The Great 1-Unit Experiment

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ohiogal

ohiogal

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Hi all,

OK, so today's the day I drop Casey's insulin dose from 4 units to 1, to see if it has any effect on her freaky high numbers and make sure she's not going through rebound.

I got up early this morning, took her BG number (394), fed her and my civvie Kennedy each about 3/4 of a can of Fancy Feast (hers has her 1 1/2 ml. of Lactulose for her constipation), then sneaked the bowl of dry Iams Low Residue kitty food off the floor.

Then I gave her 1 unit of Lantus. Geez, it's such a small dose, I'm not sure I'd be able to feel it if it didn't go in! But, I'm pretty sure it did.

So now we play the waiting game! I'll be taking Casey's BG levels about every 2 hours. How often do I check the ketones? Will there be a change today do you think, or should I continue this through tomorrow?

Also, I was planning on feeding them both small meals through the day, so they don't miss the bowl of dry food on the floor and get used to it being gone before Monday, when I have to go back to work. I was thinking 1/3 a can each maybe at noon and about 3 or 4 (I usually feed them around 6). Does that sound OK?

Have a great day, everybody! Further bulletins as events warrant. Thanks for any advice/suggestions!

PS How much does it affect her BG levels if I take them while she's eating? That seems to be the least stressful way to get a drop of blood out of her...she doesn't notice I'm messing with her ear when she has her face in the dish!
 
OK, just took her first reading. It's down four whole points, to 389. At least it's going down!
 
hey good luck! i'll watch your spreadsheet.

we're in the same boat. started off on 4 units bid i think.

i cut satan down to 2 units bid. and than added in some craziness in lower doses when i have to go to work....

so i can't offer you much advice, except good luck!
 
ohhhhh i forgot to add

if there is any way on earth you can get your cat off lactulose, i think you should. i bet that helps casey more than anything.

i'm pretty sure that is a no no drug for diabetics, it's a sugar. it at the very least is going to make it really hard to bring her sugars down......

i read another thread about casey the other night--- and some people suggested miralax? have you tried that?
i am so glad i don't have cat constipation in addition to diabetes. the diabetes thing is making me nuts. and i'd guess you are feeling the same.

good luck! and tell casey i hope her ears feel better. satan still won't trust me after the curve i did on thursday. but i am way better at cat blood glucose tests. :)
 
Thanks, DIME! From what I've read, most of the sugar in Lactulose doesn't get digested, but passes through the large intestine where it gathers water to soften the stool. Then it gets passed out without adding to the BG.

However, there MIGHT be some additional sugars in Lactulose that contribute to the BG. That's why I backed off Casey's dose, and I'm watching her numbers to see if it makes a difference. If it does, I'll try the Miralax. Can anyone tell me how much Miralax to give, and how often? Maybe I'll buy some today...
 
It is fine to do the test while she is eating. The food will not be influencing the BG yet, and the easier it is to do the test, the better.

Carl
 
Thanks, Carl!

OK, just took her BG again and the number is HI - 500+! What could be causing her BG to go *up*? I've given her a couple of snacks (deli chicken and 0 carb coffee creamer, her milk subsitute), could that do it? It can't be the Lactulose, she had 2 mls last weekend and her numbers went down at 4+. Any ideas?

I'll test again at 1:15.
 
Sarah,
On ketone testing. Check once for now. How often after that depends on what result you get.

You are not likely to see conclusive results from the reduction in just one day. On this dose, or any dose, it takes a few cycles to see the patterns.

The reading you just got....how long ago did she eat, and how much?
Carl
 
carlinsc said:
Sarah,
On ketone testing. Check once for now. How often after that depends on what result you get.

You are not likely to see conclusive results from the reduction in just one day. On this dose, or any dose, it takes a few cycles to see the patterns.

The reading you just got....how long ago did she eat, and how much?
Carl
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Just about five minutes before, and maybe 1/4 cup of coffee creamer (I gave her some when I got my coffee). How long should I not feed her anything before I take a BG sample?

