5 months and glucose level is still sky high and now at at 800?!

[TESSA VAUGHAN]

The vet is now telling me that there may be something else wrong with my cat because we can't get her glucose level down. After 5 months this is where we are. I have bought 3 freestyle libra's. First one worked , 2nd one fell off as soon as it was stuck on, 3rd one didn't scan. The last 2 months I have been giving bella 5 units twice a day and then after 4weeks i take her to the vet and they take blood to test her levels. Last month it was 600 and she had gained 2 pounds, this month she lost 4 ounes and her level is 800. Now my vet says I have to bring her and leave her so they can do a CBC, a curve and all kids of other test because now she is saying there must b something else wrong with her since we can't get her levels regulate. Her levels are not going to be right by dropping g her off and doing this either. The stress will have levels off the chart. So frustrated and I do t k ow what to do now.I do not want leave her . i need advice please. Any and all would help!
Thank u

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Without specific BGs at various times l89ke right before shot and say 4 and 6 hours after shot I can't really say anything.
If you have such data can you post it?
Is your cat (name?) amenable for you to take blood from the ear and test it using a human meter?
What are you feeding?
What insulin are you using?
Doing blood work is a good idea. You want both a CBC (complete blood count) and blood chemistry too.
What

and all kids of other test

did they suggest?
A curve at the vet is not representative of normal BGs like you said.

 

[Deb & Wink]

What kind of blood test?

Was that test they did at the vet by any chance a Fructosamine test?

 

[Veronica & Babu-chiri]

First of all Welcome!!

Second take a big breath and after that try answering all our questions, we ask a lot because we want to have as much information as possible to help you.

I'm assuming you are not home testing using a regular blood glucose monitor not the freestyle libre which tend to be a bit problematic for cats (some have had good results but a lot of us haven't been able to use it) and all the results you have have been from samples taken by the vet, the best way to get more accurate test results is for you to learn how to test at home, with a regular blood glucose monitor by poking his ear ,we can help you with that.

This way you will have a lot more information on a daily basis and without the stress of vet visits

The CBC is probably a good idea just to check his overall health but he does not have to stay at the vet for that

What other tests is the vet talking about?

 

[Deb & Wink]

The vet is now telling me that there may be something else wrong with my cat because we can't get her glucose level down. ............After 5 months this is where we are. Her levels are not going to be right by dropping g her off and doing this either. The stress will have levels off the chart. So frustrated and I do t k ow what to do now.I do not want leave her . i need advice please. Any and all would help!

Welcome Tessa. Would you please share your cat's name with us?

Have you seen AND read this? New? How You Can Help Us Help You! New doesn't necessary mean new to feline diabetes. It means new to the forum.

We don't want to frustrate you or overwhelm you with too much info. But we need some more background to help you better.

What food are you feeding? low carb canned? one of those dry veterinary prescription diets?
Do you want to learn to home test BG levels?

Did you come over from one of the other feline diabetes groups? Which one?

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi Tessa and welcome to fdmb. I am so glad you have found us.
Can you tell us what type of insulin you are using and how did the vet increase the dose?
Did he increase the dose in 1 unit increments?

We can definitely help you but we will need more information.
Taking your kitty to the vet every so many weeks for a blood test is definitely not the best way to find out if the insulin is working.
Most cats get very stressed when going to the vet and that raises their blood glucose levels.
Also your kitty could have been bouncing in high numbers on the day she went to the vet for testing.

To help your kitty, I would suggest a couple of things.
The first is to home test the blood glucose levels. This will give you up to date critical information about how your kitty is reacting to the insulin. It is not hard to home test. We all do it here and after a few days it becomes quite easy. And the benifits far outweigh any teething issues you might have with the testing.
The link for home testing is on the link that Deb and Wink gave you in the above post...'New, How we can help you help us'

The second thing you can do is set up a spreadsheet and document all the BG numbers you get. With this information we can help you.. The link for the SS is also in the link I just mentioned.

So many care givers arrive here feeling distressed as you are feeling. There is no need to put your kitty through more vet stress. By doing the testing yourself, you will not only save money, you will be doing the biggest thing to help keep your kitty safe.
Keep asking questions. There is a lot to learn in the beginning but you will soon feel much more in control.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

The CBC is probably a good idea

A CBC only determines the amount of the constituents (red blood cells, white blood cells, including the different types of those, HCT (hematocrit), platelets. and TP (total protein) and platelets. Values like MCV (mean corpuscular volume) are calculated from those values. To get a good indication of health blood chemistry is also required. Labratories typically offer blood panels like a senior panel that includes CBC and chemistry as well as usually thyroid value.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome to FDMB!

I'm wondering if you've had a chance to have a sit down with your vet and find out what s/he's thinking may be underlying the very high blood glucose (BG) levels? In other words, what's the vet's rationale for the tests? Is there one or more underlying conditions that they are trying to rule out?

There are some cats that do need large doses of insulin. Typically, these are cats with endocrine issues such as acromegaly or cats that are insulin resistant. Hyperthyroidism can also have an effect on BG numbers. For acromegaly and insulin resistance, blood needs to be sent to the veterinary lab at Michigan State. It's the only place that does the necessary testing.