I am an anxiety ridden mess

hi I am lisa and my fur baby is little. She was originally a foster that was forgotten about by the foster group. she is amazing, loving, smart and now a diabetic my vet sent me home with pro zinc about 10 days ago with NO monitoring. I have been up nights watching her breathe. I am in the process of purchasing a meter and so nervous about making the correct choice. The alpha Trak seems to be the most recommended but the strips are crazy expensive and the meter seems complicated to work. Any advice? The advocate pet test seems easier to use but I’m not sure. I do not want to subject my baby to any more stress than necessary. Please help

 

First, Welcome to the best place you never wanted to be!

Most of us use a human meter. I've been doing this sugar dance for lots of years, I've kept both my boys safe with a $15 human meter from Walmart. Many choose Walmart's brand 'ReliOn', model either Confirm or Micro. The strips are $38/100. The difference in a human meter and a pet meter are just different scales like celcius and farenheit on a thermometer tells temp.

We use the outer edge of kitty's ear. A cat's ears don't have the nerves that human ears do - it's not painful like you imagine it to be. Kitty may flinch in the beginning but that's because it's new, not because it hurts.

Welcome again - post any questions you have in our Feline Health subforum!

 

Thank you so much for your reply. If I choose a human meter how would I translate the results. I am terrified

 

The alpha is super easy to use actually, but you're right the strips are expensive. Good news is you can use insulinx strips in the meter as well and they cost $30 for 100 of them on amazon. Here's a comparison I did of the alpha strips and insulinx. You can see how close the numbers are.


I have a video in my signature showing how I test my cat CC at home.

 

Omg. Thank you. You are a godsend

 

A lot of people on here use a human meter such as the relion confirm... So that's another way to go. Alphatrak is my personal choice as I like having the same readings as my vet, but human meters have the advantage of it being easy to get strips for it in a store.

 

I also use the Alpha Trak, with Insulinx test strips for $ 30 for 100. My vet uses this meter so I like knowing we're talking apples to apples when I report curve numbers. Try to relax - I'm a newbie, and thanks to this wonderful group for support and information it's getting easier every day.

 

I also use the AlphaTrak as recommended by my vet and agree with @Molly and Sammy that I like knowing we're talking the same numbers when I report numbers to the vet. I get the strips quickly with Amazon Prime.

 

Hello and welcome! You've found the best group of folks to help you with your kitty's diabetes - take a deep breath, it will get better and easier. When Uno was first diagnosed I was a mess too, constantly watching him and wondering if he was okay. Now that I've gotten more information on feline diabetes and the support of this group I'm feeling much more confident and relaxed.

I chose the Relion Confirm meter for two reasons a) its inexpensive and the test strips are pretty reasonable ($35 for 100 strips) and b) it needs the smallest amount of blood for a sample. My vet also uses the Relion meter so I don't have to worry about comparing oranges to apples when talking BG numbers with our vet, though honestly our vet never mentioned home testing.

Best of luck to you and your kitty. It will get better!

 

Ok. So I am currently fighting with the alpha track. I am not dumb but how do you program this thing. I can’t get past the alarm. Any advice on setting the time? It’s in code language!

 

You mean you are having trouble putting in the code on the bottle of strips? Just insert the strip, but the c button, and press the buttons until it matches the cat choose on the vial. Then take out the strip and put it in and it's all set.

 

Thank you but no. It was an issue setting up the machine for the first time with date time etc. it’s European so I figured out it was all backwards. Thank you for answering. So- I struggled to get my first blood sample and almost had a heart attack. She came up 379 before food and before insulin, yet was lethargic and walking funny ( that diabetic gait) all day. Any thoughts on why that would be? I am going to check again in an hour. After 3/4 unit of insulin and food.

 

Sounds like neuropathy. start her on b12 methylcobalamin supplements such as zobaline (you can get it on amazon). That coupled with lower bg will help reverse the neuropathy.

 

Having a tough time getting blood from the ear. Anybody think the foot pad easier?

