Sam's update

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Djamila

Djamila

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Sam's numbers have been happy and stable, so I haven't been posting much.

Then tonight he was a little low so I stalled, and he stayed in the same range.

So I decided to give a slightly reduced dose....and then ended up with a fur shot. :banghead:

Just posting for sympathy since I know you all understand that frustration.
 
I almost gave smoky a fur shot tonight.
He is very underweight so there are times I give him a shot and the needle hits the bone. I worry that the insulin isn't going where it should. Sam might be a tiny bit higher next time around but there's no way to know for sure how much insulin he got. He will get back on track fairly quickly I think next time around.
 
Sam is walking around restless and drinking a ton of water. I just tested him, and he had AMPS at 225, and +3.75 at 135, so his numbers are good. His behavior is making me nervous though. He's usually sound asleep at this time, and hasn't been drinking water like this in weeks.
 
Djamila said:
Sam's numbers have been happy and stable, so I haven't been posting much.

Then tonight he was a little low so I stalled, and he stayed in the same range.

So I decided to give a slightly reduced dose....and then ended up with a fur shot. :banghead:

Just posting for sympathy since I know you all understand that frustration.
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What do you mean by a 'fur shot'? Don't you kind of pinch the skin before injecting?
 
Yes, you pinch it and then inject in the loose part of the skin...but Sam is very very wiggly. So once in awhile when I try to inject him, he'll twist or run away and some of the insulin will get on his fur. We call that a "fur shot."

Because you can't know how much got in, and how much was on the fur, the rule is that you don't re-shoot. You just mark on your spreadsheet that it was a fur shot and don't worry about it. Trying to re-shoot could end up over-dosing a cat, and that was way way more dangerous than letting the cat have high BG for a cycle.

It's pretty frustrating, because we hate to miss a shot and have our kitties in higher numbers. There is an expression used around here a lot, "Better high for a day, than low for a minute." The reason for that is that high numbers aren't healthy long term, but aren't a big deal for a cycle or two. Low numbers can kill a cat right away, so they are much more dangerous.
 
After a few fur shots I shaved a spot on Chuck's side. I go clockwise where I shoot to rotate the spot so he doesn't get sore. I was actually shocked and very amused at how he reacted to the buzzers. He almost shaved half his little face! I held it up for him to smell it then turned it on so he could see it was nothing to be scared of and he immediately tried rubbing up on it!! No need to desensitize him with it! My other cat won't let me touch him for a half hour after I use my electric toothbrush! LOL Once he sees those in my hands I can't touch him for at least an hour! Silly kitty.
 
I've been thinking about doing that. It's been awhile since I hit a fur shot, but still...I think Sam would probably let me do it if I offer him treats. His undercoat is absurdly thick, and since I got the shorter needles (big mistake) it's taken a lot of caution to make sure I'm through that layer. How big of a square did you shave? And where?
 
Here's a few pics. Hard to tell with his light colored fur.
1st one I'm pinching his scruff to give you an idea where it is. It's about an inch or 1.5 inches.
2nd is how it looks when I pull his skin up to shoot, looked at the pic again it's not exactly how it looks when I shoot. Pic didn't time right.
3rd is how it looks normally
 

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Those pictures are great! Thank you! I'll have to give it a try. I'm leaving town for a few days this month, and I think that will make it way way easier for the pet sitter, too.
 
Okay, I have another question about this...

So I've read that if you shoot the same place every day, the cat can form hard bumps or lumps or something like that. This is a pretty small patch though -- so as long as you move around to the different parts of the patch, that's far enough apart to avoid the bumps forming? Or do you shave different patches as this one grows over?
 
Would y'all mind taking a peek at Sam's spreadsheet and sharing your thoughts? For two cycles, 1.2 seemed right. Then it seemed like it wasn't quite enough, so I went back to 1.4 tonight. But that seems like a tiny bit too much since he's at 74 at +4 and his nadir isn't for another hour. He always eats a snack right now, so I'm not worried about him going hypo, but would feel better if he was hitting 74 in an hour instead of right now.

So should I stay at 1.4, knowing that he's still fine as long as he gets this snack? Or try to hit 1.3? Or let the 1.2 ride for a few more days and see if his pancreas ups its game a little more? Or am I just being ridiculously neurotic and should stop worrying about such little details (that's the one all of my friends vote for)?
 
Maybe a fat 1.2U? Essentially closer to the 1.3, if you can monitor him :). Looks like the 1.4 did well for his AM cycles but he does seem to go a little lower overnight.
 
I think I'd stick with 1.4 u for a bit. The overnight green was nice and the daytime blues on past AM doses of 1.4 u were fine. I'm a fan of keeping things as consistent as possible unless numbers indicate otherwise. That includes AM/PM doses, number of cycles at a dose, etc. If too many thing get changed at/around the same time it's hard to judge the effect.
 
Since he gets that snack, I think 1.4 is a good dose. I know that's a scary number at +4, but the snack evens it out and you do WANT him in those lower numbers if you can get him there...more healing time!
 
Remember also that you CAN steer with food...you've done it! We have complete confidence in you.

