Starting Lantus Friday in AZ...need Lantus "buddy"

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Marje and Gracie

Marje and Gracie

Member Since 2010
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We are starting Lantus on Friday morning with Gracie. Is there anyone who would be willing to be my Lantus buddy that I can
call and talk to...I do so much better if I can interact and ask verbal questions although the board emails are EXTREMELY helpful. I'm just
worried I won't know what to do about numbers or how often to test, etc. We're in AZ so someone in AZ or CA that is experienced with
lantus would be good just so I don't call someone on the East Coast at 1 am their time :lol:

I will have lots of questions...tomorrow is devoted to lantus learning in LL and time with vet w/out Gracie just to get plan that I'd like
to send to you all. Thank you for your support. I know you've done wonders for so many and I want our Gracie to be back to normal and
her sweet, crazy baby self soon.
 
I'm in CA, but not too experienced. Muffin was dx 6/30/10 so I haven't been at this nearly as long as some of the others. With these folks' guidance, Muffin has gotten down to a one drop dose already. Anyway, I'd be happy to give you my number if you're interested, just not sure how much help I can be other than sharing our experiences. It sounds like you're looking for more help than that, but let me know, and I can pm you my number. I'm sure others will help too.
 
Hi there

I would like to link this thread from the main health forum:
Suggestions For Advice Givers

Please have a look thru this, Marjorie and anyone who may offer to help you out via telephone.

Although it is good to have someone to talk to - please keep in mind the link I posted here.
It is highly encouraged to post publicly here on the board, for your own kitty's safety and for peer review.

The Lantus forum is one of the most active forums, there is always someone around. If not here then in the main health forum to assist.

Welcome to the group by the way! We look forward to seeing you often. :razz:
 
Marjorie --

The spirit of the website is to keep as much information as possible in the public forum. It's great if there's someone who can offer support by voice vs. on the Board. However, the temptation is huge to ask questions about dose, when or if to shoot, or other procedural issues. The temptation is equally large to respond. However, you have no way of knowing how accurate or inaccurate the information you are getting may be. All it takes is one good intentioned oversight by a "buddy" to have your cat at the ER. Having many eyes reading your condo helps to prevent that kind of situation. There are people who have been here for a while or who have cats who are in remission and as you read their posts, you may find their suggestions are not in the mainstream. That's not to say their suggestions may not be right for your cat BUT you really do need to know the pros and the cons of any information you may be getting. The reason behind the Board, and what we subscribe to in Lantus Land, is that suggestions are in the public domain. You then have the benefit of many voices, rather than just one. The other goal is to provide you with as much information, education, and experience you can absorb so you are comfortable making decisions on your own.

There are people on-line here almost 24/7. If you are worried or there is an emergency (or a situation you think is an emergency), you will be surprised at how quickly people respond and how many will stay up well into the night with you if there is a crisis. This board is unlike any other listserv or message board I've been a part of. You won't have one "buddy," you will have a community who will help and support you.
 
hey, marjorie...i wholehearted agree with anne, ronnie & sienne, and i can give you a little reassurance about board vs. phone. i'm a newbie who's had a couple of nervewracking nights due to my inexperience, and the longest wait for a response i have experience was about 5 minutes.

i'm also no great shakes computer-wise...and they have walked me thru it very easily and supportively.

you'll get in the groove quickly...at first (to put it crudely) i couldn't find my butt with both hands AND my butt...and they're still putting up with me.

celi
 
Thank you all for your replies and your very sage advice. I think I am just so scared. Gracie's BG is pretty consistently running 267-280 and I wonder if even .5 u will drop it too low. But you all are right and I should know that from the CRF group I am in. So my sincere apologies. I am reading through the Lantus info and will post my questions to the board and your thoughts will all be greatly appreciated. Two things I wonder:

1. should we wait a bit longer to see if Gracie's numbers keep coming down? 10 days ago, her BG was 409; then 325 on a couple readings, now lower. My thinking is we should get started with a low dose and not take a chance of it getting worse. Perhaps her chances of doing better long-term are increased if we start now?
2. should we wait until Monday to start lantus when my vet will be around, too? I do have her cell number and she has told me to contact her any time but obviously, I wouldn't contact her in the middle of the night...I would probably hoof it down to the ER if her numbers started going too low and I couldn't get her started going back up. Do cats always respond to caro?

