I am so depressed...

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FluffBunny

FluffBunny

Member Since 2014
My 16 year old Gomez was diagnosed with diabetes 2 weeks ago. He has been on insulin for 11 days - started with 1 unit and is now on 1.5 units. My vet has told me not to test his BG at home because it will just drive me crazy, but I can't help myself. He hasn't been on 1.5 units long enough to do a curve, but I am doing one anyway. His BG is very high. Today's readings were AMPS - 530 (but I tested him about 30 minutes after he ate. +2 was 475, +4 was 318, +6 was 372 and + 9 was 431. His nadir appears to be around +4 to +5 hours based on today and other days I have tested him. I have both a Relion Micro and an AlphaTrak2. The above readings are from the Relion Micro. The AlphaTrak is, of course, even higher than the Relion.

I know what to do with BG readings that are dangerously low, but I am frustrated and frightened when I get these really high readings. When he was first diagnosed, his blood glucose was above 730 at the Pet ER. He has been losing weight and is now 8.10 lbs. - down from 8.6 when he was released from the ER on August 11th. He has always been a grazer and I am now feeding him twice a day. He eats, but clearly, he is not eating enough. I give him about 30 minutes to eat, walk away, then eat again.

I just want to cry. I keep testing his BG but I dread the results.

I know realistically that Gomez's days are numbered. He has hyperthyroidism and I found out recently that he has restrictive cardiomyopathy and is in congestive heart failure. I love this cat and I want to do everything possible for him, but I am in tears every day when I check his BG. Can anyone help me deal with these high readings? I have already rushed him to the Pet ER twice because of high readings. I am getting no sleep. I am a mess.
 
Welcome and sorry to hear about your distress. WE HAVE ALL BEEN THERE, and most recently myself when Harley and Davidson were both diagnosed with RKD. It's overwhelming but people are here to help. Does Gomez have a Spreadsheet?

You should test 2 hrs after he eats so that the reading is not influenced by food spikes. He is high, but there are other kitties higher and until you find the right dose you may find his numbers going all over the place. His +4 is GREAT, the insulin is working and you can see with your testing the wave of numbers. There is nothing wrong with the numbers you post above and you'll need to advise which method you are following: TR or SLGS as each is different and one may work better for you then the other. There are yellow stickies on the main Lantus page at the top and you can read up and see what is best for your schedule. Usually you want to do a curve when you've been on a steady dose for a week, however you can always do extra tests to see where Gomez is and that info will help later on as well.

Others will reply here and advise if there is a dose change, but I don't think so looking at his numbers and he should be on a dose for 5-7 cycles before changes are made.

Relax, take a breath and know there are people here to help you get thru this and it does get easier!!
 
I'm in the same boat... Only in two years in. You have barely started. It took my cat almost three months to even get a number under 300. It's frustrating I know. All we can do is the best we can.
Good job learning to test right away!


What are you feeding?
 
Do you have his recent data in a spreadsheet? All I can see is 2014. Many kitties, including mine, have lots of ugly numbers at the beginning. We can help you help him.:bighug: My girl also had heart disease, kidney disease, lymphoma and acromegaly. She still managed to live 5 years on insulin, in spite of the black numbers start.
 
I was feeding him Fancy Feast canned and dry. He has never like canned food and pretty much refuses to eat it. 2 days ago I switched him to Royal Canin Glycobalance (dry) which he seems to like. According to the instructions, he should eat 1/2 cup a day, but he never finishes the 1/4 cup I give him at meal times. I sometimes syringe feed him canned ProPlan DM. He won't eat it on his own. I haven't given him any DM today.
 
I have a spreadsheet for Gomez, but I have to figure out how to add it. The spreadsheet on my profile is for Oliver (aka Fluffbunny) who has been in remission for 4 years.
 
Leo has been diabetic for 3 years - celebrated in this thread
Leo has multiple issues, and I treat him as needed.

We have all been there. Diabetes is a long march, not a 5 minute sprint. You can do it with Gomez.
And in fact for Gomez you could just duplicate the "oliver" tab, and rename the new tab "Gomez". Then in your signature update the name there too.
 
