Beside myself

I’m sitting here waiting to take my sweet Jade in for her first vet stay and insulin start up. I’m so upset about this diagnosis. Her behavior is normal and I’m having a hard time understanding how that can be so. I’ve been reading so many posts here that I can’t help but think this next hour before I take her in will be her best. She hates being restrained in any way and I’m so worried that this ordeal is going to change her into a scared cat.

 

Welcome! We all understand how frightened you are after this diagnosis. Let us know after your vet visit how it went, what insulin you'll be using and what dose has been prescribed. We have lots of tips and tricks to help and I guarantee that you'll become an old hand a lot faster than you think.

 

Thank you!! I'm just sitting here crying like a fool and trying so hard to not stress her out with my stress. I already have the Insulin pen and the doc will show me how to use it this evening.I believe the dose is just 1 drop (the lowest possible on the pen)
I just gave her a small dose of a mild sedative because she also freaks out when she goes in the carrier and to the vet...I think I may have to take the other half of the pill for myself!!

 

My biggest fear is hypoglycemia. Reading about it gave me heart palpitations.

 

Hi. I hope the vet visit goes well.. maybe it will not be as bad as you expect.

If you start testing her glucose levels at home, you will not have to go through the stressful vet visits for them to check. Also, when you are testing, you know what is going on, so that takes a way a lot of the stress from just wondering and hoping the glucose levels are okay. It can help prevent hypoglycemia that can happen when the insulin dose is raised too high/fast. Also, it allows you to see if the glucose level is getting lower than it should so that you can take action to counteract it so that it does not turn into a scary situation.

 

Thank you.

 

Hang in there, is not as bad as it sounds at the beginning, after a few tries home testing gets easy, and if anything the bond between both of you gets stronger, and once his blood glucose levels go back to normal or almost normal and he starts feeling well again he will go back to being his old self

 

Thank you! One of the things that makes this worse is that she has always been fine. No symptoms whatsoever. Found this by chance through a blood test for something else. The doctor is saying that the urine strips are sufficient but by all that I’ve read here, that sounds incorrect.

 

Welcome. It does get better, as other members have said. We were all new at one time, most of us rather dismayed. You will find so much of value on this board. I have a link to new member information at the end of my signature (grey print under my post) if you want to start there.

 

I am making a leap that you have a Lantus pen and that would be 1 unit of insulin.

We are here to help and we all started in the same emotional spot you are. It does get easier as you go.

 

The urine strips help you get an idea that his values have been high for a few hours at least since it requires for him to have had around 180 or more (it is not an exact value ) for glucose to appear in the urine, but you don't really know how high he is at the moment or if his values are low now because of the insulin effect but one thing urine strips do help with is monitoring ketones so they are very useful

For actually monitoring his blood glucose there's no other way than a blood test and testing at home is the best way because you don't have to take him to the vet that usually stresses them a lot (is cheaper also) so is more accurate and you can test him when you need to, allowing you to know what's going on and how he's responding to the insulin on every day not just when you are at the vet

 

Thank you...any recommendations on which blood test kits to order? I'm on Amazon and am getting overwhelmed. Again. I left the vets office ( and my fur baby) a bit ago and feel like **** for having to leave her there for 9 hours. I called to see how she took her first dose and they said she's doing good. And yes, the Insulin pen is going to be set at one unit, I believe. It's helpful to know I'm not the only one with the concerns I have about her quality of life going down the tubes if sees going to be terrified of me on a daily basis. I don't know if I could handle that guilt. The vet tech says to stop reading these message boards, but I don't think thats a good idea.

 

Thank You!

 

A lot of folks here use the Relion Micro or Confirm meters from Walmart. Both the meters and the strips are really cheap (I think you can get 100 strips for $17-18). Most choose these meters because they use the smallest amount of blood. I personally use a Contour Next meter for no other reason than I was able to get one for free from work. I buy my strips in bulk off of eBay. I know also some people use the AlphaTrak meter, which is calibrated for use with pets. The "problem" with that meter is it is much more expensive for the meter and the strips are about $1/strip. You can also only buy that online. The nice thing about an AlphaTrak is your numbers will more closely match those your vet gets. You don't actually need a pet-calibrated meter to monitor your kitty's blood glucose at home, so most of use just use a human meter. Just do what is easiest for you. Once you start hometesting, there would be absolutely no reason for you to have to bring your kitty to the vet for glucose curves. You could do them at home, which is great because they'd be much more accurate.

