Help for Molly #13

Created new thread from previous Molly #'s
@MrWorfMen's Mom @Kris & Teasel

 

Well Molly is making up for the excitement today. I expected she might zoom up a bit higher than that so I'm actually pleased to see that barely yellow PMPS.

 

I thought she’d be higher tonight too. Hopefully she won’t go up anymore tonight

 

Hopefully this will be a short lived bounce and Molly will be back to the blue and dark green waters soon!

 

I hope so she’s been hungry today

 

Higher BG will do that. I trust she is not eating you out of house and home!

 

Lol not yet!

 

Increase this morning or wait it out?

 

I think I'd wait her out today and stick to the drop. She should come out of that bounce very soon if she holds to her usual pattern.

 

Should we increase tonight?

 

I think I'd hold the drop tonight and see what she does. She looks to me like she is flattening out a bit again so maybe she'll work the drop a little more tonight.

 

Hey Adrienne, Been checking on you and Molly and I see she is not moving much at this point. I really thought she'd start dropping off a bit a day or so ago but she's called my bluff. I think it's time to up the dose again as long as you can monitor your little girl.

 

Ok .10 for tomorrow morning? I can monitor her tomorrow I was hoping she would come down. Will I ever be able to regulate her?

 

She is proving to be a bit difficult to predict. You can be a little more aggressive with her but in the big scheme of things, she is going to run this show and you have to follow her lead within your tolerances too. Let's up the dose tomorrow morning and get her back to some lower numbers. Perhaps lowering her reduction point even further will help get her back on the right path.

 

Yes, difficult and I had a bad day. Just frustrated want her BG to be good.
So .10 to start tomorrow morning?

 

Yes I'd take her up to 0.10u tomorrow providing her BG is high enough to shoot...(trying to send her positive BG vibes)!

Hope nothing serious is going on. You have to take care of you too!

 

Just a little homesick. I usually make a trip back home. This year I’m taking a week for Molly.
I bought FF gravy today that’s a medium carb? Just to have on hand

 

Oh the things we do for our furry kids! When are you taking the week off?

 

August 19 I took that week off. we were thinking Molly will have to fly with us next year. For the trip back home.
Yes the things we do for our fur babies

 

Continue with the .10?

 

Yes I'd stick to the 0.10u for now. She's kind of stuck and it may take a few cycles to get her moving again.

 

I know you have said. I have to start being more aggressive with dosing. Today I acquired around about boarding. If DH and I want to get away for a few days. The lady that has a boarding place. Had said where Molly is not regulated and only a few months into being diagnosed. I should contact my vet. Where her BG May go up from being stressed. Which I totally understand. I’m just thinking ahead for next year. But I was a little upset I guess Because. What happens if I can’t get her regulated. Or a can’t go on a vacation next year. DH doesn’t want to take her somewhere. I think going on a plane wouldn’t be go either. But I hate to say this feel bad for saying it. There is days I need a break. I love my Molly just venting

 

I didn't mean you have to be more aggressive...but rather that you can be. That said, you need to do so within your own tolerances so as not to cause sleepless nights or undue anxiety. The sad truth is that some cats will go into remission and some won't no matter what you do. Tight regulation would have you letting Molly drop to a BG of 50 before taking reductions on the dose but that means sometimes you may need to stay up a little longer to monitor her or leave her with higher carb food for the day.

As for the boarding, how exactly does the boarding facility define regulation? Some folks have sitters who will test and some have sitters who won't. In each case, caregivers generally lower the current dose of insulin so that kitty may run a bit higher during their absence but has little to no chance of going too low. Right now you could do that with a drop of insulin with Molly. That said, it's a bit more problematic when you are not dealing with full or half units of insulin but it's still doable.

Have you got any friends who are animal lovers that you would trust looking after Molly? If so, I highly recommend having a chat with them to see if they would be willing to learn how to care for Molly. I had a friend who offered to look after my girl for me and I trained her on testing and giving injections. It worked out great. I admit, I had phone contact while away and was in touch with my friend every day but part of that was my OCD side because my cat was on a large dose of insulin initially and could turn on a dime and end up in lime green. Molly doesn't tend to do much in the way of dramatic dropping but she sure likes her trampoline when she starts getting into the blues and dark green range.

The other options are, see if there is a pet sitting agency in your area that will look after diabetic cats or check with the vet techs at the vet's office to see if any of them are interested in making a little extra pocket money looking after her while you are away.

