? 8/29 Max - PMPS 86, +9.75 91; AMPS 64! Day 8 of needle shots - time for OTJ trial?

Last post

Okay, Max has been on needle shots for 8 full days (16 cycles). Due to life circumstances (a recent ER trip with my one of my daughters tops the cake, as if my life isn't stressful enough) I am only getting in one extra test with Max between shots. The last few days I have chosen to sleep at night, rather than set any alarms. DH is now home (due to his layoff) and will often hear Max before I do and feed him/let him out without testing, of course (he has no idea what to do).

Max has been running in the high 80s-90s and my fear was he was starting to creep back up, but then gave me a 64 this morning at his AMPS! DH had fed him around 7 am (+9) then not knowing that, I fed him his breakfast 45 min later (gets his Miralax and dried egg yolks) at +9.75. DH said Max had been in until about 6 AM (so all night), but didn't wake me for food. That meant he hadn't eaten since his PMPS feed at 10 PM the night before. Wondering if the two meals was all he needed to drop to his low AMPS number at 10 AM? That was the lowest his been at the end of his PM cycle EVER. While I don't anticipate a hypo/low numbers event, I am still going to check him between +2 to +3 just to see how hes doing at onset.

Finally, is it now time to do the OTJ trial for 14 days? If so, how often do I need to test Max? Is it better to start with a certain cycle - i.e. AM vs PM? What numbers constitute a failed attempt - consistently over 100?

 

I would give a trial a shot. See if others agree. Gee, please tell us that your daughter is okay.

 

Yes, she is, thank you! She essentially passed out on me three times yesterday in rapid succession - third time I thought she was having a seizure! Her eyes rolled back and her hands started shaking. DH stayed with her (so yay for the layoff for that - he was here to help me) while I called 911. She was alert by the time the EMTs arrived but her heart rate was super high. She has really bad anxiety and didn't want to go to the ER via ambulance, so I told her I had to drive her then - she agreed. Luckily, they were expecting us so we were in pretty quickly. EKG was normal, blood sugar was normal (omg, I almost offered to test her for them) - but she was just really dehydrated. We had to stay until she drank a few Gatorades, and her heart rate showed it would come down when she was resting. She's in the low percentage of young women who can easily suffer from "syncope" when dehydrated and her age group (just turned 14 TODAY) puts her in the highest risk group. I tell you, since July of last year, I feel as if I'm in vet school (feline kidney issues, feline diabetes and canine dementia) and in med school (my dad's health issues, and now my daughter). Looks like my Biology degree is finally getting put to good use again (I quit my research to stay at home with our oldest when she turned 1...she's now 22 ).

 

I'm glad your daughter is okay. How scary. I agree with Elise that you should try the OTJ trial. Here are the instructions:

Instructions for starting the OTJ trial
Start the trial on the next green pre shot.
If he/she is green at your normal test times, no need to test further until the next "PS" time; just feed small meals and go about your day. If he/she is blue at your normal "PS", feed a small meal and test again after about 3 or 4 hours. If his/her number is lower 3-4 hours after a meal, then the pancreas is working!
Post every day so we can monitor your progress and see if any tweaks are needed. He/she may have a sporadic blue number. Don't panic but post before you decide whether to shoot so we can have a discussion.
After 14 days of no insulin, we have a party!!
Sometimes the trial doesn't work the first time and we have to give a little more support in the form of resuming insulin. It's not the end of the world if that happens; we just give him/her the support needed. Our goal is a strong remission and it's better to take our time to get that than to rush into remission just to have it fail later on.
Good luck with the trial!!!
Once he/she is through the trial successfully, you enter a new phase. Your cat is still diabetic but has now become diet-controlled. Continue feeding low carb food in the manner successful for your kitty. If you decide to change his/her feeding schedule, let your meter be your guide to the best times to feed. Avoid medications with sugar in them and steroid medications unless they are medically essential. Continue testing blood glucose weekly for the first month and then monthly forever. It's a good idea to weigh him/her monthly. Weight should remain stable. If he/she seems "off" or sick, or is showing signs of diabetes (excessive drinking, eating, urinating, weight loss), test his/her blood glucose right away. Keep the teeth and gums clean and healthy; dental issues can bring a cat out of remission. If you see rising blood glucose numbers, it's time for a visit to the vet!

 

I’m glad she’s ok. I felt just like you between Max and my ailing mom plus my sister’s and friend’ dogs. I joked with my vet I should be one a tech. His response was, “Oh no,” A vet! Lol. I’m lucky that he realizes I have a brain and partners with me. I don’t know what I will do when he retires.

 

Thank you! This is what I needed!

 

Our previous vet tried to talk me into vet school when I was in my 30s! He told me he had a classmate in his who was 50, so it was never too late, lol!! I cried when he retired, but he and his wife were going to travel and he would fill in for other vets across the US while they did. Great life, if you ask me!! I’m
Now much older than our current vet, and I think I scare him a little