Yikes~ Louie's AMPS 525!

I'm doing my best to be patient with this process~ but did get freaked out with this number this morning! It was interesting to see, also, that I'm getting some readings in the 200's~ around the nadir. I upped his dose to 2. last night....I know there is some adjustment that needs to happen, so I'll wait and see!
Louie seems fine~ so I'm doing my best not to worry~
Tracy & Louie

 

Tracy,
I don't think there is a single person here who has not suffered as you are now; it's so hard to see those high numbers, but our cats have been used to those numbers for a long time and those numbers feel like the 'right' numbers.
Now, you come along and give shots that pull down those numbers and Louie's like Whoa! what's this?? And he scrambles back to his safer numbers, the ones he likes.

You know he can get lower; you see those yellows! but you need to let his body learn to like them.

What you need to do is focus on Louie. How is he looking? What's changed? Less urine in the LB? How's his coat looking and how's he been acting lately? Many times we find ourselves caught up in the numbers and forget the cat and how the cat is acting.

Don't worry; he'll get there eventually. I know you hear the same things over and over, but that's because people are telling you what is to come because it's happened with their own cats.

 

Tracy,

You just changed his dose, it is going to take him awhile to settle into that dose change and with that sometimes comes so higher and just plain wonky numbers...Look at little Musette is takes her forever to settle into a dose...I know I have her on a good dose for her, now her body needs to catch up with that dose. Some kitties are just more bouncy than others...I happen to have the Queen of the Bounce..lol. Louie will come down, but his shed needs to fill up to that new dose level before he starts getting the benefits of the dose increase, because when you change the dose the shed gets the insulin first to build that shed, then it starts going to Louie to use. Give him some time to settle in, then judge where to go from there.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang

 

Oh, Tracy, we do know how you feel. You up sweet Louie's dose expecting to see those numbers come down, and YIKES those numbers head up instead. We've all gone through that, and I wish it could be easier with immediate, good downward results. But Lantus doesn't work that way as Gayle and Mel have already mentioned. You need to give the new higher dose time to settle in and fill the depot (aka shed) and then you'll start seeing some of that action you've been expecting and hoping for.

There's even a term here on FDMB for what you're seeing, Tracy...New Dose Wonkiness (NDW). I'm posting a link to how Jill and Julie explain NDW on the Lantus TR board. I know it helped me, Tracy, to read that and to know I wasn't alone in how my cat responded to a higher dose.

New Dose Wonkiness (NDW)
(scroll down to see Julie's explanation)

Thinking of you and Louie this afternoon. {{{Tracy and Louie}}}

Eva

 

thanks, once again!

Thanks everyone!!! I am getting that this is a LONG process~ no quick fix. I'm signed up for the long-run with Louie, so he continues to be my teacher~ and you all as well are such great guides by sharing your experiences....just knowing what I am going through is such a relief!
Honestly~ Louie looks fine~ his coat is soft and beautiful, he purrs and even engages in a celebratory wrestling match every day with my other kitty Sophie when food is being prepared. You would never know he is a diabetic kitty, other than the hunger and yes.....still lots of peeing in the litter box!
I'm beginning to trust the process more~ thank you all!!!
Tracy & Louie

 

You might take some comfort in looking at Celle's spreadsheet. First, to know that cats can get through the high numbers; second, to know that it can also eventually work out; and third to see some examples of dose increases causing some higher numbers.

You could also look at her Levemir spreadsheet to see some really horrible numbers. In that case, I gave up on the insulin before figuring out the real problem -- it could have just been that she didn't respond to Levemir like she "should" have. It could have also been that we were increasing the dose too quickly. It helps explain our decision to make painfully slow increases on Lantus. But ultimately that worked, so even though it may have been too conservative, I'm not sorry we did it that way.

We're certainly not there yet, but we're doing so much better now. You'll get there too. It can just take incredible patience.

 

:YMHUG: Big Hugs!!!

Remember this isn't a sprint, its a marathon...and I know Musette has given me more grey hairs than I had when I started to dance with her...lol But there is a very subtle benefit to dancing with a sugarcat..You will not only become more attune to Louie, but to every other cat you will meet. It is amazing the amount of sensitivity that I have gained on all my cats' moods and behavior patterns. Even the little things that I use to take for granted, like how are they carrying their tails this morning, are they up and flagging meaning they are happy? or are the tucked because they are upset or thinking they should probably be in trouble for eating mom's sock. I have even gotten to the point that I can tell who is who when they jump on the bed at night by where they lay, their individual purrs or the feel of their bodies...little things like this one has curly tummy hair, or that one has a little scar on a shoulder blade from her street fighting days.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang

 

great to see the dance you and Celle have been doing with BG levels~ how unique each kitty is, and how much in common all the sugar kitties have with each other as well~ it is trail and error, isn't it?
Tracy & Louie

 

It is a really unique opportunity, isn't it~ to get to know our kitties so well~ to see what teachers they are~ disguised as diabetic kitties! and then to connect with the moods and personalities of all our beloved kitties~ what amazing beings they are!
Tracy & Louie

 

I've always said the best thing in the world that could have happened for all my cats was one becoming a diabetic...It hurt like hell to lose Muse, but she taught me so much...first she lead me to this wonderful board and I learned how to protect her furry siblings from becoming diabetic, then she lead me to Maxwell, who gave me the confidence to step back on the dance floor with a SugarCat...But he was easy to break, so then came Musette and she is the one to finally teach me to dance.

People talk about the bond that develops between a sugarcat and their bean, but seldom to we realize that it is because of that bond that all our fur-kids benefit.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang

 

so true ;-) a few special sugar kitties are paving the way for others~ and we get to be a part of it! sweet Musette!!
T & L

 

Good Morning, Tracy and Louie ~

LOVE that 181 AM +6 number for Louie yesterday! That's got to make you feel much better, Tracy. You're regaining better regulation for your sweet Louie...just takes time. Slow and steady with the Lantus, and you'll get there.

The pink AMPS number of 328 was a nice improvement, too. That red 405 at PMPS was a bounce off that lovely, lower 181. Now, you just need to wait for that bounce to clear, Tracy. Can take up to 72 hours to clear...sometimes faster since ECID (Every Cat Is Different).

Are you still checking Louie for ketones, Tracy?

Thinking of you and Louie today, Tracy.

Eva