Also,do y'all think I'll see results tomorrow? I can give her 1 unit tonight and 1 unit tomorrow, but I have to go back to work Monday so if I don't see results by Monday morning I'll have to go back to 4 units, since I won't be home to monitor her BG...

Thanks!
 
Sarah
What you are basically doing is a "reset". Looking back at your first thread here, it looks like casey's initial dose may have been too high, and then your vet used a single curve a couple a times to determine dose increases of one unit at a time. That is not a great way to adjust doses eith lantus.
So now that you are home testing amd have removed the high carb dry, you are reducing the dose because it is probable thst the high carbs were allowing that high 4u dose to be given, but now it would not be safe.
the 1u will possibly not be enough, but you have to start somewhere, right? Going firward, you hold the dose for several cycles according to the protocol and then raise it in smaller increments like. .25 oor.5 units at a time.
Carl
sorry for any typos....I'm on my phone on the way to work!
 
I've asked some Lantus users to come look. The coffee creamer is probably not a good idea - I don't know how many carbs it has but I would think some. If you can limit her food to wet low carb only, it will be a big help.
 
carlinsc said:
Sarah
What you are basically doing is a "reset". Looking back at your first thread here, it looks like casey's initial dose may have been too high, and then your vet used a single curve a couple a times to determine dose increases of one unit at a time. That is not a great way to adjust doses eith lantus.
So now that you are home testing amd have removed the high carb dry, you are reducing the dose because it is probable thst the high carbs were allowing that high 4u dose to be given, but now it would not be safe.
the 1u will possibly not be enough, but you have to start somewhere, right? Going firward, you hold the dose for several cycles according to the protocol and then raise it in smaller increments like. .25 oor.5 units at a time.
Carl
sorry for any typos....I'm on my phone on the way to work!
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Yikes! Don't get in a car crash on my kitty's account, Carl! I couldn't live with the guilt...but thanks!!

Anyway, should I inform my vet I'm doing this? Or keep my mouth shut until I see what happens? Casey has an appointment scheduled for Friday...
 
Sue and Oliver (GA) said:
I've asked some Lantus users to come look. The coffee creamer is probably not a good idea - I don't know how many carbs it has but I would think some. If you can limit her food to wet low carb only, it will be a big help.
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Well, according to the label (it's WalMart "Great Value Coffee Creamer") it has 1 gram of carbs per 1 tbsp serving. Too much? I only give her a dab at a time. But, if that wouldn't work I can just give her the chicken broth. It doesn't have any carbs at all!

ETA: Just took Casey's +6 reading - it's 410. So it started at 394, went down to 389, went up to 500+, now it's down again. Is this usual? How long will it take before I know whether 1 unit is enough?
 
Sarah:

The coffee creamer contains corn syrup. This is the same stuff that's in Karo. (Karo is straight corn syrup.) A drop or two of Karo can raise a cat's numbers substantially. Please don't give this to any diabetic -- feline or human.

I respectfully disagree about the lactulose. The published precautions note that it can raise blood glucose levels. Most of us whose cat's have experienced constipation use Miralax or straight up vasoline/petroleum jelly. Miralax works by the same osmotic changes that Lactulose does but does not contain any of the sugar. You start with 1/8 teaspoon of Miralax twice a day mixed in to your cat's food. Most of us add additional water to the food, as well. I don't think you're going to see much movement in your cat's numbers until you ditch the Lactulose. At the very least, consider an experiment and eliminate it tomorrow morning when you can be home to monitor Casey's numbers.

Until you have eliminated all of the potential sources of carbs/sugar in your cat's diet, I would not rush to conclude that what you're seeing is rebound. To be frank, after having done two extensive literature searches in both veterinary and medical databases, there is very little research that supports the existence of "chronic" rebound. The original research was done in 1938 with 5 human subjects and has never been replicated. At best, this is a controversial concept in humans. There is no research on this in felines and none with long-acting types of insulin like Lantus.
 
Hi Sarah-

I agree with Sienne.

You have been doing an amazing job so far in a short amount of time!!! Keep up the great attitude.

