MindyC
Active Member
So...we're about 3 weeks into using Novalin-N for Max. This has been a new learning curve since we used Lantus the first time he was on insulin (and it was 9 years ago, so I've forgotten a LOT).
Important bits: He's 17 and has CRF. The last 6 months or so before dx he'd been winding down FAST, and generally became "old." He lived in the main part of the house (living room, dining room, kitchen), stopped jumping up to our bed to sleep with us, never came in our room, and mostly just slept all day/night on the couch. Vet started him at 2U bid on Novalin because at the time he was sick enough we weren't sure he'd actually survive much longer. A week of antibiotics and starting insulin has made some great improvements. I also started him on Zobaline 6 days ago. We've also increased the amount of food, and last night I adjusted the feeder times so he's getting food at shot time, and 3 hours later (it was 1.5 hours later before).
Positives: Shiny coat, purring, generally more activity. He's jumped up to our bed once (snuggled my face at 4:15am--startled the crap out of me!), and gone down to the basement to visit my son's room. He's starting to gain weight too, which he badly needed. Still drinking a lot, but that goes with the kidneys too. Puking a lot less.
We are leaving for vacation in 9 days. He will be getting shots at 12hr intervals, but will not be tested for 10 days. Likewise, no one will be staying at the house to notice if something is wrong mid-cycle.
So now what do I do about his dose? He seems to be settling into the 2U, getting some good numbers occasionally, but is obscenely high at pre-shot. We did 3U doses (vet increased) for about 3 days and then he started to crash mid-cycle and we went back to 2U. I'm guessing the best dose for him is around 2.25-2.5U on this insulin. I believe after we return from vacation I'm going to switch him back to Lantus. We had better success with more gentle curves on that one (I can remember that much, tho I no longer have his spreadsheet, but he went OTJ, so there's that). I will not switch his insulin before we go, I won't have enough data to have any confidence in dosing him without regular testing.
Do I try increasing his dose at all before we leave, or keep it the same? And when we're gone, do we stick with 2U, or drop to 1.5U as a precaution?
Important bits: He's 17 and has CRF. The last 6 months or so before dx he'd been winding down FAST, and generally became "old." He lived in the main part of the house (living room, dining room, kitchen), stopped jumping up to our bed to sleep with us, never came in our room, and mostly just slept all day/night on the couch. Vet started him at 2U bid on Novalin because at the time he was sick enough we weren't sure he'd actually survive much longer. A week of antibiotics and starting insulin has made some great improvements. I also started him on Zobaline 6 days ago. We've also increased the amount of food, and last night I adjusted the feeder times so he's getting food at shot time, and 3 hours later (it was 1.5 hours later before).
Positives: Shiny coat, purring, generally more activity. He's jumped up to our bed once (snuggled my face at 4:15am--startled the crap out of me!), and gone down to the basement to visit my son's room. He's starting to gain weight too, which he badly needed. Still drinking a lot, but that goes with the kidneys too. Puking a lot less.
We are leaving for vacation in 9 days. He will be getting shots at 12hr intervals, but will not be tested for 10 days. Likewise, no one will be staying at the house to notice if something is wrong mid-cycle.
So now what do I do about his dose? He seems to be settling into the 2U, getting some good numbers occasionally, but is obscenely high at pre-shot. We did 3U doses (vet increased) for about 3 days and then he started to crash mid-cycle and we went back to 2U. I'm guessing the best dose for him is around 2.25-2.5U on this insulin. I believe after we return from vacation I'm going to switch him back to Lantus. We had better success with more gentle curves on that one (I can remember that much, tho I no longer have his spreadsheet, but he went OTJ, so there's that). I will not switch his insulin before we go, I won't have enough data to have any confidence in dosing him without regular testing.
Do I try increasing his dose at all before we leave, or keep it the same? And when we're gone, do we stick with 2U, or drop to 1.5U as a precaution?
If there is no history of ketones/DKA I'd suggest you reduce the dose to 1.5u while away and would start the new dose a few days prior to your departure so you can see what numbers are like on the reduced dose.
There are glucometers you can buy to test for ketones using a blood test just like you do for glucose. The strips are a bit more pricey but you won't use nearly so many. It's actually better than urine testing because ketones will show up in the blood before they show in the urine. The Nova Max, Keto Mojo and Precision Xtra are some options to consider.