Don't think you are the first to need a break......many of us do. I think that was one of the first things I thought of when my girl was diagnosed and yes I felt guilty and selfish but it's reality. I coach Spec Olympics curling and have to make weekend trips and occasionally week long trips periodically and I didn't want to let my curling team down either. I was on my own dealing with Menace and felt as you do more times than I can count.

Too bad you are so far away. I'd baby sit your little one in a heart beat!

 

too bad I'm a little bit too far south to help with Molly -- it's a little bit over 200 miles but it's the TIME involved, country roads on this end, Seattle area traffic enroute, then various places of Canadian traffic -- this is assuming it's western BC -- worse yet if we'd have to go over the mountains east of here

Catcat is okay about car rides, but five hours, or more? and breathing traffic fumes? not such a great idea

 

I feel bad for feeling. That I’d like to have a day off. Just feeling homesick I guess I would love for Molly to go in remission, I do have one friend that might want to be trained. But I think she might be too rough with Molly.

The boarding place not sure what she meant by regulation. Just assumed she knew what she was talking about.

I’ll have to ask the vet if any techs would be interested in coming to test Molly.
There’s no house sitters here I’ve searched.
I wish you ladies were closer to help .

First time that I’ve felt that I need a break. I feel bad for saying it!

 

Yes I live in Northern BC.

 

don't feel bad -- ALL caregivers feel/need/want/crave a break -- every single one -- even Florence Nightingale LOL

the feeling rises up from within -- "I don't want to do this today, I need a vacation"

you've put yourself out, done more than you initially thought you could, you've dealt with uncertainty and frustration, when what you want to happen, doesn't happen

or doesn't happen when you want it to, or when it's inconvenient

relax! you are human! -- just goes to show you have a heart

 

Adrienne, why don't you have a chat with your friend and If she is willing, introduce her to testing Molly to see how it goes. If it doesn't work out, you're back to square one but no further behind and if it does work out, you've made strides forward. I wouldn't be surprised to see your friend being too tentative with Molly as opposed to too rough. I took a good three months to train my friend and at the beginning I too thought she might be too rough with Menace but I now think that was only because we all have our own little methods of dealing with our own kitties and nobody can spoil them like we can.

I helped with a cat near me one summer without much of an introduction. The first day I thought I'd never get the testing done and I sure didn't want to be giving insulin without a pre-shot test because this particular cat was a quite volatile. The cat got used to me in a couple of days and everything was fine. That experience set the stage for my training with my friend. First she came over for coffee and I showed her how to test. Then I let her try testing Menace. We progressed to injections over time and before I left on my trip, I intentionally left the house and waited on the porch until my friend arrived. Sent her in to test, feed and give insulin so I knew Menace would be comfortable with her without me present and wouldn't be hiding somewhere.

Obviously some of this depends on Molly too but just like when you started on this journey, all you can do is your best. If you need a day off then take a day off. Pick a day when Molly is running higher and test pre-shots only. Your batteries need recharging and if you don't look after you, you will get run down and not be able to look after Molly as you want to. It's not selfish or unusual. It's normal and we've all been there.

 

Ok I’ll ask my friend see what she says. She’s on vacation right now. I’ll ask her when she’s back.

I was hoping when I take my week off. Molly will be in the lower BG. So I can test and shoot and get more comfortable with the lower numbers.

She really surprised us. With camping with us this year. Even our friends said how content she is.

I think I am getting burned out, need a day to myself to recharge! Thank you for making me not feel so bad, and for letting me vent!

 

Skip this morning?

 

You can stall if you haven't fed her and see if she is coming up on her own. If she's been fed then yes, I'd skip.

 

Molly has been hungry in the middle of the night . I have been leaving food in her timer dish for 2am is that ok? I've been feeding her before bedtime but she eats it right away

 

Feeding Molly at night is fine but it might help keep AMPS down a bit more if you fed her earlier in the night cycle. Sometimes keeping food in the first half of the cycle instead of closer to the end of the cycle helps keep AMPS down a bit. That said, if Molly is waking you up for food at that hour, I'd try moving it back an hour and see if that works for her and then maybe another hour if that works. You need to find a balance that works for both you and Molly.

 

Usually 1:30 am I’ll set it for 1 am tonight

 

Should we increase again on the weekend? why won't she stay in the blues and greens

 

Why she won't stay in the greens/blues is anybody's guess and a question many including myself have wrestled with.
Yes I would take the dose back up this weekend and we'll hope she starts producing some more blue and green readings. Every cat is different and some are just a lot more bouncy than others. Molly seems to bounce and takes a while to come back down often needing a dose increase to push her there. Deep breathes! All you can do is take it one day at a time!
I think maybe it's time to think about reducing her reduction point. Right now we reduced at 90 or below. I think we should try reducing at 75 or less to try to keep her numbers down a bit more. And also not wait out her bounces as long. They seem to be longer now and a bit more unpredictable. Our sugar cats change the steps to the dance every so often and all we can do is take their lead and work with it.

 

Ok so start at .25 Saturday morning depending on BG? I took a week off Mine and Molly's vacation August 19-23. Hoping that I can get he in lower numbers so I can monitor her.

 

Absolutely. Fingers crossed Molly co-operates. Sometimes threatening dose increases seems to work with these sweet babies! Maybe time to have a chat with Molly!

 

Took a little break last night and some what today for testing. I had the talk with Molly again. I’m hoping when I’m on vacation she’ll cooperate.

 

I just checked on her SS and noticed she's staying pretty flat still. Anything new/different going on with her? Still eating OK? No bathroom issues?
The depot needs to get built up at the new dose so hopefully in the next day or so you'll see a bit more movement in those numbers.

 

Eating good besides being hungry. Middle of the night. Bathroom issues? What should I be looking for?

 

Constipation? Any straining or lack of going? Anything out of the ordinary for Molly. Even a bit of constipation can elevate BG.

On the other hand, maybe she just wants to go camping again!

 

Her BM looks normal. She’s been playing today. Following me around all day. We’re going to take her out in the camper later. She’s going again next weekend

 

Do you think switching her FF to different flavours makes a difference?

 

Generally I would say no but I remember someone here mentioning that the beef flavour seemed to cause their kitty's BG to go up. I think food influence is something that differs for each cat. Some do great on very very low carb food (0 to 2%) and others do better on 4-6% and some aren't the least bit affected with even higher carbs. All you can do is experiment a bit and maybe make a notes on the SS about what you feed to see if there is any correlation.

 

Ok I’ll start recording. Today and yesterday she’s been eating the beef.

 

Interesting!

 

Is there something wrong? Why the big jump
She hasn't had a BM since Saturday night, does that mean she's constipated? She usually does go once a day. What causes that? how much pumpkin do I give her?

 

Constipation can definitely raise BG and if she normally goes every day, I'd say it's likely she is constipated. Could it be Molly finds the beef constipating? Just guessing on that one.

I've never used pumpkin but it looks like folks are using up to 1 tsp 3X per day. I'd start with 1/2 tsp. twice daily and then boost that up if no luck. Also can you mix a bit more water into her food? I think you are already adding it but if she'll tolerate it, I'd increase the amount.

The other thing folks use is Miralax 1/8 to 1/4 tsp twice daily mixed in food. I think it's called Restoralax here and Shoppers has their own brand called Lax-a-Day.

 

She's been eating Tuna for a couple days now. I thought that maybe the cause? Yes I mix water in with her food, I could try add a bit more. Is there cats that get constipated? more than usual? The Restoralax won't harm her?

 

Oh yes there are cats that get constipated. It seems to be a common problem around here. I have no idea why although unregulated diabetics pee more so perhaps it's that extra urine output that causes it.

The Restoralax isn't a laxative per se. It's more of a stool softener that draws water into the bowel to soften the stool so extra water in the food will be needed to compensate. There are lots of kitties using it here with no ill effects. Too much could potentially cause stool to get too soft (diarrhea) but I think you'd have to be giving a fair bit to have things turn around that much. It's tasteless and can just be mixed into food.

 

Ok I'll go after work and buy some Restoralax. Might be better than the pumpkin.

 

What should I do this morning? Cut back? @MrWorfMen's Mom

 

Yes I think I'd bump her back to 0.10 for the day cycle. If you were going to be around to monitor more closely, I'd say hold the dose but without monitoring I think it's best to drop it a bit. Check her again before you leave for work and leave extra food out if she seems to be heading down.

 

Ok, I gave her some clearlax last night supper time. She had a BM last night. Gave her some more this morning. How long should I continue giving that to her?

 

Yeah for BMs! If this is just a periodic problem and she gets cleaned out that fast (seems she's feeling better today if that was the problem!), then I think I'd be inclined to only use the clearlax when needed. If it becomes a more chronic problem, then maybe a tiny bit every couple of days or if needed every day. I think this is something you really have to play by ear. I wouldn't continue with it daily though unless you are sure she really needs it.

