? New Member, May 2, 2023: request one-on-one emotional support

I am having a breakdown.

If there is someone super gentle, patient, compassionate, understanding, really good at listening, who has experience with helping someone in a crisis, specifically this type of crisis, please PM me.

If I go on like this I won't be able to help Jessi at all.

Please refrain from any and all instructions for this post. I just need emotional support right now.

I'm afraid to leave Jessi alone at all. I am severely sleep deprived. Even 4 hours is a luxury right now. I don't have the stamina for that. I have health challenges of my own.

Vets do nothing but tell me what I did wrong. Now the famous Endocronologist himself is reprimanding me for being too insistent. I have no idea when they will give me an appointment for a new sensor.

I am in a constant state of anxiety. Afraid that one drop more or less will kill her or make her more ill. I don't know that I can actually handle this responsibility. She is clearly in Hyperglicemia now. This morning's shot went wrong just when she needed it most. Things are spiraling badly.

I wish I had support in person for this situation.

For right now, if I had some support by phone that could help.

Jessi is everything to me. I will do anything for her, but if I physically or emotionally breakdown, there is no one in our lives who can take care of her properly. She won't make it.

Or maybe she'll get lucky and find someone who can take much better care of her than I can. I wish this for her. At the moment, I am all she has.

thank you.

 

I’m sorry you’re feeling this way. I have to say that vets like to play the blame game so I would take it with a big grain of salt and try to ignore it. It’s your job to advocate for your cat and if that means being pushy, so be it. Like you said, you’re all she’s got. On that note, you have to take care of yourself first. It’s like putting your oxygen mask first in case of a plane crash. I’m not really sure what’s triggering you, and everyone is different, but for me things only improved once I took control. Testing everyday is what gave me that. I had a schedule, I knew when I was going to test her and then I’d post here and get help/guidance. Not something I was getting from any of her vets. Slowly, as I started to learn more and more I started to feel less and less helpless and overwhelmed. Lantus is a much less scarier insulin than caninsulin. What exactly are you afraid of? A hypo? My advice would be to test her before you leave the house so you know she’s fine and then also test her before going to bed. The numbers are your friends here and you’ll know by them that she’s safe. You can’t do that overnight and it’s a bit more scary, although some folks do test when they get up to go to the bathroom, I’m not one of them because I wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep. I would have some food covered and ready on the kitchen counter and I’d offer that to Minnie when I did get up to go to the bathroom. Some folks use an automatic feeder.

I hope these don’t sound as instructions. I’m just trying to give you ideas of things that can help you feel less stressed and overwhelmed. Taking back control of the situation is always what does it for me. Having a plan and following it.

 

Previous post
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...8-units-to-lantus-1-unit.277619/#post-3073334
I see Bhooma had said she would set up your spreadsheet for you in the previous post
did you see it

From @Bandit's Mom
I can help set up a spreadsheet. Will send you a PM with the details I need. Look for it in the Inbox at the top right corner of this page.

Experienced members here might be able to help you if you had your SS set up

 

You are in the right place. You are new to this and had a rough start (I see DKA in your signature). Nobody really knows everything all at once about feline diabetes, take baby steps and take good care of you.

This forum gave me all the support I needed, whether it was help from a very experienced member daily or a follow human, dealing with the same thing, there to help root you on.

In this journey knowledge is power and testing is your super power! The more you know about what’s happen with the insulin and dose the easier it is to manage.

I feel you, it is tough to not want to ever leave your baby at home alone while on insulin, heck a few years ago I left Xmas dinner to test my cat … but when you start to learn their trends and patterns it make things a million times easier to know when it’s ok to step away and take some time for yourself or when it’s best to stay home and monitor.

I would take Bhooma up on the spreadsheet, start tracking the numbers and post here daily.

 

Yes, Bhooma created the spreadsheet, but I was looking for someone to help transfer all the info from the Libre to the spreadsheet. I can do a little at a time, but it will take longer.