My 2 cents: try miralax and ditch the coffee creamer. See what happens. Wouldn't it be incredible if that helped? It's worth trying.

Hon-you're probably not going to have your answer before Monday. I'm not sure why would you go back to giving her 4 units though....have you considered posting this on Lantus too? Lots of lantus folks stay over there and don't venture over to Health. There's some really experienced people over there. I think since you are starting fresh and still collecting data that going back to 4 units right now isn't a good idea. Take a look at the lantus protocol. You are suposed to start at one unit and increase slowly like Carl said. You WILL figure this out. Keep asking questions and trying things. You will get there!
 
Thanks for the information, everybody! But, now I'm a little confused.

1. If there's no real evidence that Somogyi Rebound exists, then what's the explanation for Casey's numbers being so high at 4 units? Can dry food and Lactulose alone create a diabetic cat? (when she was first diagnosed with constipation in July she was not diabetic.) The suggestion there is that the Lactulose and Iams Low Residue cat food the vet put her on *made* her diabetic. Otherwise, she would have gone hypo at 4 units, correct?

2. If I keep her at 1 unit all week, will there be any danger in the fact that I will not be home during the day to watch her or perform a curve? I usually leave for work about 8:15 a.m. and get home around 5:30.

3. Ditching the coffee creamer isn't a problem. She likes the cooking stock just as well anyway! The only ingredient is chicken. :-)

4. Does my vet need to know I'm doing any of this? Should I cancel the curve I had scheduled at the vet's for this coming Friday?

5. I'll try the Miralax tomorrow. At least I can look at the curve and see if switching it out makes any difference.

5. I checked Casey's BG a little while ago and it's 370. So far I'm looking at a REVERSE bell curve - her BG dipped a little after I gave her a shot,then rose, peaked rather than nadired, and now it's going back down again! What can cause that? I thought the BG level went down with an insulin shot, not up...

Thanks for the advice and encouragement, everybody! I'll get this mess figured out yet...
 
Hi Sarah,
I'm glad that you have gotten some great advice from some of the more experienced people who use Lantus this afternoon!
1. If there's no real evidence that Somogyi Rebound exists, then what's the explanation for Casey's numbers being so high at 4 units? Can dry food and Lactulose alone create a diabetic cat? (when she was first diagnosed with constipation in July she was not diabetic.) The suggestion there is that the Lactulose and Iams Low Residue cat food the vet put her on *made* her diabetic. Otherwise, she would have gone hypo at 4 units, correct?
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Dry food and lactulose didn't create a diabetic cat. You will likely never know for sure why Casey became diabetic. For example, Bob, my sugarcat, was diagnosed at 12 years old. He ate dry food all his life. But so did about 20 other cats I have had over the years. None of them developed diabetes. Every cat I have ever had ate the same diet, but only Bob became diabetic. For whatever reason, I will never know why. But once he became diabetic, The only way to help him was to cut as many carbs as possible from his diet, and give him insulin. In his case, it took about 10 weeks, but it worked. He's now "diet controlled" and no longer needs insulin. His pancreas and whatever else was messed up by diabetes have healed. Something just went wrong inside of Casey's body, and the end result was diabetes. Removing the carbs as much as possible is a huge factor in helping him to heal. It will make the insulin more effective, which is why it was advised that you cut out the carbs, AND reduce the dose. Even at 4 units, the insulin was not able to work well enough with the carbs in the equation. Take those away, and it should take less insulin to control his BG.

2. If I keep her at 1 unit all week, will there be any danger in the fact that I will not be home during the day to watch her or perform a curve? I usually leave for work about 8:15 a.m. and get home around 5:30.
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One side effect of a lower dose may be higher BG numbers, which is why people suggested ketone testing. But higher BGs for a few days is a million times better than BG that is too low for a few minutes, which can cause hypo and possible coma or death. So you can deal with the higher BG much easier than dealing with a hypo.