Just breathe. We've all been where you are and trust me when I say it DOES get easier. My buddy Lou and I are closer than ever and I remember crying in the beginning thinking he would hate me. As a matter of fact, you could tell when he started feeling better on the insulin that he seemed to understand that what I was doing was helping him feel better. He's still my darling boy; he's just extra sweet and requires a bit more time and effort from me.

 

Jill, first HUGS! We all remember being handed that same note - diabetes. We all freaked out, we all cried, we all googled, we landed here! Suddenly we're surrounded with people that 'get it'. Diabetes isn't a death sentence and you'll be very surprised by your kitty's reaction after a couple of weeks. Ones that said 'Oh mine will NEVER let me test' - su ddenly post 'WE DID IT!'. Just like dancing, you will learn the steps - you'll step on each others toes, you'll stumble...then suddenly the dance will fall in place. It's not hard, it's just different.

See this sweet 17 year old man kitty, Dakota? He's been diabetic for 9 years - insulin twice daily and literally thousands of tests over the years.



See this ear? It's had over 8000 tests done over the years...



HUGS! You CAN do this!!!

 

A million thank you's ! What Brand of testing products do you use?? I'm scared of getting the wrong one. Don't know if I should get human or cat ones?

 

Thank You. I just ordered the Relion Cofirm kit from Walmart!

 

I just ordered the Relion kit from Walmart....I hope that was a good choice. Fingers crossed!

 

Welcome! Jade is very cute! How old is she?

Was this a fructosamine test (gives a summary of glucose levels over the previous weeks), or just a single blood glucose test? Do you remember the number? It sounds like they are doing a glucose curve today-- be sure to ask for those numbers (not just their conclusion about dose or whatever), it will be helpful to have the info. As others have said, being at the vet can inflate BGs a bit, but it's still good to know how she responded to the dose there.

Another thing to ask the vet about when you go to pick Jade up is using syringes with the Lantus pen. We have found that cats do well with dose changes in very small increments (as small as 0.25U). Can't do those small increments using the pen needles, but it's easy enough to just poke a regular insulin syringe into the top of the pen, so that's what we do. If you look around, it should be possible to find the right syringes (U-100 3/10mL, with half-unit markings), but in some states you need a separate prescription for syringes, so double-check if you'll need one.

 

Yes, good choice! Very popular here on FDMB.

 

Most of us use human meters, they work just fine and the strips are cheaper just make sure it uses the tiniest drop is easier for you

Really don't worry so much about him not liking you they get used to the testing (I think they even enjoy the special attention) and you actually bond more with them

 

Can you verify for us what insulin you'll be using? Is it Lantus? The advice we give will depend on the insulin you use.

 

That's a good meter. I almost had a meltdown in Walmart when I went shopping for a meter. It seemed so overwhelming and confusing. There were so many options and I didn't know what anything meant. I had to go sit on a bench and calm down. I may also have picked out a pint of ice cream for myself. I bought a Relion glucometer too and I'm very happy with it now.

 

Is best if you don't use the pen's dosing mechanism is complicated and it only doses in whole units and you will need to dose in0.25u You can use it as a mini vial with a syringe (ask for the one's with half unit marks)

 

yes, thats what it is

 

Thanks! Very good insulin for cats. I agree with the advice about getting syringes to use in place of the pen's needle mechanism. I can guarantee that you'll need to be able to measure out fractions of dose units.

 

Hi! Yes, its the fructosamine test. This is all so confusing to me!

 

ok! Thank you!!

 

HI! Thank you! Jade is between 12-13 years old. She's a beauty!

 

It was quite confusing for all of us at the beginning, but we can help you and we really really understand you we've been there.

Once you catch your breath there is a lot of information on the Lantus insulin you will be using, that is going to help you down the road, here's a link to the Lantus information and forum where there's a lot of very experienced people, and keep asking

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/lantus-glargine-levemir-detemir.9/

 

Ah, good. I worry sometimes in the other situation, when it's just a single BG number taken at the vet-- we've seen cats diagnosed as "diabetic" when really, they were just stressed out at the vet! But, a high fructosamine number does indicate that there has been elevated BG for at least a few weeks. It's good that there aren't any other symptoms, though. It might mean that you caught it very early!

 

Ive been advised to stop reading these as I have hyperventilated already today...I'm concerned that my vet is going to tell me that the pre-insulin tests aren't a must but everything I'm reading here say that they are. More confusion.

 

If this were a child, would your pediatrician tell you to give insulin without knowing your child's blood glucose? NO....if they did, you'd be looking for another doctor!!

Our furkids depend on us to do what's best for them...they are no different to most of us here than any other "child".

Cat can and do go into remission. The pancreas can heal and start working at any time. Without knowing what your cat's blood glucose is, it's not safe to blindly give insulin. Even what seems to be a low dose (like 1 unit) can be too much. We have cats here on 1/2 unit, .25 unit and even .1 unit.

