Odd request - apologies if not allowed

Hey Everyone! I hope you are all well

I am 2 weeks into this journey with my cat Billy..

I know this may be an odd request - I have been reading and reading and reading, lots of questions of course but I was wondering if anyone here could answer my questions via phone? I must confess I am not the most intelligent person and some of the reading and methods have me constantly puzzled. I dont really have anyone around to speak to or help me understand. The vet has also probably labelled me as an annoyance.

I will happily send money via e-transfer for your time and phone cost. Perhaps just a 20 minute conversation seeking advice

If that is possible I would be forever grateful
I apologize in advance if this is against forum rules.

Thank you kindly

 

It's not against any rules but some people here (me and several others) have had bad experiences with people wanting phone numbers and Skype time. On the other hand you may make a best friend for life.
I know the forums can be overwhelming with information overload but it's up to you to make your questions simple and then make the answers make sense. This can be hard when a simple yes or no question turns the reply into an essay. Don't get carried away with possible complications and future what-ifs.
Start with the basics. Are you having a hard time testing or making sense of the results? Are you worried you're using the wrong supplies?
There's no such ting as a stupid question here, we all came home with a sense of dread wondering if we were about to kill our cat.
Ask your questions, don't worry about your word choice and remember we all started somewhere. Make sense?
You're in good company here, lots of Canadians and lot's of members in southern Ontario.

 

As Noah & me (GA) mentioned, it's not against the rules. Some members have formed lasting friendships. Others have had less than desirable experiences. In addition to his comments about that, Dickson offered some invaluable advice.

However, one thing worth mentioning... the FDMB prides itself in being a peer-reviewed Message Board. We encourage peer review because this is a support group of cat-loving amateurs; we're not experts, but among us we've accumulated much experience and information about feline diabetes. As such, no one is considered an "advisor" or "expert" on the FDMB... self-proclaimed or otherwise.

For these reasons, we strongly encourage those looking for advice to post their questions and concerns publicly on the board. Doing so will subject all responses to peer review.... a good thing considering some may have accumulated more knowledge/experience than others. We all benefit. Following this system is a win-win for all!


Welcome to the FDMB! Hope to see you posting often!
Jill

 

Like Jill said, none of us are vets or experts. All our knowledge comes from years of experience with all kinds of diabetic cats and the various types of insulin.
Please don't worry about sounding professional. On a bad day I used to use the thing-a-mabob to inject the whatch-ya-callit into the part of the cat next to the other part.
We want you to stay, anyone who mocks you or criticizes a mistake doesn't belong here. We all started somewhere.

 

Honestly - two weeks in to this is very little time to get your head around more than the basics. Very many people have been where you are, wondering how they're ever going to know all there is to know... the thing is that FD is a learning curve, something you pick up bit by bit, and eventually the pieces fall into place and you start to feel more confident.

There'd be no harm in compiling a list of questions that you're struggling with and posting them for people to answer, asking for as plain and simple English as possible. That would probably benefit not only you but other members as well.

Jill's point about the forums being peer-reviewed is a very valid one - we wouldn't want anyone to give bad advice via PM, with nobody else able to correct them. Public postings mean that anyone can jump in and re-phrase a reply if it seems at all ambiguous.

It is true though that some of us do support each other off the main board - not giving advice as such, more offering friendly informal support, and that's absolutely fine. Something like that tends to happen quite naturally, as it does in "real" life more or less. You may find you have more in common with people in your geographical region, for example, or those who have been through a very similar early experience... if you find someone who you feel you'd like to "talk" to off the main board, you could ask them if they'd be willing to hear from you via PM... and see what happens.

Try not to worry too much. You're obviously a very caring person trying to do your very best for your kitty - and that's what we want too. Just keep asking questions - as many and as often as you need!

Wishing you the best of luck

 

Just wanted to agree wholeheartedly with what others are saying-- ask away, we all started out feeling overwhelmed and buried with details, and we remember what it was like, all too well. It's just so much information to take in at once! But, it's a good crowd here-- we're all at least trying to give helpful answers, ha! And we're all volunteering our time, so it's not like with a vet where you may feel rushed through a visit before you really figure things out. If we're here, we've got the time to explain, and we're happy to do it!

How is Billy doing, by the way?

 

Well done you got your signature set up that's a big step. Next thing you need to set up is your spreadsheet this is so helpful to both you and everyone here. You can find the template and instructions on "tech help" if you have any problems just post that you need help and someone will help you.
I agree with what the others have stated. We all understand how overwhelming this diagnosis can be and how many questions you probably have swirling around in your head. I would suggest that while you read and re-read the stickies (as we have all had to do several times) you write down questions of things you don't understand and post these as you go along. We all want to help you on your journey but I would slow down you are only 2 weeks in and its a really steep learning curve. You need to take it one step at a time it can take a while before you understand and to be honest I'm still learning and I've been doing this for several months. You will get there.

 

PS if it's any consolation at all... I bought a new mobile phone a few days ago. My previous one was four years old and very limited, and I'd been putting off replacing it because of a) expense and b) I knew the updated technology would be challenging for me. Well, I managed to get a reasonable deal on a refurbished phone with trade-in on my old one, and the guy in the shop set up the phone for me so I was at least connected. BUT...

... back home, I thought I'd better start to get my head round the way the phone works. The basics were ok, sort of. But there are just so many aspects to it that I have no clue about, and when I go back to my trusty iPad and Google the issue, loads of stuff comes up in language that just baffles me even more. Yesterday I nearly cried when I tried to make a call and an error emssage came up saying I wasn't connected to any network! I mean, what's the point of a phone if you can't do that basic thing. I fiddled about with it, I Googled, and in the end I knocked on my neighbour's door and asked for help. He took my phone and patiently tried various things until he said "aha - your flight mode is on". Whaaaat? I know what flight mode is but no way had I turned it on, and how was I supposed to guessn that this was what was preventing me from making calls?

I came home really down hearted. I mean, what if I'm in a situation somewhere that I need to make an urgent call but the flipping phone won't let me and it's not airplane mode that time? I switch my phone off at night, and when I switched it back on this morning I have the same issue - phone is in airplane mode. Seems that I have to remember every time I switch it on to check that that function is disabled. And what else do I have to learn/know/remember?????

Sorry if this is OT but actually it's not, really, it's by way of saying that I am on DAY THREE of learning something that is very new to me and does not come naturally. There is probably a forum somewhere called Mobile Phones for Dummies... I think I will go and search for it now, and maybe post on Community here to see if anyone knows of one. So - don't give up, Billy's Dad. We do all empathise with you. I'd love a hotline to an IT helpdesk or something. Maybe there are some. You're lucky because you've found FDMB and believe me, this is the best helpdesk you'll ever find!

 

Don't apologize we all have felt desperate and wanted to cry HELP !!! at one time or another, one advantage of the fourm is you can actually do it, well write it, and no matter the hour of the day there's always someone to answer you since there are people from all over with different timelines and that usually understand what you are going through since we all have been there, this diabetes stuff can be kind of confusing and scary at first, after a while you'll get the hang of it, just keep asking all you need or want there's no dumb or bad question

I've PM with some people mainly because we end up in conversations on other languages but still end up back at the forum, because there's no substitute for everyone's experience, lots of eyes are better than two