4. Does my vet need to know I'm doing any of this? Should I cancel the curve I had scheduled at the vet's for this coming Friday?
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No, your vet doesn't need to know. And don't cancel the visit yet either. By Friday, you may be able to share good results from what you are doing. You can cancel later in the week if you want to, but hopefully by then you'll have some good news to share with the vet.

This disease is confusing as hell, Sarah. There's no set-in-stone rules, no guaranteed results, no perfect solutions. And it is a marathon, not a sprint. You just take small steps, you learn more every day, and you gradually figure things out.

Carl
 
Sarah,
Don't cancel the vet visit, but there will be no need for the vet to do a curve, because you'll have plenty of data collected that is more useful than a curve done by the vet on Friday. But you might just meet with the vet to discuss things anyway. The vet curve would be a waste of your money.

Carl
 
If you keep giving Casey 1 unit this coming week, there won't be any danger. She's unlikely to hypo on 1 unit, especially after staying so high on 4 units. You definitely don't want to eliminate all that high carb stuff and give her 4 units! That would be a recipe for disaster.

I know some research now says rebound doesn't exist, but I saw it with Maggie. I say ECID and I'm not ready to throw concerns about rebound out the window yet.
 
Thanks again for all the great advice, folks!

OK, I got some Miralax and put 1/8 tsp. in Casey's evening dinner, and some water. I didn't give her any Lactulose.

How long can I keep giving her Miralax? Casey's constipation is chronic, so whatever I give her I've got to give her for the rest of her life. Can Miralax be used long-term?

At 7:15 I'll measure her BG again and give her her shot, 1 unit. I'll probably call the vet Monday to change the 'dropping off for a curve' to an appointment to talk about my experience so far. I'll keep y'all posted!
 
ohiogal said:
I've given her a couple of snacks (deli chicken and 0 carb coffee creamer, her milk subsitute), could that do it?
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I just read the ingredients on that coffee creamer and I'm not even sure it can be considered fit for human consumption.

I'd also go easy on snacks like deli meat, which tend to be high in sodium. With glucose levels that high, it would be very easy for her to be dehydrated and adding in salty snacks isn't going to help. If there's a recurring constipation problem, good hydration is also essential for that.
 
Deanie and Boo (GA) said:
ohiogal said:
I've given her a couple of snacks (deli chicken and 0 carb coffee creamer, her milk subsitute), could that do it?
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I'd also go easy on snacks like deli meat, which tend to be high in sodium. With glucose levels that high, it would be very easy for her to be dehydrated and adding in salty snacks isn't going to help. If there's a recurring constipation problem, good hydration is also essential for that.
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Well, it's just sliced turkey - it's not like Oscar Meyer Bologna or anything. So what would you recommend I give her as a treat?
 
There are some treats on the market that are low carb and good for cats. I use freeze-dried chicken or occasionally shrimp. Just make sure its 100% chicken with no additives. It's often cheaper in the dog aisle, for whatever reason, but it's fine for cats.

Some people use bits of plain boiled, baked or raw chicken as well
 
Treats? Have we got lists of treats for you. There are lots of freeze dried products -- chicken and salmon are popular. The chicken treats can be easily crumbled and put over food or broken up. My guys like Wellness jerky-style treats. If your cat likes the jerky treats, just be sure to make sure you're not getting a product that's imported from China. There have been some product recalls. As others noted, dicing up chicken, left over beef, or even shrimp can be great treats.

With regard to Casey's numbers, one thing you will learn about Lantus is that it's an insulin that gives you the best results with consistency. Given that you just dropped the dose, you may see weird numbers until the dose settles.

Given the drop in dose, please test for ketones at least once a day.
 
Sienne and Gabby said:
Treats? Have we got lists of treats for you. There are lots of freeze dried products -- chicken and salmon are popular. The chicken treats can be easily crumbled and put over food or broken up. My guys like Wellness jerky-style treats. If your cat likes the jerky treats, just be sure to make sure you're not getting a product that's imported from China. There have been some product recalls. As others noted, dicing up chicken, left over beef, or even shrimp can be great treats.

