the blue lagoon last night! Typical cat likes to drop lower at night. They can sleep all day but they dont want their parents to sleep at night!!

I am hoping he will drop lower at +3 since you didnt skip last night. He will go higher if bouncing though.

So your next "no shoot - post for help" number is 150. If he is above 150 then shoot as normal. Get a +2 if he is between 150-200 just to be sure he isnt planning to keep you up ;) . If he is below 150 then stall 30 minutes ( no shoot no feed ) come here and ask for help.

The +2 number is very useful because it tells you his plans for that cycle. If the +2 is higher it usually means an inactive cycle. But if its the same or lower then best to get the coffee out as it could be an active cycle.

Wendy
 
Hi Deb

Yep - looky at those low devilish night numbers - that goofy Snoball!! I actually caught him playing last night. I have never seen this cat play.

I added a remark re no 6/26 shot because I got home late and just wanted to get in a shot ASAP so AM shot would not be an overlap.

I am a little concerned though being at work all day when he is presenting lower numbers. Last night he slept through the night without his usual "I need a 3am snack" howl through the baby gates which freaked me out this morning, so I rushed into his room but he was just sleeping and purring away. I am going to do a lot of testing on Thursday since I am not going anywhere. When you live near DC it is best to stay off the roads on July 4 and I like to be home to calm kitties nerves from all the outside bangs the holiday brings. Maybe even a +6 at night (3:30 am).

Deb & Wink said:
It's heart wrenching sometimes. So, I cry my eyes out, step back for a few minutes, and the send my support and condolences. We all understand how devastating it can be to lose one of our beloved furry family members
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I am really worried about gorillahowl and Wendall. I have been steadily praying for both of them and Baxter's tribute... oh gosh, so beautiful.

Thanks for your help.
 
Do you have time to get a +2 before work during the week? Or can you move the shot time to accomodate that? If so then its not so bad to shoot low cos you will know whats going on. If you cant, those days it might be an idea to shoot a smaller dose, leave HC out, or skip.

Wendy
 
No - his AM shot is just before I leave for work (6:30am) so it can coincide with his evening shot time. My morning is very chaotic for two hours with Snoball's needs and preparing and feeding raw food and cleaning up, sterilizing and getting them all settled and the baby gates back up and... no wonder I fall asleep on the train every morning. So the only daytime +numbers I will be able to get will be on holidays and weekends I afraid.

Wendy&Tiggy said:
If you cant, those days it might be an idea to shoot a smaller dose
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If he continues to present at 200 in the am - I would surely consider lowering his AM dose. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
I stay home too for the holidays. Except those Monday holidays here in the states where I'm usually working at the store. We only open the one store on those Monday holidays and I am often it for staff. Thankfully, 7/4 we'll be closed. I'll be on the board that day, at least some.

Don't know how Wink reacts to fireworks. The crazy neighbors throw them on my driveway. ohmygod_smile

Thanks for the SS note update appreciate it.

So the only daytime +numbers I will be able to get will be on holidays and weekends I afraid.
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Understood. Do the best you can then and a regular before bed test will be key.

Have a good day at work. Keep us posted on those nighttime numbers.
 
Do you know how to shorten his chart link to "Snoball's ss" instead of that long google http name?
 
Hello!

I just wanted to share my experience in testing since I also had an incredibly busy schedule when Bandit was on insulin--I was working two jobs AND going to grad school, and both school and my M-F job had an hour commute in either direction, so I was not able to be home during the day most days to get the mid-cycle test (+5-+7). So here's what I did: I tested and fed at 7am and gave the shot, and went to work. Set the auto feeder to release food at 1pm (+6) in case Bandit dropped a little low at his nadir. Got home at 7pm, tested fed and shot. Got a test at 10pm (+3) right before bed. Then I set an alarm for 1am, got up, tested and fed, and went right back to sleep. I would do a curve during the am cycle on the weekend when I was home. The mid-cycle test can be in either the AM or the PM cycle.

So, I know getting up to get that 1am test is a pain, but I cannot stress enough how worth it the minor inconvenience is! After a week or two, my body adjusted to getting up and going back to bed and it wasn't a big deal for me. Parents of babies do it to a greater extent and they manage ok. But where the getting up really pays off is that you then have enough tests to correctly adjust the insulin dose, which gives your cat a higher chance of reaching remission. 84% of cats go into remission on Lantus when you feed the right food, and make the appropriate dose adjustments based on Daily mid-cycle tests. Without those tests, the remission rate is much, much lower. With those tests, your cat is more likely to reach remission than not, and and without them, it's the other way around. And trust me, as someone who is super, super busy all the time, it is way easier to deal with a diabetic cat in remission than one on insulin.

