12/26 Quintus surfing yellow after two 18h cycles

condo http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/12-25-quintus-18-hour-cycle-ps-265-5-25-97-does-this-look-safe-for-sleep-in-a-couple-of-hours.188539/

So the two 18h cycles went well, it seems. AMPS 205. Doing the planned 2ui. We’ll see what things look like tonight!

 

Well that seemed to do the trick. Looking really good, Quintus!

 

Woo Hoo!!! Great to see it worked so well!!

Hope you got some sleep and are feeling better too Stephanie!

 

I got some sleep! Still feeling crummy, time to see if my doctor is around these days.

How would we interpret the lovely values we got during these two 18h cycles? That I might have to consider 18h cycles in the long run (difficult once work starts again) or that our 2ui might be too high for 12h cycles? Or none of the above, we try and do another 6 cycles on 2ui to see if it "works" and if he goes too low again, reduce?

 

this

 

Thanks @Chris & China -- so in fact the 18h cycles are a kind of stopgap measure to ease the pressure without the ups and downs of completely skipping shots, so we can get a kind of fresh start?

 

Today seems to be a yellow day. I just took a dive into Quintus's labs from end september. His glucose was normal. His folic acid was high, B12 was normal (but this was before diabetes), and phosphorus was low-ish (43 mg/l). I'll ask my vet when it would be wise to check his phosphorus again, given the food change.

This also tells me we did indeed catch the diabetes "early". I definitely know he was drinking like a fish on Nov 15th, possibly a few weeks prior. That would mean he's probably had diabetes for a little under two months.

 

Good catch on the diabetes. Glad the 18 hour cycles worked well for him and that you got some sleep. Hope you feel better soon.

 

Thanks!

 

+9 and still yellow! Sunny day for Quintus even though it's grey outside.

I just got back from the vet's, went to pick up some more testing strips, his convenia syringe, and anti-inflammatories. I bumped into my vet who asked for an update. He was really happy with the numbers, and told me I had "understood everything". I said I'd had help! Thanks everyone

Anyway, he said it was quite normal that Quintus is eating less if his body is starting to be able to use the glucose he's been swimming in to feed his starved cells. Regarding the food, he also said what I'd been thinking: that if I can't completely transition to DM because of runny poop, but that I manage to get his BG down, it doesn't really matter that much, does it? So I'll stick to the mix, which seems to be working well enough, and as he seems to be leaving more and more of the kibble from the mix on the table, maybe he'll manage to transition himself slowly enough to not step on my face in the middle of the night with a poopy hind paw. He also said that eating less and putting on weight was a really good sign! I have a 17-year-old diabetic cat and he's putting on weight, must be doing something right

He said not to worry about phosphorus, his levels pre-diabetes were really good, we can worry about that in a few months when we do a check-up.

My next mission is ordering strips online (they seem to have them on Amazon) and maybe trying to the freestyle Lite ones which @JeffJ seems to be using. Note to US readers: not everything and everybody ships to Switzerland! And even when they do, shipping costs often make it cheaper to pay the full vet office price.

Other than that, I've been thinking a lot since Quintus's diagnosis about how involved/invested I am in my cat's well-being. These last weeks, almost all my interactions with him have been medical. When I'm not poking him or trying to feed him, I'm reading up here or elsewhere about diabetes. This is not unexpected. I have a bit of an obsessive personality when I discover "new" stuff, I dive deep into things and figure them out. I also like to take care of those who are unwell (good thing I didn't go into the medical profession) but if I am not careful this is all my relationships end up being about. I don't want that to happen with me and Quintus.

So, I'm keeping watch on myself. As I'm starting to feel more comfortable, and as Quintus's BG becomes prettier, I want to remember to enjoy my cat and the rest of my life, too. In a blog post in French a week or so ago, I recalled that it is very easy for me to dive into intellectual pursuits (and wow, is feline diabetes a fascinating one) and caring about others so that I do not feel my anxiety, and more importantly, sadness. I do not want to spend what is left of my cat's life solely focused on medical issues.

This doesn't mean I'm backing off from anything I've been doing. I'm going to keep on taking care of him as well as possible. But I'm going to pay attention to what my attention is on, if that makes sense. I'm going to learn to know my cat enough that I can end up testing less and being less stressed. My objective is to be able to "forget" about FD, meaning, have it just be one of the various things that come with the old cat -- the blindness, the arthritis, the daily meds, changing the litter box, checking BG, giving insulin. I hope for remission. But I won't sacrifice the quality of my relationship with Quintus for it.

These are just my musings. Maybe you've had similar ones, or are in a very different place. I'm always happy to hear from you.

 

Hello Stephanie, I think your take and outlook is very good. You have to take care of yourself if you are going to take care of Quintus. Good luck and we will be keeping an eye on your musings . Ed

 

I agree that we seem to get a big focus on medical issues with our cats. With Leo, that would be easy. But we make sure to give Leo a lot of attention aside from the medical treatments. If a cat only associates you with needles and pokes, then that would be bad.

Best of luck finding inexpensive test strips in Switzerland. When you find it, we can share that info with others. I like your blog post. My French is real rusty, but I got some of it.

 

My high school Spanish doesn't help a bit....LOL

 

Try google translate! You'll get some laughs

 

PM cycle: nice middle ground purple for PMPS, shot given, kitty sleeping. Have decided I was going to relax, so will get a +n before going to bed and leave food out.

 

Compared to the beginning of December, those numbers are looking very good indeed.

 

Aren't they? My vet was really happy.

 

yellow +3, heading to bed!

 

Sometimes, we need to find time just for chin scratches, ear rubs and enjoying the sound of a purring cat. It's good for kitties and people too.

 

Thank you for your post, Stephanie. It really hit home. I'm so focused on Titan's every nuance and so terribly
sad about his condition that I've forgotten to just enjoy the time I have with him. He is my other half. Somehow the
anxiety of caring for him has clouded that wonderful relationship. So thanks again from Titan's mom.