And also, if you ever feel you need to reduce, you do hold the syringe. The dose has to be something you're comfortable with. That snack should give you some breathing room making the 1.4 safe, but if you feel it's not, you have to do what is best for you and Sam. :bighug:
 
Thanks, Rachel. I think I tend to err on the cautious side, so sometimes I need that little nudge.

Also, I just hit a vein when i tested him. Blood everywhere. And it took forever to get it to stop bleeding. It's been a long time since I've done that. Poor baby - he's had a tough weekend....fur shot, vein poke, and he's staying pretty flat which makes me wonder if I should have done a +5 last night after all. Not often I would say this, but I think I'm ready for this weekend to be over. :oops:
 
Honestly, though, it's not THAT much higher than recent numbers. Could be a bit of a bounce from last night too.
 
It's almost vacation time! I'll be gone from the 10th to the 13th. I can give Sam his shot on the 10th before I leave, but won't be back until late on the 13th. So seven shots. I have a pet sitter who can give him the shots, but so far she hasn't had any luck getting a test. Sam just won't cooperate with her. She's coming this week to try a few more times, but I don't feel like I can count on that. And she won't be available for any mid-cycle monitoring. So the questions is: what dose should she shoot?

Last time I left, for six shots, she just skipped them altogether and it didn't seem to really hurt him, but I'd rather not lose that much momentum at this point.

Sam's numbers have been pretty stable (knock on wood...antijinx....), but I still don't think I'm comfortable with her giving his full dose blindly for four days. What do you all suggest?
 
I like 1 unit too. It helps you keep that momentum while not giving him that 1.4 that's been giving you those greens.
 
I think I'd be comfortable with that. I wish I still had some u-40s. I'm also not crazy about her using the conversion. She's a trained pet sitter, and perfectly smart enough to handle it...I'm just a worry-wart.

Do they sell u-40's at the drug store? Maybe I can just pick up a little bag of them...
 
I think only vets sell them. If you can't get any, you could take one of your syringes and fill it with colored water so she can compare when she draws up the dose.
 
Okay, next question: what is up with his daytime mid-cycles!?!? Why aren't they coming down? Should I try 1.6 during the day? Or should I just ride this out for a little longer and see what happens? His nighttime cycles are like textbook prozinc cycles, but during the day he's just surfing along like he didn't even get insulin (okay, I know it's only been three days...)
 
Djamila said:
Okay, next question: what is up with his daytime mid-cycles!?!? Why aren't they coming down? Should I try 1.6 during the day? Or should I just ride this out for a little longer and see what happens? His nighttime cycles are like textbook prozinc cycles, but during the day he's just surfing along like he didn't even get insulin (okay, I know it's only been three days...)
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Patience, Grasshopper ... ;)
 
And now I sit here, tapping my fingers, trying to decide what to do....

He's at 129. His evening cycles have been active. He's been hitting greens before nadir. Last time he had a low PMPS and I gave a bigger dose, he went hypo...He's in a mood, so lots of testing tonight isn't going to work, although I think I could get a couple of them done before he shreds my face...

.6? .8? 1.0? I'm leaning toward the .6 because I'm tired and don't want to be up all night...but then...you know....momentum and all....

Anyone want to share their thoughts on this?
 
I'd lean towards .6 myself. Momentum is important, but those nighttime cycles have been pretty active! And if you're concerned about how many tests you can get in, I would want to be careful.

Did you grab another test by chance?
 
Thank you for weighing in - I feel better knowing I wasn't too far out in left field. I went with .7u. That's what I always do when I can't decide -- aim for the middle. ;)

I only stalled 20 minutes and then I fed him. I'm super tired and didn't quite have it in me to listen to the cries of starvation. So only the two tests - the 114 and the 129. He's in a better mood now too. I think he was just really hungry tonight because as soon as I fed him, he dove in and was purring while he ate, then came over and climbed in my lap --- something he never does.

I think it's a curious cycle when he doesn't seem to be moving at the mid-cycle, and then the pre-shot is low. This is the second time he's done this. Makes me wish I could have grabbed a +8 on those days!
 
Sounds perfect! Yeah, I think sometimes it's just helpful to have a second voice chime in to reassure you...I know I needed that all the time! Luckily Sue was always willing to jump in :)

Glad the food seems to have put him in a better mood! I can understand how he feels...being hungry makes me super grumpy too!!!!
 
Rachel said:
Sounds perfect! Yeah, I think sometimes it's just helpful to have a second voice chime in to reassure you...I know I needed that all the time! Luckily Sue was always willing to jump in :)

Glad the food seems to have put him in a better mood! I can understand how he feels...being hungry makes me super grumpy too!!!!
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Oh, I miss @Sue and Oliver (GA) !!! I hope she's doing well!

And you're so right about the second voice. These are complicated decisions and it's is so so comforting to have other people weigh in and provide reassurance!
 
Proves that you have good instincts!!

Oh I know, I miss Sue terribly too! I hope she and DH are doing well and she's able to enjoy her "retirement" from the board!
 
I hope they are both doing well too :). I didn't get to chat with her much before she left. Also, wondering where Pati has been and Shipscat :(.

Grats on a nice day green, Janette! :D
 
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