9/4SkooterPMPS219+2 195+3.5 102+4.5 74+5 92+7.25 60+7.75 117

The CORNfused Bean Condo (09/03)


Well with his jump to the 120s I thought today would be yay! But if he is starting some sort of I am gonna bounce now cuz I can type thing, I guess it was a pretty big drop from his +2 to +3.....so I am just gonna with this is some sort of bounce.

I guess if it is going to happen, now is a good time as I will not be home until around +8....I am now more unsure than before about doing a dosecrease due to his PM cycle last night and him getting to the 120s.....would it be horrible if I waited until his PM cycle tomorrow to do it (instead of tonight), if he needs it? Does he still need it because he hit the 120s for his nadir?.....I can then be home most of the weekend to watch him....

I have something Sunday morning, but other than that I am good to go.

He seems to be perking up a little bit.....I just don't know what to do with this sugarbaby anymore...I much preferred his "I am on a mission and I am gonna be predictable and rock this out" attitude.9/4

Re: 9/4 Skooter AMPS 217 +1.75 157

Skoots-ma-goots....

That is a bit of a drop....I need you to behave for momma until like +8 as that is the first time I will be able to come and check on you....

I have set the timer for food twice while I am gone....he doesn't always eat both meals, but if he is dropping lower and he goes in search of food, his first meal will be out from +3 to +5 and then it will turn for his second meal at +5 and I should be home by +8....

Half day at work as I am about 2 months and 1500 miles past an oil change and I think my car is starting to notice :roll: so going in to get the oil changed but of course not quiet enough time to run home between when I leave work and when the appointment is to get a test in......

Let's hope they can get me in a little early, when I get there early lol

This cat, I think is 1. has achieved total success in driving me crazy and 2. has a second mission to give me a heart attack or something......

Re: 9/4 Skooter AMPS 217

It looks like skooter was trying to get back to the plan. Hopefully this run of higher numbers are just a bump in the road.

Re: 9/4 Skooter AMPS 217 +1.75 157

I'm glad his Ca came back in normal range. I'd keep an eye on it. Also glad the C&S was negative.

Ok...here's my bizarre theory but I've heard many other members claim this. I think FD can be seasonal. Every spring, Gracie does fantastic. Starting in Aug/Sep, her numbers go wonky. I'm dealing with the same thing you and Wendy are. All I can tell you is that if all his tests check out normal and he's feeling fine, then I'd not get attached to a dose. I'd follow the protocol on increases.

Usually when the insulin is bad, you'll start to get wonky numbers. Like they start out good, then go up, come down, go back up. Just bizarre curves. I don't use a vial but I do know many people have used them for almost six months. But...you did roll yours and drop it twice. I don't think lantus is super fragile but who knows if that could affect it or not. Many times when I thought it was the pen, it was just Gracie. So I'd try a dose increase first when you can be there to monitor.

Re: 9/4 Skooter AMPS 217 +1.75 157

I did a little research this morning on diagnosing a UTI in cats. This is a good place to get an overview:

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_urinary_tract_infection.html

It says that a urine culture is the only way to diagnose a UTI. This takes at least 48 hours for the lab to try to grow bacteria in the urine. A urinalysis can be done as a pre-screening for a UTI. It tells the vet that a urine culture might be needed. But it does not confirm or rule out a UTI. The only way to do that is with a urine culture.

I've had issues with my regular vet over this. She always wants to do a urine culture as well as a urinalysis as part of a regular checkup. The urine culture costs $100. I always refuse the culture unless I suspect a UTI based on symptoms. Otherwise, I okay the urinalysis and then make a decision about the urine culture based on the results of the urinalysis.

I guess what I'm saying is -- you suspected a UTI because of his BG numbers. The urinalysis was clear, but he could still have a UTI that the urinalysis didn't pick up. The only way to be sure is with a urine culture. I'm not suggesting that you take him back for a urine culture right now. But keep this in mind if the wonky numbers continue. At this point, a UTI is less likely to be causing it, but it really hasn't been completely ruled out.

Re: 9/4 Skooter AMPS 217 +1.75 157 +7.75 135

His regular vet left me a message today. They are currently culturing the urine, but so far nothing. She said she would call in probably 3-5 days when they are done with the culture to confirm if there was anything amiss. The good news is there was NO glucose in his urine!!! In April the glucose had a 1000 by it, not sure what unit of measurement, but hey, as least there is no glucose!

