2018.09.07| Emmett • An update + COOL CHARTS & REPORTS!! AND PICS!! :) | AM • 74 | +3 • 67

Last post: August 14, 2018

Hey all, just thought I'd update you all on Emmett. All is going well, and Emmett has been on a nice, steady insulin dose decline, every 7 days (14 cycles for the past few months -- June 22 to be precise).

EDIT: I thought I should add, he's gone from 7 units of Lantus -- currently at 2 units.

There have only been a handful of blue numbers (since August, only 4 blue readings -- since July 9, only 9 blue readings; July 9 is kinda where he started to get green numbers consistently).

Averages (taken from my glucose meter iOS app):

7 days (34 readings): 4.3 (77.5)
14 days (73 readings): 4.4 (79.3)
30 days (156 readings): 4.3 (77.5)
90 days (604 readings): 5.3 (95.5)

Essentially glucose readings since Emmett started Lantus treatment. Quite cool to see the drop at the end of June! (February 10 until present)


Chart of Lantus insulin dosing since the start of treatment (February 10 until present):


BG Report -- Kinda neat to see the readings within the target range for the last 90 days

Contour diary -- This is real cool. We can see the average deviation of the readings from June 22 on a week to week basis, and we can see them get tighter and tighter (from 4.9 (88 mg/dl) to 0.5 (9 mg/dl) (present) deviation -- deviation is the low reading to the highest reading for the day ...I believe). We can also see the number of readings within the green target range (from 14% of the readings to 100% in range!).

*Note: yellow readings in the diary are what our charts have as blue readings.

June 22, he had an AM reading of 16.2 (292 mg/dl)!

Rob

 

@Wendy&Neko @Stacy & Asia @Bobbie And Bubba @Sienne and Gabby (GA) @Tracey&Jones @Christie & Maverick @Gill & George @carfurby @Sue and Luci

 

Just some pics of Mr. Emmett and of course a couple of his sister Clara

 

He is absolutely gorgeous!

 

Haha, thanks Tracy. He has that attitude where he knows he is lol. You can tell by the way he puffs up his chest. He sits up very straight.

 

Hi Rob!!!! Good to hear from you and the great news about Mr. Emmett. It is just so awesome when they hit their dose and start racing down the dosing ladder. The photos are just awesome and looks like Emmett and Clara sure love their outdoor time.

 

Ya, I read about that on this forum when he was all over the place...I was like, nothing seems to be happening with Emmett ...should I switch insulins? ...that was my thought. But then wham! 7 units for a fews days and he just snapped. And steady decline since (knocking on wood. yes, I am lol).


Rob

 

That’s exactly the term we use to describe what he’s done....”snapped”. Once you hit the right dose, his liver decided normal numbers are good for him.

I love all the charts and graphs! And the pictures.....your babies are gorgeous!

I’m so happy Emmett is doing so well.

 

You had me with "cool charts" but the pictures are just gorgeous! The pics are another data point that he is doing well. Congrats on the great progress and take comfort in the validation provided by your data. I really do love the charts because they can help explain how things change over time (and it takes time). I think a graphical story like you have shared can really help newbies understand and have hope things can improve. We often talk about patience pants, but what you have shared is a patience picture of progress. Thank you for sharing these!

 

I totally agree with you! So many times I googled normal chart pattern, or normal blood glucose level for cats. haha. All I ever found was Tilly's site

Hopefully newbies can see the way it just snaps! He was only at his high dose for a few days, it was quite sudden and very quick. Did you see the Contour diary? It's pretty cool too, but only goes back 90 days.

Anyway, thanks for the comments. And I too hope it can help others and make them stick with the protocol! Emmett still has a ways to go, currently at 2 units. So at 0.25 unit deductions...if all goes well, that's another 2 months


R

 

He is a beautiful guy!

 

Beautiful pics!!!!!

 

Love the data and charts. Great pictures,

 

What great photos!! And great progress!