With regard to Casey's numbers, one thing you will learn about Lantus is that it's an insulin that gives you the best results with consistency. Given that you just dropped the dose, you may see weird numbers until the dose settles.

Given the drop in dose, please test for ketones at least once a day.
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Thanks for the list! :-D Can you buy that stuff in a grocery store, or is it more of a pet store thing?

And yes, I am testing for the ketones. Casey makes it easy, she always pees in the same place in the litter box so I just put a little hollow of Saran Wrap down and dip the stick in after she hops out. So far so good - no ketones. :-D

I do seem to have one problem - overnight hunger in the kitties. They're used to having a bowl of kibble down to nibble on during the night, and when I got up this morning to use the bathroom Kennedy was wandering around the kitchen area, licking the furniture and looking morose. Casey didn't seem to care as much. I gave her a little broth and some chicken, and gave Kennedy a few kitty treats, but I'm wondering what I should do about this. Kennedy threw up this morning before I fed him, and from the look of things he'd sampled some of the corn kitty litter I use (World's Best Cat Litter). I don't want them eating kitty litter! Any suggestions? Should I give them some canned cat food before I go to bed? Is there something freeze-dried I can leave out?

On to Day 2! Thanks for the encouragement and suggestions, everybody! I don't mind hanging around my apartment, it gives me a chance to catch up on my Doctor Who...
 
Hey Sarah,

as for the feeding over night thing, i've been feeding satan half a can at a time, than mixing water in the rest, and making cat food ice cubes, and popping out two or 3 into satans food bowl when i leave for work - so far seems to be working. i know you have two cats, so hard to tell who'll eat what. but at least it'll be there, satan doesn't seem to mind eating the frozen and than thawed food.


good luck!
 
The litter....it is corn based. There was a kitty who was eating it here a few months ago and it appeared to be the reason his bg numbers were high. She switched to feline pine (the sawdust style, not the pellets) and the bg went back down. Just food for thought...
Carl
 
Check the deli section for No Salt Added or Low Sodium roast turkey/chicken/beef.

Or, as mentioned, boil up some to use for treats.
 
carlinsc said:
The litter....it is corn based. There was a kitty who was eating it here a few months ago and it appeared to be the reason his bg numbers were high. She switched to feline pine (the sawdust style, not the pellets) and the bg went back down. Just food for thought...
Carl
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Yeah, WBCL is corn-based - but Casey hasn't shown any interest in eating it at all, just Kennedy. Kennedy is cute, but dumber than a bag of hammers and he'll eat a lot of stuff he shouldn't - ribbon, cellophane, etc.

WBCL is working great for me. I used Fresh Step for a LONG time, but it's clay-based and when Casey used it, she began stepping in her pee and then tracking wet clay litter all over my apartment. Ever try to get wet clay litter out of carpet? Just about impossible. It would also clump in her paws and was very hard to get out.

I tried Feline Pine, but Kennedy is a kicker in the litter box and FP is so light that he'd end up kicking most of it out of the box. I used to have a covered pan but Casey developed claustrophobia and ended up only putting herself HALF into it - and peeing on the floor. I took the hood off, and now she uses the bottom part like usual, but obviously that means sometimes litter gets on the floor. Oh well!

Now with the WBCL, it doesn't clump in her paws, it's clean, it clumps nicely, and it's got enough weight that Kennedy can't kick it out of the box. Before last night Kennedy had never 'eaten' it, and I think he only did that because he was hungry and corn is, after all, food. I'll try leaving some snacks out tonight and see if that takes care of the problem.

PS Just took Casey's BG, we're on the way down. 281. Woo hoo! :-D Thanks for all the great advice everybody!

PPS can I give Casey Miralax all the time? Or is it only for short-term use?
 
:o Stop giving deli turkey? No way! My cats are insane over it. I eat it myself. I don't get the pre-packaged stuff - that seems fake(er). I guess getting the low salt option is a good idea.

I just bought Waggon Trail chicken strips. The package says to put it in hot water for 5 minutes to soften it up. I did that and the cats ate it. It's cheaper stuff and 100% chicken but the cats don't eat it with gusto.
 
