2/21 Buzzy AMPS 208 = 1u; +3 197; +6 120; +9 83; PMPS only 73; 68; 74; 73...skip :(

toomanycats

Active Member
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...-5-still-not-sure-about-dose-increase.225923/

Decided to go with just 1u today to get some extra info. May increase to 1.25u tonight, idk.
Like I said yesterday, my vet suggests I increase more slowly & also I have to admit 1u is this sort of comfortable dose... he's not in scary numbers, I can go to sleep most nights...I'm struggling to sleep because of anxiety, and I'm afraid increasing the dose is going to make that worse. But I also know a dose increase is likely necessary to get even better numbers. Bleh.
 
Definitely sleeping isn't exactly always on the high list of 'to do' around here in the early days. It takes time to know how the insulin will affect his numbers - but by the same token, most cats if they're going to go into remission need all the help they can get to do it in the 'early days'... the longer it goes on, (those high numbers) the harder it is to defeat.

Just something to keep in mind...although comfortable numbers are nice to have, they may not be the most helpful for Buzzy to heal quickly and get to the holy grail of remission. I guess it's a trade off...comfortable now and do this for the rest of his life or press forward now and get him to remission....
 
Does the fact that he's starting an antibiotic for a UTI factor in at all tonight?
Just remembering that treating infection can wonk with numbers.
 
Definitely sleeping isn't exactly always on the high list of 'to do' around here in the early days. It takes time to know how the insulin will affect his numbers - but by the same token, most cats if they're going to go into remission need all the help they can get to do it in the 'early days'... the longer it goes on, (those high numbers) the harder it is to defeat.

Just something to keep in mind...although comfortable numbers are nice to have, they may not be the most helpful for Buzzy to heal quickly and get to the holy grail of remission. I guess it's a trade off...comfortable now and do this for the rest of his life or press forward now and get him to remission....

I hear you, I do. But, at the same time, sleep is just not optional for me. I've been hospitalized for my anxiety-induced insomnia before, and it is pretty imperative that I stay on top of it and keep it from spiraling out of control (as I sense is starting to happen) for my own & my family's health. It'd be different if I wasn't pregnant & could take my medications, but I can't take the medications right now, so lifestyle management (and, yes, therapy) is all I can do.

At a certain point, much as it sucks, risking giving Buzzy insulin for the rest of his life IS the better choice.
 
You have to keep you going first so you can keep taking care of the humans and pets. It's ok to have to prioritize and something not everyone realizes has to be done, so good on you for knowing it and taking steps to keep you healthy.
 
Let's hope Buzzy gets the hint and comes along on his own. You're doing the best you can for him...and that's wonderful!

I hope DH will pitch in to help - perhaps he'll be able to relieve some of the stress of caring for a diabetic pet :)
 
Let's hope Buzzy gets the hint and comes along on his own. You're doing the best you can for him...and that's wonderful!

I hope DH will pitch in to help - perhaps he'll be able to relieve some of the stress of caring for a diabetic pet :)

He is picking up my slack with parenting, which is enough for me. Buzzy is very much my cat -- I had him before ever meeting my husband.

IDK I'm waffling - his number is not moving very far (a good thing) today. I probably won't increase tonight, but maybe tomorrow AM.

I'm grumbly bc I just dropped another $50 on cat antibiotics (which will be super fun to give him 2x per day...ugh) & will have to drop another $100 probably in 2 weeks to get his urine retested. We're broke.

And I need to go get more test strips too. sigh.
 
He is picking up my slack with parenting, which is enough for me. Buzzy is very much my cat -- I had him before ever meeting my husband.

IDK I'm waffling - his number is not moving very far (a good thing) today. I probably won't increase tonight, but maybe tomorrow AM.

I'm grumbly bc I just dropped another $50 on cat antibiotics (which will be super fun to give him 2x per day...ugh) & will have to drop another $100 probably in 2 weeks to get his urine retested. We're broke.

And I need to go get more test strips too. sigh.

Sorry to hear about all the expenses... hope you were able to get a liquid solution on the cat AB's - so much easier to get into them usually than a pill...at least in our case. Luci will fight to the death rather than have a pill pushed down her throat....I was wondering if you could test at home with those strips they sell to test for UTI's? I've bought them on Amazon previously - the bottle doesn't last long once opened...but at least could save you from having to pay the vet for essentially the same test...unless it's a urine culture which is a whole different thing. I used to work in a lab in a doctor's office and we'd test urine all day with those little strips - for rbc's, wbc's, etc. they were very telling if there was a UTI or other issues - but only preliminary - usually after antibiotics those tests are clear as a bell...
 
