Coming down from the shock of diagnosis at lunch time...

[Crikey]

Hello everyone,
Newberg was rescued from Newberg, Oregan after some ***hole kicked the living snot out of him and left him for dead by the Willamette River in 2001. He has been my best friend/confident/comic relief ever since. I leave to visit my sons in England on Wednesday and got the call that (almost) ruined everything at lunch time. I fell apart - is that normal? I really thought my other half would say we should put him down... but no. So here I am. I gave him his first 0.5 insulin shot. I paid $188 (yes just before my vacation, after the $240 vet bill from Saturday but I digress)...
How can such a piddly amount make him feel better? How can I get used to sticking a pin in my best friend? Any advice would be very much appreciated.

 

[BJM]

First, exhale. pause, and slowly breathe in a comfortably full breath. Repeat a few times. (Herbert Benson "The Relaxation Response").

...How can such a piddly amount make him feel better? How can I get used to sticking a pin in my best friend? ...

Small cat = small dose in most situations. Those chemistry folks will tell you there are hundreds of thousands of molecules of insulin in that tiny dose which help out any remaining insulin production from the pancreas. Something different from humans - the cat pancreas may heal and resume normal functioning if you give it a break be providing insulin shots.

You can because you must - just as you did things for your kids, you never thought you could do. You do it because a diabetic cat basically starves to death from inability to use what he eats unless he gets insulin. You keep him safe by testing his glucose before you inject.

You can do this!

 

[BJM]

So a little background info from you, please
What insulin?
What food?
How much does he weigh?

Your city and state will help us determine if anyone lives near you that could provide any hands on support. You can edit your signature by going to the top of the page and clicking on control panel, then browsing around there to see what the options are and make your selections.

 

[Deb & Wink]

Hi Newburg and your caregiver and welcome to the FDMB! What is your name?

 

[ohbell]

Welcome Newburg! Hang in there, this place is the BEST! You will get through it and YES, falling apart I think is part of it...
More information on your situation will help everyone help you and Newburg
Paw hugs coming your way

 

[Deb & Wink]

One of the best first steps you can do for Newburg, is to change his diet if he is not already on insulin. A change to a low-carb wet diet like Fancy Feast classic pates, Friskies pates or Wellness canned food can drop a cat's BG (blood glucose) levels 100 points. You said you have already given him one shot of insulin.

I would suggest trying that food change for a week or so and then starting up with the insulin route, unless there are ketones present in your cat. If there are ketones, your cat needs insulin sooner rather than later.

First, Please, read this. A Message from your cat. It might help a
little bit.

Second, the panic and devastation are perfectly normal. After all, this is your beloved, long time companion cat Newburg and you have received awful news. This diagnosis is not a death sentence. Your cat can live a long and healthy life and we may even be able to get Newburg in remission with a proper diet. Hang in there. It will get better.

Third, deep breathing exercises for whenever you start to feel overwhelmed. They really do help.

 

[Chris & Cheshire]

Welcome, Crikey, and sorry for your recent bad news.

The good news is that this is all manageable. I was daunted and pessimistic when we got the diagnosis, but really it's all been easier than I expected. It's a slight inconvenience to feed pet food, and costs a bit more for food, supplies and boarding, but it's something like a $30-40/month additional expense - quite doable for most budgets. My cat was diagnosed only a month ago, and while it was stressful for the first week, we pretty quickly fell into new patterns and have minimal fuss. He runs to the bathroom for BG tests (because he knows he'll get some parmesan for a treat). I inject him while he eats, and he doesn't even flinch. I kind of think it was all more stressful for me than the cat.

So take heart that it's manageable and won't be as bad or as miserable as you think.

 

[Tooloo]

Do you live in Newberg? I'm in Wilsonville, Oregon, about 20 minutes from Newberg.

I understand how you feel, especially getting ready to go overseas? Is your husband caring for him while you are gone?

It will be ok. We all went through it in the beginning. My kitty, Tootoo, loves his time with me getting poked with sharp things. He follows me into the bathroom and jumps up on the counter and starts purring as I'm getting ready with the lancet or the syringe. It wasn't always that way, but they know when they are being helped - or at least they eventually get it. Especially when they start to feel better. I'm too new to give you much dosing advice, but I can give advice on testing and injections. I've made it through the worst of that.

Hang in there! And as others said, give us more info on your kitty, where you live, etc.

Debbie