If I don't see some sort of improvement, I am planning on upping him to .5 tomorrow night, as I will have three solid cycles I can monitor. It is hard not to feel like a failure because I have to increase and of course I go back, he won't be able to get OTJ. But I must remember this is a marathon, not a sprint, so hopefully he gets back on track from whatever derailed him (and I guess I have to be ok not knowing what derailed him). DO YOU HEAR THAT SKOOTER?!?!?!?!.....I AM GOING TO BE INCREASING YOUR INSULIN IF I DONT SEE IMPROVEMENT TONIGHT AND TOMORROW AM..........

Now it comes down to, do I spend $150 on new insulin that he may not need for that long, or do I stick it out with one? I do not see anything floating in it and it is as crystal clear as it was when I first got it. Do I bite the bullet and do a dental, and figure out a way to finance it vs waiting until Feb when taxes come back?

I have the rest of the afternoon off and while there is TONS I need to do, I could barely keep my eyes open on the way home for the oil change and Skooter is snuggling up on me, so nap time. Any thoughts/suggestions welcome, but I am so tired right now.....not that any of these questions have to be answered immediately, but.....

Re: 9/4 Skooter AMPS 217 +1.75 157 +7.75 135

I'm didn't realize you also got the urine culture. That's good. At least you will be able to rule that out for sure.

If I were you, I think I would try a dose increase before buying a new pen. If the higher dose brings down his numbers, then the insulin is probably okay.

Re: 9/4 Skooter +10 196 PMPS 219

I was realistic with him and asked for a number below 225. And he gave it to me.

I am bummed that I am gonna have to increase tomorrow night (I wanted to do it tonight or tomorrow morning, but not sure I can come home to check on him tomorrow during the day). I know it has nothing to do with me and what I have been doing for him, but still doesn't stop me from feeling like it is my fault.

I am hoping this is just a bump in the road and he will get back to his mission here shortly and this increase is just a short lived thing.

Thanks for all the insight into his numbers. One good thing I am taking from this, is just a few short months ago he had seven irregularities in his bloodwork....and then just mere 4 to 4.5 months later EVERYTHING IS IN THE NORMAL RANGE and a glucose of 148!!!!

I am going to be realistic and hope he can spend a chunk of tonight in the da blues....I know greens are probably not realistic for a little bit again as his body will be adjusting to the the new dose starting tomorrow night.

I know it gets said often, but just not often enough, the support of everyone from this group is invaluable. I appreciate the fact that I can come here to cry, question, celebrate, laugh, learn and support others more than I can say.

Re: 9/4 Skooter +10 196 PMPS 219 +2 195

While I still do not like the number, I am focusing on the fact it is blue.....

Re: 9/4 Skooter +10 196 PMPS 219 +2 195

He's still spending his time below renal threshold, and that's a good thing. Paws crossed the extra juice gives him the push he needs.

Re: 9/4 Skooter +10 196 PMPS 219 +2 195

Yes, looking forward to tomorrow night when I can give him his increase.....

I just hope he doesn't pull some crap like go under 50 right away lolol....which right now, I sooooooooooooooo wouldn't put past him.....

Re: 9/4 Skooter +10 196 PMPS 219 +2 195

it's completely normal to have to go up and down in dose. that's the norm - very, very few cats just go down. like almost no cats. So don't let his blood sugar impact you more than it has to - it's just part of the dance. i wouldn't worry about increasing - having a high dose cats, when the diagnosis of acro came in, one of the things people told me was the important number was not the size of his dose, but the blood sugar.

Skooter's glucose was NORMAL in the lab tests - that's incredible!!! Focus on that, and just increase his dose to keep him in these great numbers. The rest will come if it comes.

by the way, the ? post icon is still up, but i'm not seeing a new question. If you've got the answer you need, would you take it down? thanks! :YMHUG: :YMHUG:

Re: 9/4 Skooter +10 196 PMPS 219 +2 195

{{{{Molly}}}}

Like Wendy said, Skooter's numbers are still in a healthy range. Hopefully his pancreas just needs a little more support before kicking it back into gear. Julie pointed out that kitties usually go up and down and up and down in dose, and I can definitely attest to that. At one point, Eddie started rocking down the dosing scale down from 2.5u all the way down to a unit. Then his numbers started looking worse and worse, and we had to work our way all the way back up to 2.75u. That's a long climb back up. :roll: Then we hit a breakthrough and started coming down again - albeit a little less dramatically. I think you really have good reason to celebrate the bloodwork though - due to your efforts, you've got a really healthy (and obviously happy) kitty on your hands!

