Thread for Ambermom

Discussion in 'Prozinc / PZI' started by Djamila, Nov 21, 2017.

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  1. Djamila

    Djamila Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2015
    @Ambermom and @Kris & Teasel

    I'm starting a new thread for your conversation so it isn't lost in someone else's thread. Here is the link to the old thread, and below is what you've talked about so far:

    Ambermom:
    I am having the same problem with my cat except she is in 7.5 units of PZI. Now I am reading about "bouncing". Her numbers hover in the high 300s and higher. Don't know what I am doing wrong.

    Kris:
    If you can give us a little info we can start offering some advice:
    1. When was your kitty diagnosed?
    2. Do you test her blood glucose regularly at home?
    3. What food do you give her?
    4. How quickly was her insulin dose raised and by how much at a time?
    5. Does she have any other health issues currently?
    Please start your own thread here on this forum so more people will see it. Right now it'll get lost in this thread someone else started. :)

    Ambermom:
    Hi-
    Amber was diagnosed with diabetes 4 mos. ago and two days later went into heart failure where she was diagnosed with HCM.
    She started in 3.5 units of prozinc, but slowly kept increasing the dose which is now up to 7 units with the numbers not going below 300 at the peak. Her normal range is in the 350-395. I test her at home twice a day. She is still losing weight. 13.5lbs down from 17.5lbs.
    She is also on 1.25 vetmedin, 12.5 furosemide and 5 mg benazepril.
    She is on fancy feast classic wet food and some pro plan wet food.

    Kris:
    That's a very high starting dose. The usual is 1 unit twice a day. Cats with other health issues, including HCM, can be more difficult to regulate. It's possible she's a high dose kitty but it's also quite possible that she's been getting to much insulin all along. The only way to know is to do more testing near the middle of the cycle to see how low she goes. When do her twice a day tests happen relative to insulin dosing time?

    Ambermom:
    I did a curve on Saturday and her lowest number was 275 at 3:15pm.
    I test at 7:30am and pm. Her am level is close to 370-395 and pm is 350/360, but she eats all the time, she is starving and drinking water all the time. She had bloodwork and kidney functions were still very good.
    How do I know if I am giving her too much insulin especially since she is still losing weight?

    Kris:
    The key to assessing a dose is to get BG data from the middle part of a cycle. Here's the testing routine we recommend:

    Here's how to approach finding the good dose range:
    1. test every day AM and PM before feeding and injecting (no food at least 2 hours before) to see if the planned dose is safe
    2. test at least once near mid cycle or at bedtime daily to see how low the BG goes
    3. do extra tests on days off to fill in the response picture
    4. if indicated by consistently high numbers on your SS, increase the dose by no more than 0.25 u at a time so you don't accidentally go right past a good dose
    5. post here for advice whenever you're confused or unsure of what to do.
    If you're testing with food recently on board, the BG will be inflated. If you're not testing in the expected low BG time period you don't know if she's dropping too low or not. BG responses can vary day to day or cycle to cycle (day versus night) so she isn't necessarily dropping to the 200s every cycle. She might be going lower but you have no way to know. Her clinical signs suggest that her BG needs better control. We ask people to track their data over time in this spreadsheet because it's viewable by all members and its the first thing we look at before offering advice.

    I suggest you start your own new thread on this forum. You're still lost in Samson's Mom's thread. Then go to the top of the ProZinc forum's thread list and look for the yellow info sticky explaining how best to use ProZinc (PZI). How to decide on a dose and assess it is explained in detail there. The spreadsheet we use here is vital if you want the best feedback from us. We look at the trends to see what a dose is doing. It's very easy to use and there are people here who will set it up for you if needed. :)
     
    Sharon14 and Kris & Teasel like this.
  2. Djamila

    Djamila Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2015
    @Ambermom, here is the link to the spreadsheet that @Kris & Teasel was referencing:

    Spreadsheet

    You'll need to open a gmail account, and then you can set it up. All of the formatting is already done, so you just have to input your numbers and it automatically color codes and whatnot. If you have any trouble getting it set up, just post here and ask for help. We have some folks who are great at helping with that.
     
    Sharon14 and Kris & Teasel like this.
  3. Kris & Teasel

    Kris & Teasel Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2016
    Thanks for doing this, Djamila! I should have started a thread earlier. o_O
     
  4. Teresa & Buddy

    Teresa & Buddy Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2017
    Great info.
     
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