Hello, just diagnosed

[Martha and Lolly (GA)]

Hi, my Lolly cat (12 yrs old) was diagnosed last week, and since then I have been researching like mad. I go to a clinic with two vets, both U of P trained. One recommends the twice a day shots with minimal BG testing, the other wants to treat aggressively with tight regulation using lantus. I also took her to a vet with 30 yrs experience, she said the whole home testing/tight regulation thing is impossible, cats levels are erratic. Any thoughts? Does everyone here do tight regulation? Do you get repeatable results?

I'm trying tight regulation but I'm really having a problem with sticking her ear. I've been having to use a flashlight to see the vein around the edge. Then, each time I get a stick, that part of her vein is shot -- after 4 readings her ear vein is a mess. I'm having a hard time with doing this. Please help, am I doing something wrong?? The insulin shots are a breeze, but the sticks are a nightmare.

Also, I need to buy more lancets. I have the alpha track 2 glucometer, but their lancets are $26 for 100, as opposed to say Abbott freestyle (28 gauge) $10 for 100. Does it make any difference as long as they are the same gauge?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[BJM]

You may use any lancet that works for you; you can even freehand it without a lancet pen, if you prefer.
Its OK to use the paw pad, too.
Tight Regulation is possible for a committed owner (and I'm not talking asylums!!!).
It works best with 2 shots per day, as close to 12 hours apart as possible.
Dose adjustments are based on the nadir, the lowest glucose post-insulin shot.
For safety, until you have mid-cycle data showing how low the glucose is going, we suggest you not shoot below 200 mg/dL on an inexpensive human glucometer or 230 mg/dL on an expensive AlphaTrak. See my signature link Glucometer Notes for more details on meter readings and reference ranges for cats.​

 

[Deb & Wink]

Hi Martha and welcome to the FDMB! First, take a deep breath, than another. We've all been where you are now and understand how stressful this diagnosis can be.

Yup, there are a lot of people here that follow the Roomp and Rand protocol for Tight Regulation. There are even Insulin Support Groups on this forum specifically devoted to Lantus and Levimir use. You may want to read some of the posts at the top of that forum. They all start with the word STICKY and are loaded with information. You may want to start with this one since you asked about Tight Regulation .

Are you warming the ear before poking? A small sock filled with a few tablespoons of rice, tied at the top and warmed in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and then applied to the ear can help to get the blood flowing. You want it now warmer than you would like on your bare skin.

Lancets are lancets and most should fit in whatever lancet pen you use. The larger gauge lancets, 26-28 gauge, have a bigger pin for poking and can help in the beginning to get that drop of blood. These lancets are sometimes labeled "for alternate site use". You might try for 2 pokes, really close together to get a blood drop.

The Alphatrak needs a very small blood drop, 0.3 microliters which is about the size of a pin head.

Now that you have introduced yourself with this post, why don't you join us on the Feline Health forum,

 

[KPassa]

Welcome Martha and Lolly!

Your three vets seem to cover the whole gamut of protocols for feline diabetes. Not everyone here does Tight Regulation, nor is TR even possible for some cats and caregivers due to various reasons. What is most important is making sure your cat safely gets the insulin she needs. That's where home testing comes in. It's great that you've already started testing, even if you have run into a few problems. Try not to aim directly for the vein. You want to aim for the space between the vein and the edge of the ear in what we call the "sweet spot." Here are a few more ear testing tips that you might find helpful.

 

[Martha and Lolly (GA)]

OMG thank you for the wonderful ear testing tips. I have really been upset about this. My vet says the idea is to do the tight regulation with the idea that she'll go into remission. She says that if the protocol is started soon enough after the dx, there is a 70% chance of remission within 6 months. I'm not sure we caught it in time though. It's pretty hard for us to do, unless I can get my husband to do the nadir readings since he can come home. But he's really freaked by the blood sampling. Hopefully your ear tips can help. Thank you!

 

[Robert and Echo]

Hi Martha, welcome to the group. I'm glad that you've posted an intro so that our members will understand a little more about your kitty. Trust this -- we've got some sweet and caring folks around here that want to help!

Since you've also posted a question in Health, (thanks!) I'm going to close this and let's move over there.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...-kittys-ears-and-need-bg-curve-advice.131441/