Tabby 3/11- Feel like giving up-Prozinc

Things go well and than like crap. We are in the crap zone again. Same dose different results. That's how Tabby always is. So I usually make a safe scale for him and just use it. He's usually in the 300's and sometimes low 400's but i can't seem to get him any better. 3.8u on practically the same number gave me a 200 number one day and a 400 number another. I will just have to do my best which isn't very good. I can't believe I have kept him alive for 5 years. I can't really seem to help him no matter how much data I have. Just not a good day for us today. :sad:

 

Alice...One thing you must remember is that you have to give ProZinc at least a 45 day period for the feline to adjust, according to the handbook received by customers. And also, that is why we always pre-test before dosing as you can see how numbers fluctuate. I am going through very similar experiences as you, and we just have to be patient and deal with each day as it comes. I am on your side! You can always call them and talk to them if you have questions or concerns. Here is the toll-free number: 1-866-638-2226.

 

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frustrated here as well -- but I don't know whether to blame the prozinc, the acromegaly, or the full moon..... or maybe a leaf fell outside :?

Today he woke me up purring- so I'm thinking "I'm gonna get a good number", and what do I get, the worst number I've seen in months (496, 547 ) Now I WISH I had done one last test at 2 AM as I was going to bed- it was probably really low, and this is rebound, and I could have fed extra to counteract it. Last night I was thinking "all this testing is obsessive" I'm not going to do it.

All I can say is I'm glad our strips are cheap. Is he ever going to get regulated 150-250? That all I want

Alice, you been doing this for 5 years, (I've been at it for 2.5) Did you ever have Tabby regulated on a different insulin? I can't really say I have. Weird thing- last week his kidneys tested fine, better than his civvie brother. go figure

 

I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone. Sending you good vibes :YMHUG:

 

(((((Alice))))) hang in there!!! you really are seeing some good results intermittently, so I think if you keep refining your doses you can get there. The highs could because this 3.8 had a 3.0 behind it (previous dose), so the possible loss of overlap going into the shot could have reduced its effectiveness. Maybe just write today off as "day of c*rap" , regroup (go see a movie tonight, or at least indulge in some chocolate!!!), and try again tomorrow.

Since you are getting a clear response on ProZ I'd stick it out, but if you do decide to switch I don't think there's anything wrong with that either. When I was struggling, sometimes I'd set a deadline for myself "I'll give it one more month & if I can't get consistent good #s I am switching" or such, and that helped me feel more in control of things.

I don't know if overlap works the same with Tabby as with Bix, but with BIx, I often got significantly better results on the 3rd shot at a dose, like the 1st 2 were just a build-up. If you look at Tabby's #s from that perspective, when you moved to 3.8u, it was after the 3rd shot on that that you got the great PS, so that could be overlap in play. So then moving to the 3.0 gave you great #s on that one cycle, but you could have been losing overlap by the end of it, so last night's 3.8 wasn't as effective. If you try 3.8u again for a few cycles and see a good PS again after the 3rd or 4th shot, I'd guess that might be why. If that is the case, you may find you can't reduce as much on the lower PS - maybe just to 3.6 or 3.4 or something. Either that or if you reduced back to something like 3u, then you'd expect on the following shot you would have to shoot more than usual. This is one reason I never succeeded with a sliding scale every shot is affected by the shot or two that came before it, so you can't just take the PS (or at least I found I couldn't) out of context and decide the dose on just that. Of course ECID so that may not be the case at all for Tabby, but just sharing what I saw with Bix in case it is of help....

Often too, I found that just when I felt like giving up was right before things really improved, like when you are climbing a big hill & think this will NEVER end, & then all of a sudden it turns out you are at the top! Hoping that this is one of those cases for you.

