Time for another dose increase? Maybe? I'm not sure...

[Papa Stark]

Last week, we bumped snow up from 1.25 to 1.5. Honestly, we weren't seeing much of a difference even after 3 days. I was considering bumping him up on the fifth, but then he threw 2 "too low to shoot" mornings at me (Day 4 and day 6). He was right on the edge this morning (197) so I made the call that it was close enough for a safe shoot. Don't know if I got his fur or what, but he stayed about the same for his midcycle, then shot up for PMPS.

At this point, I don't know what's going on. I'm obviously doing something wrong, and since I know my judgement is off, I'll ask you all: from Snow's SS, does it look like it's time to bump him up to 1.75?

 

[BJM]

You may want to look at shooting on a sliding scale with the Prozinc. Low numbers get lower doses; higher numbers get higher doses.

Also, when a pre-shot is too low to comfortably shoot, stall 30 minutes without feeding and re-test. If it is now high enough, or close to being high enough and rising, it may be safe to shoot. The first few times you do this, you'll want to be able to monitor mid-cycle to see how it goes and be ready to intervene in case the numbers are dropping too much.

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

I'm with BJ. I'd lower the dose for those yellow preshots. Your blues that are close to 200 (like that 197) are okay to shoot but a little less. Just be sure you know they are rising numbers, not continuing to fall. Giving too much for that 197 made that cycle a little strange.

How about 1.25 for the yellow preshots and 1.5 for the pinks?

Everything else okay? Low carb food and snacks? Feeling good - peeing, pooing, playing, preening?

I think patience is called for. :mrgreen: his numbers are generally good. He is responding well to the insulin. He didn't become diabetic in a few weeks; he won't get "well" in a few weeks. It may take a few months. The important thing is to try to generally keep him below the renal threshold of 250 and give the pancreas time to heal.

 

[Papa Stark]

I'm with BJ. I'd lower the dose for those yellow preshots. Your blues that are close to 200 (like that 197) are okay to shoot but a little less. Just be sure you know they are rising numbers, not continuing to fall. Giving too much for that 197 made that cycle a little strange.

How about 1.25 for the yellow preshots and 1.5 for the pinks?

Everything else okay? Low carb food and snacks? Feeling good - peeing, pooing, playing, preening?

I think patience is called for. :mrgreen: his numbers are generally good. He is responding well to the insulin. He didn't become diabetic in a few weeks; he won't get "well" in a few weeks. It may take a few months. The important thing is to try to generally keep him below the renal threshold of 250 and give the pancreas time to heal.

Already gave him his full 1.5 evening dose - a disasterous crunch time at work kept me from coming back to see your responses (not that I appreciate them any less for it! - It's been the sort of day that's giving ME a "stress bounce") but yeah, that sounds like a good starting plan.

Behavior wise, he's his old self again - though he still hates when I have to earpoke him (grandma, oddly enough, he doesn't seem to mind). The 5Ps are good. One other thing I've noticed is that he's shedding a LOT. Like he'll try to jump off the table to avoid the poke, and I catch him and end up with a handful of fur. That's got me a little worried.

Otherwise, yeah, he's doing well. And as much as I hate those pinks, I'm sure glad to be rid of those reds and blacks. nailbite_smile I guess that's some progress, at least. :razz:

 

[Critter Mom]

One other thing I've noticed is that he's shedding a LOT. Like he'll try to jump off the table to avoid the poke, and I catch him and end up with a handful of fur. That's got me a little worried.

I had exactly the same thing with Saoirse a while back. She has never been a 'sheddy' cat but her fur started falling out like nobody's business and it got very thin. She was given a course of B12 injections because she tested as deficient. For a time I put her on a recovery liquid food that contained a fish oil supplement (all I could get her to eat at the time without upsetting her tum). Her coat has grown back beautifully now. Indeed, prior to diabetes treatment and the diet change, her fur was rusted (due to nutrient deficiency). Her new fur has grown back soft and black as the ace of spades. Just thought I'd share what worked for Saoirse to give you some ideas and reassurance that it's possible to address the fur loss problem.

 

[JennyBankers]

One other thing I've noticed is that he's shedding a LOT. Like he'll try to jump off the table to avoid the poke, and I catch him and end up with a handful of fur. That's got me a little worried.

My cat was shedding a lot when she was first diagnosed with diabetes, but since I changed her food over to FF and started insulin her shedding has decreased back to a normal level. From what the vet told me, it is a symptom of diabetes.

 

[Papa Stark]

Okay, so I've moved to the sliding scale that BJ and Sue recommended since Tuesday night(though you'd never tell from his SS: he's been pretty firmly in the 300s for preshots until this morning).

Got some really weird numbers last night, though. PMPS was 304, and then +6 was 354. I was ready to assume a fur shot, but this morning, he blew 260? I'm terribly confused.

I know he's a smart little mutant, but I doubt he gave himself the shot in the wee hours (that whole "lacking an opposable thumb" thing that's stymied his plots for world domination for half a decade).

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

Got some really weird numbers last night, though. PMPS was 304, and then +6 was 354. I was ready to assume a fur shot, but this morning, he blew 260? I'm terribly confused.

I don't know what happened last night - maybe an early nadir, maybe a fluke strip. Regardless, it was just one test, not a pattern. The interesting thing I see is your amps, which is shootable and a nice number.

Some day soon, if you want some data to play with :mrgreen: , do a curve. A test every 2 hours. It'll let you see if he drops early or has a nice smile shaped cycle, where his nadir falls (at least that day) and when he starts back up.

 

[BJM]

...Got some really weird numbers last night, though. PMPS was 304, and then +6 was 354. I was ready to assume a fur shot, but this morning, he blew 260?

Remember that thing about glucometers may vaty as much as 20% off what a lab gets?
And there's the statement in my signature link Glucometer notes that if 1.2 * low number is > 0.8 * high number, the numbers may be considered as possibly the same.
I.e.
Is 260 * 1.2 > 304 * 0.8
Yes
312 > 243.2

 

[Papa Stark]

Got some really weird numbers last night, though. PMPS was 304, and then +6 was 354. I was ready to assume a fur shot, but this morning, he blew 260? I'm terribly confused.

Some day soon, if you want some data to play with :mrgreen: , do a curve. A test every 2 hours. It'll let you see if he drops early or has a nice smile shaped cycle, where his nadir falls (at least that day) and when he starts back up.

Yeah, he's plotted for one as soon as I get through crunch time and the chaos at work subsides (hopefully by this weekend). 15 hour days aren't exactly conducive to paying the necessary attention to a little fuzzball who's already irritated with me (he hates when I do the curves).

...Got some really weird numbers last night, though. PMPS was 304, and then +6 was 354. I was ready to assume a fur shot, but this morning, he blew 260?

Remember that thing about glucometers may vaty as much as 20% off what a lab gets?
And there's the statement in my signature link Glucometer notes that if 1.2 * low number is > 0.8 * high number, the numbers may be considered as possibly the same.
I.e.
Is 260 * 1.2 > 304 * 0.8
Yes
312 > 243.2

Yeah, my form has a second sheet for calculating whether the measures can be considered "flat" (though I use .833.. (5/6) for the low.) "High and flat" like that suggests a dose increase, but the curve balls he threw at the current (300+) dose - going from PMPS 344 to AMPS 191 on Monday, e.g. - still make me wonder WTH I'm doing wrong.