Niki's story-- Final Chapter 1997-2010

[Ricksma]

Re: Niki's story

I hope things are going more smoothly for you and Niki...and your mom. What a summer you have had!!! Now, for a little while anyway, you can breathe.

Love and hugs, Teresa and Ricky

[eyelostit]

Re: Niki's story

It'd be nice to maintain a BG of 180 which we know most likely never happens, she was doing great, fasting 185, then a 234 at nite.

Crept up to 325 this evening, who knows?

Ah we go along, tommorrow may be a 185 again could be a 255, as long as she seems OK and is not leaking she must be ok!

Oh, I wondered when Niki gets a high of 350-400 which is most likely rebound I would think she would leak some urine but she don't.

If she leaks any urine it usually is about 3 hrs after food but that does not happen much.

When its rebound should they leak urine?

[We Hope]

Re: Niki's story

Dolly,

I need to understand better what you mean when you say Niki leaks urine. There are a lot of problems which may not be directly connected to diabetes that may cause that--UTI's--incontinence issues--even epileptic seizures.

When you get into the bg ranges of 180 (renal threshold)

http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Renal_threshold

and stay there for some time, the glucose goes into the urine.

Renal threshold: When the blood glucose level rises
over a certain level, it spills into the urine.

Then the polydipsia (drinking more water than normal):

http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Polydipsia

and the polyuria (over-frequent urination) begin:

http://petdiabetes.wikia.com/wiki/Polyuria

It's possible to have frequent urination without any urine leakage.

Any highs, regardless what causes them can set this up--it's not an exclusive sign of rebound--just that the renal threshold has been crossed and the patient's stayed in that neighborhood for some time. Whether or not there's going to be more than normal urination depends on whether the bg's stay in the above renal threshold long enough to cause this to happen.

Kathy

[eyelostit]

Re: Niki's story

I guess what I am saying is when Niki was undiagnoised she would be laying in urine, at that time vet said she was not diabetc, given detrol.

So once in a great while, when she is going high from high BG she will leak urine a bit sometimes maybe an hour after food.

When she gets into the 300+ range she does not leak urine, so I guess I do not understand if she is at 300+ why isn't she leaking urine?

She is fine, pees ok, not excessive, no excessive water drinking.

I just wondered. She just had bloodwork done in June. all was well

[We Hope]

Re: Niki's story

Dolly,

It sounds like Niki's occasional leaking of urine might not be directly related to diabetes; she may have a slight incontinence problem. People get Detrol for this and other related bladder problems:

http://www.drugs.com/detrol.html

"Detrol reduces spasms of the bladder muscles.

"Detrol is used to treat overactive bladder with symptoms of urinary frequency, urgency, and incontinence."

Long before diabetes, Lucky developed a mysterious seizure problem which came on all of a sudden. He looked like he was having a stroke. "Grampa's" first question was whether he leaked urine--answer was no. We hospitalized him for testing and observation that weekend. Tests said there was no stroke and were inconclusive as to the seizure problem. He went on medication for the seizures, which disappeared about 9 months later just as strangely as they came. When Lucky had a seizure, he never wet at all.

Toodles, who doesn't have diabetes, but who has an absence seizure disorder, does it "by the book". When he had them, he'd look blank and urinate. Until that point, we believed he had a behavioral disorder; starting him on anti-seizure medication has done the world of good for this.

Kathy

[eyelostit]

Re: Niki's story

No she really don't need detrol, I guess her renal threshold is high for leaking urine. She does not drink excessive water.

[eyelostit]

Re: Niki's story

Niki am BG is fine, cannot get her regulated for PM fast, trying inceasing/decreasing food, increasing/decreasing insulin by 1/2 unit.

She can have a good 3 days with a am fast of 135, her broc treat & oat inbetween, and get a good 180 pm fast.

But lately we are just going higher, 250+, 325, can't figure out the treat, it like I am starting over again, her insulin kicks in fast as well as her food.

Will get into more detail hopefully tommorrow

[Cara's Mom]

Re: Niki's story

Hope Niki is doing OK!!

[eyelostit]

Re: Niki's story

I pray Niki and I are off our roller coaster ride now! Her BG was really out of wack, got a severe low awhile we were out and I knew something was wrong on the way back to the car, so thankfully I had some of my vanilla latte she could drink and some bun from my leftover hamburger, why she went low is beyond me, when we got home she was at 156 after sipping my latte and eating a piece of bun so I don't know how low she went during the walk, and it was not a long walk, and that was 3 hrs after shot, anyway the lows scare the H out of me ever since she went into shock years ago.

So for past 4 wks or so that low caused problems somehow, I had to give additional brown rice or oats, decreasing some of the food items/increasing, I felt like I was starting over !!

I think maybe now we are getting back on track, I have noticed by delaying her injection to 45 min after food seems to be working better, if she was at 325-400 pre meal at times when she is this high, I give 1/2 unit of insulin and wait 1/2 hr to 1 hr check BG, she will go down 50 pts/100 pts thats how fast the insulin kicks in at times. Like today she was at 168 1/2 hr after food, no am fast was done, so I waited the 45 min to give the shot. Her pm fast was 185 so that was good, i still waited 45 min to give the shot.

