1/8 Alex AMPS 421,+3~302,+5~274,+6~237

Alex is back on a normal diet today. He is snarky and hissy to Jackson so I guess he's feeling good again but PS bg is still high so still need R. Just hoping that he will just magically snap of of this one day :?
Happy Friday everyone :razz:

yesterday

 

Re: 1/8 Alex AMPS 421

Hi Caryl,

hows Alex doing? Looks like he might try on a shiny yellow suit this afternoon? :lol:
Hope Jackson is doing well!

 

Re: 1/8 Alex AMPS 421,+3~302,+5~274

Hi there just wanted to say glad he's feeling better. I understand the R being needed, just keep an eye on him (I know you will) ;-) Looks good so far, I see you also survived the trip to the DMV. I'm on way out now, gotta catch some TV time and then bed. It's night time here.

 

Re: 1/8 Alex AMPS 421

yeah yellow ... not necessarily a great thing and I don't know if he'd even get there without thr R but it could be worse I guess.

Jacky is doing a lot better too(THANK YOU for thinking of him) but the centrine constipated him and now that is making him not feel so great(THAT is his ongoing problem) so I've started him back on lactulose again and hopefully he'll poop soon or he'll start vomiting again. it's always something to keep us on our toes... :roll: ♥
How is Luney ? I mean Looney? Oops, I mean Luna! :mrgreen:

 

Re: 1/8 Alex AMPS 421,+3~302,+5~274

Shucks, I always miss you :cry: Yes I made it through DMV okay...as a matter of fact that was the best part of my day (just kidding). I wish I didn't need to use R on Alex but I'm a skeered of the ketones, however I DO always have my eyes on both of my babies :roll: which is why I have no life (talk about crazy) :lol:
Do they have "Grey's Anatomy" in Germany?

 

Hi Caryl,

I must say, I have been puzzling over your spreadsheet on 3 separate occasions today. :mrgreen: Alex has a mind of his own does he not? I am curious as to his rather startling response to Lantus, as evidenced by your late November thru mid December numbers, and then his sudden descent into mayhem. I also noticed that the mayhem took place directly after switching to a new vial of Lantus. Are you using vials or cartridges? What is the likelihood that you have a bad vial/cartridge? Can you remember dropping it? Is it discolored or contain floaty things? Is it in good date range?

I also see Alex has a very quick and dirty response to R and wonder if I am alone in thinking you should either avoid it entirely, or stick closer to a TOR than an actual dose. I see the bumpy dosing path working up to today which includes some illness from what I've seen, but I do like the basal insulin (lantus) increases. I think maybe he needs more, unless his insulin is bad. As far as the recent illness and inappetance.... Is it pancreatitis, or hyper t or both? I'm sorry I haven't been following your story so I don't want to get too far ahead of myself with guessing.

What are your thoughts? I don't think I've ever spent so much time studying a spreadsheet.. ever LOL

 

I would laugh too except that he nearly went hypo on 2.5 units Lantus about a month ago so to me it's just so sad.......I have no idea what's going on.
I don't like giving R but I dislike smelling acetone on his breath even more and if he's over 300 for 6 or more hours he starts building up alcohol quickly..he is very ketone prone. And he sure doesn't act sick.

 

If his teeth are anything other than perfect, he needs a dental, particularly if he has gingivitis, which is an infection. Infection can play hell with bg's, artificially inflating them, as can the pain that comes from sore gums and teeth. It can also make him more prone to DKA. Many, many vets pooh-pooh dental work when really it is such an important thing, and that is because cats are stellar at concealing pain, so vets just assume "it's not bad enough". Dental and gum disease is even more hateful in cats because they hide everything from us, so they can go from gingivitis one day to toxic blood the next day. I know it's not easy to budget around a dental, but I can't emphasize enough its importance in regard to treating FD.

what was he doing that made you wonder about that? Peeing outside the box or straining or labwork?

When is the last time he tested positive for ketones? I am wondering if the acetone has to do more with dental issues (infection) than with high numbers. By the way, a dental infection will likely *not* show up on a lab screen.

Honestly I think the R is hindering your efforts. Your basal insulin is your key to regulation and control of bg's at this point, since R only works for a few hours, and it is sending him into a very nasty series of cycles. Lantus is your long term power supply and I think if you are going to both combat ketones and regulate him, that focusing on your Lantus dose will be your best result.

I know that's gonna sound kinda bossy coming from someone you never saw in your condo before :mrgreen: but I really do have quite a bit of R experience as I've been using it on my own cat for over a year now.

 

if I can't keep his numbers down any other way i don't know what to do...

 

R won't keep his numbers down. It's in and out of the system so fast that it's only good for one thing: getting the numbers into a range that the Lantus can work from. Example: if he's 400 and you shoot a TOR, and he gets to 350 in 2 hours, the Lantus onset can start working from 350 rather than 400. Unfortunately, the R in Alex's case is shoving him too low, and by the time the Lantus kicks in, so does the liver and you get a very nasty bounce.

In order for you to stop his bouncing, you must flatten the curve. Flattening the curve means you will have to remove the R from the cycle and increase the basal insulin. Slowly but steadily.

All that said -- If your vet will not sign off on a dental for him, I would take him to another vet for a second opinion. This is a chicken before the egg situation, and this entire conversation about insulin is a moot point if he's got a dental infection. It will not be possible to gain control until the infection is gone.

 

I just spoke to him and he said he doesn't have a dental infection.

 

So then what did you mean when you said his teeth "aren't great"?

 

Re: 1/8 Alex PMPS 271,+2~94?,+3~124,+5.5~144

think maybe the +2 reading was wrong. Got 2 readings for the PMPS and the +3 (had to answer the fone so couldn't get a 2nd +2 reading)

 

go Alex!

Either way, that is still a pretty big drop for +3 (even if there wasn't a 94 in between) so please get a +4.

 

ohhhh... that is a nice drop!
Looking forward to see where Alex is taking you this evening..

"He is snarky and hissy to Jackson so I guess he's feeling good again" Snarky is a good sign :lol:

 

sorry I fell asleep on the couch but his plus 5.5 is higher not lower at 144. I'll set my alarm and hopefully wake up at around +7 or 7.5 to check him again.
It's been a rough week in this house for mommy.