Home testing puts YOU in control....If your cat's BG is low, you can intervene by feeding a higher carb food or giving a little Karo/honey/syrup.

Home testing also lets you know how well your cat is responding to treatment and if they need a little more (or less) insulin to keep them safe and give them the best chance at remission.

You CAN do this. China and I have been dancing for over 5 years and we're still going strong.

Take one step at a time....soon you'll be dancing as well as the rest of us

 

Take a step back. Breathe. It is all very overwhelming at first, but you can do this!

Right now, it's all a lot of unknowns and things you haven't done before (shots, testing, etc.), but I guarantee, once you start chipping away at them you will feel better. And in particular, Chris is right about the testing-- you will feel like you are much more in control of the situation. We're here to help you along every step of the way.

Is Jade back from the vet yet? How did she do?

 

Jill, this message board saved Idjit. Here, I learned to change his diet, how important it is to test before shooting, how to test and shoot. These members walked me through a hypo, held my hand and helped me help my fur kid. Idjit went into re mission before I actually knew he was doing it, these fantastic people instructed me and I am so grateful. In the end, you are going to decide how to handle Jade's treatment. I got better information and instruction here than from my vet, because they know it and live it.

 

Hi. I think I’d feel better home testing as well. And who knows, maybe my doctor will suggest it . I get to pick her up at 9pm. I’ve called several times throughout the day and they say she is doing quite well. It’s not the insulin injections that scare me. It’s the BG ear pokes that are giving me an enormous amount of anxiety. And the thought of her thinking I’m hurting her. Not to mention these spread sheets I’ve looked at that you guys keep might as well be in Chinese . I just don’t understand any of it.

 

The amount of support on this site is quite touching. Thank you all. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

 

I was so worried about that too. I'll admit that I don't love blood tests, but it's important to keep our kitties safe.

I tested my own blood before I ever tested Cleo's. Then I ate the pint of ice cream that somehow landed in my basket while I was at Wal-Mart, buying the glucometer, and tested my blood again. From this, I learned how to use the meter, I learned that I'm probably not diabetic, I learned that blood tests don't hurt. Try it yourself.

 

That made me chuckle. Thank you for that! I needed it!

 

Someone can help you set up the spreadsheet, you just enter the BG numbers. I didn't want to hurt Idjit's ears either, it's actually a tiny poke, you press the area after you get the drop, use a bit of pain relief ointment, and give a reward. They, and you, get used to it. All kinds of tips here, and so important.

 

There's a lot of humor in all this, if you know where to look for it. Cleo gets a treat, an insulin injection, and another treat. This morning, she was looking for her second treat before I'd even given her the injection. She's blind, so "looking" means walking in circles and sniffing. I just had to laugh because we must have looked so funny. Her wandering in circles and me crawling after her with a syringe.

 

I really hope Jades doctor agrees. If not, I’ll feel very conflicted and confused.

 

You won't be the first….or the last. Most vets won't bring up home testing at all. Some think that people will choose to euthanize if they suggest too much stuff too quickly so they don't bring it up, even if they agree with it.

Others actively discourage it saying stupid things like "you'll ruin the relationship with your cat". Nothing could be further from the truth. The relationship you build with your sugarcat will be closer than you could even imagine right now. We all think we love our pets as much as we possibly can...but there IS an even closer bond that you'll develop.

Unfortunately, vets don't get much education when it comes to diabetes. They only receive 5 hours of diabetes education when they're in school....and that covers both dogs and cats. Once they're in practice, no vet has the time to stay up to date on the latest treatments for every disease in every type of animal they see. They wouldn't have the time to see any patients if they tried! The people here live and breathe this disease 24/7/365. They know what works because they've already tried it.

As for hurting your kitty by testing, you won't be!! Most cats object to having their ears fooled with, but they can be conditioned to accept it (and most actually end up loving it!...Really!!) The Lord knew what he was doing when He built the cat too. The edges of the ears where we test have very few pain receptors. Have you ever had (or known) a tomcat? They are always getting into fights and the ears tend to take the worst of it most of the time.

We have lots of tips and tricks to help you, but the hardest part for most people is to trust some crazy cat ladies on the internet over their vet. After all, they're supposed to be the doctor, right? We all wish it worked that way!!

 

We know what you're imagining, we did too, but that's not it at all!!! A cat doesn't have the nerves in their ears that humans have. You're not hurting her when using the outside inner edge of the ear. She may jump at first but it's new...she's got to learn this too.

