Update: Sulo 7/17, finally a response to Lantus!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Ville

Ville

Member Since 2018
So, I wrote a couple of days ago about there being virtually no response to Lantus (1 unit at first, then increased to 2 units by the vet in the beginning of July) and Sulo's blood glucose test results at home were just in Red or Purple. Things have certainly improved!

Timeline
Sunday 7/15: Despair, high blood glucose all day, steadily rising from AMPS onwards, getting almost to 500 (at 27.4 mmol/l) at +10.
Monday 7/16: Purple at AMPS, rising to Red. I went to buy Natures:Menu wet food (high in protein, low on carbohydrates and fibre, no wheat gluten) during the day and took Royal Canin 'diabetic' foods (wet and dry) away. Couldn't test in the evening but did one when I got back home at PMPS +3. Finally below 20 mmol/l.
Tuesday 7/17: AMPS 302 (16.8), but steady decrease in blood glucose levels after that. Home test hitting Blue already from +6 onwards, and now Yellow again at PMPS. Still going to do more later.

Sulo was at the vet today, they did very extensive blood and urine tests and ultrasound. No sign of infections, inflammation, or anything else so far, though we're still waiting for some tests that will be done at an external lab - I'll know more in a couple of days. And, most importantly, despite the stess at the vet, his blood glucose test showed him going as low as just above 8 mmol/l. The clinic will share a copy of the test results with us later.

I really don't know how to interpret all this with the little data I've managed to collect thus far. This might just be a random good day, but it does certainly give us hope! Dose is still kept at 2 units, for now. Tomorrow we've got to move Sulo to my parents during the day because of a minor pesticide operation in our flat and despite the cat being familiar with the place and liking his time there (and behaving like the saint we know he isn't!), even a short travel generally stresses him out. We'll see what that does to his promising curve.

Can a change in diet really make such a difference in such a short time? Anything I should be specifically concerned about at this point?
 
Hello and welcome...........and it does take time for our kitties to get used to being on insulin, it's a complex process that most don't understand fully - myself included, but I will say it all gets easier as the days, weeks and months pass. You'll see progress as you have done, and perhaps it's slow - it's progress! Food absolutely has a direct result in the BG numbers and with FD we limit the carb intake to as little as possible which is why most of us are on Fancy Feast Pate wet food. The Vet prescribed WD food is loaded with over 25% carbs so not entirely sure why they push us to buy it (sales/marketing) but stay away from that, dry foods and treats unless freeze dried type. I just popped in to check on Davidson so haven't had a chance to look at your SS and others will reply............we're all here for the same reason and you'll soon notice a big change once the insulin takes affect with the doses
 
Welcome to the forum. It's been a real lifesaver for us too! You'll learn over time what the insulin will do for Sulo - most importantly is you're already home testing! So you'll know if there's any negative impact because his BG will go too low - have your kit ready for such an event (a variety of High Carb foods and some Karo syrup or honey)...Other experts will advise you more along the way - this feline diabetes takes time and patience to understand and you'll get to know your cat's patterns - of course - I have to laugh:D - I barely know after six months what my Luci is going to do next...I feel some days like I'm just along for the ride:rolleyes:...so read all the information you can on this forum. There are 'stickies' at the top that are very helpful - lots of info - but great to read it as you can. Read other's posts here to see how they're handling their kitties various situations...so much to learn...but such a great group of sharing, caring people here on this forum! I am grateful every day for their help and support as we work our way through the same illness - we're all here because our feline diabetes - and this particular group is focused on Lantus users...:joyful:

Once again, welcome aboard!:bighug:
 
This is Sulo's fifth cycle on 2 units so you should start seeing what this dose will do for him. Don't be surprised if he bounces up to some yellow and pink after that blue. His body may not be used to those lower numbers and his liver may do a dump to compensate. It will subside, though it may take 4-6 cycles to do so.

Lantus is a depot insulin so each dose has two actions - part of the dose goes towards that cycle and part goes to be store to be used later. That is how lantus achieves steadier numbers than some other insulins. So it will take 4-6 cycles to build that stored amount (depot) and really get to find out what a dose will do.

Diet can be a huge factor and it may also be part of the reason for the reduced BG's. Keep an eye out though! His numbers may drop dramatically with the new food and you increased the dose as well!
 
Last edited:
Thanks both! I have high carb food, treats, and honey ready in case he goes too low. Luckily the clinic Sulo goes to anyway operates 24/7, so they have all his medical records already. And it's only a couple of minutes walk away.

But I suppose his blood glucose levels will stay at least a little elevated for some time. What worries me is if/when we have to have somebody else (my parents in all likelihood) catsitting for us - injections should be fine, but I'm not sure about home testing. I've also learned not to take for granted that what I find easy is necessarily the same for others.
 
And thanks Tracey (you replied as I was typing my message)! Even if this is very unpredictable and every cat is different, it's reassuring to know what I can reasonably enough expect. I've promised myself I won't be worried about few high results as long as the big picture is pointing towards lower curves.
 
Tracey&Jones said:
He looks good today...doesn't look like he bounced at all from those blues yesterday!
Click to expand...
Yes! And being put in the carrier, taken to my parents, and then taken back, all within like 6 hours, had no major effect on his test results either. He did pee in the morning but hasn't done so after that and didn't do so during the night either. He's not drinking a lot, which was how things were before diabetes, but just in case I added a little bit of water to his food because it's been really hot. So far it looks like he would be getting better, but I suppose it's too early to say. Now if only he'd recover from the neuropathy one day...
 
Many use vitamin b for neuropathy. With BG now in better range you may want to consider it. The U.S. product is zobaline, but the important thing is methylcobalamine (without additives like sugar).
 
Carol in Chicago said:
Many use vitamin b for neuropathy. With BG now in better range you may want to consider it. The U.S. product is zobaline, but the important thing is methylcobalamine (without additives like sugar).
Click to expand...
Oh right, thanks! I haven't found methylcobalamin sold separately here, only as one ingredient of nutritional supplements with a lot of components. I need to compare the amounts contained to see if it's worthwhile. With his current diet, Sulo might benefit from an all-round nutritional supplement like that anyway. There certainly are B12 supplements for humans (not sure about methylcobalamin, seems like it's often cyanocobalamin if that is a big difference) with folic acid, but they come with sweeteners and stuff.
 
Update: Sulo's AMPS was 211 mg/dL (11.7 mmol/L) this morning, his lowest yet. Reading about other people's sometimes quite disappointing vet experiences makes me appreciate how lucky we are. Not only is the clinic close by and operating 24/7 should Sulo need them but, the food issue aside, they've been very supportive along the way (and e.g. told us to start home testing straight away). I also realised they have a smart phone app where I can check Sulo's medical records, history of visits, and lab results. I'm an idiot and miscalculated the amount of test strips we have left and because it looked like we'd be running out before the ones I ordered arrived (50 strips for 74 euros, I see why you would use human meters), I went to the clinic and asked if they had any to spare - and got 10 strips for free!

I've updated the latest lab results (we're still waiting for the tests done at the external lab) as much as I could (no medical background) in the spreadsheet. Does 'Abs Neutrophils' etc. mean the formulas I've put there now or the percentages that the results showed as well? In all honesty, I can't say anything about them except that everything seems to be within the normal range so far. That's what the vet said as well. Sulo is still at 2 units of Lantus.

EDIT: Last night, my partner woke me up because she heard Sulo throw up. We couldn't find anything though, so maybe he was just coughing up a lot. Or there's a unpleasant surprise waiting in the laundry basket or something. Furthermore, for the first time since being struck with diabetes, Sulo climbed in our bed last night and slept in our feet!
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top