 

Emmett and Clara Far more attractive than their movie counter parts

 

It's great to see the progress that Emmett has made. Love the pictures.

 

OMG, what amazing photos!
Hope fully you might be planning on entering into this?!
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...alendar-now-seeking-photo-submissions.201558/
Personally, pics 2, 3 &, 6 are the best in this lot

 

Oh my gosh... I am going through the same with Nelli. The wheels are up and she is having a turbulent trip . We’d both like the wheels to come down landing smoothly.
Really... there is really a but then wham coming?
We are approaching 90 days now and still can’t find the... “snapped”

 

Which BG app is this?
VERY COOL!

 

@Krystina & Nelli

The app is actually my iPhone app that syncs with my Contour NextOne BG reader. So not all have the data although I’m sure other meters have this as well. The other popular brand has a mobile app as well. Accu something...

As for snapping, no one knows . I just kept on increasing, when above 5 units, by 0.5 units. If you’re below 5 units, increase by 0.25 units, every 8-10 cycles. Everyone on here helped me along. The bouncy times are very hard to judge. You can ping me in your thread if you wanna ask questions.

R

 

Emmett is one handsome dude! I love the charts! They real give a picture of what’s going on. Emmett seems to be on a mission!

 

Oh my! I had no idea Emmett could be in a calendar! I would want February — his birthday month! I will have to submit some photos! Thanks for letting me know

 

Thanks for all the comments. I told Emmett it’s all going to his head. He seems to think all this praise entitles him to more food lol

 

DO it !

 

Wow! Emmett's pancreas woke up big time!!

Great photos of your kitties. Tell Emmett to keep up the good work.

 

Emmett is doing amazing. Both kitties are beautiful. @Krystina & Nelli there is a wham moment. I don't know off hand when Olive's happened but it did and there were a couple of pj nights. But then her tumor kicked in and back up we go. But it's scary, hard to keep up with it, exciting that finally you made it. Every emotion possible hits you. It will happen.

 

Wonderful charts Rob, looks like Emmett was dealing with IAA and boom, he gave up fighting it. Titan did same thing but we also deal with Acro.

 

With a name like Titan you’re sure to run into some tough challenges

 

Thanks and...

 

But... yellow AMPS/PMPS are better than pinks!!

 

@Krystina & Nelli

I just looked at your chart, honestly, it looks quite good. I see you’re at 5 units. Like I was advised, you should increase by 0.5 now. So next would be 5.5 units. Your Nelli is yellow, so not bad. Emmett loved pinks. So yellow is better...

I’m not sure if it made any difference but when I inject Lantus, I poke it in there, depress the syringe — leave inserted for 10 seconds — then remove and apply pressure for 20 seconds. If you read the pamphlet that comes with it that’s what it instructs. It also says not to rub the inject site (they says it destroys the synthetic molecules). ...it seems when I started doing this Emmett started getting better numbers. May have been a co-incidence.

Anyway, Emmett also started getting Zobaline B12 pill a day at around the same time he started getting really good numbers ...again may have been another co-incidence, dunno. But B12 is good for an older cat anyway — no harm. I’m giving it to his sister Clara as well.

Rob

 

Thanks Rob. She does get M. B-12 2X a day.
I fed Nelli again after +2 (9:14a EDT) so now it’s my understanding at minimum I need to wait 2 hours...
Wish I could have gotten a +3.
She is also noticeably weaker today :-|
I had gotten her way off schedule, she’s fragil and I am not happy with what I’ve possibly done to cause this.

 

For Emmett I’m finding, not much happens until +3 or +4, but maybe not the case for Nelli. I also split up hid feedings now. I used to feed twice a day. Now once when I inject, and then 1 hr later his second half (cause I need to go to work...I can only wait an hour). On the weekends, I try to wait until +3 or 4 before he gets another serving so I can see actual true act of the insulin.