Sorry to hear about all the expenses... hope you were able to get a liquid solution on the cat AB's - so much easier to get into them usually than a pill...at least in our case. Luci will fight to the death rather than have a pill pushed down her throat....I was wondering if you could test at home with those strips they sell to test for UTI's? I've bought them on Amazon previously - the bottle doesn't last long once opened...but at least could save you from having to pay the vet for essentially the same test...unless it's a urine culture which is a whole different thing. I used to work in a lab in a doctor's office and we'd test urine all day with those little strips - for rbc's, wbc's, etc. they were very telling if there was a UTI or other issues - but only preliminary - usually after antibiotics those tests are clear as a bell...

Nope - pill this time (last time was liquid). She also said the liquid form was a lot more expensive. I did get a soft-tipped pill gun from them. I've pilled him many times before (ringworm treatment for a month was so fun for us all...thanks, foster kittens), and he fights it, yes, but gotta do what I gotta do.... She said the pills don't taste bad and I can crush it up in his food...might try that first.
It's not a urine culture - it better not be at least. I just paid them $200 for a urine culture & NOTHING GREW...... (I'm angry). But she still wants to treat him based on her inspection of the urine & thinks it's the injected antibiotic that prevented anything form growing. She did say I could opt to not re-test, but like... what kind of a crappy owner am I if I can't drop $50 to make sure my cat doesn't have an infection? (He's showing zero signs of UTI since the initial treatment btw. Sigh.)

I currently haven't found a reliable way to catch his urine. I managed it once with the seran wrap thing, but never since. Bleh.
 
I had to collect Luci's urine regularly in our early days due to ketones.

I bought a separate cheap smaller litter pan, lined it with a plastic grocery bag and put some little plastic beads in it to make it kinda like something she could scratch around on. Then I'd have to set her covered pan in another location with the opening facing the wall so she couldn't get into it...then she was forced to pee on the pellets first thing in the morning.

I'd go in and tilt the pan, dip the test strip and test - then pour the plastic pellets into a colander, rinse well and allow to dry - tossed the bag and rinsed the pan for the next time.

It worked out pretty good at least once a day. She only pooped on the pellets once - ugh - that was a real yukky time...I had to remove the solids with tissue paper and then clean the pellets - I pretty much got everything from the Dollar store so it could be dispensed with without too much pain when we were done with that testing...I bought the test strips at the drug store...I think they were the most expensive part of the whole thing...
 
Current plan: would like to see it come up to the 90s, and then I'll shoot? Thoughts?
He did just have like 1/3tsp LC as a treat.
 
Oh but side note: I do not have 50 spare strips. I have probably 40 strips total...was going to hit up walmart tonight. So of course he has to throw me this curveball!
 
Those are all basically the same number.

Your choices are going to be

1. go ahead and shoot the 1U dose IF you have HC food and can test as much and as long as necessary tonight. Get a +1 and +2 to start

2. Give a smaller dose, but there's no guarantee he won't still keep you up tonight

3. Skip it and start over on time in the morning.

If it was my cat, I'd go ahead and shoot the 1U dose (as long as you have supplies and the ability to test tonight however long might be necessary)

Remember, you're not really shooting the number you see now....the shot usually doesn't kick in for 2-3 hours …...and you're also going to go ahead and feed him now too so that should help bring his numbers up some too
 
Ugh yeah I know...
I'm not going to be able to stay up forever, but I also don't want to totally throw off all this progress we've made. I really don't know what to do.
I do need to go get more strips, but I have like 40, not a super low number.
But i am NOT doing well on the sleep front. I haven't been able to sleep in days bc of anxiety over this cat.
 
But i am NOT doing well on the sleep front. I haven't been able to sleep in days bc of anxiety over this cat.

OK...skip the shot, get a test or two in just for data collection and call it an early night. It's just as important to take care of YOU as it is to take care of Buzzy!!

You'll learn what happens when you skip, so it's all useful information.....Just call it a furshot and have a quiet evening.
 