 

Hi there, I'm also new since my Kit was only diagnosed a month ago, so I don't know if I have the most "sage" advice, but I also had lots of trouble getting blood from the ear, and here's what helped me most:

1. Put olive oil on the ear or a greasy antibacterial ointment before you poke. This helps what little blood you get "bead up" so it doesn't dissipate into the fur. I started by using a creamy antibacterial and I just wound up with a soupy mess, which was no help. Go for "ointment" or olive oil. I also use one with Lidocaine which numbs the ear.
2. Warm the ear more than you think. I found I had to warm it much more than I expected. At first I would do like 30 seconds and I got no blood. I found we needed at least 60 seconds with a thin sock filled with rice and heated in the microwave 30-45 seconds. I hold the sock against the underside of the ear and massage the top for 10 seconds, then flip - sock on top, massage on the underside - to get the blood flowing.
3. Try poking the inside of the ear. Kit has black fur, so I could never see the blood well enough. I started using the inside of his ear, and we have a much easier time.
4. Do two pricks right beside each other 1mm away, right away. Chances are, one won't draw blood, but the other might. And if you do them fast enough, Little might not mind as much.
5. Pinch below the puncture. If I understand correctly, the blood flows up and over the ear edge from the side closest to kitty's nose, up over the top of the ear, and then down the outside of the ear. If you pinch below the puncture (on the outside edge) the blood will pool up and you'll get a nice drop to test.
6. "Milk" the ear. Sounds totally gross, but if you gently massage blood towards the puncture, you can often get a drop even if it doesn't bleed at first.
7. It takes a while for the ear to "learn to bleed." From what I've read (and it proved totally true for me) the ear will get more capillaries as you keep poking. After about a week, it was much easier for us.
8. Go slow. I used to think it was easier if we just tried to accomplish it quickly and easily. Kit did not agree. Now I take the time to pat him and give him freeze-dried chicken treats so he comes to me on his own terms and calm him down so he doesn't struggle and stress out if I need to poke him more than once.
9. Sometimes it just doesn't want to bleed. Some days are a slam dunk with a great drop on the first try, some days are not. I just tested Kit an hour ago, and it took us 5 pokes to get a single drop. One of the pokes went right through the ear by accident (!), and still no blood. We took our time and eventually found a good spot. He was not happy, but we're getting better, and he'll be happier and healthier since we keep at it. He's already forgiven me and is sitting on my lap, making this hard to type.

Hope some of these are helpful to you. Again, I'm also new to this so anyone can please feel free to point out if these tips can be improved upon.

I know how hard it was for me and Kit at first, so I hope these small tips make it easier for you and Little

 

Thank you so much. I am about to try the morning poke so I will give this a try. I hope you and Kit are doing well. I totally get what you are going through. He’s lucky to have you as a mom!

 

Hi Lisa and Little! Let me tell you that i know EXACTLY how you feel! i was you a few weeks ago, completely overwhelmed and terrified. i left the vets office that first day with instructions to give her 3 units of prozinc every 12 hours. so i started the insulin, found this forum and did all sorts of research and watched endless youtube videos of people administering the insulin as well as testing with the monitors. I began looking into monitors and tormented myself with making the right decision about which to buy. i decided on the Alpha Track. Ugh, but then i actually had to test... The first time went ok. Mika growled, hissed but i got it done. the 2nd time was a complete disaster. we were both terrified after that and i stopped. i no longer slept soundly. My mind was filled with worry that something might happen. Before i could muster up the courage to start testing her again she went into hypoglycemic seizures and i had to rush her to the vet. the experience was horrifying and i'm SOO beyong grateful that it was a holiday and i was home with my kids. i don't want to think about what would have happened had i not been there. when we got to the vet she was at 26. within a few hours they got her back up to 56 and by the evening she was back up to 300.
The vet dropped the dosage to 1 unit every 12 hours and i put on my big girl panties and forced myself to learn how to test her. With the help of the amazing people on here i learned to calm my nerve and start testing Mika's BG preshot every morning and every night. a few weeks ago my hands were literally shaking and now we're feeling like old pros. i chose my office as our "spot" because it's a quiet room in the house away from the chaos of the kids where Mika typically likes to relax and sleep in my chair. at the suggestion of some of the forum members i started bringing her to the office and just massaging her ears and giving her treats, without testing. i did that for about a day and a half.. on the 3rd day she got it. she would come with me sit on my lap and i was able to test her without a problem! now she knows the routine and exactly whats coming. sometimes she gives me a little bit of a hard time and i've learned to accept that some times the testing isn't going to get done and i give her a treat anyway. I sing when i get nervous or anxious about it. there are times that i have to poke her 2 or 3 times because she either moves or shakes her head sending the drop of blood flying..LOL it's not always a smooth process but i know now just how important it is to do. Just keep up the good work and you'll be a pro in no time!! You're a great fur mom! Good luck!!

