Kitty's trial thread - diary of a stressed out kittymom 4@+80

Carina Josefine

Carina Josefine

Member Since 2018
I was adviced moving my OTJ trial thread here, as the OTJ forum is too quiet. So this is merely a copy of the previous thread (which I would delete, if I knew how)

Kitty was perhaps not completely ready for a trial, but one "too low to shoot" number, became two, and before I knew it she was on a OTJ trial! I find it extremely nerve wrecking. I have nightmares about her having high blood sugar on the next test (and last night, the nightmare even included me being drunk while testing her - I don't even drink. Ever!). I also have nightmares about her finding hidden dry food or strangers giving it to her (STRANGER DANGER indeed)

In Kitty's eyes the world is good though. She got a Christmas three to wreck havoc on, and she got a new soft bathrobe (I bought it for myself - but Kitty wants it, so it's now her blankie).

4.3 @ +72. Go Pancreas, GO! You got this!

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Despite any tooth issues, Kitty's BG is looking terrific. See how she does and just take it day by day. It's nerve wracking I know but so far she seems to be saying she doesn't need insulin. Do you know when you will be able to get her teeth looked after?
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Despite any tooth issues, Kitty's BG is looking terrific. See how she does and just take it day by day. It's nerve wracking I know but so far she seems to be saying she doesn't need insulin. Do you know when you will be able to get her teeth looked after?
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They said to wait until mid-january, to make sure her pneumonia is not comming back. She was cleared of the pneumonia 12/12, but when she had it 3 years ago, it came back full force a couple of weeks weeks later. They want to make sure that this does not happen, before putting her through surgery. If it was up to me, it would be done as soon as possible, but I will take the vets advice on this one (eventhough I have not taken their advice on the diabetes treatment). 2 teeth should come out.
 
It sounds to me like it's possible Kitty never was diabetic but rather had elevated BG due to the pneumonia and possibly to a small degree the teeth. The pneumonia would no doubt have caused elevated BG and now that is cleared up, her BG has come back down to normal levels. Just a guess on my part.

Now that is love. She is certainly a big cuddler. So cute! She's a beautiful girl! Must make it hard to type eh? I guess you are like me.....you just work around the furbaby!:joyful:
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
It sounds to me like it's possible Kitty never was diabetic but rather had elevated BG due to the pneumonia and possibly to a small degree the teeth. The pneumonia would no doubt have caused elevated BG and now that is cleared up, her BG has come back down to normal levels. Just a guess on my part.

Now that is love. She is certainly a big cuddler. So cute! She's a beautiful girl! Must make it hard to type eh? I guess you are like me.....you just work around the furbaby!:joyful:
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In addition to the pneumonia, she also had pancreatitis. The tests for the pancreatitis came back clear the 17/12, so that should be okay too for now. It has crossed my mind if she is a "true" diabetic. there is something called "trainsient diabetic" isn't it?

If Kitty was to sleep on me, I work around it! I only wear clothes Kitty likes sleeping on. I just love it when she want to be close to me. And yes, I know how crazy that sounds :p

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Pancreatitis on top of the pneumonia would definitely add to the elevated BG. I really don't know if vets ever refer to "transient diabetes" but sometimes they jump to conclusions when they test and get an elevated BG. Was kitty diagnosed based just on a BG test or did the vet do a Fructosamine too? In this case with both pancreatitis and pneumonia possibly brewing, even a fructosamine might have come back positive when the real problem was the infections.

Carina Josefine said:
I just love it when she want to be close to me. And yes, I know how crazy that sounds :p
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Around here that doesn't sound crazy at all. To me that's normal or at least it should be! You are amongst folks who do likewise more often than not! And if I am going to be called crazy for loving my kitties, so be it. I like it that way! :woot:
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Pancreatitis on top of the pneumonia would definitely add to the elevated BG. I really don't know if vets ever refer to "transient diabetes" but sometimes they jump to conclusions when they test and get an elevated BG. Was kitty diagnosed based just on a BG test or did the vet do a Fructosamine too? In this case with both pancreatitis and pneumonia possibly brewing, even a fructosamine might have come back positive when the real problem was the infections.
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The fructosamin test was very elevated as will. Kitty had been coughing for a while then, and had already had several visits with x-rays and bloodiests. I was told there was no evidence of a lung infection. Eventually she got the diabetes diagnosis. A week later both lung infection and pancreatitis hit full force, and I took her to a different vet with a CT scanner, and he diagnosed her. I'm convinced she already had it in her body for a while. So thought has crossed my mind. Nothing would be better than Kitty not needing insulin, but now I like it here so much, lol.

Especially since this is a place where being "crazy" in love with my cat is totally acceptable! :D
 
Carina Josefine said:
but now I like it here so much, lol.
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Carina Josefine said:
Especially since this is a place where being "crazy" in love with my cat is totally acceptable!
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No need for you to not stick around. Even if you just come visit to cheer folks on or sooth a new diabetic parent a bit, it all helps and this board is totally volunteer. It's a great community and more like family than some real family members especially where the kitty crazy stuff come in!:p
 
Congrats on starting the OTJ trial. Here are the trial instructions for you.

Start the trial on the next green pre shot.

If he/she is green at your normal test times, no need to test further until the next "PS" time; just feed small meals and go about your day. If he/she is blue at your normal "PS", feed a small meal and test again after about 3 or 4 hours. If his/her number is lower 3-4 hours after a meal, then the pancreas is working!

Post every day so we can monitor your progress and see if any tweaks are needed. He/she may have a sporadic blue number. Don't panic but post before you decide whether to shoot so we can have a discussion.

After 14 days of no insulin, we have a party!!

Sometimes the trial doesn't work the first time and we have to give a little more support in the form of resuming insulin. It's not the end of the world if that happens; we just give him/her the support needed. Our goal is a strong remission and it's better to take our time to get that than to rush into remission just to have it fail later on.

Good luck with the trial!!!

Once he/she is through the trial successfully, you enter a new phase. Your cat is still diabetic but has now become diet-controlled. Continue feeding low carb food in the manner successful for your kitty. If you decide to change his/her feeding schedule, let your meter be your guide to the best times to feed. Avoid medications with sugar in them and steroid medications unless they are medically essential. Continue testing blood glucose weekly for the first month and then monthly forever. It's a good idea to weigh him/her monthly. Weight should remain stable. If he/she seems "off" or sick, or is showing signs of diabetes (excessive drinking, eating, urinating, weight loss), test his/her blood glucose right away. Keep the teeth and gums clean and healthy; dental issues can bring a cat out of remission. If you see rising blood glucose numbers, it's time for a visit to the vet!

Love the box under the Christmas tree! Kitty was likely a true diabetic, but I have heard that in some cases with pancreatitis, the healing can be fast. And I would still treat her as a non insulin dependant diabetic. Get dental work done when needed, stick to low carb food.
 
Linda's observation about illness and BG numbers is on target. Any form of infection or inflammation can cause BG numbers to rise. This is one of the reasons we encourage people to periodically test an OTJ kitty. If you see numbers rise, it may mean your cat needs dental work (due to inflammation) or is sick.

FYI - February is kitty dental month!
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Congrats on starting the OTJ trial. Here are the trial instructions for you.

Start the trial on the next green pre shot.

If he/she is green at your normal test times, no need to test further until the next "PS" time; just feed small meals and go about your day. If he/she is blue at your normal "PS", feed a small meal and test again after about 3 or 4 hours. If his/her number is lower 3-4 hours after a meal, then the pancreas is working!

Post every day so we can monitor your progress and see if any tweaks are needed. He/she may have a sporadic blue number. Don't panic but post before you decide whether to shoot so we can have a discussion.

After 14 days of no insulin, we have a party!!

Sometimes the trial doesn't work the first time and we have to give a little more support in the form of resuming insulin. It's not the end of the world if that happens; we just give him/her the support needed. Our goal is a strong remission and it's better to take our time to get that than to rush into remission just to have it fail later on.

Good luck with the trial!!!

Once he/she is through the trial successfully, you enter a new phase. Your cat is still diabetic but has now become diet-controlled. Continue feeding low carb food in the manner successful for your kitty. If you decide to change his/her feeding schedule, let your meter be your guide to the best times to feed. Avoid medications with sugar in them and steroid medications unless they are medically essential. Continue testing blood glucose weekly for the first month and then monthly forever. It's a good idea to weigh him/her monthly. Weight should remain stable. If he/she seems "off" or sick, or is showing signs of diabetes (excessive drinking, eating, urinating, weight loss), test his/her blood glucose right away. Keep the teeth and gums clean and healthy; dental issues can bring a cat out of remission. If you see rising blood glucose numbers, it's time for a visit to the vet!

Love the box under the Christmas tree! Kitty was likely a true diabetic, but I have heard that in some cases with pancreatitis, the healing can be fast. And I would still treat her as a non insulin dependant diabetic. Get dental work done when needed, stick to low carb food.
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We already started before reading any instructions here on this forum, but we did start on a green pre shot number :) That's how we started. One "too low too shoot" turn into two, and then we just decided to try.
When it says post every day, is that in a new thread, or can I keep updating this one?
If Kitty needs more insulin, she will have it. I'm not stubborn about that :) I won't see it if the end of the world if this doesn't work. Allthough I really am hoping! Giving insulin with green numbers I felt like I havent been able to leave her at all, in fear of her going too low. So not giving her insulin has enabled me to do some Christmas shopping! :D
Kitty never showed signs of diabetes before diagnosis, but I have read enough so that I think I'll be able to recognize them later on.

Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Linda's observation about illness and BG numbers is on target. Any form of infection or inflammation can cause BG numbers to rise. This is one of the reasons we encourage people to periodically test an OTJ kitty. If you see numbers rise, it may mean your cat needs dental work (due to inflammation) or is sick.

FYI - February is kitty dental month!
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What is kitty dental month? We will get Kitty's done in january, as soon as the vet gives us the "all clear" for it :)
 
Many vets, at least in North America, have discounts on dentals in February. That tradiition may not have crossed the water.

Here we like to celebrate OTJ trials, it gives people hope. Starting a new thread each way is the way we do it.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Many vets, at least in North America, have discounts on dentals in February. That tradiition may not have crossed the water.
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Ah allright. I don't believe we have that here. Either way I want it done as soon as the vet is comfortable putting her through it :)

I'll start a new thread then :)
 
Congratulations on dat 3, Kitty!!! Keep going, pretty girl!

As for cats...we are their world; we're all they've got, so the attachment them to us and us to them is only natural, and to be celebrated! ❤❤❤
 
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