FluffBunny said:
I just want to cry. I keep testing his BG but I dread the results.
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Aww! First, I am so so sorry you’re going through this! My kitty (who I rescued 8 months ago as a very sick adult) has had me frustrated with numbers many times - the last 2 days included! Sometimes i feel like my mood depends on his numbers - if he’s in the 100-200s, I feel good and accomplished. If he’s in the 300-400s, I feel anxious and like I’m not doing the right thing for him. It can totally drive someone crazy ...

The first step is to take a deep breath (I remind myself of that many times, lol). You have come to the right place, and your kitties numbers will improve with time.

I am sure you will get plenty of advice on what to do here, but I want to point out that consequences for cats with high sugars are not nearly as bad as they are for humans. Most cats can tolerate high sugars temporarily as long as they don’t have ketones. Since your cat was just diagnosed, no one expects him to be perfectly controlled right away. It takes time - even in humans!!

And as a side note, it’s OK to cry too! Sometimes if you just let yourself be sad for a few minutes, it passes and you may feel ready to take on the challenge. Be sure to make some time to go outside and get some fresh air or do something you enjoy to take your mind off things for a little while. (Owners gotta take care of themselves too!!) :bighug::bighug:
 
BTW - we ALL get frustrated, even with Davidson's great numbers in the green it's still frustrating when he's just surfing a wave that seems for ever. Only in the last few days has he shown better numbers at am/pm ps times.........No matter what level we are at, we all have the same feelings and frustrations, as well as excitement when we see good things happen. Hang in there!
 
Shawna & Davidson said:
Welcome and sorry to hear about your distress. WE HAVE ALL BEEN THERE, and most recently myself when Harley and Davidson were both diagnosed with RKD. It's overwhelming but people are here to help. Does Gomez have a Spreadsheet?

You should test 2 hrs after he eats so that the reading is not influenced by food spikes. He is high, but there are other kitties higher and until you find the right dose you may find his numbers going all over the place. His +4 is GREAT, the insulin is working and you can see with your testing the wave of numbers. There is nothing wrong with the numbers you post above and you'll need to advise which method you are following: TR or SLGS as each is different and one may work better for you then the other. There are yellow stickies on the main Lantus page at the top and you can read up and see what is best for your schedule. Usually you want to do a curve when you've been on a steady dose for a week, however you can always do extra tests to see where Gomez is and that info will help later on as well.

Others will reply here and advise if there is a dose change, but I don't think so looking at his numbers and he should be on a dose for 5-7 cycles before changes are made.

Relax, take a breath and know there are people here to help you get thru this and it does get easier!!
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Sorry to hear about Harley and Davidson such a shock you have had. I hope your furbabies will be ok
 
I want to thank all of you. You do make me feel better. I remember how supportive this message board was 4 years ago when I was dealing with Oliver. It's nice to have somewhere to go where people understand what you am going through.

I just got off the phone with my vet. She has suggested that I up his insulin to 2 units. She said she is breaking her own rule about not changing dosage too soon, but she also says his numbers are high and she knows I will check him often enough to catch any potential low reading problems. (I love this vet. She knows me really well. Unfortunately, she is leaving the practice on September 7th and I will have to deal with a new vet.)

Anyway, I am going to wait until tomorrow to up his dose. I need some sleep tonight. Also, I stepped on his tail about 5 minutes before I took his PMPS. That might have caused at least some of the spike.
 
Hello, I saw you Post."I am so Depressed" and for a minute I thought i must of wrote it! I've been on this forum for nearly 7 months. You are at the right place to get help. I don't give dosing advice, I'm still asking for help also. But I can give you a very good piece of advice. DO NOT feed any of your pets DRY food.

I have seen cats here go into remission from stopping dry food & gradually reducing the insulin over a period of time. If you go to Feline Health (The Main Forum) at the top of the page are yellow sticky notes. Please read Dry food by Dr. Pierson.

My Kitty Ravan is 16 yrs old. He was diagnosed with Diabetes 1/31/2018 but just recently diagnosed with stage two kidney disease & pancreatitis. A lot of the kitties have multiple problems .