I found that when I have a high BG reading at preshot, then I wait to feed. The Lantus, especially a small dose may take 2-4 hours to start dropping, and even then it will drop slowly 10-25 units per hour. So I would often wait several hours to feed Fred, till he was in a lower range and then the Lantus would keep him in a low flat curve...BUT if I fed him when high the shot wasn't strong enough to drop him low enough, it just stayed a higher flat curve. Giving the bigger dose can create a bigger drop but also more of a rollercoaster...so try writing down all your feedings, and def. all low carb stuff...
 
What Martica is describing is an "every cat is different" (ECID) thing. Not all cats have onset and nadir the way Martica's Fred does.

Catsickles, like what Dollsinmyeyes, described, is one way to leave food out overnight. Many of us use a timed feeder for an evening snack or for during the day when we're not going to be around.

I get freeze dried treats at one of the big box pet supply stores (i.e., Petco). Usually, you can find the freeze dried treats with the dog treats. I have no clue why but that's where they seem to be! There's a good selection of treats that you can order on-line from PetFood Direct.
 
I put out some canned food at bedtime for civies Erik and Emme. It gets them through the night.

PS: Casey's spreadsheet is looking good! I think your erratic numbers were mostly the carbs.
 
Maggies Mom Debby said:
I put out some canned food at bedtime for civies Erik and Emme. It gets them through the night.

PS: Casey's spreadsheet is looking good! I think your erratic numbers were mostly the carbs.
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:-D So far so good. I'm trying to think of a nice way to tell my vet that I totally disregarded their orders and took my cat's dose down to 1 unit and completely changed her diet. I hate confrontation...

I'm also hoping the Miralax does what the Lactulose did. If she ends up constipated because I took the Lactulose away I'll have to put her back on it.
 
So far so good. I'm trying to think of a nice way to tell my vet that I totally disregarded their orders and took my cat's dose down to 1 unit and completely changed her diet. I hate confrontation...
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When Bob was on insulin, I had the same concerns. My vet had me raising his dose pretty quickly, and when he got up to 4u BID, I decided to "go rogue" on her. So I started reducing his dose just as quickly, and saw amazing results. I would fax her my data once a week. That week, I didn't.... waited a few more days, and when I saw great numbers on 2u BID, I sent it to her. Next day, she did call me, and asked about the decrease, but what it came down to was that she couldn't argue with success. So she just said "send me another report next week", and that was that.
If your vet looks at your results, sees better numbers from the reduction and the diet change.....well, what can they say except "wow, good job!"?
If they do get snippy about it, you could explain that they don't get to issue "orders"..... you are paying them, not the other way around. Hopefully they understand they are in the "customer service" business. ;-)
Carl
 
carlinsc said:
So far so good. I'm trying to think of a nice way to tell my vet that I totally disregarded their orders and took my cat's dose down to 1 unit and completely changed her diet. I hate confrontation...
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When Bob was on insulin, I had the same concerns. My vet had me raising his dose pretty quickly, and when he got up to 4u BID, I decided to "go rogue" on her. So I started reducing his dose just as quickly, and saw amazing results. I would fax her my data once a week. That week, I didn't.... waited a few more days, and when I saw great numbers on 2u BID, I sent it to her. Next day, she did call me, and asked about the decrease, but what it came down to was that she couldn't argue with success. So she just said "send me another report next week", and that was that.
If your vet looks at your results, sees better numbers from the reduction and the diet change.....well, what can they say except "wow, good job!"?
If they do get snippy about it, you could explain that they don't get to issue "orders"..... you are paying them, not the other way around. Hopefully they understand they are in the "customer service" business. ;-)
Carl
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Ha, true! Thanks Carl! :-D I'll call them tomorrow, after I have a few more good numbers.

And I can't argue with THIS number - Casey's pre-shot BG this morning was 264, the second-lowest number I've ever gotten. So that's encouraging! Unfortunately I can't do a curve since I'll be at work all day, but it'll be interesting to see what her number is when I get home this afternoon...
 
