Angie and Luna need a little help

[AngieD16]

Hello, I am very new here. I just found out my cat, luna has diabetes and we were prescribed Lantus.

This is my schedule, and If you can tell me if i am doing this right it would be great. I have a full time job


My schedule:

5:30am: wake up, and prepare Luna's food and Chi Chi's food ( they both have different requirements, so i prepare their food and have them eat separately. I also don't want Chi Chi eating Luna's diabetic food).

6:00am: feed both cats, while i prepare Luna's Insulin.

6:15am: I inject Luna ( i like to give her sometime to eat)

7:00 am: off to work ( sometimes 8am/8:30 i head to work)

5:30pm: prepare cats food for the evening.

6:00pm: feed cats

6:15pm: inject Luna ( 12 hours between last injection per instructions)



Sadly, this schedule changes because of where i have to go in the mornings before work. I hate to no be inconsistent, but i figure as long as i write down when i gave Luna the first shot and time the second one ( i set an alarm on my phone), i should be ok.

I also don't know how to test my cat. This week was her first week on Insulin. Luna can be handful if she is stressed or not liking a situation. She is especially stressed out at the Vet, but i am not expert on how to do these things , let alone trust myself to do it right.

 

[Paula]

http:///FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
Hi, and welcome to FDMB. above is the link that shows you how to home test.
You can use a human glucometer. Many of the members use Relion micro or Relion confirm.
I use the Relion Prime. it seems to be the cheapest and works well. Remember the strips have to match the meter. Relion can be bought at Walmart.
You need to be hometesting and what to do in case of a hypo.
I will pm some members who will be able to help you.

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Here is also some info on home testing: Testing and Shooting Tips

I'm sorry but I'm on my way out the door but will check back later to answer your testing time issue or others might be around as well. Apologies. But you at least have some info to read on testing.

 

[Jill & Alex (GA)]

Hello and welcome to the board Angie and Luna!
I moved your post over here... you'll get more eyes on your thread in this forum.

Here's a direct link to a list of tips, tricks, and videos contributed by our members to help others learn to hometest:
Hometesting Links and Tips

Check it out. You may find something there to help. If you have questions, please ask!

Hope to see you posting often!

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Hi, Angie and welcome to FDMB.

Lots of us use Lantus and work full time jobs. Likewise, lots of people who are new to managing their cat's FD ask about how to manage this situation. One of the long time members of the Lantus/Levemir board started this thread on the topic of following the Tight Regulation Protocol and working full time. You might find it both helpful and reassuring.

I'm also one of those people who works full time. I test, feed, and shoot at around 5:00 AM. This gives me about 2.5 hrs before I leave the house and enough time to get additional tests to make sure Gabby's numbers are in a safe range. With Lantus, you don't have to make sure that your cat eats her full meal prior to shooting. In fact, I put down Gabby's bowl and once she's taken a mouthful or two, she gets her shot. For most cats, the insulin doesn't start acting for roughly 2 hours (i.e, this is termed insulin onset). Most of us test, feed, and shoot within about 10 min.

Lantus does like consistency. If your shot times aren't off by more than 30 min., you should be OK. More than that can cause some issues since unlike short acting insulin, Lantus is a depot-type of insulin. The depot is what allows Lantus to have it's long duration. It also means that an early shot acts like a dose increase whereas a late shot acts like a dose reduction.

I know this is a lot to absorb. The front end of this learning curve is completely overwhelming. That's the bad news. The good news is that the people here on the Health board and on the Lantus/Lev board are very generous with their time and their knowledge. We're here to help! You might want to take a look at the sticky notes at the top of the Lantus/Lev board. There's a huge amount of information and it will help to get you acclimated. We are big advocates of home testing. It is the best way to keep your cat safe and keep your cat less stressed. The folks here on Health can provide you with resources in addition to the information that Paula provided. (And after I posted, I saw that Jill and Marje both provided more info.)

Please let us know how we can help.