Ah I dunno, I guess we all go thru this at times, either get a too low or too high and I seem to get myself into a frenzy. Geez I was thinking of calling the vet to get the R insulin, but stopped myself, I didn't want to make myself more worried than I already was with another insulin, I mentioned it to the vet about a year ago, but she did not think it was a good idea to use the R or the N & R mix, geez using that woulda really complicated our past journey the last weeks.

Sometimes with these highs and lows and even after all these years it makes your upset, it takes a toll on ya, I feel bad at times for having to poke her, give the shots, remembering to make her food, etc etc, I get weary at times, but I guess we all do, my poor doggie, why!, Oh well enough of whining.

[We Hope]

Re: Niki's story

Dolly,

Over time, some people have found that they need to wait a bit with the insulin as you're now doing with Niki. Others have found they need to do the insulin shot first, before food.

Because what you're basically doing when you give insulin before food is "betting" that your dog will eat all of that meal without problems (vomiting), it's NOT something to do when you're new to diabetes. You need to get more experience before even thinking about something like that.

Everybody wants the food and insulin "race" to end with them both getting to the "finish" line at the same time. With Niki responding to the insulin so quickly, you need to have the food beat the insulin there so she doesn't get too low. With your 45 minute wait, you're still within the hour "window" for giving a shot after food.

I'm glad you didn't go further with the thought about R. With Niki using the intermediate-acting NPH so fast, just imagine how she might use the fast-acting R, since there's no suspension there at all to hold it back.

Everyone on insulin uses it differently. When you see the Time Activity Profiles that show when an insulin starts working, when it peaks and when it's leaving the body, those are averages.

Those averages are based on testing the pharma did on people without diabetes and people with it. Some of them had the insulin work faster for them, some had it work slower. Some had an early peak, some had a late one. It didn't last as long for some--while it lasted for others.

Rarely does anybody find his/her insulin works for him/her 100% like the Time Activity Profile shows; you learn how it works for you with enough experience.

Not much consolation probably, but people, even those who've had diabetes for years, sometimes get into the same kind of "doldrums" with themselves.

Kathy

[eyelostit]

Re: Niki's story

LOL " doldrums" I haven't heard that expression for a long time i guess we all get them with our doggies.

Take care

[k9diabetes]

Re: Niki's story

Hi Dolly,

I saw your note on Pebbles' thread so came over to see how Niki is doing. Glad to hear you're getting back into good numbers again.

I know when Judy's Bud had a fairly severe hypoglycemic incident, it took him a good week to get back on track. It can just throw everything out of whack and only time and living with some higher than ideal BGs gets it back to where it belongs.

Niki sure is one who likes to mix things up and keep you guessing. Seems like she just takes a little blood sugar detour every now and then to see if you're still paying attention!

Natalie

[Ricksma]

Re: Niki's story

Hi Dolly!! I know what you mean about the ups and downs...even though Ricky has been doing really well for a several months, every once in a while, he will sling me a weird number for what seems like no reason. I guess it is just their way of keeping us on our toes. There doesn't seem to be any way to predict when this stuff is going to happen...the best we can do is go with the flow and try not to stress TOO much. Ricky will settle back down without any interference from me, so I try to let his little body (with the help of his usual dose) sort it out. We are there with you, believe me.

Love and hugs, Teresa and Ricky

[eyelostit]

Re: Niki's story

Usually when i give Niki her snack at 3-4 hrs its a little turkey, brocolli and maybe 2-3 kibble.

So with the highs I've been getting and thinking that the brocolli takes longer to digest and no doubt the kibble, i just thought damn I am gonna try something different.

So I gave her 5 pieces of Kraft mac & Cheese and some brocolli, her BG was 225 tonight.

What I found out the other day, after I gave her the treat of broc, turkey and about 5 kibble after an hour or so I took her outside with me, she ate some grass, after about 1 hr to 1 1/2 hr we go inside and she throws up, naturally from the grass, her BG was at 298 after the throw up. It made me sick the site of the dogfood how large it gets inside their stomach, so the food must still be in her stomach 1 hr after eating.

I gave her a bit of broc 1/2 hr later to make sure she would hold it down, all was well it was the grass.

Ah will I ever understand it all...

[eyelostit]

Re: Niki's story

I'm getting a little worried about Niki, she seems to be laying around more than usual, I took her temp yesterday it was ok, I'll do it again in awhile.

She is eating, her BG is stable not excessive high her fast was 250 tonite but we were out today had a walk and I always take some extra food with me, so that could be the cause of the 250.

She wanted to jump out of the car and walk and do her thing, jumped back in, but I noticed she was more laid back during the drive, usually when I make a stop she always gets up thinking she is going for another walk, but didn't do this.

I guess its no so bad, no throwing up, her poos look ok, but I guess I'm gonna have to take her to the vet, back in June for her check up all was good I even had the vet do a blood test and all was normal and the vet seemed really happy with her results and BG.

I guess I am getting a little more worried than i should, Niki is 11 now has had this DB for quite a while, she gets around fine, no arthritus yet, no cough like my other dog who had the heart trouble, she never really drank alot of water, but I am thinking she is drinking less water, she more or less drinks after eating, maybe I am just going nuts and she is depressed and misses Chief.

Anyway just wanted to let it out.