Amy and family

Good Evening all. Amy, her mom (Suzie), and I (Eric) are new to the group as you have probably already figured out. We are extremely glad that we found this forum and have a lot to learn.

I had a blood test performed on Amy by the vet while she went in for a bit of dental work on 28 May. The vet told me that she was reading @ 400 at that time but would recheck during her follow up for the dental. During the recheck on 7 Jun 19, she read @ 400 once again and officially was diagnosed as a diabetic. The vet gave her an initial injection of 3 units of ProZinc and sent my wife home with the vile of ProZinc, 20 syringes, and a bag of Purina Pro D-M and told us to give Amy 3 units every 12 hours a 1/2 hour to an hour after eating. We followed his suggestion on 8 Jun (she mellowed significantly, not lethargic, but not quite her self), we lowered to the doses to 2 units on 9 Jun fearing giving her too much without monitoring (Step Father is diabetic so I know the importance). The vet wanted to preform a follow up test this week but when my wife called on 10 Jun to schedule, the reception desk told her that our vet was away and would preform the recheck on 25 Jun...there is no way that I comfortable going that long with out testing her levels and blindly injecting her.

My wife and I are freaking out a bit but trying to learn to sample. We are just now getting used to the injections but must learn the most important part. I tried earlier today but was a bit nervous so of course Amy sensed that and in-turn became nervous herself. I will definitely keep trying and will hopefully be testing regularly by this weekend. Thankfully, Amy has no other medical issues, aside from the newly diagnosed diabetes, and is in generally good health.

Thank you all for adding to the collective of knowledge on this site. I am looking forward to learning as much as I can and getting past my own fears to help my little girl live the life she deserves.

 

Welcome! I’m so glad you’re learning to test!!! 3u is a very high starting dose, especially without testing. 1u twice a day is the usual starting dose. Here’s a link to some hometesting tips http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
Check it out, then come to the Main Health Forum and ask any questions you have. Hope to see you there!

 

Welcome Amy, Eric and Suzie! I see you already have your signature set up! Wonderful!

You can quit freaking out now - you've landed in the best place you never wanted to be. You'll be a testing PRO in a couple of weeks.

 

Hi Eric, Suzi and Amy, you are so welcome and this is the place to be right now, to learn how to better care for Amy and get through that "freak out" period. Most of us arrived here in the same state, wondering how on earth am I going to be able to do this? You will and we will help you with the next steps in the "sugar dance".

Testing before injections is the best way to keep Amy safe and see how the insulin is affecting her blood sugar in the cycle between shots. Sharon gave you the links to testing, and when you post on the Main Health forum with questions or concerns about this, you are going to hear from older and newer members that have gone through the same process. It's a process of patience and practice and you will find what methods work for you and Amy.
We use a spreadsheet to record the insulin and testing data. You will see how the trends and patterns emerge, and members can review her progress before offering suggestions or advice:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/understanding-the-spreadsheet-grid.156606/

We can provide information about how to transition from the dry food to the low carb wet food, this should be done gradually as it can significantly lower that blood sugar. Another reason to be testing to see what's happening.
There is a Prozinc insulin specific forum, where you can learn more about that insulin HERE.

I know, lots to look at, but just taking it one step at a time is going to provide the tools and knowledge you are looking for.