I hear you, I do. But, at the same time, sleep is just not optional for me. I've been hospitalized for my anxiety-induced insomnia before, and it is pretty imperative that I stay on top of it and keep it from spiraling out of control (as I sense is starting to happen) for my own & my family's health. It'd be different if I wasn't pregnant & could take my medications, but I can't take the medications right now, so lifestyle management (and, yes, therapy) is all I can do.

This.

I’m with @Chris & China (GA) on skipping (you’re in good hands and I rarely give dosing advice, but wanted to offer reassurance). And as she said, all data is good data. Don’t feel guilty if you skip.

Remember too that resolving any infection can bring down BG values. Antibiotics on board can indeed skew the results of a C&S, so it’s possible there was something there.

Just my two cents. Take a deep breath and have a great, relaxing evening!
 
Sigh still at 73.
I am going to skip. And cry about

Noooooo.... here's the key part of Chris' advice:

Just call it a furshot

Confession: there are a lot of furshots on Amber's spreadsheet that were, um, maybe more intentional than that. You gotta do what you gotta do, which in my case was often "sleep", sometimes "go to work without worrying, here kitty, how about I also leave you a pile of carbs while I'm gone?". By the book? Nope. But necessary for me to live the rest of my life. You're doing a great job with Buzzy, even with all you have on your plate. Give yourself the gift of a little break tonight, you've earned it!
 
We hadn't started antibiotics yet -- starting them tonight.
He just decided to have a late nadir today. This is the spot I'd hoped he'd be in from 6+ on today, but nooo....he had other plans.
If he'd just gone up to the 90s, I'd have done it... I'm ready for the 90s, but not the 70s.

Thanks for all of the support <3

I don't know that I"ll actually test again tonight as much as the data might still be helpful - his ears are pretty gnarly right now from the bajillion sticks these couple of stall-worthy evenings.
 
I don't know that I"ll actually test again tonight as much as the data might still be helpful - his ears are pretty gnarly right now from the bajillion sticks these couple of stall-worthy evenings.

just get 1 before you go to bed....you don't need a bunch....and a kiss on the forehead from all his new "aunties"
 
Weekly fructosamine tests done at the vet was your original plan. You could still do that if you wanted to.:blackeye:
 
Weekly fructosamine tests done at the vet was your original plan. You could still do that if you wanted to.:blackeye:

he might not have survived that first week :confused:

...I'm still really not sure how our last 2 diabetic cats survived w/ us. Zero home testing. Neuropathy reversed. Went into remission. Just one day they said "ok stop giving him insulin now!"

I feel like we free fed him dry food (Purina DM) too though, so maybe that saved him. (Although how'd he go into remission?!)
And my mom's cat didn't have dry food, just Friskies pate, but same deal -- zero home testing, went into remission.
How?!
 
From what I've seen around here...some cats just seem to go into remission so easily. Some barely get any insulin at all and off they go to the Falls...never to be seen or heard from again - ah yes, those lucky devils. And here we are over two years...as are many of us...longtimers...still here doing our best with our diabetic cats who want no part of remission. We do our best. Some cats just go more easily than others. Who can figure?

I missed the early clues about Luci's diabetes...I swear there were a couple of times in the year or two before she was diagnosed that she was drinking a lot of water...peeing a lot...I should have taken her to the vet then...but those signs went right by me...and by the time I discovered she was diabetic it was too late to get her into remission - although I tried my best. Luci's doing ok...but we're in this for life I believe.

It's like people who lose weight very easily - and will tell other people who struggle with it 'oh it's no problem'...you just do this 'diet' whatever it was and you'll lose the weight...it just doesn't work that way for everyone...
 
Graham, my foster, was far far sicker than Buzzy. His fur was painful to touch it was so greasy, his neuropathy was awful. It was miraculous watching him come back to life like he did. I loved that cat so much - he was with me for 3 years til he passed away. He puked all the time, needed multiple meds 2x a day for all 3 of those years, and everyone in the vet office knew both of us veeeery well, but he was the best cat. He pretty much only remained a foster because there was no way we could afford his medical care. But everyone knew he was really ours.

We believe we caught Buzzy's very early. Within months of it starting. So I have hope...
I mean, it's OK if it doesn't happen too...but I have hope. Just...not a lot of money, heh.
 
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