new here, new to feline diabetes, starting insulin soon, hello!

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Izzy2017, Mar 24, 2017.

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  1. Izzy2017

    Izzy2017 Member

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    Mar 21, 2017
    Hi,
    My cat, Izzy, is a 10 year old domestic short hair male, indoor/outdoor cat, diagnosed with diabetes 6 weeks ago. If I can figure out how to do a profile picture, I will get him on there, but for now just wanted to say hello, give a bit of history for anyone interested and also as a record for myself to look back on. At this point, Izzy is not on insulin yet, but his diet is canned food only now.
     
  2. Izzy2017

    Izzy2017 Member

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    Mar 21, 2017
    Izzy started losing weight in approximately November/December 2016. I treated him for tapeworms and roundworms (outdoor cat, eats mice/birds) , but he still kept losing weight, so finally took him to vet on 02/18/17 and his blood sugar was 530 (not fasting). We switched him over to canned cat food only (fancy feast) and went back to vet for a recheck on 03/03/17, his blood sugar was 399 (not fasting). Took him back to vet today and his blood sugar was 445 (fasting). His weight has stayed fairly steady, 13 pounds on 02/18, 12.8 on 03/03 and 12.8 today.
     
  3. Izzy2017

    Izzy2017 Member

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    Mar 21, 2017
    The vet wants to put him on Lantus 2 units twice a day. I ordered the insulin from Marks in Canada (very nice and helpful people there) and it should be here next week. I also ordered an AlphaTrak 2 glucose meter, this particular meter I ordered at the vet's request, it's what they use at their office and she wanted us to be using the same meter as they do (was very negative on my questioning using a human meter). She wants us to set up an appointment when we receive the insulin so she can teach us (daughter and I) how to give shots.
     
    Last edited: Mar 24, 2017
    Reason for edit: to add details of pharmacy ordered from
  4. Izzy2017

    Izzy2017 Member

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    Mar 21, 2017
    Vet didn't seem really adamant about checking blood sugar, but since I am uncomfortable giving insulin with no way to check for lows, I told her I would be buying one and she said that was great, just wanted me to use the Alphatrak 2. (as a side note, this vet has diabetes herself and also had a cat with diabetes that she treated for 5 or 6 years with insulin, she said)


    I'm a little leery of starting out at 2 units twice a day (seems high) but am trying to have faith in my vet and do what I'm told. : )


    So that's the long and short of our story. I've never had a diabetic cat or anything else diabetic before, so this is all new to me and I've been reading a lot here.

    I did start an insulin spreadsheet and put it in my signature (if I did it right anyway), so now am just waiting on my supplies to arrive so I can get him started. Nervous, anxious, worried...but hoping with help from vet and this site, we can get Izzy feeling better.

    Thanks for listening

    Izzy's Mom

    p.s. posted this in serial segments because I kept getting called spam:(
     
  5. Sharon14

    Sharon14 Well-Known Member

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    Aug 16, 2015
    Welcome to you and Izzy. Sorry about the spam. We get so much of it here and the moderator is trying to cut down on it and I guess the software sometimes confuses members and spammers! Anyway, it sounds like you've been doing your homework! The 2 units is a higher starting dose. My vet wanted me to start there too, but I told him it worried me and he was fine with 1u so maybe talk to her about it. Since you will be home testing you will be able to keep Izzy safe. We have some great tips on how to test and if you have any difficulties, we can help you overcome them. Come over to the Main Health Forum to ask any questions you have.
     
  6. Izzy2017

    Izzy2017 Member

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    Mar 21, 2017
    Thank you--I will ask her if it's okay to start with 1u, I think I won't be as nervous giving that, then if he needs to go up we can always do that later.

    I will definitely be looking at the testing tips...that's the part that is bothering me, giving the actual insulin I don't think will be too bad, but I don't want to do that poke for blood!

    And thank you for the welcome : )

    Sue
     
  7. Sharon14

    Sharon14 Well-Known Member

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    Aug 16, 2015
    Have you seen this
    http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
    Lots of good info! I was hesitant at first too, but remember you are doing it to help Izzy, and if you desensitize him and remember to give a yummy low carb treat after each poke, you will be amazed at how well he handles the process. Most kitties get to the point where they actually go to the testing spot and ask to be tested!
     
  8. Yong & Maury GA

    Yong & Maury GA Well-Known Member

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    Jan 11, 2017
    Welcome Sue!
    The home testing is just a tiny drop of blood and the benefits you will see from the data will outweigh the poke :). Most kitties barely feel the poke because they have less nerves in their ears.
    You'll find lots of help being on Lantus here, along with support for Izzy and YOU!
     
  9. Loribeth

    Loribeth New Member

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    Mar 24, 2017
    I was really nervous about doing self testing also. It's nerve racking at first, but it does get easier. One advantage of the meter your vet recommended is that it needs an extremely small amount of blood to test. My husband is diabetic, and his meter requires a lot more blood. So, your vet gave you a good recommendation.
     
  10. Kris & Teasel

    Kris & Teasel Well-Known Member

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    Aug 17, 2016
    Welcome! I'm glad you have a spreadsheet up and working already. We have lots of tips and tricks to help with testing and it gets easier the more you do it. :)
     
  11. Izzy2017

    Izzy2017 Member

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    Mar 21, 2017
    Thank you so much---your support is making me feel not quite so freaked out over the whole thing. I'm continuing to read the excellent information here on this site, which is extremely helpful. I'm glad to hear the meter the vet recommended is good!
     
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  12. Izzy2017

    Izzy2017 Member

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    Mar 21, 2017
    Noticed a few days ago that Izzy was walking funny... yesterday he did not walk around at all. Today we have a vet appointment and we are going to increase insulin to 3 units and have bloodwork ran.. also going to ask about a b12 shot since I've seen others get it with good results.... will update on what the rest of the vet says later.. :(
     
  13. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2016
    Actually for neuropathy vitamin b 12 methylcobalamin supplements are more effective than the shots.

    Zobaline is a popular brand folks use, available on amazon
     
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  14. Izzy2017

    Izzy2017 Member

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    Mar 21, 2017
    We decided to order b12 capsules that are 5mg. We still need to look at how much to start him at.

    We had them run a fructosamine test after the vet originally said we should plan to start 3u 2x a day... his fructosamine came back at 291 which is within the normal range. So we are sticking to 2u 2x a day.

    We are watching to see how he is walking still. He looks better than yesterday so we are watching and waiting a little.

    Will attempt to do a curve this Saturday since it is the first day I don't have to work. ... :)
     
  15. Yong & Maury GA

    Yong & Maury GA Well-Known Member

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    Jan 11, 2017
    Glad to hear you're sticking with 2.0U for now. If you do decide to increase, we recommend increasing by small increments like 0.25U or 0.5U as jumping by whole units can jump over his ideal dose. Even though the ideal dose can change later ;).
     
  16. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    Jun 8, 2016
    You can give the whole 5mg capsule, but maybe split it up to half in the morning and evening. B12 extra just gets peed out. They don't overdose on it.
     
  17. Izzy2017

    Izzy2017 Member

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    Mar 21, 2017
    We were going to go up .5u if she recommended that we increase. This wasn't our normal vet but we are supposed to get a call from the regular diabetes experienced vet tomorrow. :)
     
  18. Izzy2017

    Izzy2017 Member

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    Mar 21, 2017
    Yes. Thankfully it is a water soluble vitamin so worse case is very expensive urine. :) Not sure if they can be split but we can definitely try!
     
  19. Izzy2017

    Izzy2017 Member

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    Mar 21, 2017
    Got the results from the vet...Fructosamine normal, Blood sugar high (we knew this), Borderline anemic (This is new) Other numbers all look good, including LFTs.

    Weight 14 pounds, up from 12.8 pounds last visit. WOO!

    The vet recommended that we increase from 2u 2x a day to 3u 2x a day. We mentioned to the vet that we thought it was a large jump and wanted to know if we could go to 2.5 instead of 3. She said that it would be too hard to read the little line... I hate to go against the vet's advice but nobody will be around during the day to monitor how he is doing.

    His preshot is still in the mid to upper 400s. We are going to do a curve Saturday and Sunday but we do not have a chance to do this before hand. Does anyone have any pointers or what they would do in our situation? Thanks as always :)

    EDIT: We shot at 2.5 instead of 3 just to be safe than sorry. We will probably end up going to 3 after a while but I hate to move his dose up while there is nobody to monitor him.
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2017
    Reason for edit: adding information
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  20. Yong & Maury GA

    Yong & Maury GA Well-Known Member

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  21. Izzy2017

    Izzy2017 Member

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    Mar 21, 2017
    Okay I moved it over. :)
     
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  22. Kris & Teasel

    Kris & Teasel Well-Known Member

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    Aug 17, 2016
    I responded over there.
     
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