11/10 Elsie AMPS: 192 +2: 120 +4: 80 +6: 84 +8: 94 +10:139 PMPS: 155

[Kat & Elsie]

Hello everyone, I'm new to this group and I'd like to introduce myself and my cat, Elsie. Please forgive me if this is not appropriate here, I'm still getting the hang of everything.

I've been lurking for a couple of months, doing as much reading as I can from this site's wonderful resources. Here is a link to my intro post in the main forum, with our basic back story: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-member-11-10-23.283446/

Elsie is using glargine. I have not yet decided which protocol I should follow, I think to start with, SLGS would be better for us. Although, following the vet's dosing, we didn't go too slow to start with. Nothing crazy, but we went up from 1 to 2 units about 2 weeks ago, after a curve at the vet's office. I should've sought advice here sooner, but I'm here now, and slightly less overwhelmed after a couple months of research and practice.

I managed to run my first full day home curve today, and the numbers really surprised me by being lower than I expected. The lowest number of the day was 80, I had all blue and green numbers, whereas on the lower dose, all were in the yellow.

I went ahead and gave her 2 units after dinner, and i plan to do another test in a couple of hours, before bed. I'm not too concerned about her going hypo overnight, but I'm ready just in case.

However, now that these numbers seem to be coming down more quickly than I expected, I'm seeking some guidance regarding dosing. I'm not confident my vet will be as much use to me as you all. I know my spreadsheet is a bit lacking, but I'll get that remedied moving forward. I will definitely test again before breakfast, and will post again in the morning. I'm tempted to reduce the dose, but of course I wouldn't do that without your help, and proper monitoring & data.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Bandit's Mom]

Welcome to the LBL forum

What lovely numbers today! If you are following SLGS, any drop below 90 is an immediate dose reduction by 0.25U, so you would go down to 1.75U.

Is there a reason you want to follow SLGS? If you can get 2 preshot and 2 midcycle tests, you want to follow TR. It does sound too aggressive at first and we've all been petrified of lower numbers when we were new, but TR will enable you to keep her at a dose where she can spend more time in normal numbers (50-100 mg/dl) and give her pancreas a chance to heal. It will also help get her regulated faster. It's been found that with proper treatment newly DXed cat stand a better chance at going into remission (not that we haven't had cats go into remission with SLGS).

Getting her regulated will also help resolves her symptoms including the neuropathy. Btw, are you giving her a methyl B12 supplement for her neuropathy? Some caregivers have found that it helps with the neuropathy.
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/feline-diabetic-neuropathy-weak-back-legs.178252/
https://www.amazon.com/Vitamin-B12-Methylcobalamin-5000-mcg/dp/B08154TKT8/
https://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-vitamin-b-12-methylcobalamin-5000-mcg-100-capsules-6

 

[Kat & Elsie]

Welcome to the LBL forum

What lovely numbers today! If you are following SLGS, any drop below 90 is an immediate dose reduction by 0.25U, so you would go down to 1.75U.

Is there a reason you want to follow SLGS? If you can get 2 preshot and 2 midcycle tests, you want to follow TR. It does sound too aggressive at first and we've all been petrified of lower numbers when we were new, but TR will enable you to keep her at a dose where she can spend more time in normal numbers (50-100 mg/dl) and give her pancreas a chance to heal. It will also help get her regulated faster. It's been found that with proper treatment newly DXed cat stand a better chance at going into remission (not that we haven't had cats go into remission with SLGS).

Getting her regulated will also help resolves her symptoms including the neuropathy. Btw, are you giving her a methyl B12 supplement for her neuropathy? Some caregivers have found that it helps with the neuropathy.
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/feline-diabetic-neuropathy-weak-back-legs.178252/
https://www.amazon.com/Vitamin-B12-Methylcobalamin-5000-mcg/dp/B08154TKT8/
https://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-vitamin-b-12-methylcobalamin-5000-mcg-100-capsules-6

I'm not against TR, I think I'm still just trying to absorb and process all of the information I've been reading, and SLGS seemed less daunting I guess?

Getting Elsie used to all the testing will probably be the hardest part. She's a very nervous cat, hates getting poked, and she has soft, tiny little ears which are tricky for me to test (although I'm sure I'll get better with practice, they're just hard to hold onto, lol).

Honestly, I'm open to any suggestions, and willing to try for TR. I believe someone in my welcome post had mentioned that TR wouldn't be good if she is still getting dry food. She gets herself into it occasionally, by sneaking our other cat's Rx food, but only in very small amounts and we are actively feeding her a LC wet-only diet.

We have been giving her methylcobalamin, but just recently I realized that the dose is probably way too low. Ordering something different is definitely on my agenda.

 

[Kat & Elsie]

Oof. I just got her PM +2, it was back up to 255. But it could have been stress induced? How fast does BG shoot up under stress? Or maybe the dose hadn't kicked in yet? Or a bounce?

I say stress because I had a hell of a time getting a good stick on her ear, and then when I finally did poke her, she ripped her head away so hard that I tore a tiny notch in her ear.
No major damage, but she was really mad when I then had to hold her even longer to stop the bleeding. I gave her extra treats. Not sure if it was too deep a poke, or if she was just DONE being messed with for the day, maybe probably both. I feel terrible.

 

[Bandit's Mom]

I'm not against TR, I think I'm still just trying to absorb and process all of the information I've been reading, and SLGS seemed less daunting I guess?

Getting Elsie used to all the testing will probably be the hardest part. She's a very nervous cat, hates getting poked, and she has soft, tiny little ears which are tricky for me to test (although I'm sure I'll get better with practice, they're just hard to hold onto, lol).

Honestly, I'm open to any suggestions, and willing to try for TR. I believe someone in my welcome post had mentioned that TR wouldn't be good if she is still getting dry food. She gets herself into it occasionally, by sneaking our other cat's Rx food, but only in very small amounts and we are actively feeding her a LC wet-only diet.

Yes, just the name SLGS seems less daunting! You can always switch to TR once you get comfortable with testing and lower numbers.

Oof. I just got her PM +2, it was back up to 255. But it could have been stress induced? How fast does BG shoot up under stress? Or maybe the dose hadn't kicked in yet? Or a bounce?

It's probably her bouncing from the lower numbers she saw today. Take a break from tests tonight.

I feel terrible.

She will be fine. Often we get more stressed and feel the pain much more than they do.

What most caregivers who have had difficulty testing initially have said, is that testing was hard because they themselves were stressed about it and the cat fed off it. Make it a game. Give her a treat before and after. If you don't get it right initially, just take a break and go back to it after some time. Don't force it. Some cats get startled by the clicking sound of the lancing device. Those CGs poke free-hand with a lancet. Some people say that singing or talking to the cat when testing has relaxed both of them.

 

[Kat & Elsie]

What most caregivers who have had difficulty testing initially have said, is that testing was hard because they themselves were stressed about it and the cat fed off it. Make it a game. Give her a treat before and after. If you don't get it right initially, just take a break and go back to it after some time. Don't force it. Some cats get startled by the clicking sound of the lancing device. Those CGs poke free-hand with a lancet. Some people say that singing or talking to the cat when testing has relaxed both of them.

Yes, I normally just use the lancet by hand. She is a nervous kitty by nature, easily spooked & stressed. And she hates being picked up, which I must do every time, as I've found that my bed is the easiest/most comfortable place for both of us to get this done, despite having to carry her there. She's definitely caught on to the treats, so that helps. After a test or a shot, she sits up and drools all over the place, pawing at my hand holding the treat bag. I've never been covered in so much kitty slobber, hahaha!