Titan AMPS 640 (omg) +5 479

[MyTitan (GA)]

. Hello All, Titan gave me a scare this morning with his highest AMPS ever at 640. This is above where he has been before. The +5 was back into "his" usual range of 479. Momma is stressed out plus with her mom in the hospital. Titans next increase in dosage is on Saturday as I am going 8 cycles because I was late with his shot on Tuesday night and want the depot to even out. I truly hope that as we get to the 4-6 unit range his numbers will come down into the pink and yellow range, just need patience getting there. I was pleased to see the 140 point drop at the +5, shows me he is responding to the insulin which was a fear of mine 4-6weeks ago. Peace

 

[Carol in Chicago]

So sorry the numbers are so high. I'm sure it is frustrating and scarry. Glad you have confirmation he is responding. Hope the consistency will help!

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Here is the link to your last post here, so people can follow the history. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/titans-first-bg-curve-at-home.182574/

Is it possible for you to get a blood sugar test before each shot? It's possible that he's going lower at night and bouncing, giving you those high preshot numbers. But without evening preshot test, or even spot checks at night, it's hard to say. The other possibility is that his dose is too low. Again data tells us which scenario is the right one. Good thing to hold the dose 8 cycles, that'll give you more opportunities to fill in the holes in his apreadsheet.

Sorry to hear your mom is in the hospital. That's a lot to pile onto the stress of a diabetic cat.

 

[Gill & George]

I second Wendy's suggestion of trying to always get a Pre shot test, and spot checks at night it will better help you decide on the next step with dosing for Titan. At the moment it's impossible to say how low this dose is taking him, he could be bouncing from going lower than he's used to, or he may be just be staying flat and high, we just can't tell.

I'm sorry your mum is in hospital, having to deal with that on top of the stress of FD is a lot to have on your plate.

 

[MyTitan (GA)]

Thanks for the kind words, here's another question. Do the ears build up scar tissue from all the pokes? I have gotten consistent at drawing blood but worry about constantly poking holes in his 1 and a half ears. I'm trying to keep the number of pokes down until I see some lowering of the numbers as I try to find the sweet spot. I will incorporate some PMPS numbers and +3 to +5 after.

 

[Gill & George]

Do the ears build up scar tissue from all the pokes?

I haven't had a problem with this, I only test daily now(George is in remission) but if you look at how much I tested when we started out...... Let's say I was a bit obsessive.

I think the key to avoiding scar tissue, is trying to reduce bruising and inflammation at the site, as well as finding that sweet spot, you want to avoid hitting the veins, as the capillaries build up he'll bleed more easily. I always applied firm pressure with a cold cotton pad and counted slowly to 10, even with my excessive testing his ears looked fine and we didn't have any scarring issues.

The following two threads have a lot of tips and links to videos/pics etc,
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/testing-and-shooting-tips.85113/#post-1377750

 

[Sandy and Black Kitty]

I'm going to be direct here, as I feel a sense of urgency.

Are you monitoring Titans urine for the presence of ketones?

Do the ears build up scar tissue from all the pokes? I have gotten consistent at drawing blood but worry about constantly poking holes in his 1 and a half ears.

I never experienced scar tissue build up on the one ear we used for testing with our Black Kitty, in spite of many many poke-a-thons over the 21 months before he went off the juice.

I'm trying to keep the number of pokes down until I see some lowering of the numbers as I try to find the sweet spot

What do you mean by 'sweet spot'?

His ears can take the pokes. The bigger question is how long can his internal organs take the excessively high BGs?

The true picture of what Titans BG is doing lies in the hours between shots, 24/7.

Lantus dosing is based on how low a dose takes a kitty. If you increase without knowing how low a dose takes your kitty you risk overdosing or under dosing, both of which can lead to serious problems.

Have a good look at the spreadsheets of the kitties of the folks who have responded to this thread. Use them to learn.

Start by sprinkling a few random tests in the areas of the spreadsheet that are blank, find out what is hiding there, then use the data to proceed with dose adjustments. Not doing so is akin to Russian roulette.

Know Thy Cat

 

[MyTitan (GA)]

Well the big question has been answered, Titan tested positive for acromegaly . This explains his high numbers and possible insulin resistance. I going to start a new thread on this and see how others have coped with a new turn of events. By sweet spot I was referring to his dosage that keeps the BG in a normal range.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Sorry about the diagnosis. One in four diabetic cats has acromegaly, you are not alone here. Was he tested for IAA ( insulin auto antibodies) too? It's not uncommon for acros to have both, my Neko did. I will post more in the new thread.

 

[Gill & George]

Sorry about the diagnosis.
We are here for support and there are a number of members who have experience with Acro that will be able to help and answer your questions.