The people that have been dealing with this for years really do know more than most vets. If you listen to your vet you will get confused. Home testing is the Best thing you can do !
Listen to the advice of the wise people here. They only want to help you & your kitty.

Read the information about the insulin & how it works. Once you understand it will be easier.

You can click on my Ravan's SS (spread Sheet) & see how he gets very High #'s also. I just increased his dose trying to get his BG (blood Glucose ) to come down.

Hang in there! You're off to a Great start just being Here! :) :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Welcome, and I am so sorry you are going through this. I will just reiterate what others have said that you have done so well with him already, trusting your intuition and testing on your own is a big win. You are in control. I have learned that a lot of vets are inexperienced in this field (since you , unfortunately. I truly believe (as well as countless others I'm sure) that this group has helped me so much, and really saved Shmee's life. There are many extremely experienced and knowledgeable people here to help you. I am so happy you found this group, I promise you will be too.
 
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I second JoyBee about the dry food, I do know it is hard though. Shmee ate dry food for 10 years before switching over to FF full time. If you do happen to think about all wet food again, this document really helped me. Its the same vet JoyBee recommended from the stickies: Tips for Transitioning to Wet Food from the website catinfo.org (this website was really eye opening for me).

Tight Regulation protocol requires all wet food, so if he will not go over to wet food you can follow Start Low Go Slow.

You got this :bighug:
 
I to was overwhelmed and didn't know what to do. I was crying and pulling my hair out. I wanted my boy better. If it wasn't for Shawna helping me and getting me on here I wouldn't know what to do. I am still learning all the time so I know how you feel . Like it was said to me I will pass it to you take a deep breathe relax and read read read. I learned a lot by reading the yellow stickies and I will admit I have learned by reading others posts.
I also test like crazy so don't think your the only one we are not crazy we are just caring for our loved one
Best place to get help so don't hesitate
 
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If kitty is on Lantus insulin you need to wait at least 3 days before you increase the dose & you only increase by .25 NOT .5 The high #'s sometimes take a while to come down. Increasing too much is not a good idea.
Someone with more experience than me can guide you thru dosing.It sounds like your vet is not knowledgeable about Lantus insulin.( many vets are not) It's slow working.

Once you get a spread sheet up & choose a method TR or SLGS it will help people to advise you. I'm sure your vet is a nice person but you came on this forum to get advice. The people here have a lot more experience & will help you. You need to trust them.

Everyone here LOVES their Kitties & are here to get Help. I go to my vet for tests But no longer ask him for advice about Diabetes.

I wish you & your Kitty well. It will get easier! Read the information given & ask a lot of questions. It will be OK! :)
 
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There are times when a 0.5 unit increase is appropriate. The spreadsheet will let us know if this is one of those times. The spreadsheet instructions should include instructions on how to add the link to your signature.
 
If you remember us from Oliver, you probably remember that we are very numbers driven. If you can get Gomez' spreadsheet linked, that will help enormously. If you're having a problem, please let us know. We'll send help! The instructions for linking your SS are here.

Like the others have noted, there is a pretty solid correlation between dry food and high numbers. Royal Canin may call their food "glycobalance" but the entire line of food, especially their dry food, is exceptionally high in carbs. If Gomez is going to be difficult about giving up the dry stuff, please look at Young Again Zero Carb as an option. It's about 5% carb. Also, remember that if you must feed dry food, you're only option as far as a dosing method is SLGS.

The beginning of the process is overwhelming -- even if you've done this before. If you remember from Oliver, it becomes part of your routine. Lantus is a good insulin. It does not work quickly to yank numbers down, though. It's a gentle insulin and as much as you want Gomez feeling better, it will take a little time to work. Most of us have no idea how long our cats have been working on becoming diabetic. We need to give them more than overnight to get used to being in better numbers. Hang in there.


 
Hello and welcome back! It looks like you've had experience on this forum before with Oliver. So you know it's a great group - great place for support when you're feeling down - and direction/advice - to refresh your memory :)

Don't despair - take a breath - read the forum - prep your SS - and take the first step. Those numbers will get better - maybe never perfect, as you know...but they'll get better...and then you move on to taking care of the other health issues with your furbaby...we're all here for you...sending hugs and vines to Gomez:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
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