 

@Bandit's Mom

 

Hi Stefania, hang in there. Things will get better. Jessi can sense your anxiety and despair and she needs you to take care of yourself first so that you are well enough to take care care of her. Let's start with one problem at a time.

As far the SS is concerned, I will help you as much as I can to get your data into the SS. Let's forget about what she did on Caninsulin for now and focus on getting the Lantus related data in the SS first. From what you say, the sensor has malfunctioned so right now you have no data on Jessi's BG, correct? I have not been tracking Jessi's history so I apologize f I am asking the same questions again.

Do you have a meter with which you can test Jessi's BG? Or does she not let you test her?

I have created a LibreView account but I have no idea what to do with it.

 

Oh, that's great, thanks Bhooma! I think I just have to share the info with you...but I'm not sure...I have to look into it...there is a member who posted on one of my posts about the Libre, I can ask and see if he can help.

Jessi does not let me test her so far. I will try again in the near future. Right now I need to get a handle on everything else.

I did go ahead and put in some numbers for the Lantus days that we were able to capture before the sensor quit and now we have a new sensor since yesterday evening so I will put those in too. If anyone wants to see the Caninsulin numbers, I will definitely want help with that because it's a lot more days.

Yes, I know Jessi can sense everything. And sometimes I also know that things will get better. Other times, it feels like a dark, long tunnel...but getting the spreadsheet going feels like a positive step. So grateful for your help on that!

 

Where is the link to your spreadsheet
@Stefania S ?
You need to link it to your signature that Bhooma created for you

 

Umm.. I was there. I still am there and that is why I joined this message board. All my friends are done listening to me and they keep saying it’s just a cat.

my vet put me on the sensor cause I wouldn’t give the full dose of insulin and he even passed me onto his wife to try and calm me down my husband wasn’t any help in the beginning (he is now willing to help since he can see the insulin therapy working)

but my first post was I was in a breakdown as well. And it is okay to break down!! It’s okay to be stressed!! And I still don’t sleep through the night! I wake up every 2-3 hours and check on Pika so you’re not alone! I personally love to talk kitty diabetes and how freakin stressful it is.. but I also love this new bond I have with my kitty! And Jessi wants you to be relaxed and happy too! I am still an anxiety ridden when I go to work. And when I work a12 hours shift I loose my mind.. but I do have amazing neighbors that are going over to check on him. And give me picture updates and they also give him treats since I’m worried about a low. But I didn’t ask them to help until I started getting numbers into the 100s.

You can take care of Jessi and you have been!! And no Jessi wouldn’t be better with someone else, you’re the one who Jessi trust. And you are doing great you really are! This ailment is the biggest pain in the ass! Cause nothing is the same! But I am willing to listen and talk! And I know you can do it! Yes it is hard and overwhelming. Being on the sensor I loved it but it also made me go crazy and obsessive compulsive to where I wasn’t being able to help pika properly so I have been there! I am currently off sensor and just glucose testing.

what dose is Jessi on and when diagnosed?

 

Thank you for the kind words, it's nice to be understood. It helps a lot. I have an exaggerated sense of responsibility to begin with, so this entire process is pushing me way into the deep end. If anything I have to lighten up more, get off my back more, trust more...but that is not easy when you are looking at numbers all day long, reading scary information, and feeling tossed around by lots of strong opinions.

Yes, you're right, I did get a bit obsessed. Right now I'm less obsessed but I could easily fall into that again. I don't want to though because I realize what a negative impact it has on me and on her both.

When the sensor stopped working, I was freaking out a bit, but once I knew we were going to get a new one, and knowing she was on a low dose, I just took a deep breathe. It was like we got a chance to pause for a moment. It was nice.