 

Thank you for your response. Iam weeping uncontrollably as I write this. I got 4 tests in about 15 hours. The first was right before food and insulin at 8:30 last night. She tested 379. 1 hr after food and insulin she tested 316. This am tbefore food and insulin she was 433! And 2 and half hours later she was still 385. The vet recommendation is double her dose from 1 unit to 2 units starting with tonight’s dose and I am petrified of Hypoglycemic reaction. Does this sound correct to anyone.? I am so scared I am shaking. I haven’t slept and I’m sure I won’t tonight if I double her dose. Her back legs are weak and I am being told it’s a direct result of her being so high. I think I may only be able to test her once more today as she is now afraid of my hand anywhere near her head. Needless to say we did not have a good experience with the blood retrieval. I am just so very scared that she will crash this evening and I will not know what to do or perhaps fall asleep and not know. I pray this gets easier. I can tell she she does not feel well and I am heartbroken that what I have done so far has not helped.

 

Oh my goodness, you poor thing! It's going to be ok. Just breathe slowly and deeply. The best thing you can do is take care of yourself right now because I'm sure Little loves you very much and will be stressed to see you upset.

Re: high numbers - Kit has been as high as 527 and as low as 47 and we got through it. The numbers can be very scary, but you two can do this. You're strong. You've got this!

If Little's afraid of your hand near her head, Mika_Girl's advice of just treats and patting sounds like a good way to get her calmer. And I also sing when I do it the tests because Kit knows when I'm anxious and it freaks him out, which freaks me out, and then we're both freaked out. So singing helps us both. I also put the TV on in the background to distract us.

Or try the paw, like you were thinking before. I'm sure you've already checked out this video:
Maybe try some cream with lidocaine though before you prick. Might be less scary for you both since her pad will be numb.

In terms of being afraid of a crash -- I hear you. It's scary. I'm scared of it too.
Maybe set an alarm and check on her, or keep her in your bedroom so you can monitor her.
And some cats will let you know -- Kit wakes me up, howling, if he starts getting too low.

Maybe another more experienced member could comment on increasing the dose that much? I've been told to not increase it by more than 0.25 units (but we're on Lantus), so I would be interested to hear what others have to say. Can you post this in the ProZinc forum? I think they'll know more about it than I do.
Here's the link: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/prozinc-pzi.24/

Remember: you've been doing all the right things. You're monitoring, you're dosing, you're posting here, visiting the vet, and you're giving Little love and support.
You're a great cat mom and Little is very lucky to have you in her life <3
You got this, sister.

 

Thank you Caitlin I guess I am afraid I won’t know what to do besides maybe give some honey on the gums if she crashes. What did you do when Kit was 47? I’m glad I’m. Not the only one that thinks double dosing is scary. Is there a way for me to copy this post onto the Prozinc forum? I’ll try your advice on the singing but that might scare her more right now she’s on to me so gonna be tough tonight for sure. I am so lucky to have found this site and so grateful to you and all who have taken the time to talk me off the ledge by responding. I hope one day I can return the favor and help others here

 

oh hon!!! i wish i could hug you!! i'm far from an expert but i would think that as long as you are testing, the chances of her dropping to a dangerously low level are slim... and if doubling her dose is upsetting you then don't double it... go up to 1.25 instead and see what happens. wait a week and then go up another .25 or .5 if you feel she needs it. also, at least in the beginning, why don't you just test her before her AM shot, 6 hrs after and before her PM shot. this way neither of you are being tortured with so much so fast. know what i mean? again, i've just started this myself. but i've learned to trust my instincts. stay positive. hugs to you!!

