02/21 Ivana AMPS=238, +3=254, +6=279, PMPS=292 No increase due to not wanting a divorce :-(

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Tara & Ivana (GA)

Tara & Ivana (GA)

Member Since 2015
Yesterday's post

Ivana's AMPS this morning was the lowest she's been for a while. I was excited, until I got up to give her breakfast and saw that she had hardly touched her dinner or midnight snack. So I think the lower number was just because she hadn't eaten much, for whatever reason. She did eat some breakfast, and is now eating more breakfast plus what was left of her meals last night. I've discovered the trick is to stir it all up so it 'smells good again', then feed her a bit from the spoon or my hand, then she's good to go on her own. Weirdo cat.

On another note, unless she does something drastic today, she will be getting some extra juice tonight with an increase to 0.75u.

Now for another bug story: Last night just after I'd got into bed, Ivana climbed up on the bed and sat beside me. We then hear the dreaded humm of a mozzie (mosquito for you non-Aussies). It was flying all around Ivana, and she was trying to paw at it without success. Then it landed on her nose, and she just sat there looking at it, going all cross-eyed. Hilarious! She looked just like this, but replace the pretty butterfly with a blood-sucking mozzie:
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Tee hee hee, I raced Vyktor off to the vet once because of suspicious lumps on his nose - turned out to be mozzie bites!

He's the same with his food - if he says no when I offer him canned that's been out for a little while I turn it over and most of the time he'll then eat it o_O

Good luck with the dosecrease
 
jayla-n-Drevon said:
OK--do you live in the jungle? LOL--
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We live on a farm, hence why there is lots of critter interactions. Hopefully you will never see me write about a snake story though :nailbiting: But there was that time with the horse, and two times with a baby mouse... stories for another day :-)

Vyktors Mum said:
I raced Vyktor off to the vet once because of suspicious lumps on his nose - turned out to be mozzie bites!
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Yikes! Poor Vyktor, it would have been so itchy for him, but such a relief for you that it was nothing serious. I'm afraid this mozzie did not last long enough to bit Ivana... I'm normally one to shoo insects outside, but we have indoor bunnies and a mozzie bite can be fatal for them so unfortunately for mozzies they don't get the escort outside.
 
I just had a thought that if the insulin has lost it's kick due to being 6 months old, then is an increase even going to do anything? I don't want to go up to 0.75u on this stuff, then get the new lot of juice and find that dose is too much for her. Gah!

ETA: Or maybe I should just increase her now as usual, then when I get the fresh juice go down a dose to allow for the greater efficacy?
 
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Well, if you increase and she stays the same, you'll have a good clue that it's the insulin. That way you can just monitor closely when you give her the new stuff and be prepared to reduce. Or give a BCS the first time.

I did not know that mosquito bites could kill bunnies. Lately they can kill people, too, with all the diseases they're spreading. Wretched things. I have a friend that escorts all insects out the door, too, but he also makes an exception for mozzies.

I've had the same experience with my kitties and food that's been sitting for a while. I also add a touch of water as I stir it, which helps if it's started to dry a little. Another trick is to add just a pinch of the fresh stuff, right on top. Gotta be sneaky when dealing with a picky cat!
 
Tricia & Cinco & Harvey said:
I did not know that mosquito bites could kill bunnies.
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Technically it's not the mozzie bite itself that kills bunnies, but they can transmit a virus which causes the disease myxomatosis. The Australian Government, in it's infinite wisdom, released the virus 50-60 years ago as a way to control the rabbit population, which was introduced by European settlers. It's an awful, awful way for a bunny to die (and no treatment is available once they have the disease), and of course it doesn't discriminate between so-called pest rabbits and pet rabbits. There is a vaccine for it, but we can't get it in Australia, so all we can do is protect our bunnies from mozzies - I personally do that by keeping them inside after dusk, when mozzies are at their fiercest. But any that are inside the house at any time will meet their maker, not worth the risk.
 
Went out to the movies this afternoon, saw Deadpool (it's a riot, highly recommended!). Came home to a furball vomit in the hallway. At least it came out though, rather than getting stuck in her insides like it did last month! Other than that, Ivana seems fine.
 
Good luck with the increase. Perfect numbers for a movie. I want to see Deadpool - the movie was filmed here.

No mercy for mozzies here either. You've just given me another reason.
 
This evening's PMPS brought about a huge argument between hubby and I about Ivana's dosing treatment. PMPS was 16.2, I commented that it's time she gets an increase. He said that it's good she's coming down from the 20s, and we should wait a bit longer to increase. The argument basically went along the lines of me saying that while 16.2 is better than 20s, it's still not good enough - she's been way too high for 2 weeks now, and it's not good for her kidneys (which we know are already on the way out). He wants to stabilise her at each level before increasing to get her down to the next level. Ie. get her used to being in the mid-teens, then increase to get her used to being in the low teens, etc. I told him that it's dangerous to keep her too high too long because of kidney damage and DKA, which could land her in ER and costs us thousands and end up killing her anyway, and that we actually *don't* want her to get used to being in higher numbers, we want her in normal numbers so that she can start to make her own insulin.

Turns out that I think he's scared to increase because of that LO he dealt with a couple of weeks ago. He thinks changing her dose every 3 days will upset her system and is causing issues. He wants to wait 6-7 DAYS between each increase. I even offered to compromise and increase a half-dose tonight, but he still didn't agree. I told him to read the published protocol, he told me that if Ivana is not a 'normal' diabetic cat "like those people on the board keep saying" (not meant as an insult to say "those people", just that he doesn't know you guys), then the published protocol won't apply to Ivana anyway. I didn't have a comeback to that, because I see his point. But, I do not agree with anything else he said, and I certainly don't agree with waiting 6-7 days between increases.

Anyway, up-shot is we're going to wait until the new insulin arrives in a few days and then see what it does at this dose. Not my preferred outcome, but it's the best I could manage. The thought did cross my mind that if we increase now and then the new insulin is stronger and gives her another low, he would think he's been proved right, and that could make it even harder to convince him to increase sooner in the future.

Sigh......

The amazing part is that after he finished yelling at me and then stormed out of the house, he washed my car!
 
Thanks Carla. We both love her so much and want what's best for her, it's just unfortunate that our views on how to do that are a bit different right now. It will get better, I'm sure.
 
Cute Mozzie story and the name is just too cute for those blood suckers.

Sorry you and hubby are at odds with the increase and you are probably right that her LO that he attended to scared the bejesus out of him. Remind him that Lantus is not as effective pulling down high numbers. Maybe that will help to want to get onto the increase train. Good luck with both.
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Remind him that Lantus is not as effective pulling down high numbers.
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I've told him that. And he's seen first hand that the 'shoot low to stay low' works amazingly. His fear is her diving - one of the things he said tonight was "what if these highs are the high before the low?" meaning that she's often high before a dive, and therefore an increase now could mean an even bigger/lower dive. I totally get his caution, but we test so much that it's highly likely we'll catch something like that anyway.

He has been so supportive in letting me make almost all of the decisions in Ivana's FD journey so far, so I feel like I can't discount the one time he's asking for us to do things differently. I just don't agree with it, that's the problem :banghead:
 
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I think he felt bad for fighting and that's why he washed your car. Probably felt better after physical activity, too. And you got a clean car out of it!

I don't agree with his plan, but I understand his reasoning. I think waiting for the new insulin is a good compromise, assuming it will only be a couple of days? The good news is that she's in yellow today. Maybe she'll hang there for a while, and that's better than pink.

It's wonderful that your DH cares and wants to share in Ivana's treatment. We see some members whose spouses are quite the opposite and that really adds to the stress, so count your blessings. I know I count mine!

Ivana, do your part, please and try to get as much as you can out of that weak, tired juice!
 
Tricia & Cinco & Harvey said:
It's wonderful that your DH cares and wants to share in Ivana's treatment.
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I know, I am so lucky! And this is the first time we've disagree on her treatment, so in that respect we've done pretty well. We'll get past this 'bump' I'm sure, though it's not going to be fun seeing Ivana in higher numbers for a couple more days. Hurry up new juice, hurry up....
 
Tara, my bf and I have had the opposite argument. I (in the past) thought it better to hold the dose and he has NO fear of going low which frightens me. His logic is "he will eat if he drops" BUT what if he doesn't and I am not home? (his parents are diabetic)
UGH-
So after a recent failed reduction I have pulled up my big girl pants and decided to dose aggressively. It took me a while.... he will come around, the drops are very scary especially at first. Now I am confidant of what to do. He sounds like a great caring guy :)
It did help us when I explained the extreme drops end up in extreme bounces.... and the kidney factor as well--I feel for you!
 
Love the story. All bugs in my house are eliminated because I seem to the one who gets bitten. It seems we have a Lady Bug invasion every October. Hundreds of them will cover our house. And of course end up inside. Can't tell you how many I find in my hair. I've taken to wearing a hat even when I sleep.
 
jayla-n-Drevon said:
Tara, my bf and I have had the opposite argument. I (in the past) thought it better to hold the dose and he has NO fear of going low which frightens me. His logic is "he will eat if he drops" BUT what if he doesn't and I am not home? (his parents are diabetic)
UGH-
So after a recent failed reduction I have pulled up my big girl pants and decided to dose aggressively. It took me a while.... he will come around, the drops are very scary especially at first. Now I am confidant of what to do. He sounds like a great caring guy :)
It did help us when I explained the extreme drops end up in extreme bounces.... and the kidney factor as well--I feel for you!
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So it was the failed reduction that brought you around, so to speak? It's not that I have no fear about Ivana going low, it's just that we test often enough to catch it if it happens, so it's a calculated risk. But, I really do think the old insulin is not helping things right now, hence why I decided to wait until we get the new stuff to see if it makes a difference. He might be right in that this 0.50u dose is enough on the new juice. We will see! We're both feeling much calmer about it this morning, although I still haven't changed my mind about wanting to increase :-)

Woodsywife said:
It seems we have a Lady Bug invasion every October.
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Wow, I've never heard of a ladybug invasion! We only ever get one or two at a time, I love those little things - so cute. Not so cute when they crawl into your ear at night though, I bet <shudder>
 
Tara & Ivana said:
So it was the failed reduction that brought you around, so to speak? It's not that I have no fear about Ivana going low, it's just that we test often enough to catch it if it happens, so it's a calculated risk. But, I really do think the old insulin is not helping things right now, hence why I decided to wait until we get the new stuff to see if it makes a difference. He might be right in that this 0.50u dose is enough on the new juice. We will see! We're both feeling much calmer about it this morning, although I still haven't changed my mind about wanting to increase :)


Wow, I've never heard of a ladybug invasion! We only ever get one or two at a time, I love those little things - so cute. Not so cute when they crawl into your ear at night though, I bet <shudder>
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In hindsight yes I think having him in amazing numbers and feeling so good for almost 2 full days made me realize he could be doing that all the time-then he dropped too low and bounced--I reduced--then he dropped very low and I shaved the dose....

If it had been just the first reduction I feel it would have held-but the back to back (even tho was a shaved dose) was too much to stop too quickly.
I considered it was still the previous depot but took the reduction regardless--would not do that again.

If I didn't work I would be more likely to want to be more aggressive all the time but right about now I am thinking I need to find a way to work it out as time is of the essence for remission. Regulation is nice but if he can go into remission and doesn't because of me I would be so sad-
 
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