Sunday, March 15, 2020

The Grey Puzzle




Neville is proving a bit of a puzzle. Not only has his diabetes resurged, but it is deciding not to be greatly affected by the insulin I am giving him. For a week, I gave him one unit a day, increasing to one twice a day. That did not make a great dent in his numbers. I have since put his dosage up to two units twice a day, once in the morning, and once in the evening.

While I was gratified to see his initial reading in the morning (before insulin) had decreased to 15.0, six hours later, after receiving two units of his medicine, it had dropped to only 14.4. This is mysterious to me, as such an amount of insulin should have had a greater influence.

I won’t put up his dosage again, as I don’t favour endlessly increasing an amount in the face of small effects. I believe the insulin (from a different source than his first) is lowering his blood-sugar reading, but the amount is enigmatically small; I still do not believe he is insulin-resistant. My intention is to continue his current dosage (two units twice a day) for a couple of weeks, reading his numbers periodically, to see what a longer-term programme does to them.

I am reluctant to take Neville to the doctor for this, because of the stress he would undoubtedly feel, and the fact that I would in likelihood receive a prescription very similar to what I am doing now: having started with a small dosage of insulin, raising it a little but not greatly, and seeing what happens on that amount. There is a possibility of course that the doctor would find something else wrong with Neville, but I see no other worrisome signs in him. I will watch for any warnings; even if I see none, I may take him to the veterinary if we have no adequate response from his new insulin dosage.

In the meanwhile, Nevsky is not happy, thinking that I am coming to stab his ears every time I approach him. He has not, even though he has been in the Cosy Apartment since September, really reconciled himself to being here, or to me. I think he prefers it to his previous setting, but I don’t believe he is pleased to be here. I hope that this is just a matter of time.

15 comments:

  1. It takes some cats longer to settle into new surroundings, no matter how comfortable. I suppose the ear-stabbing doesn’t help.

    Neville will feel at home before long, I’m sure.

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  2. Oh I think he's glad to be there, it's all still new and will be for a while.

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  3. I agree with Brian. He is glad. Ear stabbing doesn't help the situation for certain; and he may not feel really well. Time will cure.

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  4. I think Undine is quite correct. It does take some cats longer than others to settle into a new home. But once Neville's diabetes comes under control and he doesn't need to get stuck so often, I think you'll find he really does enjoy living in the Cozy Apartment and that he definitely loves you.

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    1. I agree with that and wish I had put it so well. He's happy to be there. He is just out of sorts.

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    2. Thank you so much for your comment, Katie!

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  5. Ah! Poor little fella..I seem to be
    saying that a lot about Neville..I
    think he's lovely..love that coat of
    his..let's hope everything falls into
    place for him soon..!

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  6. Poor love. I wouldn't want to be stabbed in the ear, either. I hope he stabilizes soon, and that you both can relax a bit. Purrs to him from Derry. ♥

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  7. Poor Nev, I hope you soon get better results for him. It is sure to be upsetting to keep getting his ears stuck, but hopefully through it all he knows you are doing it for his own good.

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  8. It is good you are, unfortunately, experienced with all this insulin
    testing and dosage to try. Hope Neville can stay in the relative
    quite of the apartment and avoid the trip to the vet. He does look
    lovely in the photo.

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  9. Nevsky! Poor kitty. Hope those numbers get to where they are supposed to, and soon.
    And yes, Neville looks like Sly, or vice versa...

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  10. dood....

    sorree yur havin a time oh it; N we hope dad reel eyez that yur happee rite wear yur at; ya just due knot feel de best at de moe mint....wood sum oh de diabetic foodz out ther help ya any ? may bee even de cat father could chow down on sum two ??
    royal canin getz paws up frum a lot oh ree viewerz ~~~~ st francis' blessings two ewe ☺☺♥♥

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    1. Unfortunately, though Neville can eat any kind of food, so far as I know, he is very picky and has disdained everything but a couple of varieties. I keep trying, but so far he will eat only two kinds, and not much of one of them.

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  11. Poor Neville (and you too). I'm sure he doesn't like the pokes anymore than you like giving them to him. I certainly this can be sorted out easily and is not indicative of any serious issues.

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  12. We purr Neville start to respond. With cats you can have so many things influence their base state that it is so difficult to gain traction.

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