 

Of course! We know how scary it can be. So we're here for you

Yes, when I got low numbers, I put honey on my finger and rubbed it in Kit's mouth and I gave him Temptations (which are higher carb and super tasty, so he scarfed like 30 down to get his numbers up). I re-checked every 30 mins/hour, and he started going back up and we were fine. I didn't give him and more insulin until he got back up into safe numbers the next day.

Here are two super important links to have:
How to Treat Hypos
Hypo Tool Box

They'll guide you through everything you need to know if you get low numbers or a crash. And the Tool Box is so that you can have all your materials ready and at hand if you need to treat a hypo.

And I agree with @Mika girl -- if the testing is too stressful, don't do it as much. When I started, I just did two tests a day: AM pre-shot and PM pre-shot. It's good to have more readings, but not if you're both terrified and shaking. You can always start doing it more often in a week or so when you're both more comfortable with it.

Sending you happy thoughts and hugs

 

Caitlin has given you good info.

I also started with just 2 tests a day - AMPS and PMPS - now that I'm more comfortable with all of it it's much easier to do more testing.

The ProZinc forum can give you more specific advice and guidance on dosing. I see you posted there.

You can do this. It gets much easier. Sending you all the good wishes in the world

 

Thanks you again. If I would have trusted my instincts I would have gotten her help sooner. My mommy gut knew “something was off”. So you’re right about that. From a scientific standpoint 2 units makes mathematical sense since she is so high and one unit didn’t even drop her 100 pts but it’s still so scary and who kn. If I can only get 2 tests a day what would you do... before food and insulin or after. I cannot torture her too much more today.

 

One thing that really helped me when I first started testing was to poke on the extreme outer edge of the ear so that you're almost - but not quite - poking on the underside.
I hope this helps.

 

I did post there and have fat thumbs. Hope they can see through all the typos. Thank you

 

We always test BG levels just before food and insulin - what we call test/feed/shoot - that is one of the things that will help you to stay safe. So - one test in the AM just before food and then insulin and one test in the PM just before food and then insulin.

I am confident the folks on the Prozinc forum will give you good help with dosing.

Another hug or two!

 

Lisa, you have received excellent advice from all the members responding. However, I suggest it's time to leave the "Welcome to the Group" forum and post in the MAIN forum or the PROZINC forum. This forum is kind of a welcome mat on the front porch and not as many members see this Welcome forum. It's good to get more eyes on the concerns and questions, the Main forum is viewed by so many more, and the members in the Prozinc forum are going to give you the best information about dosing, as well as support as you are learning your way.
When you get a chance, Lisa, get your signature done so that we have the most recent pertinent information on Little with each post. You can see from all the responses you got here that members have the kitty's information in grey text beneath each post.
Here's a link on how to do that: SIGNATURE
I know are scared and overwhelmed with information on what to do for Little, but you are learning to do the most important things step by step: insulin therapy, testing to ensure safety, and diet so that Little gets the best diet for the diabetes and which will help get those numbers down.
One of our members posted this once and I saved it because it really is true:
For all newbies...
Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. Saint Francis of Assisi
And.....you are!!!

 

Do 1.5 units for a few days and see what the numbers are. (Great job getting those tests BTW. And I promise testing gets easier.). If it's not enough after a few days then you know you can so safely move to 2 units.

And if course of your have questions or concerns please write on here. And as far as hypos be as prepared as you can (high carb food, honey, extra test strips)... Hopefully you'll never have a scary one but if you do make a post And we can talk you through things. Print out the hypo info from the link posted above and hang out on your fridge just in case.

 

The back leg weakness... Start her on b12 methylcobalamin supplements. That along with lower bg will help reverse it. A favorite brand is Zobaline for diabetic cats which is found on Amazon.