 

Will Molly be ok? I had to leave for work. I have her FF gravy chicken feast grilled

 

If she has gravy food she will be fine. She'll be on her way back up soon anyway.

 

How do you calculate carbs if it's not on the food chart? is there a formula?

 

Technically you need the "as fed" values from the manufacturer however this calculator used with the guaranteed ingredients will usually give you a pretty good ballpark number. There are times when it's way off but it's usually close.

 

I gave her a treat she loves it. Churu chicken with scallop. It says 1.8%/ carb so not bad for her?

 

I checked the ingredients and there is tapioca and something called fructooligosaccharide which sounds like a sugar but may be a fiber. Can't say it's OK for sure. As far as tapioca is concerned, it was in the kibble I was feeding my kibble addict for the longest time and I never saw it raise her BG but I think it might in some cats. I think writing to the manufacturer for "as fed" values would be the only way to know for sure.

 

Ok, I have it on hand when she goes low. I’m kicking myself giving her the gravy at lunch time. The regular FF would’ve been fine. I tested her and she’s up so I assume .25 for tonight?

 

Technically she earned a reduction with that 74 today. I know we were discussing reducing the point of reductions because she doesn't seem to be holding them well so I think if you want to shoot 0.25u tonight and continue with it, that is fine. Just be sure to monitor before bed.

That higher BG may just be bouncing and not necessarily or at least all food related. Molly is a bouncy girl. When you can't be there and have just shot the lowest pre-shot yet I see no reason to hold back on the carbs to ensure she stays safe. Just chalk it up to lesson learned.

 

I'm a worry wart, Molly didn't eat her lunch? didn't get up to see me while I was home.

 

I'm sure she will eat if she needs to. Funny I used to find that Menace would be extremely hungry and eager to eat when she was running high or low but in the middle (yellows) she was often kind of blasé about eating. I wonder if Molly sometimes does the same thing. I take it she ate fine this morning? Even though she had a BM, could that still be bothering her at all? I'd just keep an eye on her. You might also want to check ketones just to be on the safe side.

 

She ate this morning and was fine. How do I check ketones?

 

Oh I thought you had checked them before but I guess I am confusing Molly with another kitty.

You can get Ketostix or Diastix at the pharmacy and check her urine. Depending on Molly's bathroom habits, you can use a designated spoon to catch a few drops from her urine stream if she will let you or you can bunch up some plastic wrap and place it in the litter box where she usually likes to pee and try to catch a few drops to test. The test strips (much like glucometer strips) have colour coding that you compare to the colour coding on their vial and it's important to read them in good light and at exactly the time frame specified, usually 15 seconds I believe.

 

Ok I’ll buy some and see if I can test her. Should I give her .25 tonight or cut back?

 

If she ate her pre-shot meal well tonight and seems better (socially etc.) than at lunchtime then yes I'd give her the 0.25u. If she still seems off her food or still not being social then reduce to 0.10u just to be on the safe side.

 

I think I’ll do the .10 she ate her lunch supper and that’s it.

 

@MrWorfMen's Mom are you available?

 

I fed Molly the gravy FF. Restested in 20 min where she was 4.4. I’ll fix the spreadsheet in the morning. She’s seems fine and is playing. But she gave me a scare, I’m glad I listened to my gut.

 

Wow! Sorry Adrienne but just seeing this now. You got Molly's BG back up like a pro! Molly is being a real puzzle right now. She's very dramatic and seems to be spending time either a bit too high or dropping into lower BG ranges that have your hair standing on end. Looks like she bounced yesterday after the nice green readings and cleared it almost immediately. Perhaps this is a sign she is finally getting more use to being in normal range. Hard for you but good news overall.

Given that low last night, and her seeming unpredictability right now, you might want to consider skipping this morning's shot because you won't be able to chase numbers today.

 

She dropped low very fast? I tested her before bed at 9pm. Got up at 10:30 and seen that number . I remained calm I printed off the sticky Bron had created. Created a 911 help just in case. But no one responded until a few hours later which was Bron.
I felt she was safe when I retested 20 min later. I did get up later in the night to check on her. She was very hungry when I got up the first time.
I’ll skip this morning!

 

Glad you had Bron to help you out. Some nights there are several folks around and other nights can be a little sparse. You managed Molly well. She is being a bit of monkey right now and that can be tough but it appears to be a sign of progress. At least you can have a worry free day today.