In terms of juice - I will share my experience. We had a vial and traveled with it twice. I thought we were pretty darn cautious with it, but we reached a point where Eddie's numbers started climbing, and increasing the dose wasn't pulling the numbers down consistently. We've have a random green cycle here or there, which was kind of weird (kind of like Marje described maybe). I was feeling like you - had Eddie in to check for UTI - negative so out of desperation as much as anything I bit the bullet and bought new insulin. I did see a response right away to the new juice, although we did have to continue up in dose. I never went back to the old vial to test it's potency compared to the new pen but I am very suspicious that my insulin was pooping out if not toasty all together. Maybe we beat it up more during our travels than we realized. My vial was only about 3 months old, which seems pretty short compared to others' experiences here.

Re: 9/4 Skooter +10 196 PMPS 219 +2 195 +3.5 102

I was gonna take the ? down and then his 3.5 happened....

This is confusing me even more....do I still go with the dose crease tomorrow night? I was going to test again at +5, but guessing I should test earlier with drop he just did?

Re: 9/4 Skooter PMPS 219 +2 195 +3.5 102 curve ball...though

93 points in 1.5 hrs - so somewhere around 60 points per hour.

yes, i'd get another test in at +4.25 or so, probably.

Re: 9/4 Skooter PMPS 219 +2 195 +3.5 102 curve ball...though

4.5 is 74.....

I know he is not under 50, but would it be ok if I gave him some MC to try and slow him down? or mix a little LC with MC?

Re: 9/4 Skooter PMPS 219 +2 195 +3.5 102 +4.5 74 +5 92

So now I am more confused than ever....

I am fearful of doing a dosecrease, now that he hit 74.....he is around his normal nadir....now I know he typically doesn't bounce, but I also thought he was done with the yellows, so.

I am planning for a bounce....I am going to go to bed and set 4 alarms for a +7 test to see where he is heading...

I may have added a little too much water to his last meal, as he left some of it....but he normally will swing back around and finish eating within 30 minutes.....

I am not planning to increase until tomorrow night, but again, now unsure what to do....

Thoughts?

Re: 9/4 Skooter PMPS 219 +2 195 +3.5 102 +4.5 74 +5 92 +7.25

back to a very, very, very CORNfused hoomin right now.....


For sure he is getting .25 tomorrow morning because I won't be home.....after tonight's cycle, I will do my darndest to come home at lunch, but it wont be til like +6.75 if I am able to come home to check him....but looking ahead to tomorrow night, I am now really uneasy about doing the dosecrease.....

Perhaps the famous LL doescrease threat is working itself in a big way?


I will get up again at like +8 for another test to see where he is at......

Re: 9/4 Skooter PMPS 219 +2 195 +3.5 102 +4.5 74 +5 92 +7.25

MollynSkooter said:

Perhaps the famous LL doescrease threat is working itself in a big way?

Click to expand...

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Take it one cycle at a time for now.

Re: 9/4SkooterPMPS219+2 195+3.5 102+4.5 74+5 92+7.25 60+7.75

I am trying but also trying to plan ahead in case people aren't around when I need to shoot tomorrow night.


I swear to God it feels like I could be throwing darts at a dart board to get his numbers this cycle they are just all over the place....

Re: 9/4SkooterPMPS219+2 195+3.5 102+4.5 74+5 92+7.25 60+7.75

{{{Molly}}} You are truly one of us now. The throwing darts feeling happens to all of us at one time or another (or several).

As for tomorrow when you go to tbp, don't forget you have your timed feeder, so if you are concerned about what he'll do, load it up. Also, you can try to get a +11.5 test and post for advice in the morning if you're worried about shooting. There's usually someone around in the morning. Nights are a little iffier, since many of the advisers are on Eastern time.

Try to concentrate on how wonderful it is that Skooter's BW was so good, and how well he's feeling, and that he is still giving you greens.

BTW, I think you can wait to replace the insulin.... :mrgreen: