Introducing Oreo and his mom.

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puddersmom

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Hi my name is Niki I am 36 year old female from a suburb of Minneapolis Minnesota. I am the proud mom of a black and white tuxedo cat Oreo aka Pudders. He gets called Pudders or Puddy more than Oreo. Pudders was diagnosed with Diabetes in April of 2012. Me being a college student and on Social Security Disability I thought this meant I was going to have to put him to sleep. So I made the appointment and started preparing myself. I decided to talk to a friend that had a diabetic cat and she begged me not to put him down. She told me about the cost and said that the insulin lasts about 6 months and the food about 2. So with a talk with my parents and A LOT of thinking I decided to keep him. Pudders being diabetic gets a lot of bladder infections about every 2-3 months. This last time his food and the bill for that hit at the same time and it was over 200 dollars. That weekend I thought his blood sugar was low so I freaked out and took him to the ER. 600 dollars later he was fine. He was just real high. So I thought to myself I have to start looking for some kid of help again. Because if this continues I am going to have to put him down. I just can't afford it anymore. I am skipping on my needs because of his needs. So that's when I found DCIN. And I am so very grateful. Pudders is on completely wet food now since Thursday night. And he is doing so much better. His blood sugar has been in the 100's. I am so so proud of him. He went from 4 units to 1 unit. And he has turned into the little trouble maker. Seems like I am always yelling at him now. haha. But it is nice to have my kitty back. I been worried about him. I am looking forward to this new adventure that him and I are on. We both ask to just please be patient with us. As we are getting use to the new adjustment and the lango.

Thanks-
Niki and Oreo/Pudders
 
Niki,

Welcome to Lantus Land! It sounds like you are off on the right foot and doing the right things. We're happy to help, as we have all been in your shoes. As you are learning, there are ways to make diabetes a bit less expensive so always ask a lot of questions and keep reading other people's threads.

I lived in St. Paul for about 10 years and loved it there, but am in South Carolina now.
 
welcome Niki! And welcome Oreo! I'm glad you found this board. You will get all the help and support here you could possibly imagine.
 
Welcome Niki and Pudders!

It is difficult to care for a special needs kitty, but it's manageable! I am also a poor student, but we're making do. Home testing will mean less visits to the vet and costs saved on running fructosamine curves. I am so glad you found us, and have decided to give Pudders a fighting chance! This place is a lifesaver (quite literally!) Some cats are able to go into remission just from changing the diet from high carb to low carb. It sounds like you've done a really nice job regulating Pudders, and paws crossed that he will be one of the lucky ones who goes into remission eventually.

Courtney and Kismet
 
Welcome to LantusLand, Niki and Pudders! We are all a bunch of crazy cat ladies and are happy to help you however we can. The expertise on this board is amazing so please ask lots of questions because someone will have some suggestions.
Liz, Zener's other mom (I sign my posts and Anne doesn't)
 
Welcome to Lantus Land, Nikki and Pudders!

Feel free to ask any questions as many times as you need. Every single one of us has started out where you are at with very little knowledge on how to help our kitties, but through all the wonderful people here, you'll eventually get to where you will be the one paying it forward to the new members. :-D It's a steep learning curve, but you'll get there!

It's amazing how such a "little" change like food can lead to such drastically improved results, but it happens every day on here. I just wish we could get more people to realize how bad dry food is before they have to end up here. You're already off to a great start and I agree with Courtney and Kismet that if Pudders can head toward remission, you've found the right place to get him there. :-)
 
Hi Niki,
Glad you found FDMB. It looks like you have also connected with DCIN. They should be of great help as well.
I am not on the board often, but do live in Mpls. If you ever need any local support, don't hesitate to ask. I would be happy to do what ever I can.

You are in good hands!

Carolyn
 
Courtney and Kismet said:
Welcome Niki and Pudders!

It is difficult to care for a special needs kitty, but it's manageable! I am also a poor student, but we're making do. Home testing will mean less visits to the vet and costs saved on running fructosamine curves. I am so glad you found us, and have decided to give Pudders a fighting chance! This place is a lifesaver (quite literally!) Some cats are able to go into remission just from changing the diet from high carb to low carb. It sounds like you've done a really nice job regulating Pudders, and paws crossed that he will be one of the lucky ones who goes into remission eventually.

Courtney and Kismet
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Hi Courtney,
I thought you were a teacher, and your profile says professor.... just wondering as post as Penny Dreadful on the facebook group as a freshman college teacher of composition and rhetoric.
Are you a student teacher perhaps?
 
Hey there! Welcome to lantus land. Here is some info on posting.

Every day ( or as often as you can ) we post a thread ( we call it a "condo")

The subject line looks like this - with the date, the cats name and then its readings. We update the subject line as we get readings through the day, or at the end of the day. ie 2/24 Pudders AMPS 160 +6 0128
The subject line can include a little icon like a ? if you have a question, or 911 if its a serious emergency. Rainbow and candle are for cats that have passed. Greenie is if your cat is in green numbers!

The content of your condo ideally contains a summary of how Pudders did that day and a link to the previous days condo with respect to the 5 Ps (peeing, pooing, purring, playing and preening) ie
Today Pudders was all happy and purry - he was playing with his toy ball. He ate lots but is still peeing a lot. Should I increase the dose?

Again welcome!
Wendy
 
Blue said:
Hi Courtney,
I thought you were a teacher, and your profile says professor.... just wondering as post as Penny Dreadful on the facebook group as a freshman college teacher of composition and rhetoric.
Are you a student teacher perhaps?
Click to expand...

Yes... I am a graduate student / teaching assistant. I was a awarded a Teaching Assistant Scholarship that allows me to teach in exchange for a tuition waiver and a stipend, not to mention the experience. My husband is a full time professor at the same University -- he teaches film and literature, and I teach ENC 1101 (English Composition and Rhetoric.) So, in addition to teaching, I am also taking four grad classes (my last semester of coursework - yipeee!) and working on my thesis. It leaves me very, very, little free time and not much money (state budget cuts -- thanks Rick Scott) but we somehow still manage to treat Kismet. :smile:
 
Hi Niki,
Nice to see you post in the LL forum! Please ask any questions that come up. You'll get lots of eyes on your questions, and this place is active 24 hours a day.

We are all a bunch of crazy cat ladies and are happy to help you however we can.
Click to expand...

Well, not all of us are crazy cat ladies, but the guys are hopelessly outnumbered! Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.... :lol:

Carl
 
Hi Niki. Welcome to LL. I found this wonderful place 5 months ago. At the beginning it was overwhelming but with time you get it sorted out. The folks here are great and possess a tremendous amount of knowledge. You mentioned that Pudders was in the 100s now but not whether you home tested or the vet tested. If you haven't purchased a BG meter yet one tip I'll offer is consider the cost of the strips rather than the cost of the meter.

If you read all of the star post on the Tight Regulation main page you'll find a lot of info.
Carl wrote: Well, not all of us are crazy cat ladies, but the guys are hopelessly outnumbered! Which isn't necessarily a bad thing​
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Ditto

Again welcome and looking forward to following Pudders progress.
 
Hi, Niki and welcome to Lantus Land!

Congrats on getting Oreo switched over to canned food, mastering testing, and getting your spreadsheet (SS) up and running. You may want to read over the starred, sticky notes at the top of the board. The sticky notes contain a huge amount of information on Lantus and it's use. They'll also help with some of the lingo and help to familiarize you with how this board operates.

It really does look like Oreo is having a very good response to being on a low carb, canned food diet. I suspect as you see Oreo's number stay in lower ranges, he's going to have fewer problems with UTIs. (The UTIs develop because there's glucose in the urine. The glucose is fertile ground for bacteria to develop so the less glucose in the urine, the fewer the UTIs.)

If I may, I'd like to encourage you to start getting a test or two (or more) during the PM cycle. It sounds like your day time schedule is busy. That makes getting tests at night even more important. Lantus dosing is based on the lowest point of the cycle -- not on your pre-shot test numbers. Doing what you can to get tests during the cycle is important. Getting tests before you leave the house, when you get home, before you go to bed, etc. is a way to get random tests throughout the day and evening.

Please let us know how we can help. The people here are incredibly generous with their time and knowledge. I hope you'll post on a regular basis so we get the chance to see how Oreo is progressing.
 
Hi Nikki & Puddy, welcome to LL. We came from all aspects of life from all over the world. Hope you get the most here & have Puddy regulated & OTJ the soonest!
Dont worry, people here are very patient. Just ask if you have any query. :thumbup
 
WOW thanks all for the wonderful welcome for both of us. I am trying to get into the habit of testing him 3 times a day at least. I got sick to about a week after he got into DCIN. So it was hard to test him at all. Now that he is just on wet food. I want to make sure I am testing him more. I don't want to miss a low and something happen to him. I feel very blessed to have DCIN's help and this board to come too. When he got accepted I cried after I got off the phone. I just couldn't believe I got to keep him and that there was help. He is so much more than just a cat to me. He's my best friend. I am hoping once I get caught up with school work I will be able to take a day and look around the board and see if I can get more information. I will let you guys know if I have any questions. Just please be patient with us. And thanks for calling him Puddy or Pudders. Makes me feel like you guys care about him. Oh and Carolyn. Totally awesome your in MLPS. Thanks so much.

Thanks-
Niki and Oreo/Pudders.
 
Niki, we're all crazy about our puds (I call Kismet puddy a lot, too ;) We wouldn't be here if we weren't! You're part of the family now, and everyone here has Pudder's best interest at heart. We want to help you to help give him the best care he can get.

I wish you all the best in sorting out your schoolwork. Everyone here was new once, and many of us arrived panicked and desperate, so we understand where you're coming from and everyone will be patient with you :) Just make sure you do read through the stickies (maybe even print them out for bedtime reading when you have time). It's a steep learning curve, but we're here to answer your questions and to help you. You will never be alone, and there is always someone online in case you need help urgently or have a pressing question. I hope this helps alleviate some stress... it's truly a wonderful community to be a part of.
 
welcome to the ll
i am no expert but i have tons of support to give and can help wih little things like navigating or keeping track of when to test. I am a wack job when it comes to lil ruben so no question or concern is too crazy. lol poor ruben can't blink funny and i'm on the board in full on panic mode. :lol:
look around there is a ton to read and lots of love to be shared.
 
Oh good than I won't feel bad. Oreo meows and I jump. Because he isn't a talker. So right away I think something is wrong and I got to fix it. Love that I found you guys. And I can be a total wack job with you all.

Thanks-
Niki and Oreo/Pudders
 
Hi guys, just wanted to stop by and welcome you to lantus land as well! You'll be amazed at the knowledge on this board, and there's almost always someone on here to help you with your questions, this board is amazing!
 
I can be a total wack job with you all.
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We're gonna get along fabulously.. :-D

The best part about this place, is there is never judgement. Thank goodness :razz: Everyone here "gets it"
Let me know if I can help. Again I can not give dosing advise, but I can give tons of support and point you in the direction for links on here. I was so stressed over Rubens DX I couldn't navigate around here and anytime someone gave me a link or showed me what I needed to do, it saved stress and time. I am here to pay it forward. Your in the right place and you have a very lucky kitty to have you.
 
Welcome Niki & Pudders! :dizcat :RAHCAT we'll all be sharing thoughts & giving advice when we can.....I've been with all the great people here since 11/15/12 & learned a great deal since then..........Sabrina(not haha_smiley )& I are still being educated, venting our frustrations with the medical society that are really sometimes back in the stone age with their views regarding the treatment of our beloved furbabies! cat(2)_steam Again, welcome aboard Cindy & Sabrina cat_pet_icon
 
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