IBD & Diabetes

Status
Not open for further replies.
R & Mithril

R & Mithril

Member Since 2017
My grumpy old girl Mithril just came home from a 4 night stint at the hospital due to DKA plus anemia and dehydration. I'm a little mad at myself for not bringing her in sooner; we thought her symptoms were side effects of the steroids she was on to control her IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease).

Her first night at home seems to be going pretty well. The insulin injection went smoothly; she really didn't even notice. Unfortunately the syringes we got appear to only be marked at every 2 units. Are there insulin syringes with smaller markings? She's getting 2 units per dose right now, but I'm concerned about accuracy with these syringes.

Definitely not back to 100% though... there's some nausea going on (vet is aware), atypical aggression towards our other kitties (vet hasn't gotten that update yet), and OMG her appetite is crazy.

I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed. Lantus is crazy expensive. We don't have a blood glucose monitor yet. I don't know how we're going to balance treating her GI issues and her diabetes. And I'm worried about how the heck we're going to be able to keep her twice daily dosing over the long term. We're already used to giving her pills twice a day, but the timing has never been super critical. It's just a lot of change in a very short period of time!
 
Welcome! Please go introduce yourself on the main health forum where more people will see your post. Here are some things we'll want to know as well as answers to a few of your questions:
  1. When exactly was her diabetes diagnosed? How long before that was she put on steroids?
  2. What insulin are you using right now?
  3. Yes, there are better syringes. If you're using Lantus you can buy U100 syringes that have whole and half unit marks on them.
  4. Lantus is very expensive in the US so many people there order it from a reputable Canadian pharmacy for less than half the price (Marks Marine Pharmacy in Vancouver).
  5. Twice daily insulin dosing is essential for cats because they metabolize insulin quickly. Lantus works best on a fairly strict 12/12 schedule but other insulins like Vetsulin or ProZinc allow a little more flexibility (plus or minus an hour).
  6. If your kitty's diabetes is steroid induced the steroid dose or removal of steroids can impact the insulin dose. However, if the IBD responds to steroid treatment you can work the insulin dosing around that.
 
I have been doing the IBD/FD dance for about a year. It is workable, though with Lantus is a 12 hour cycle and I have't slept in for over a year. But you get used to get up, test - feed - shoot and right back to bed for a few zzzzz's.:)

Hope to see you over in the main health forum or the lantus forum.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top