6/18, Binie AMPS 394, +3 244, +6 261

Last post: https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/6-17-binie-pmps-351-3-111-4-52.291229/#post-3187424

Good evening,

after the sharp drop yesterday and the dose reduction we had an almost all yellow day today. Tonight she is starting high and I really hope to get some sleep. I really need it.

I am so worried because I feel the libre falls off easier in summer and without the libre I don't know how to keep her safe. I really have to make changes and either learn to test her better or learn to install the libre myself or both.

I wrote an e-mail to the vet today with the dates of the dose reductions I made the last two weeks. Unbelievable, how fast she is changing at the moment! On friday the vet will check her wound again. There is still an open hole where the stitch was but I think it looks better. I wonder how much the boswellia helped in all this. Maybe it's worth keeping it in mind.

For some times of the day I really recognize my little girl again. I think she is much better. On thursday I will get a fence for my terrasse. I plan to keep her fenced as long as her bg is so unpredictable. Maybe in future she can go out again but we will see. The fence will also help me because at the moment, I always have to supervise her when she is out which is kind of a hassle.

I hope everyone is having a relaxed evening and a safe night!

 

Hi Heike, sorry I somehow missed your post yesterday. I see Binie dropped down and you gave her a reduction.

I’m glad to hear her wound is looking better. That’s great news. Hope the vet agrees.

When you mentioned that Libre falls off easier in this weather, is something different? Can you keep that sensor covered? Does Binie go outside and maybe brush up against something that could pull it off. Or does she go under furniture?

I have to keep Ivy’s sensor covered or she will pull it off.
Something to think about.
And yes it’s good to try to learn how to put it on yourself. I know it’s stressful but hopefully it’s not all the time.
And yes poking her ear is important, too.
All hard things to do. But you’re such a great Mum to her, you’re doing an incredible job! Keep at it. Every day comes with more practice.
I hope you get some good quality sleep tonight!

 

Hi Staci, thank you so much for asking about the libre! Yes, things have changed. First of all her fur grows faster again. When she was so sick it was almost not growing so we haven't had the problem with the fur pushing the libre out. But the main problem seems to be that she loves lying very flat on her side on the warm tiles of the terrasse. If she lies on the side with the libre, that makes it more likely it gets disloged. I thought we found the perfect place because where we put it she is not licking and if she is lying on her cat bed or sofa the sensor is always up in the air and she is not lying on it. I already put a cat bed outside in the hope she would use that but she simply loves the warm tiles. Keeping her inside is not really an option as this is her quality of life and I already restricted her to the terrasse.

One thing I didn't manage so far is to find a good cover. I am sure that would help. I tried the tegaderm but everytime I did that she was attracted to lick the area because it seems to irritate her. So I bought two different kind of covers on Amazon but I feel they are not sticking well and not helping at all. I bought a pet razor but I never get it trimmed 100 % neatly. It is so annoying. In the beginning I managed to keep the sensors for 14 days most of the time. Fortunately we have a relatively rainy and cold summer in Germany. Everyone is complaining but I love it because it means Binie is not lying on the tiles. What kind of cover do you use for Ivy?

I hope the current sensor stays on until friday, when we go to the vet. But I don't think so as we get many sensor error messages already. I hope it at least it lasts this night, as she is dropping already.

I really have to learn to put them on. Even though she became better with going to the vet it is stress for her. And also for me, I have to rent a car to go there or take a horribly expensive cab and of course they are charging me for putting it on. I watched all these videos in the facebook group but after that one fail I was too scared to try again. And as we had to go to the vet anyway it was easier to let them do it and they never did these crazy things people complain about like using vet bond. So this is really the next step....

If you have any tipps for me I would be super grateful!

 

I understand. Do you think she would tolerate wearing a tee shirt or a tank top? (I bought a 12 month baby size from a store, or Amazon etc).
Many cats are fine with it. Ivy hated the tee shirt with sleeves. But in January switched her to a tube top which she tolerated much much better.
I know from one time I tested her, she ripped the Libre off in 5 minutes
This is what she wears now:


and this was with a tee


I see Ivy’s fur is growing fast too so I understand what you mean. I think you can really use any kind of hair trimmer, just getting as close a trim as possible. I don’t use a pet trimmer, I just ordered a quiet trimmer since she got spooked by a louder one initially.

But with practice it gets easier, like anything.
And yes, placement is important too. I try to get it higher up on her back, so she doesn’t lie on it (that’s harder to find just the right spot, I agree!)
This is not Ivy but a picture I saved for reference


I do hope some of these ideas help. It’s a lot to figure out.
I don’t let Ivy outside, so I don’t have that issue. But I understand you want Binie to go out a bit. I think that makes it harder.
And yes, taking her to the vet with out a car and the expense is a lot to deal with.
I hope one day you can do it yourself so it’s easier for both of you!
And I intentionally replace the sensor on day 12 or 13 (if it lasts that long) just to avoid the fur getting too long and other issues on the last day or so.
Hope all of this helps!

 

Thank you so much Staci!!!! First of all, Ivy looks super cute in her tank top! It is so nice to see her pictures! Unfortunately there is no way Binie wears anything. We tried that after the surgery and it was a desaster. So far we managed well without because we placed it out of her reach. The first one she ripped off after three hours because it was near her shoulder where she likes to lick a lot. I think close to the spine (but not too close for safety reason) like on the picture could be a solution for our problem. That really helps! I will try that next time at the vet or myself.

Keeping Binie inside is impossible. When she still lived with my neigbors she lived 100 % outside even though they didn't like the idea. She just came home for food. With me she started to enjoy being inside a bit more but especially in summer she wants to go out. Now she is still on the terrasse and I can't bring her inside even though it is way past my bedtime. Before her diabetes I would just have gone to bed knowing, she can come in through the cat flap. Now everything is complicated. So I will have more tomorrow....

Hope you can collect some sleeping hours tonight! Thank you so much Staci, that really helped!

 

Any chance Binie would wear a Kitty Holster or something like it? I got Neko one and it was very easy for me to get it on and off. I used it as a harness for when she came on the airplane with me. You could also use it as a harness to let her wander outside more.

 

I never tried a holster. She is quite sensitive to wear anything, I tried a lot after the surgery but we ended up with a cone because it was impossible to make her wear anything. But maybe it is worth a try. Thank you!

 

I'm sorry it's so difficult, Heike. I do understand. Many people suggest I should just be able to poke Ivy and get rid of the Libre. I really wish I could but she's just too difficult and gets very angry and will scratch and bite me. When she's very angry I cannot even give her the insulin injection, so that would be the worst scenario.
I'm doing the best I can and I know you are too.

I'm happy to have others' suggestions and listen and try new things I haven't tried. That's all you can do is to try.
Keep at it, you're doing great!

 

Thank you Staci! It really is like that - we can only do our best. I think I will experiment further with the right location (your photo helped a lot!) and maybe I will try the kitty holster Wendy mentioned.

And you described exactly why I don't like poking before insulin. I risk that she is so annoyed that I can't get the insuline in anymore. Ivy looks soooo sweet! So hard to imagine she can be such a dragon. But Binie can also look like an angel until she is annoyed about something. I wish you a peaceful evening with Ivy and thank you so much for your encouraging words and tipps!