Testing at home

Share a grin, those of us that deal with difficult vets are good at the 'smile, nod pretending to agree then go home and do it our way' thing. Even if your vet says not to, you don't have to have your vet's permission to test! Testing police won't come drag you away...

HUGS again...

 

It's your cat. It's not up to the vet how often you test. I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home. I always test before insulin, and then at least one mid cycle test. On weekends and days off I try to get a day time mud cycle test as well.

 

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

 

Hi Jill. This board is super helpful. I haven't posted much as my kitty went into remission shortly after starting my account (yay!), but they got me though my first hypoglycemia scare and everyone here is wonderful. I saw you posted about being nervous about the BG tests and I wanted to let you know that there are other options for testing beside the ear. I usually test on the paw pad. I have done the ear, and still do from time-to-time, but my boy responds better to the paw pad prick, and I find it easier to get blood this way. If you are having problems in the ear you may want to try the paw pad.

 

Thank you!

 

I can tell you that early on in my FD journey with my cat when I was doing curves for my vet at home periodically I dreaded those days because of the ear pokes. My cat is very cooperative but I felt anxious and worried about hurting him. Once I came to FDMB and began testing multiple times a day all that anxiety fell away and it's now such a commonplace activity that I don't give it a second thought. All I have to do is call my cat for test time and he comes willingly. There are before and after treats involved of course!

 

Thanks for that! As of now, they sent me home with just the urine test strips. I'm really really hoping that this is an accurate enough system they have in place for her.I gave her the first insulin shot while she was eating when I brought her home and it went without any issues. I was so worried about that!

 

Please give more thought to doing the ear testing. The urine strips are not a great substitute.

 

I have a call into the vets office.

 

Urine test strips are not very accurate because he may have been with high numbers for a while and that glucose gets into the urine, they kind of give you an average, no way of knowing how he is right now or at the time of his shoot or if he's going low, also is the fact that you will only have some result if his blood glucose levels are above 180-200 .

Please consider the blood testing once you are shooting insulin it can become dangerous to shoot blind, for some cats even 1 unit is a lot, Babu practially hypoed on his first shoot with 1 unit, it turned out he was a micro dose cat.

 

I hope you'll give serious thought to blood testing. I was very resistant to the idea at first. Then, the vet had me increase Cleo's insulin from 1 unit to 1.5, based on the result of a single blood test in their clinic. She did fine for one dose and then became hypoglycemic. It was so scary and I realized that all these "crazy cat people" were right. Testing our cats' blood at home is the only way to keep them safe. There's definitely a learning curve, but the peace of mind is so worth it.

 

The urine test strips only tell you that the cat's numbers are over the 'renal threshold' so glucose is spilling into the urine. The renal threshold is usually around 230-250 for most cats.

My vet didn't show me how to test because HE didn't know anything other than using a vein draw which you do not want to do at home. Even when he uses his meter, he pokes a vein inside the cat's ear. Don't get TOO discouraged if they don't offer to teach you. We can help you learn. I showed up here many years ago, scared and confused and knew nothing...my vet was no help on anything. I learned everything right here...

 

My vet didn't initially recommend home blood testing. The vet techs didn't know how to test without aiming for a vein and getting a huge amount of blood, didn't know about syringes with half-unit markings, didn't know about the possibility of getting useful data from a human meter, etc. I learned about all of that stuff here and have shared everything with them. The vet loves the spreadsheet [which needs updating...] and is happy that I can test at home, since my kitty gets super upset and won't eat when he has to spend the day there. My kitty even went into remission for a while, though he's back out of it now; the vet was super-impressed when that happened. I think I have a reputation as a bit of a control freak, but also as a client who really cares about her cats--the "relationship with the vet's office" thing has worked out much better than I first thought it might. (I also cried a ton the first few times I did a blood test, and on occasion again when I was having trouble getting enough blood--but in general, it's completely routine now. My cat often comes and reminds me when it's time for his test and shot, and I can actually test him without waking him up, which makes me feel like some kind of cat care ninja. You will be ok!!!!)

 

I had all that too. All the astonished vet and vet nurse eyeballs looking at me and my old Ty, when I popped in a quick ear test and produced a useful BG result.

You can do this @Jill Hollister . It will not turn your your girl into a Jill hating scaredy cat. Both you and her will get used to it in no time at all.

It really is one of the very best things you can do for your pusscat as it gives you control over .

I really do not know why some vets don't empower people to do this for their cat given just how sensible it is , unless it is that they think some of us are a bit thick or utterly incapable.