 

Thanks everyone. Sometimes this gets tough. I am glad I am not alone with the ups and downs of it all. And I haven't really had Tabby regulated on any insulin and we have tried more than a few. I still hold out hope. Just a bad time right now. Hopefully things will get better. I never got a booklet about the 45 days thing. Just a vial. We will see what tonight brings. Not comfortable dosing too high on a 215. I know the swings are bad too. I hope I get someting decent tonight.

Thanks for the support

 

I'm sorry I don't have any advice, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry things are so frustrating for you. I know how hard it can be to watch them in high #s, especially when you feel like you are doing all you can already. I'll echo Joanna and say that I don't think there's anything wrong with sticking with ProZinc or considering a switch. If you do switch, just make sure you read all you can about your new insulin of choice and understand that a switch isn't an overnight fix and there will (most likely) be more frustration ahead, at least for a little bit. Cindy + Mousie switched a couple of weeks ago; you could PM her and see how things are for her if you're interested in getting another perspective.

(((Alice and Tabby)))

 

I just wanted to say... (this viewpoint won't be popular here)... cats are incredibly resilient to prolonged (like years) high serum glucose. the key is to keep them hydrated to reduce the renal toxicity. I'm not advocating ignoring that your cat has diabetes. I certainly don't advocate not treating a diabetic cat (or any animal for that matter). But, you do what you can to reduce serum glucose while recognizing that it isn't the nail in the coffin if you can't get tight control. Knowing that the serum glucose is high is half the battle. You can be extra vigilant of infection (especially UTIs and yeast) and can monitor hydration status if you are aware of what you are up against. JMHO.

 

Michele, I might find your view unpopular if I knew what the h*ck serum glucose is! :lol: I think what you are saying (?) is focus on the whole cat picture, try to minimize the damage from the higher #s, and enjoy your time with your cat rather than running yourself ragged trying to achieve something that might be unrealistic for your cat. I would certainly second that - sometimes we get all wrapped up in #s here, and OTJ, and getting only blue-green #s, but really I agree (and have seen others express this as well) that QOL & the bigger picture are what really matters. Not every cat will get well-regulated or go OTJ, and sometimes we overstress people by focusing on those so much.

 

Michelle...Cheers to you for bringing me back down to earth with all this sh*it..Puttz and I appreciate your simplicity and sensibility! Hugs...

 

BOY did I find this thread at the RIGHT time! You all are making perfect sense to me - the first thing that has made sense since Shyloh took me on this rollercoaster. Shy's pattern is: best numbers are pre-shot values, big spike at time of injection (I thought it was related to him eating), nadir is around +8, and I haven't been able to get him out of the 400 / high-300 range since we started Prozinc - no matter what the dose (which is an ugly story all by itself). We have even started over with dosing. My latest theory is that an extended duration causes an overlap which rebounds when the injection is given. He spikes higher then coasts slowly downward until unfortunately its time for the next injection. Recently his dose was raised to 2 U and I saw great improvement in the overall cat then BAM back up into the 400's for no reason. Is there anyway to shake this effect?

I don't personally like to do the testing but I do it - and everytime I get a high reading my heart breaks.

Thanks to Michele and Joanna for reminders that we really are doing all we can and the best we can.

 

Hi Pat - can you start a new thread for Shyloh to get eyes on his data? It might get buried here.

Have you tested for extended duration by doing a test at say +11 and then another at +12? If the # at +12 is lower then that could be going on (or could be a sign the dose is too high). With PZI you are supposed to shoot on a rising #. Most of us don't do a rising # test if shooting at +12, since most cats don't get duration that long, but if you are suspecting it it's probably a good idea. If the # isn't rising, then you retest every 30 minutes or 1 hour or so, and shoot once it starts rising.

Are you testing for ketones daily?

 

If Tabby's got acromegaly, then he'll be screwing up his own blood sugar every day. You're probably doing the best you can.

If after you've tried the 45 days and still not been able to see a good response (under 100) for some part of the day, then you may want to consider Dr. Hodgkins' methods.

Or, you may just say what you've got is the best you can do!

Best regards,
Steve