8/16 Stella PMPS/151 +2/141 +4/88 +6/77 +7/67

Stella's Condo

Hello and Good Morning!

I am handling Stella in a slightly different way than suggested per protocol, because as we know ECID and on 8/3 discovered with Stella you cannot take a reduction if she is below 150 let alone 200. If you look at her SS you will notice I was able to shoot her 'normal' dose despite her being under 200 with great results several times. I think this is a possibility because Stella goes hyperglycemic and not hypoglycemic. It appears she must maintain a 'full' shed and reducing her dose in these cases brings her BG higher if reducing.

I felt Stella was on her way to earning a reduction with this method, but I wanted to wait until she 'earned' it. She has earned her reduction at +4 today with a 50. She doesn't appear hypo in any way and I have fed her to bring up her BG level. I will now start the process of reducing her in .25 levels over a long period of time. I will begin a 3U dose this evening. I will hold her dose at 3U. If she shoots up, I believe if I hold it over a period of time like her 3.25 she will begin to bring her numbers down. I could be wrong, and if it proves I am wrong I will bring her back to her fave dose of 3.25.

Stella is doing amazing! She is so solid now. I keep saying the same things in regard to her health...everything seems to be normal and she is living her old life again. Her neuropathy is still present, but on its way to being wiped out thanks to the ability to regulate and keep her BGs consistent. I feel the ability to hold her within a range of 100 throughout the day was her turning point. Thanks for FDMB for teaching me to test her blood...because she wouldn't be doing this well without you!!!

Re: 8/16 Stella AMPS/129 +4/50

i don't really understand your reasoning, mary, but am glad that stella is doing better.

with a 50 at +4 I hope you're continuing to test her. by the way, most cats on lantus won't show visible evidence of being hypoglycemic until they are less than 30, which is into a serious danger zone. lantus is slower releasing and it changes what "hypo" looks like. the only way you know they are hypoglycemic is to test. so when you get a 50, make sure you keep testing until she's clearly not going to go below 40.

the ideal situation is for you to give shots 12/12 - if you can move more towards that, you'll see stella's numbers will flatten out. right now you're seeing a lot of zig-zag numbers highs to lows. regular insulin shots will help with that.

the goal with the protocol is to keep the cat's BG in undiabetic cat BG range - which is about 50-120. that allows the pancreas to heal. those of us with special needs cats have reasons for keeping our cats in a higher range, more in the 100-200 range, but for a 'regular' cat the goal is that 50-120ish.

is there anything you have questions about or would like help with?

btw, i think most of the people here are "regular" cat owners. there are moms with babies and toddlers, single women and single men who work full time, couples with 2 people caring for their pets, people with 1 cat and many cats . . . just about every kind of pet owner you can imagine. it's just a matter of juggling the cat's needs along with everyone else's.

Re: 8/16 Stella AMPS/129 +4/50 +5/100

Hey Julie thanks for stopping by. :smile: Stella had a nice little meal to bring her up as you see by her +5. Yes, I have read about not being able to actually 'see' the hypo on Lantus...my writing is more 'for the record'. No questions at this point, thanks for asking. I am using Stella's SS and observation as my guide...

Have a great day!

Re: 8/16 Stella AMPS/129 +4/50 +5/100

boy, she sure did come up!!! not sure how much she ate, but you might try reducing the amount of high carb so she just bumps up a tad. what is ideal is if she just stays at 50 and doesn't go much lower. we like to see them "surfing" in the 50-100 range. most people have good luck with just a teaspoon of the gravy from the high carb.

what a responsive girl, stella! don't tell her i asked, but does she have a touch of drama queen in her? ;-)

have a great day!

Re: 8/16 Stella AMPS/129 +4/50

Hi Mary & Stella,

Soooooo glad to see all of those grens and blues, but even more glad to know she's feeling like her old self!

I've been trying to "view" as many ss as possible and one thing that seems to be a pattern is the increase in numbers after a chnge (be it a dose increase or decrease). From a completely theoretic standpoint, it seems the "change" causes an increase reaction and our "test" is how we respond ( by immediately reacting, or continuing to gather data to make sure we're not just panicking).

You look like you're right on top of testing and as long as you have the facts...you know your cat!

Re: 8/16 Stella AMPS/129 +4/50 +5/100

Of course she has a "touch of drama queen"...her name is STELLA! :lol: (She never found her Brando...being kept indoors and all...)

Re: 8/16 Stella AMPS/129 +4/50 +5/100

Hey Jessica & Boo Radley! Thanks for stopping in today!!! So great to see you two doing so well in your condo.

Re: 8/16 Stella AMPS/129 +4/50 +5/100 +6/63

Hi guys .. I love hearing how well stella is doing! I hope the neuropathy goes away completely before to long .. nothing like a happy healthy kitty! Have a great day!

Re: 8/16 Stella AMPS/129 +4/50 +5/100 +6/63

Thanks for that PeterDevonMocha ... I sure hope Stella can wipe it out too! We always appreciate your hello. Have a wonderful day!

Re: 8/16 Stella AMPS/129 +4/50 +5/100 +6/63

Stella has got some nice numbers going today! Way to go girl! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Re: 8/16 Stella AMPS/129 +4/50 +5/100 +6/63

Thanks Melissa & Tarragon, you have a GREAT day too!

Wow. Usually Stella is greatly affected by changes in her dose. The .25 is still keeping my girl in the green. :mrgreen: I can't wait to see how the 3U dose holds. Have a nice evening!

ah, just fyi - i think what you're seeing tonight is leftover from her shed at the 3.25 dose. when you decrease a dose the shed also "drains" a little bit. so sometimes the next cycle's numbers still act as though you gave a higher dose. does that make sense? you'll be able to see more what the 3.0 really does to her BG on tomorrow's am/pm cycles.