 

Hope you're already thinking about or have already switched to wet low carb food. Many borderline cats go into remission with just a diet change to Fancy Feast or Friskies pate style foods. Don't let the vet sell you some high priced dry specialty food, they're mostly high in carbs and won't help your kitty achieve remission.

*** Be advised that if you switch to wet low carb food after you start insulin, his insulin dose may have to be lowered, keep an eye on that ***

What food are you currently feeding?

 

Hi everyone!! I had to take a step back for a day or two just to absorb all the info. What a long week!! Jade is doing well with the insulin shots! I am using the urine strips ONLY until her levels come down a bit. They are still coming in high. My vet and vet tech did support my decision to use the ear BG monitor when she stabilizes a bit and have been very lovely. I have called often with many many questions and they are always responsive and compassionate to the extent that one of the techs is coming to my home next week to walk me through the Alphatrek step by step. I know that that isn't something that happens often and I am so grateful. I got the rx food (wet)and I'm mixing in a bit of FF chunky chicken so that it's a bit tastier for Jade and takes a bit of the cost down for me. Does anyone have any suggestions on cat food that is the best for her? I'm still incredibly anxious over the thought of the BG tests and pricking her ear, but hopefully it will go smoothly. She's had a few nasty ear infections and is hyper alert when it comes to anything ear related but I've been spending extra time rubbing them lately so she's getting a bit more comfortable. I have two cats and am trying to regulate feeding times as they have both eaten whenever they ask. THAT is torture for me because they both act like they are starving to death all the time. Her shots are at 11:45 am and pm. I do give her a tiny bit of food in between those times, Vet said thats ok.
Many thanks to all that have taken the time to reach out!!!!!
Jill & Jade
.ps...no more dry food for either of them

 

Most of us feed fancy feast classic (chunky is ok too) or Friskies pate foods. No need for perscription food. They can eat anytime except 2 hours prior to the preshot test so the number is not food influenced.

 

Hi Janet! Ive actually watched your video before! Thank you!

 

Does she like all meat treats like freeze dried 100% meat or a small piece of cooked chicken breast? A lot of people give a treat after every BG test (whether successful or not), and getting her used to getting a treat for having her ears rubbed now may help.

 

Have you tried the paw pad testing suggestion? I haven't tried it myself, so I can't offer tips, but it can be a good alternative to the ears.

 

The pad testing would not go over well,I'm sure of it. She HATES her paws being touched. I can rub her ears and make it feel good to her, so my plan is to start there and hope for the best. Both my fur babies get the feline greenie treats. They love them. It's funny how quickly they do adapt to certain things. Today she gave me a little meow to lead me into the bedroom for some loving right after she ate. Ive been giving her her shot as she's eating and she knows she gets extra loving right after she's done. Today she was already expecting it which makes me happy!

 

Yep, I've got one of those, too! Too bad, as I hear good things about the conveniece of paw pad testing. Oh, well.

It's amazing what treat rewards can do!

 

This is also becoming a ritual. I put on a YouTube bird video and they are transfixed!!

 

When I test Shiloh, she starts drooling as soon as she hears the click of the lancet.
I was lucky. When I told the vet I wanted to home test, he said that was fine, and actually looked forward to my weekly spreadsheets. However, he did recommend that I stop insulin before I was comfortable, so I "smile and nodded" and kept doing what I was doing.

 

Ok... it’s BG test, food, insulin. In that order, correct? I taught myself how to do the BG test!!!! Wooohooooo!!!

 

Congratulations on the BG test !!!!!

And yes that would be the best order

 

Thank you!!!!

 

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but what’s the best high protein, low carb wet food? I did get a case of Royal Cannine but I think there’s equally safe food out there that’s less costly and easier to get? I’ve been mixing in FF classic with the rx food. I’m paranoid about giving her anything that may make her BG soar ( or drop)
Thank you!!

 

Jill, congratulations on accomplishing your first test! Please consider creating a signature so that we can see the information on Jade. This particular thread is getting long and it's sometimes hard to go back up and down the posts to remember what has gone on. You can just select your name in the upper right hand corner of this page, and a double columned menu will appear. Select signature (second down, left column). You can enter Jade's name, age, weight, breed, diagnosis date, type of insulin, dosage, type of meter, what kind of food you feed, any other health or medical concerns or issues. This signature can be edited at any time, if anything changes. Then it will appear at the bottom of each of your posts. It's also fine to start a new thread a day, with a new title, if something new is happening and you want some input, or if you just want to let us know how you are doing. I have been following along since you first posted an introduction, and I do want to know how you and Jade are doing. I believe you are no longer beside yourself, I think you are standing strong and tall and taking care of Jade.

 

Yes! I will do that!!! Thank you for being so responsive!!!