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Buttercup320

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Hi my name is Samantha and my cat Dakota was just diagnosed with Diabetes this week. I thought it would be impossible to do since I hate needles and ask on a tight budget, but with the support of the vet it is seeming to be more doable. I am very nervous about it all and would appreciate any suggestions. Thank you.
 
Hi Samantha. I'm fairly new too but this board and website has been a lot of help. Are you doing home testing? It can be daunting at first but after about a week it gets easier. (I know b/c I just started a week ago and it's a lot easier already!) I would say that my suggestion is just take it one day at a time and try not to freak yourself out too much. Easier said than done, I know. I've done a lot of freaking out in the last 3 weeks!! :smile:
 
Welcome! :) Like Sabrina, I'm fairly new too. Kitten was diagnosed on Christmas weekend we started insulin on the 27th. I didn't start hometesting til last Thursday - and yes, daunting and stressful it was that first day...and a half. But wow, does it ever get easier, and its only been my 3rd day! I can't wait until it will be "no biggie". This has been the absolute best place to come and get advice and knowledge. At first I was so overwhelmed reading everything and trying to learn what was the best for my big furball...but slowly it begins to fall into place.
 
Hi and welcome to the board! Feline diabetes can be pretty overwhelming in the beginning so take your time, read the board, ask your questions, give your kitty extra hugs and kisses and know it will all be alright! We've been here for over two years now, you'll find a lot of new members and a lot of old timers .. and we are all here for the same reason .. we love our kitties and want the best for them!
 
Poopy and I welcome you to the best place you could have found for you and Dakota! cat_pet_icon The folks here are super friendly and share their day in and day out, hands on knowledge freely. I would have been lost without them!

And, yea, this whole dance can seem to be just too much, but we know why we learn it...our fuzzies. Turns out the dance isn't as difficult as we imagined, either!

Feel free to ask anything. :smile:
 
Oh Samantha, you are on for a very interesting journey. It will be ok. All of us started where you are at.
One invaluable tool for you would be the Newbie Kit.
In it you will have everything you need to start testing Dakota's blood sugars all on your own. This will save you a lot of money you would have to spend at the vet. Plus some other goodies.
It's your for free, check out the newbie kit link in my signature line.
Go to the web store....It will explain it all.
Talk more with you tomorow Samantha.
Lori
Newbie Kits
 
Welcome to FDMB Samantha.

This site will help you get through those fears in treating your kitty and soon you will be confident with those needles (I would pass out at the sight of a needle before Smokey developed diabetes) and it will also show you great ways to save costs. You will find that feline diabetes really isn't that difficult to treat at all.

You can check out these tables http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html or these ones https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B8Uu8g ... m=50&pli=1 to find food sold in stores under 10% carbs to feed so you don't have buy any expensive prescription foods.

The meter kit you will get from Lori if you hadn't requested one from Rebecca through FDMB already can really be a cost saver because you can do all your testing at home. You can buy additional strips for the meter even cheaper online, and blood glucose tests will costs you a tiny fraction of what they would if you took your cat to the vet every time.

Spend some time reading around the site. There is a wealth of information here. I think I read for 3 days before my first post.

Welcome to you and Dakota!
 
Welcome to you and buttercup~what a sweet name :smile:

This is the best place to come for advice for EVERYTHING...

What insulin are you using? How much? What are you feeding? Are you home testing? lol..... Ok, we ask questions too.

After a bit, you will have answers to all of those questions and be on the right track, from insulin type & amount, feeding low carb foods and treats to testing at home ~ being able to almost do that in your sleep.

Lots of information here to read and digest, but there are very basic skills that are like everyday breathing....o ya, dont forget to breathe and treat yourself duing this learning curve. Pretty soon, you will be offering your advice to other newbies.

My Bean girl was dx in mid April and in remission by the end of May. If it were not for this site, I dont think that would have ever happened or that she would still be here with me today. This forum was gently pushing me to home test along with not raising Beans insulin per vet suggestions. They also encouraged me (gently) to go with the foods that were on binkys list and under 10 carbs.

Well, I followed their advice, and that is why she is still here with me today, and she is in remission. Please sneak a peak at her spreadsheet in my signature if you would like. I really push for home testing as you will see that she was as low as 27 after 2 hours of her shot :o ......
If I had not tested, and started feeding higher carb foods that night (with the help from this forum: posting here and on the phone), the outlook would have been very very bad and I probably would not have her here now.

I did receive a newbie kit from Lori, and after a bit my pocketbook recovered and I bought a meter from walmart: relion micro as the strips are very affordable.