Another option I exercised was finding someone to help me out with the 1pm/1am mid cycle test when I wasn't home. At times, I paid (in show tickets, not even real money) a Cornell student to come to my house at 1pm 3 days a week to test and feed Bandit. So I got to sleep through the night M, T, and W. About 4 months before his remission, my brother moved in with me and since he didn't go to bed until 1-2am anyway, he did the late tests for me during the week. I've also had my boyfriend and various friends help me out. Is there anyone at all you can teach to test so help take some of the stress off you getting the tests? You'd be surprised how little most students will work for to do the testing, especially if they have an interest in veterinary/medical science. I had one vet student friend who would come over to test Bandit if I occasionally brought him back a case of beer from the brewery I sometimes worked my second job at. Seriously. And it gave him hands on experience in the proper treatment a diabetic cat.
 
That's wonderful for you Julia but I am not you and I won't list the health reasons for why I cannot get up in the middle of the night because people seem to want to judge them as excuses so I will refrain from commenting on that from now on.
 
You do what you can - I have a sleep disorder, so getting up in the middle of the night didn't ocurr unless I was ill or extremely stressed.

I will note that if you ever need to take naps due to fatigue, the average sleep cycle is 45 minutes. Trying to awaken in the middle of a sleep cycle always left me disoriented and cognitively challenged. Waking up at the end of a sleep cycle was much easier - anything a multiple of 45 minutes works for most.
 
Doesn't work that way for me - if I wake, sleeping for the night is over at that point and then I just sit and wait for the migraine. With a migraine, no one gets tested or shot. They are lucky to get fed. I do a lot of things to make sure that I fall asleep and stay asleep in order to not miss work which is how I provide for my kitties. I just don't like it when people try to make me feel guilty for not getting up several times a night to prick this kitty's ear. If that's not good enough then just let me know and I will send this cat back to the rescuers who were pretty darn desperate at the time they convinced me that I could do this.
 
Migraines suck.

My doc has me taking 400 mg Vitamin B2 and 500 mg magnesium daily to help prevent them; it seems to help reduce the frequency and duration for me. I looked up research on it at PubMedand these have been helpful for many, though not all, people. I'm also on a calcium channel blocker to help control the vasospasms.

Good luck with yours.

And I was immensely happy when the Relaxed Lantus forum was created, as just getting up consistently to test and shoot at the same time in the morning was difficult, much less driving home at lunch to get any mid-cycle/nadir tests during the day. I don't think I ever got nighttime tests except for the first time he went really low during the early weeks and I stayed up all night testing, feeding, waiting, [repeated I don't know how many times]

You do what you can, when you can.
 
Robin, I think you have been doing a fine job with Snoball. You opened your home and your heart to a cat who was in desperate need of foster care. I think it takes a very special type of person to take on the responsibility for a diabetic foster cat when they have no prior experience. It's very different then having one of your own diagnosed diabetic.

You've got all your furry family members on good diets, that homemade raw with FF classics you are doing is great food. It must take a lot of effort to make up the raw. Is there anyway to make up large batches and then freeze it? Maybe save yourself some time?

Migraines are awful. :twisted: I know for some people, only lying down in a dark room and trying to sleep with medication help is the only way to get through them. My sympathies to you on having to deal with them.

Some of us knew of some of your difficulties, and have been trying to suggest work arounds with your busy life and responsibilities and other commitments. Once we cleared up your thought that Snoball could not have a test before you went to bed because he had a snack, you started to get a test or two in the PM cycle.

From that nice drop into the low blue numbers last night, I think this dose may be a good one for Snoball or even a bit too high. I would not increase at this point, only monitor for now. If he does drop below 50, it's an automatic reduction.

When you can, barring migraines, continue to get that "just before you go to bed" test. Snoball has not dropped down into the green numbers overnight that we know of, but it can happen. If it does, post here and we will give you a variety of options. Including aborting the cycle with lots of HC (high carb) food. Bet Snoball would love that! :mrgreen:


Not everyone has been following along with all your posts so they do not know the backstory.
Here are some of your other posts for people to look at, working backwards to when you joined us the beginning of May.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=98252&p=1051754#p1051754
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=98188&p=1051747#p1051747
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=95812&p=1041274#p1041274
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=95304&p=1020626#p1020626
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=94998&p=1017865#p1017865
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=94767&p=1015565#p1015565
 
Thanks for putting up with my snit. The only before bed test I can get is a +4. Last night I stayed up into the early hours of today to get the +6. I don't mind doing this when I am not working the next day because I too want to see how far he is dropping overnight.

