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Ennis BG at DX 299 in April 2006.
- Tightly regulated from the 60s to the 130s using Levemir.
- No ketones, weight loss, or neuropathy since loss of remission. Some PU/PD.
- Achieved remission about 5 days after diagnosed "early diabetic" in April 2006 by treating a chronic dental infection and aggressively using exogenous insulin (BCP PZI U40). However, we loss the remission in July 2006, and could not achieve regulation on the PZI.
- No ketones, PU/PD, excessive appetite, weight loss, or neuropathy at initial DX. Some lethargy and appetite loss most likely due to the dental infection.
- Ennis is slightly PICA[1] and twice has had exploratory abdominal surgery for the removal of ingested foreign bodies (candy wrapper and a twig), most recently in the Summer of 2005.
Typical blood glucose levels[]
This reference link will take you to a log of Ennis's current BG readings.[2].
Other treatment information[]
I hometest regularly with a LifeScan One Touch Ultra glucometer. I have used Ketostix that never showed ketones. (Because of his level of regulation, I do not presently test for ketones.) Ennis has never been on steroids.
There is one other cat here--Lily, a borderline feral cat. Both cats are indoor cats. Ennis had a diabetic littermate, Max.
Insulins used[]
Ennis started BCP PZI on April 18, 2006. He only received 6 BID shots before his BG levels were consistently back in a normal range. During the same time, he was on oral antibiotics in advance of his dental procedure. During the dental, Ennis had 2 teeth and the roots of four broken teeth extracted.
Unfortunately, on July 25, 2006, the one year anniversary of Max's diagnosis, I tested all the cats and found Ennis again in diabetic numbers. Although he has flirted with regulation and remission since that time. For awhile, I thought it was because my treatment of his diabetes had been spotty due to personal health problems. However, that crisis is past, and he remains a die-hard insulin-dependent diabetic.
I had Ennis on BCP PZI for four months. He was well regulated for a couple of months, but after a while the PZI just stopped working with him. I tried two new vials of PZI, higher insulin dosages, R boosters, testing for infections--nothing yielded improvement. I switched Ennis to Levemir in December 2006 and have been using it since.
Curves[]
I have no current curve information on Ennis.
My observations about BCP PZI[]
See my observations about BCP PZI on Max's case study.
My observations about Levemir[]
Using Tilly's protocol [3], I started Ennis on Levemir. I quickly ramped up his dosage over about 10 days until he achieved regulation. After about 2 months, we got into tight regulation, where he remains.
With Ennis, Levemir has been very easy and very forgiving. It has a very flat curve. When Ennis starts getting more than 12 hours under double digits, it's time for a dose reduction. At present I am easing up on the tight regulation. I don't shoot any lower than 85 or so, and try to catch him before he's above 140. My ideal number to shoot is 100.
Questions??[]
You can leave me questions about Ennis at my talk page.