R

 

Thanks. I have started feeding her less but more often... use the o be fed 2X day. AMPS and PMPS.
Now I feed a smaller AM. Test +2 and if I know we won’t be testing for 3+ hours feed small again... and so on

 

GORGEOUS!!!! Nice photos - you have 'they eye' I get lucky sometimes...but not often! My hubs was a photographer for 22 years and tells me when I actually get one or two right - LOL

Love your charts/graphs! What tool are you using to generate from Excel? Looks like Tableau! Very nice!!!

 

Hey Sue. Lighting and environment make the photo! ...thanks for the comments though

The charts are actually part of the "Google Sheets" online charts that we use here! When on computer click on the little icon at the bottom "Explore" -- from there you'll see "Analysis" -- click that and presto...you have the charts I have...at least I think you will. As for the PDF's...that's the Contour diabetes app on the iPhone. Obv need a contour meter to create those



R

 

Wow, I love your charts!!! And your beautiful kitty!!!

 

That's impressive!!

And he is gorgeous!

 

Got it!
Here's Luci's analysis!

 

Nice Sue! Lol. You have A LOT of readings! If you click the 3 dots in the upper right of the graph you can customize stuff (like line thickness). I think in your case like a 1 pt line thickness would be good

Wow. Luci's chart is complicated

I just looked. Up down. Some super low numbers. Then back up to high numbers. I especially like the fact she loves Kit-Kats! VERY smart cat.

Anyway, I only looked on my iPhone (work doesn't allow google sheets on desktop), but I'm thinking Luci needs to go back to 1 unit, no? That sporatic 36/39 is challenging. I'm not sure what I woulda done at 1 unit. I may have tried 1 unit again at night, but I dunno. Tough call. She had such a nice stretch of green there. Hmm.

What food is her "normal" food and what food is medium or high carb? I was giving Emmett Wellness Chicken Morsels in gravy when he went low BG's. Lowest I saw was mid to high 30's I think. Only once or twice though. Anyway, Luci is young, I'm sure she'll snap one day. Just gotta keep her away from the Kit-Kats! And I know the low numbers are scary, but I haven't used Karo yet, I don't want to tell others not to, but I've read it's better to give the med to high carb food than pure corn syrup unless the numbers are very low -- what "very low" is...I dunno




Rob

 

@JeanW oh my...I just noticed you have an albino! We do to, his name is Marty, 2 years old. White cats are cool!

R

 

Oh, I love this kind of thing! So cool! Luci has been visiting the lagoon at night - of all things! And DH has the watch then - so he gives her some MC and watches for a few hours - but then puts MC in her auto-feeder and goes to bed...it's usually midnight or so by then...enough for him I guess...so I'm reluctant to put her dose back up to 1 u just yet...she did not go to the lagoon yesterday but then she takes several cycles before she decides where she wants to settle in on a dose...

Her normal food is Fancy Feast - low carb pate's - for the MC I use FF as well, just one with some gravy, etc. that kicks the carbs up to the mid-teens; HC is FF tuna/cheddar gravy or one of those with cheddar - those come in around 20-21% - I usually try to avoid the karo syrup too...and 'usually' get her to turn around with HC FF food...but she started to make me nervous that last time because she wasn't responding to the MC or HC food...and she was eating it (thankfully, she's a good eater)...but short of giving her a Kit Kat bar a tiny drop of Karo syrup is my last resort/back up for when she just isn't getting above 40...I guess that's low for her...I really don't want to find out how low she'll go...

She did have a nice stretch of greens on that 1 u. Took her 14 cycles to get there...I suppose you could call is 13...?? I dunno either...I just go with the flow around here...try not to change her dose too often...give her time to adjust...keep an eye on her...and hope for the best. We'll have to figure it out in a few days if she stops going to the lagoon altogether. I do wish she'd save her surfing lessons for the day time...just easier on everyone.

Last week was my garage sale (never again! wayyyyy to much work!!!)...and Luci was getting tested, but thankfully not in the lagoon at that time...it was a really busy time around here...didn't need her running me too

I changed the lines to 1 pt...stretched it out a bit...love that!