Hi Kristie and welcome.
Take a couple of deep breaths. I think when I found out that Gabby had diabetes it was among the worst days of my life. On top of the FD, she was critically ill with complications of the diabetes. FDMB was a lifesaver for me. What I can tell you is that I was completely overwhelmed with information at the beginning of this journey. The front end of this learning curve is huge. I think we tend to inundate newbies with everything we've learned and forget that it feels like you just swallowed a brick. So, deep breath and realize you don't need to know everything all at once. We're here to answer questions and provide support.
With kitties that have other medical issues, you and your vet need to work together to figure out the big picture. I really like my vet. She is a wonderful, caring and compassionate person who was fine with prescribing Lantus but does not know as much as the people here. Like many vets, she has carried over knowledge about shorter acting insulin to Lantus and the different types of insulin act very differently, As a result, we work together. Once she was sure that I knew what I was doing (or had good consultation from people here), she has not asked that I bring Gabby in for fructosamine levels or curves in the office. The time I brought in my spreadsheet, the vets in the office were blown away at the amount of data that I have. (Ok, I'm a testaholic!) They wanted to sell me prescription food. Once I knew better, I asked my vet some questions -- shouldn't Gabby be on a low carb diet? The vet said yes and then I pointed out that I could buy lower carb food that was better quality than the prescription food I was getting there. Once she saw I understood, she backed off since we were both working toward the same goal.
What I would suggest is putting some thought into what you think are the important questions and write them down. For example, how do you manage a low carb diabetic diet with juggling a diet that's important for bladder health? Is there any reason that both of your cats can't be fed the same thing? Which insulin does your vet prefer and why? Given the remission rates with Lantus, if the vet is recommending another insulin, I'd want to know why. If it's a matter of unfamiliarity with Lantus use, would your vet be willing to work with you to learn about it's use (since you now have all of us as resources)? Is your vet supportive of home testing? If not, why not? Again, there is research in top line vet journals to support the importance of home testing (at least with Lantus). (Sorry -- I'm a Lantus user so my information tends to be fairly specific to that insulin.) Find out what is the best way to communicate with your vet -- is it phone or e-mail? Can you get back in touch if you have more questions? If you're like me, you'll get home and think of all of the things you should have asked. Be clear that you don't want to be a bother but at the beginning, you are bound to feel unsure of yourself. Some people are fine with trusting the information they get here. Others want to run things past their vet. You need to do what you feel the most comfortable with but you also don't want your vet's cranky office manager to yell at you (and, unfortunately, we've seen that happen) because you need to contact your vet.
Take one thing at a time. We can help you prioritize. Probably most of us would focus on home testing first so asking your vet to show you how to test and how to give a shot are very important issues. You may want to bring a meter with you to the vet's office so you can see how the numbers from your meter stand up to the vet's testing. (Walmart's Relion meter and strips are among the least expensive available. Their syringes are also in 1/2 unit increments and are inexpensive.)
Remember that most vets have to know about a vast number of illnesses in a very broad range of species that they treat. For most vets, this means they can't be experts at everything nor can they be completely current in all areas of veterinary medicine. By the time you are up to speed on FD, you will, in all likelihood, be as well versed as your vet on FD. You may not know how FD fits in with other illnesses, but you will develop a surprising amount of expertise.
Sorry to have rambled on so long. Please keep asking questions. We're happy to help.