Hang in there, this is sooo doable that trust me, you will be doing all of the above in no time. Keep us posted! ;-)
 
Thanks for all the encouragement! I am going to get a kit as many of you suggested. The vet started us on the prescription food over the weekend and wants to keep Dakota (Buttercup is actually just my screen name but it would be cute for a cat too:) all day monday to see how he reacts to the insulin. I don't know how much that stay will cost but I am nervous about giving him too much. Did most of you do that to begin with or did you just start giving your cats insulin on your own?
 
Hi Samatha!
My kitty was diagnosed mid December and I was overwhelmed and so worried in the beginning. I did not start the insulin shots for a week until I was certain that it was the right thing to do. Trust me - after the first shot you will feel much better because you notice how simple it is to do and that you are making your kitty better!

So, go with the insulin, it is simple. I think my kitty even waits for it nowadays because it makes him feel better.
Also, doing hometesting for blood glucose will make you feel more comfortable because then you know what is going on (i.e. is blood sugar too high/low before you give the shot). Testing is a bit trickier to do, though I think I did it a bit wrong in the beginning and did not always get a blood sample. Now I THINK I know how to do it, let's see if it works the next time.... :) Any how, the cat does not feel it when you take blood test from his ear.

So, from my experience, it was a way more overwhelming in the beginning when the whole situation was new. Now the routines have been established and I feel better when I know kitty is feeling better. My next worry just is that he is not regulated yet, so need to figure out how to bring his BG level down, I hope a different kind of insulin and a diet change will help with that.

Take care!
 
LOL Samatha (buttercup)... I guess I should slow down in my reading or wait until I am not multi tasking :oops:
Welcome Dakota! Lets start again lol

I let Bean stay for her curve 1 wk after dx... during that time, I found this site. When she was done with the vet curve, he increased from 1 unit to 2....and suggested (think I mentioned this already) not to home test...

Will you be ordering your kit from here?

If not, just some thoughts that might keep you from making several trips... regular rice and 1 pair of baby socks (for ear warming), neosporin w/ pain ointment (for before and after poke), lancets that are smaller number gauge (and perhaps a box of larger number too) for drawing that blood and I found using the 27 gauge helped me more at first. Then I was able to use the 30 gauge after I became better at it and that ear learned to bleed. Again I found the relion micro tester had the best $$ for those test strips. You might want to get Ketone sticks for pee pee testing.

You might want to read up on the hypo page and get your hypo kit while there too. I found when Bean was 27, I really did not have much here to raise those numbers. After that night, the very next day, we had those supplies and did have to use the kit again before her remission.

I bet the food that is script is high in carbs? what kind did he give you? Bean loved the food for the first few days then decided it was not all that great. I returned it for a credit on our vet visit... Your vet should take it back.

Are you shooting yet? or waiting until after Monday? What insulin does he plan to give you?

Furry Paw hugs to ya
 
Welcome aboard!

There is a wealth of information here, along with helpful members. Hometesting may seem daunting at first but you will quickly adjust. I know that there are so many questions asked of you already regarding Dakota so I won't pile on anymore. LOL

Welcome to the boards.

-Lisa
 
When Poopy was diagnosed on 12/17, I was given his insulin and needles (after the vet and I went round and round on whether or not to put Poopy down - Poop doesn't like vets and is rather hostile with them. The vet didn't think I'd be able to give Poopy his shots), the vet showed me how to do the shots on one of the "shop" cats, and I was told to bring Poopy back in 1-2 weeks.

So off home we went and I shot my baby blind for over a week. Scary stuff. I found this forum and started home testing, and really struggled with it. Seemed no matter how hard I tried, I failed. And the poor Poop wasn't too keen about my fumbles either. The folks here really were a blessing through all of this, teaching me about home testing, food, and on and on.

Anyway, took Poopy back after 9 days and he was gaining weight (a really good thing!) and his BG was 233 at the vet's around +4-5. The vet said to double his dose and I really needed to put Poop on the prescription food. By then I already knew prescription food was higher in carbs than what I could buy at the grocery stores, and cost a heap less!, so I said thanks but no thanks. He wasn't pleased. I asked about home testing. He said there was no need for me to do so and he'd see me again in 1-2 weeks. When I questioned him about the dose and told him about the carbs in his recommended foods, he went off on me about "not believing everything you read" and I should "not be researching on the internet" etc.

Thanks to the great folks here, I did not double Poopy's dose (as you can see by his SS - and I believe a doubled dose would have sent him into hypo if not killed him), and got home testing going (finally!).

Having Dakota spend the day at the vet could be a good thing, if the vet is truly knowledgeable about feline diabetes. It's unfortunate that so many vets aren't really that knowledgeable. Bottom line, knowledge is power. Make your decisions knowing what to expect and doing what is best for you and Dakota. If there is anything we can do to help you help Dakota, we are here for you. :smile:
 
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