Thank you all so much.
 
Hi Marjorie,

bet this brings back memories of your first day at school :mrgreen:

There's no reason to wait until Monday.
Often you do get an initial good response with Lantus, so helpful if you can be around to monitor Gracie (peace of mind for you too)
I see your concerned with her numbers, so there's no problem with you starting at .5u if you feel more comfortable. Beans (us) usually start at 1u, but no dramas, you must be comfortable with this too.
The sooner you start the sooner chances of reguation/remission are increased. Lantus has been shown that if started within 6 months of diagnosis the chances of remission are much higher (have had kitties come off the juice 1-2 years after as well).

Yes, cats always respond to karo syrup.
Go to health forum and click the link for your hypo toolkit. Good idea if you can to print off and stick on your fridge (making sure you have the items listed).

As long as you are hometesting you are in control.
I think it sounds as if doing a curve on a first shot might give you some reassurance, so you could test at +1 (usually a higher number becuase eaten as well)
+2 onset-insulin starting to work on bg's. If it hasn't moved much you can wait till a +3 or 4 to test again. Same thing if not dropped dramatically could wait for a +6 (usually nadir).Then if you want peace of mind that Gracie isn't going to go any lower get a +7 or 8. Usually these 2 numbers don't really give you any useful information except peace of mind and to confirm when nadir (lowest bg number in the 12 hour cycle)is.

Reemember to read all the stickies in this forum and probably re read as it's a lot to take in.
If numbers hold steady over the next few days or rise, then you would look atincreasing your dose by .25u (is the norm) after 5-7 days.
Any subsequent dose changes you would make every 3-5 days depending on what numbers you are seeing.
This is where you'll get the help off those of us who are confident in giving dosing advice. Others will cheer you on and offer other support.
LL truly is a wonderful isg.
Good Luck :mrgreen:
 
No need for apologies. We all understand feeling scared and overwhelmed. Every person on this board has been in your shoes.

You can always wait. However, and this is a big however, the more time that your cat spends in numbers in the diabetic range, the more his body becomes accustomed to those numbers. What is diabetic, his body interprets as "normal." I'd encourage you to get started in this sugar dance sooner rather than later.

I know how scary low numbers can be. Kate is absolutely correct -- as long as you're testing, have strips and high carb food (or syrup), you are equipped to steer numbers out of lower ranges. Remember from the protocol, a dose reduction is earned when numbers fall below 50. That probably sounds horrific but none of our cats suffer from being in that range. The research supporting that protocol would never have gotten published if the cats in the study were put at risk. If you're scared and don't know what to do if you have a low number, holler. Well, change the subject line in your first post in the thread where you have a concern and yell, "Help" or use the 911 button if it's an emergency. People will be there. And it can be the middle of the night and you don't have to worry about a cell signal.
 
hey, marjorie...
no apologies necessary, girl. when we're newbies, and we ask questions, sometimes you'll find some very firm responses coming back.

i never see this as anyone chastising us or being stern...these folks have been through it all, and when we bring something up due to our inexperience & get a strong response back , it is because the consequences to our cats can be severe and even deadly.

hang in there...it's a learning process with a steep learning curve, but you are now enrolled in the best college around!!

celi & binks
 
Gracie and Lantus

Thank you all for previous posts and advice. I do want you to know we're listening.

We met with both our vets today and, knowing Gracie and that ECID, they encouraged us to just give her a few
more days. She had this situation before w/steroids and came down on her own and her numbers have trended
down since 10 days ago. I brought up the great points you all made and they said your points are valid but they
are only talking a couple more days to see if she still trends downward. They want us to monitor her over the
weekend with BG tests and if they go up, we should start. The interesting thing is I do believe one should
always go with their gut and even though Mike and I were getting geared up to start on Fri, we both have
this gut feeling that we should give her a little bit more time. Today, for the first time in over two weeks, she
was truly her active, playful, funny little crazy baby self. She has not been lethargic at all. And other than that
lethargy, which could be caused by her detox (and she is fully detoxed now), she has no clinical symptoms of
DM.

Because you all have been so super to this point, I know you will be there for us if and when we do start and I
promise, for Gracie, that we won't let it go past the week. We have her spreadsheet ready and we'll post it
and we are reading all the Stickys, etc.

Thank you all so much and we are still hanging around LL reading posts and learning.
 
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