Now we're back in it, but I want to find a way to be more balanced about the whole thing. I still get ridiculously nervous when I have to give the shots. Afraid I'll mess it up, it won't go in, afraid I'll scare her, or hurt her...it does hurt her sometimes probably because I don't do it right, or maybe I hit a sore spot, she seems to have a lot of those...I hope I will get calmer about that too soon. The sensor kind of messed with me that way because I could see right away when I hadn't done the shot right, numbers going up or staying the same instead of going down. It made me realize I had probably missed more than I thought, before the sensor. So I started getting pretty nervous about that too. Of course, who knows, maybe a missed shot or two saved her since I was dosing blind and it was a pretty high dose, I realized when I saw the low numbers at the nadir.

Awareness can be a powerful tool, but it is also a huge responsibility. There is a reason Vets, and doctors in general, keep most patients in the dark about a lot of stuff.

Anyhow, here I am not getting sleep. I better go so I can catch my meager 4 or if I'm lucky, 5 hours of sleep.

You can check out these other posts of mine for more info. The dose has changed a few times and I was hoping to get opinions from folks here on what the vet instructed before I go to sleep. She wants me to go to 2 units in the morning and 1 at night for now. That is after I brought us down to 1 unit, twice daily, from 2, twice daily, after a bit of a scare with low numbers and the sensor dying at just the wrong moment.

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-member-may-2-2023-lantus-dose-changes.277877/

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...8-units-to-lantus-1-unit.277619/#post-3073154

 

Spreadsheet is getting going, I'm cutting and posting links to past threads, I'm using some of the lingo....Aren't I a fast learner?

Of course, I'm not getting any sleep, but....whatever, who needs sleep right?

 

speaking of obsessing, I have to now wonder if another shot went wrong. The BGs are going in the wrong direction. It's true that she at much more tonight than usual and we are still on a relatively low dose, but it is very early for her numbers to be at 289 and rising



let me know if you can't see the image, it's a graph from the sensor

It was fine in the end, numbers went down a little, so she must have gotten it, or at least part

 

Can't see the image

 

Previous post
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/thr...2023-lantus-dose-changes.277877/#post-3074191

 

We advise dose adjustments by 1/4 unit not a full unit so I would probably not recommend going from 1 to 2 units. Let me look at the spreadsheet

Lantus has a very strong smell. When in doubt, I always smell the spot of the shot to make sure. Also put your finger in it and see if the fur is wet

 

I see a lot of dose adjustments and maybe it’s because of the sensor malfunction and you felt you had to compensate but Lantus does better with consistency. You want to hold a dose for at least 5 days unless a dose reduction is earned. For example, on 5/19 she went under 90 so a dose reduction was earned but she was pretty high again by pmps so instead of skipping that shot, you would want to just decrease the dose by 1/4 unit. I think that was the day you were having weird readings though so you maybe felt safer to skip and I get that. This is where we disagree with vets we dose by the lowest point in a cycle and not by the pre shot numbers and we don’t adjust the dose by full units.

I would hold the 1.25 dose for at least 4 more days or 8 cycles, again unless she earns a reduction. @tiffmaxee what are your thoughts?

 

I've been working with the FDMB coming up on 2yrs in October. I was blind shooting Novlin & then prozinc for a year & a half. I didn't know anything about diabetes & my vet didn't make it a big deal & dummy me didn't research. I'm very grateful to have found the FB group & then got directed here, my boy probably wouldn't be with me anymore if I hadn't. Anyway I just wanted to pop in & say that I've been getting broken sleep since October of 2021 I'm super lucky if I get 4hrs in a row. I work full-time as well but I get a nap in whenever I can whether it be before PMPS shot or after PMPS shot. It's worked for me so far, I'm tired all the time but I do what I can for my boy

 

@Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) She wants to follow SLGS so she will hold for 7 days. I suggested 1.25 also. It’s more conservative but Stephanie give it a chance shooting the same dose every cycle.

