Back from Vet

[Kitty mom]

Dasher and I are back from our teach of how to give him his insulin shot. He received two pokes and never moved or flinched ....this calmed me about the whole process.
They did want me to buy prescription wet food but I said no and gave them a list of the wet food from FF that they have eaten for years and are on the list for good FF for them to eat.
I decided instead of starting his first shot tonight I will start in the morning that way I'm home and awake and I can keep my eyes on him. They strongly suggested that for the first curve test to be done in two weeks and for it to be done at their office, I kind of think that's best too since I'm so new to this whole thing. The vet was on aboard about home monitoring but asked me to go slow and take one thing at a time. The vet did show me how to get blood from the ear and said he will work with me if needed when the time comes. I did give him a printout of questions and he will read them and address them with me in a call later today. He did tell me to keep him informed as to things I read as he's interesting in learning about something he may not be aware of...I liked that he is so open to my thoughts as well as others. My appointment was not with him but a vet technician but he stopped in to say hello.

A little history on Dasher,
We adopted he and his littermate Blitzed in January 2008 when they were 10 weeks old. Dasher is a terrified of anyone coming into our house or if we move to fast around him. Blitzen has become timid due to his brothers reaction but is not nearly as bad. Dasher is quiet and easy going , Blitzen is needy and a big crybaby.
I hope to add their picture to my avatar but it keeps telling me its to big and I'm really computer ignorant and have no idea how to size.

 

[Melanie and Smokey]

Sounds like your appointment went well. Good luck with your first shot in the morning!

 

[tiffmaxee]

The next thing I suggest you do is set up a spreadsheet on google to track your testing. The shots will be a piece of cake. I must say though that I can't tell Max's BG by looking at him. He looks the same whether at 32 or 332. I don't know if you are planning to test at home or not but set up a spreadsheet even if you aren't. I swore up and down I wouldn't and cried over it and if you look at mine you will see how far I have come!!

 

[BJM]

Can we get you started using our grid to record your glucose tests? It will help us give you better feedback. Instructions are here.

Understanding the spreadsheet/grid:

The colored headings at the top are the ranges of glucose values. They are color-coded to clue you in as to meaning.

Each day is 1 row. Each column stores different data for the day.

From left to right, you enter
the Date in the first column
the AMPS (morning pre-shot test) in the 2nd column
the Units given (turquoise column)

Then, there are 11 columns labeled +1 through +11
If you test at +5 (5 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +5 column
If you test at +7 (7 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +7 column
and so on.

Halfway across the page is the column for PMPS (evening pre-shot)
To the right is another turquoise column for Units given at the evening shot.

There is second set of columns labeled +1 through +11
If you snag a before bed test at +3, you enter the test number in the +3 column.

We separate day and night numbers like that because many cats go lower at night.

It is merely a grid for storing the info; no math required.
You might like to add a few more details into your signature (it will be at the bottom of every post)
Go to the top left of the screen.
Click on User Control Panel.
Click on Profile
Click on Edit Signature
A text box displays.
This is where you paste the link for your spreadsheet, once it is set up.
Add any other text, such as
your name, cat's name,
city and state,
date of Dx (diagnosis)
insulin
meter
any other pertinent issues like food issues, allergies, IBD, etc.

 

[Sue and Oliver (GA)]

It sounds like your vet is open, which is wonderful! We would urge you to go ahead and start testing at home. Giving insulin is blind is scary. We figure we wouldn't give insulin to our child without knowing what their levels are, and if the amount we were planning to give is safe. We treat our 4 legged children the same. Too often here people are surprised by a much lower number than they were expecting.

In a day or so, when you are comfortable giving the shot (lots of us gave it while the kitty is eating and they hardly notice) maybe go back to the vet and get some hands on testing help. (or we can teach you). Meanwhile get a ReliOn meter from Walmart and start figuring out how it works, on you or a willing human partner. Start messing with Max's ears, rubbing them, heating them with a rice sack - each time, giving him lots of praise and a low carb treat. Read the links and info on our Health thread on the Main forum page. There are lots of videos and information/tips on getting started.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

Once you are testing at home, it is easier and more accurate to do the curve at home. We know most cats are very stressed at the vet (especially a long day visit) and stress raises blood glucose levels. So numbers gotten at the vet can be much higher than those you get at home, and less accurate to base dosing decisions on. Once you are feeling more confident, you might broach this suggestion/idea with your vet.

Let us know how we can help, and welcome to the Sugar dance, where your cat leads and he is the one who can hear the music. Your job is to follow along. :mrgreen: