News of Cali being diabetic just sinking in

I hope I am posting this correctly. I have 9 rescue kitties. The oldest is 20 years old and the youngest is 7 years old. The youngest was diagnosed with diabetes today which I was kinda prepared for but still trying to process it all. I am almost 70yr old and live with my husband who will be 74 in December . We will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary on his birthday. He is bedridden with MS , Diabetes and Crohn's Disease . He is a lot of care having a SP tube in bladder and a PEG tube in stomach for fluid hydration and part of his meals . I am trying to educate myself on what I need to help Cali live her best life . I am thankful that I am retired and can monitor her a lot closer than if I worked and away from home for 12 hours at a time. Right now , all I know is she will be started on PZI next week and I am researching what I need for her care in the mean time. I am not afraid of commitment. I have been his caregiver our entire married life as he was diagnosed with MS at age 21. I was committed to saving all 9 cats through rescue and making them a forever home where they would no longer be abused and neglected. I will continue to do what I can for my babies . I hope to read, absorb , and learn what is best for Cali and give her a good life in spite of the diagnosis. She deserves nothing less !!

 

Sorry about the diagnosis, but you've come to the right place! If you have any specific questions or concerns, feel free to ask. This is a very active forum with helpful people experienced with all the various types of insulin. Thank you for taking such good care of the people and animals around you.

 

Welcome Linda and Callie!
You are obviously a very caring person and congrats on your 50th anniversary! You were his best birthday present ever . Having some experience with his diabetes can help you with the basics for Callie, like the importance of BG testing. If funds are tight and the test strips for his meter are affordable, you could actually use that meter. If you would prefer for Callie to have her own, a lot of members use a human glucometer like ReliOn Confirm / Micro (walmart brand).
We use Google sheets/docs to track BG numbers and share spreadsheets with others: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
If you need help setting it up, just ask!

Setting up some Signature information (light grey text below our posts) is helpful and helps those of us with bad memories : http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/editing-your-signature-profile-and-preferences.130340/

Lastly, I like to give this to new members, better to be prepared: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/

Feel free to ask any questions on the Main Health Forum. This is a support group for Callie and YOU. The family no one ever wants

 

Hi Linda,

I am going to give you a big hug for all you do for your family. And a big high five on home testing!

You have come to the right place for all kinds of help, including a place to rant and rave if you need to. I am going to assume that given that you take care of your husband and he has diabetes that you know how to handle the meter, lancets and syringes. That will be a big help to you. You can use a human meter for Callie, the strips are cheaper and usually easier to get. If you have any questions on equipment let us know.

What food does Callie and her siblings eat? Food can have a big impact on BG, if she is eating a dry food that is high in carbs, a switch to wet low carb food (10% or less) can help and would be a good thing to do before starting the insulin. Here is a chart of food done by Dr. Pierson that you can use as a reference. www.catinfo.org.


Here are a few things to get the most out of this board. We are very data driven and use a spreadsheet to keep track of what Kitty is up to.

Here is a post on how to set up the spreadsheet and another one on how it works. If you run into trouble let us know, we can help.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/


Also, so you don't have to repeat yourself on some basic information that everyone will ask, here is some information on how to set up your signature.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/editing-your-signature-profile-and-preferences.130340/


And some information in case you run into a hypo situation with Callie. She can't say she feels funny like us humans. I have this printed out and on my fridge.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-treat-hypos-they-can-kill-print-this-out.15887/


ETA: I like the black splotch on her nose. Very cute.

 

Welcome, Linda! We can help you to help Callie.

 

Welcome Linda. Sounds like you have a huge heart and strong dedication to caring for everyone.

Is anyone taking care of you? It might help you to have a person nearby you can call on if you need to for any reason.

Callie is beautiful.