First post, just want to put myself out there.

Hi all!
My name is Sara, and my Sugar Cat is Cheeto. She was diagnosed in February, and I have been following the Feline Diabetes board on Facebook from the start. I signed up here about the same time, but today I finally worked on creating a speadsheet(hopefully I did it right), and worked on my signature(once again, hoping I did that right.). My vet has suggested that I do research and talk to others about Tight Regulation at this point. I am immersing myself in all the info, and gotta say that it's daunting.
Cheeto had started on Vetsulin, with not much success. And I was not home testing yet since it didn't seem I needed to worry about low numbers. I started doing my own curves first, since Covid had made me lose income and now I had the time to sit around and test. We switched to Lantus right in the last few days of May, and started seeing a response. After seeing lower numbers with one of her curves, it was time to start testing before meals.
She's currently on 1.5 units twice a day, and I'll be doing another curve on Wednesday. My vet would like me to start shooting on lower numbers, 150-200, and I tried .5 units with a couple, but think that was still too much. So I dropped that to .25 Units when she tests in that range. I am hoping that was the right thing to do?
Sometimes I feel like the numbers start to make sense to me, but then she goes high or low and I am lost all over again. I am doing my best, and I know I need to figure out where to get more tests in, but working full time makes it hard. Thank you for reading!

 

WELCOME TO FDMB Sara and adorable Cheeto! We are so glad you decided to post. As you know everyone here is dedicated to kitty cats with diabetes. Your signature is perfect but spreadsheet could use some fattening up. You need more tests! We can help with that.
Once you fill in those blank areas, you will be able to make more sense of those numbers.
You are right when you say this disease and navigating it is daunting but I believe you are up to the task!

Again welcome to the best darn site on this planet to help you help Cheeto!

Always remember, the only dumb question is the one not asked. Theres plenty of good people here to help with them.
jeanne

 

Welcome and I second that what a tail Cheeto’s got!

I have a question. Any reason you’re feeding twice a day only? I’m asking because most cats do the grazing thing and most of us feed smaller meals throughout the day. It seems to also be easier on their pancreas as opposed to twice a day only. But maybe you’re doing treats in between?

welcome again!!

 

Thank you! I am happy I got the signature right. I will work harder on getting more tests. What is a good recommendation for timing on more tests? Since I am fairly new to testing outside of a curve day, I am not too sure what the ideal testing would look like. I am typically not at home midday, due to work, so a +6 may not be feasible. But a +8 may be. I am thinking of snooping some other speardsheets to see others tracking habits for some ideas.

 

I have to leave now but there will be others that can explain it better than I can.

hang on for more replies.

 

Her tail is longer than she is!
To answer your question about feeding, she is not much of a grazer or snacker. Also, since she is raw fed I don't like leaving it out when I am not at home to pick it up on hot days. I also have another cat, Sheldon, who is on strict feeding times due to him being a glutton and an Epileptic. It's easier to regulate his weight. Then there is the case of my Mini Schnauzer that the cats have taught to climb the cat trees. No food is safe when left out.
They do get some treats when I get home from work, and in the evenings before bed while I am relaxing, So it's mostly just while I am at work and when we are sleeping they don't have access to additional food outside of meals.

 

Look at your spreadsheet like it's a puzzle....if you sprinkle tests all over, it's easier to see what the "whole picture" is.

I was a confirmed test-o-holic, but you can see on China's spreadsheets how I never really needed to do an "official" curve because I had tests all over both cycles so I had a good idea of what was going on.

Maybe one day do a +4 and +8.....another day do a +3, +7....just test enough to give a good overall picture of what's going on. Don't forget the PM cycle too! While nobody expects you to stay up all night every night testing, it's important to get at least a "before bed" test so that Cheeto is safe while you're sleeping (or to know you need to set an alarm!)

 

That makes sense. Thank you! I can definitely work on getting a couple of PM cycle tests mixed in there. AM cycles are a bit trickier, but I can figure that out. I have variable hours at work, so the days I can slide out early I will squeeze in a few extra tests.

 

The 2 main tests are the am preshot and the pm preshot on an empty stomach, meaning 2 hours with no food. Then you can sprinkle as Chris said according to your schedule. If you can’t do a midday because of work try to do a +2 or +4 at night. Cats tend to go lower at night so it may be doable for you depending on the time of insulin. The reason for the random tests is to try to find the nadir, cat’s lowest point in any one cycle since we recommend the dose based on the cat’s nadir not the preshot numbers

 

For me, the big piece of the puzzle that's missing are PM tests. I like to encourage members to get a "before bed" test every, single night. It looks like there have been PM cycles that start out in the 400s and your AMPS has been as low as 39. I find that worrisome. You have no idea if Cheeto's numbers were actually lower than 39 during the PM cycle. In addition, without the PM numbers, you're missing half of your data. Many cats do seem to like to visit lower numbers at night so getting a test before you go to sleep may allow you to rest easier.

I'd also encourage you to read the sticky notes at the top of the Lantus board and consider posting there. The most experienced members who use Lantus tend to spend most of their time on that forum.

 

I will definitely work on getting some PM tests. I worried about the low AMPS too. I can get a before bed test, it’s about two hours after she’s eaten and shot, and will just make part of my bathroom breaks a test time. And maybe on a few days off I’ll just set my alarm for more regular PM tests. The Lantus board looked daunting, but I’ll shoot a post there soon. I will get a few more PM numbers first. This mornings AMPS was only 109.

 

It looks like you skipped the shot. There are other options but a lot depends on your schedule.

The Lantus board can be a bit daunting. However, the people there are truly generous with their time and knowledge. The secret of any of the boards here is to not just post in your own thread. Do a good amount of reading. Comment on a "neighbor's" thread -- it doesn't matter if you mention that you think their cat is adorable! The group is social and supportive as are most of the boards. You'll find people to connect with. It's also fine to tag people if you have questions. I'd suggest copying your first post in this thread and letting people know you first started posting on Health. Take a look at the sticky notes. There's an overwhelming amount of information to learn. You'll be surprised at how quickly much of it becomes second nature.

 

Thank you so much. I’ll post there after work, as I leave in 15 minutes. Your information thus far has been very helpful, and has made me less nervous.