I make two weeks worth of raw at a time and freeze it but when it comes out of the fridge, it has to be spooned into a bag in order to soak it in hot water to get it mouse temperature (that's what Dr. P calls it) then the bag is cut and it is poured out. One civvie eats while it is coming out of the bag, one has to have Fortiflora poured all over it and then there is one in the laundry room who gets hers hidden in other food. It's a process. The cleanup has to be detailed with surface cleaners as well. So it is much more than opening a can and spooning it around but it is so worth it.

If I could afford the insulin, he would be mine by now. I am invested in him and in love with him. He's a great cat! But it is true, he still is pretty new to me (2 months) and we are still bonding - and he is still bonding with my civvies so there is a lot of hissing, growling and monitoring.

I actually have moved away from the FF because it still has the by-products I don't like. He is now supplemented by Wellness GF Turkey and Merrick BG chicken.

I have the honey, HC canned food, and extra testing strips in his little cabinet already to go if he goes hypo.

Sorry for the attitude. I really do appreciate everyone's advice and care.
 
Hey we are all entitled to a snit now and then. Its stressful being so worried about your kitty we often forget about ourselves.. and what do the airlines say.... "put the breathing mask on yourself before helping others"

Anyhoo.. any chance of a + 2 tonite? or a + 4? Trying to fill in a few blanks of data in your chart while seeing what his nighttime plans are...

Also I dont know if you noticed but this is the first time on your chart you have gone 24 hours with no pinks.. touch wood anti jinx!

Wendy
 
Robin, I would call what you did pushing back and saying, "Nope, not possible." We forget sometimes how complicated peoples lives are. Please, do that "pushing back" any time you need to.

None of us are perfect and sometimes we push too hard or get the details mixed up in our heads when we reply to posts.

If I could afford the insulin, he would be mine by now. I am invested in him and in love with him. He's a great cat! But it is true, he still is pretty new to me (2 months) and we are still bonding - and he is still bonding with my civvies so there is a lot of hissing, growling and monitoring.
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I'm a foster mom to Wink too. He will remain a foster because the cat shelter will pay for his medical care. I could not swing any seriously expensive medical care on my own right now. Wink fits in well enough here, with only the occasional 'back off buster" growl to my other male cat Monet. I have no intention of placing Wink for adoption elsewhere. The shelter lets me keep him as a long term foster which works well for me. Food and litter are my responsibilities. Medical care is the shelter's. It works ok. If push ever came to shove, and they wanted to adopt him out, I'd be the first in line with my application. The shelter doesn't even list him on there adoption website anymore. Ok by me.

I make two weeks worth of raw at a time and freeze it but when it comes out of the fridge, it has to be spooned into a bag in order to soak it in hot water to get it mouse temperature (that's what Dr. P calls it) then the bag is cut and it is poured out. One civvie eats while it is coming out of the bag, one has to have Fortiflora poured all over it and then there is one in the laundry room who gets hers hidden in other food. It's a process. The cleanup has to be detailed with surface cleaners as well. So it is much more than opening a can and spooning it around but it is so worth it.
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Hey, thanks for explaining some more about the raw. I see how it can add more time to the clean-up, but as you say, it's worth it. And all those "special procedures" you need to do for each different cat. ohmygod_smile I can see why that takes even more time. Bless you for doing all that.

Sorry for the attitude
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Didn't see your post as attitude. No apologies needed. I think we are the ones who need to apologize to you. You are stressed out enough without us making this harder on you.
 
Snoball's AMPS number was 336 - don't know if that is a bounce from all the nice numbers in previous days but if it is - it is at least a low bounce. Will get a +4 and +6 tonight.

When I picked him up this morning I noticed that he actually has weight now and a little belly. We will be arranging a vet visit soon to get a proper weight.
 
I use my own scale at home - I weigh myself with and without cat. I do it once a month and gives me a rough idea of whats going on.

This mornings pink could well be a bounce - he really hasnt seen a lot of blues and his liver is probably panicking.. not realizing blue is a good thing! If we dont see any green by cycle 10 we might want to sneak him up to 1.5. Thats Friday night so good timing to get some extra tests in.

Wendy
 
So how does it work? If we sneak him up to 1.5 and he gets greens and blues for a while, then can we start sneaking him back down or do we have to wait until he is all greens to start lowering the dose?
 
The Lantus Tight Regulation protocol explains how to adjust the dose. It is helpful to print that out and ask questions.

If he ever goes below 50 mg/dL on a human glucometer or 80 mg/dL on a pet-specific monitor, the dose is reduced 0.25 units.

After 3-5 days on a specific dose, if his nadir (the lowest point between shots) is above 150 mg/dL on a human glucometer, the dose may be increased 0.25 units.
 
In order to lower the dose he has to either go below 50 once, or sit in the 40-130 range for a week. But lets work on his current dose first. Can you get a mid cycle test today? Like a + 5?

Wendy
 
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