She got a 264????? That's AWESOME!
Did you change anything? What did you do?

I am SO happy for you. Good job!

Great story Carl. Shut the vet down... :lol:
 
ohiogal said:
:-D So far so good. I'm trying to think of a nice way to tell my vet that I totally disregarded their orders and took my cat's dose down to 1 unit and completely changed her diet. I hate confrontation...

I'm also hoping the Miralax does what the Lactulose did. If she ends up constipated because I took the Lactulose away I'll have to put her back on it.
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Your earlier post was titled "My diabetic kitty has the vet stumped". So if your vet was really stumped he should welcome some positive results.

I would start by being excited over the better numbers. Then tell the vet that you did some research over the weekend and decided to try an experiment, figuring that Casey's numbers probably couldn't get any worse than they had been. You decided to reduce the carbs in Casey's diet. Explain that you were nervous about giving her 4 units with less carbs, so you reduced it down to 1 unit. And wow! Look what happened! Jump for joy!

As for the Miralax, you could talk to the vet about it, too. If Casey has any problems with it, you might need to return to the Lactulose. But you would know what was going on if her numbers go up and would have to compensate with a little more insulin. Some of us have to do that when other ailments and treatments make it necessary. But give the Miralax a chance first.
 
Remember, the miralax (just like lactolose) needs to have a dose settled on by trial and error through gradual increases. If 1/8 tsp twice a day doesn't work, gradually increase it until you get to a dose that does work.
 
Well, I took Casey's BG this morning and it was 433. :-( Not sure what's going on, she didn't have access to anything high carb or anything overnight, but her number is almost 200 points higher than it was yesterday morning. It's going to be hard to convince the vet that I did the right thing if the numbers don't go consistently lower...

Oh well! I gave her another 1-unit shot and we'll see what happens with the numbers tonight and tomorrow morning. I also gave her a little more Miralax and added more water to her morning meal. She did poop yesterday, so at least she's not stopped up!
 
I would suggest you start posting over on one of the Lantus forums also. The Lantus users do not come over to Health on a consistent basis. Posting over there will help Lantus users see your numbers and give you advice based on your spreadsheet. You might copy this thread and paste it in your first post there so people will see your history.
 
Thanks, everybody! I called the vet's office and they asked me to fax over Casey's spreadsheet. I had to take the color off the chart to get the numbers to show up - and now I can't get the colors back! Is there any way to do it?

Casey's +10.5 reading was 272; her pre-shot was 360. I'll take her BG again at 9:15 and let y'all know! :-)
 
Love the way those numbers are going!

I don't know how to get the colors back, but maybe next time you need to fax it, make a copy and remove the colors from the copy. I wonder if you could send them the link to check it out online?
 
Maggies Mom Debby said:
Love the way those numbers are going!

I don't know how to get the colors back, but maybe next time you need to fax it, make a copy and remove the colors from the copy. I wonder if you could send them the link to check it out online?
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Hi all!

Guess what - I talked to my vet this afternoon, and she thinks my idea to do all this was a good one! :-D and I couldn't have figured any of it out without your help so THANK YOU!

I mentioned that I'd come to this board to get ideas and she was familiar with it and said it was a 'very good place' to get information, so whew! The vet's on my side.

I sent her the link to Casey's spreadsheet so we can track the numbers together. I cancelled Casey's curve for Friday (the vet thought that was fine), and I'm going to do another curve over the weekend and keep her on 1 unit till at least Monday. The vet thinks she'll probably need to be upped somewhat in the dosage, which I tend to agree with since her numbers are still high, but we're going to see what the numbers are after the weekend.

So far so good! :-D :-D :-D Thanks again to everybody for all your help! I went in and manually re-adjusted the colors on the spreadsheet, the only thing I can't figure out how to fix is the borders on the columns. But I can live with that!
 
OMG!!!!! This is WONDERFUL! Can you believe it? You deserve this. You've got a nice vet who knew about this board - two excellent signs. I'm betting you two will be able to work together and get your girl in great shape. I'm very happy for you.
 
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