 

maybe the prayers and her listening to me is finally working!

 

Sending more prayers that Molly may be starting on a mission!

 

Very proud of you, you kept calm, hoping Molly doesn't ever scare you again like that. Our kitties worry us more than raising infants llol. That face of hers is so adorable. I see your birthday is September 6 th my daughter has the same birthday.

 

Thank you! first time for Molly dropping that low. I worry about her too much she's our baby! Yes my birthday is September 6. I was born on Labour day too lol!

 

I am the same as you, I worry too much about Tyler. Thanks to Linda I have really calmed down a lot, She has taught me so much when it comes to dosing. She is one amazing lady. Everyone here is just so wonderful, I can't say enough about this forum. I really don't know what I would have done if I didn't find them. Tyler's brother Perry has kidney disease and seizures. He doing very well so far, no seizures for 9 months now and the kidney disease is still in stage 2. He is going for his blood work the beginning of August. I'm hoping everything will still be the same and hasn't gotten worse. Poor Perry has to take phenobarbital twice a day and Keppra three times a day and cerenia once a day. They are 11 yrs old. It really gets crazy sometimes taking care of both if them, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. My daughter's very I'll , a chronic pain disease, to long to get into, but it breaks my heart. It's just me and her. So I am kept very busy all day. Like I said you and my daughter have the same birthday , so I will akwaal remember yours. All the best for Molly

 

@MrWorfMen's Mom drop back to .10 tonight?

 

Sorry Adrienne. Wasn't online last night. The drop dose was fine. A bit curious seeing Molly go up after the skipped shot and then come back down on her own at PMPS. This morning I'd stick to the drop dose and let's see if she what she does today. I know you don't like seeing those pinks but if she comes back down like last night, she won't be there long.

 

It’s ok I figured the drop dose was the choice. I was surprised to see her drop on her own. Kinda good to see! We’re going camping this weekend. I know she loves that

 

Have a wonderful safe trip. Hope your weather co-operates! It's supposed to be nice here without the oppressive humidity. YEAH!

 

Thank you the weather has been crappy here all summer. It's rained alot we haven't really had a summer. My parents in Nova Scotia have a heat wave and the humidity is terrible. Send it out here!

 

It's been crazy. We started out with an extremely wet and cold spring if you could call it that then in July it got so blistering hot that we had heat warnings for days on end. We'd get a cool down for a day or so and right back to the sauna bath again. Finally getting a run of what I would call, perfect weather. Seems we shipped out humidity over to the East coast. We like to share!
I'll pack up some sunshine with a little humidity for you and post it this afternoon!

 

Question we have to be somewhere at 6pm tonight. Can I give Molly insulin early?

 

Technically you can shoot 30 minutes early. Any earlier can act as a bit of a dose increase. That said, I've seen people dose an hour early without any issue and I doubt with the small dose Molly is on that an hour would be a problem but I wouldn't dose any earlier.

 

Ok perfect thank you

 

I was updating my signature. I forgot how to post the spreadsheet? can't seem to find instructions on here how to do it. I deleted the old SS. I figured out how to post the newer one at the beginning. Is there anything else I should put in the signature?

 

Your spreadsheet is up just fine.......not sure what/why you questioned it. Are you referring to the old spreadsheet?
Signature looks fine to me. You could add time zone just for clarity if you should have an urgent situation.

 

Yes, When I posted the 911 thread. I had two spreadsheets and they felt I needed to delete the first one? I need to put comments in my spreadsheet? I'll add a time zone.

 

Oh yes I remember Bron mentioning that because she selected the first link and it didn't have much data on it and was old.

 

Looks like Molly needs a little dose increase. Don't want her getting stuck in those yellows and odd pinks and she really hasn't moved since that low on the 31st.

 

Should I increase this morning?

 

Absolutely. I take her back up to 0.10u and not hold there too long if numbers don't start coming down.

 

I think Molly was stressed from being in the truck. We thought we would try without her being in the carrier. She meowed the whole way and was panting. Next weekend our trip is longer in the truck not sure what to do?

 

Maybe she feels safer in her carrier. Kitties do like tight spaces.....like the empty Kleenex box they don't have a prayer of fitting into! Even though they aren't keen on carriers as a rule, I do think they afford them some comfort when in a more unfamiliar environment that's moving. I take it she was OK on past trips in her carrier?