 

I thought you were ok with 1.5

now I'm getting nervous with people saying 1.25

I'm a little unclear because originally most were telling me not to go to low when I was switching from Caninsulin to Lantus. One vet was telling me to start at 1 unit, instead people here were saying that was too low. The other vet said 2 units and at least some people here were in agreement. So I went with 2 units for 2 days until the numbers got alarmingly low. (though I was told they looked lower than they were and it would have been fine to leave it at 2 units)

So, I skipped a dose, then reduced to 1 because the sensor was malfunctioning. But then I was seeing such high numbers, so I raised it to a conservative 1.25 (that's why I wrote 1.2 in the spreadsheet) and kept it there for a few days. She has actually been on Lantus for a week now, just at differing doses. How does that relate to the depot? I wish I understood more about this.

Do I post this hear or on the Lantus dosing thread.

This is getting confusing with so many threads talking about the same thing.

 

Well, that's a scary thought. If I have to go on like this for that long I won't make it. I don't want to be tired all the time for years....there has to be a better way...

 

First, I wouldn’t write 1.2 because it’s confusing to us we really don’t use measurements that are not in 1/4 increments so my suggestion is to write in the notes column that you gave a skinny dose, but indicate 1.25 in the dose column. We were telling you to hold the 1.25 for at least 7 days. The inconsistency in dosing is not ideal for Lantus so since you were at 1.25 yesterday, we wanted you to give that dose a chance and hold it for 7 days, however, you increased to 1.5. So now please hold the 1.5 for 7 days. Do you understand what we’re saying? You need to hold a dose to give it a chance to work so you can gauge if it’s the ideal dose or not. If she goes below 90, then you decrease by 1/4 regardless, but if she doesn’t you hold the same dose for 7 days and then if it’s not working, you post and ask for advice and we’ll most likely tell you to increase by 1/4 unit. This is the process. What we’re trying to get you to do is to have patience and stick with a dose long enough for Lantus to work. Lantus requires consistency in dosing and timing thats why its important to hold the dose and to always shot at the same time with no longer than a 15 minute variance.

PS - now that she’s on Lantus, it’s not about how long she’s been on Lantus, it’s about how long she is at each dose.

 

Also, I know you were getting overwhelmed so I didn’t want to ask you if you read the Lantus links but I really do feel that you’d start to understand all of this a lot better if you did read the info on the dosing protocols so you’d understand the dosing process and how the adjustments work.

 

If you find a better way, please share it with me I also have no life outside of work

 

You are right about the threads. Start a new one tomorrow. It is best to keep all information in one place rather than more than one thread going at a a time. Stick with 1.5 like kI wrote the moat recently. For clarification I originally said 1.25 but when you said the bg readings were high I said then go with 1.5. I honestly don't think there is a right or wrong because the dose has been changed so much. Since you shot 1.5 I would continue unless you see it drops her under 90 since you are following SLGS.

 

So we shouldn't post separate threads for different topics? For me that seems more organized. Actually, I didn't intend to talk about dosing on this thread, I'll be more aware of it in the future.

 

The problem with running different threads at the same time is most of us will not read multiple threads to find out what’s going on and so won’t get the full picture.

Good job updating your ss and nice cycle last night.

 

Case in point, I never saw the other thread yesterday

 

I started a new thread, like you said and I could really use some advice right now on what to do if the preshot is lower than normal. But doesn't starting a new thread just add more threads and more confusion?

https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...ning-lantus-lower-than-normal-preshot.277958/

 

Not if you stop posting on this thread and post only on the new thread. That’s why members are encouraged to link their previous post at the top of the new post as I’m sure you’ve seen by now

 

I have to disagree here. She should write what she shoots. If she gives 1.2u, she should not write that she gave 1.25u. It actually can make a difference in some cats and my Gracie was one of them. After Gracie was a long-term diabetic, I changed doses in 0.1u quite often.

@Stefania S you are correct to write down the exact dose you have including the exact skinny or fat dose.

 

@Stefania S
I want to apologize for asking you multiple times about setting up your spreadsheet