Re: Nervous Nellie Newbie Shooting for the FIRST TIME Tomorr
Tonya,
It's intimidating at first, but as many people said, it gets easier. I'm doing a second round now with a new cat I adopted. Yes, both Barry and Paisley were adopted knowing they were diabetic. Given that I'm diabetic I couldn't see the reasoning behind euthanasia. The people here are great. They are generous with their support and experience. Even though I'd been through this with Barry (now OTJ) I've panicked several times and anticipate it'll happen again. The support has been great.
Regarding the vet... It reminds me of the saying "Do you want to talk to the man in charge or the woman who knows what's going on?" My first vet visit with Barry was horrible. He was a shelter cat who'd already been diagnosed at the shelter and put on Lantus. First, it wasn't the vet clinic I went to and I didn't know they even had a female vet. I had info from here and a good idea of what was needed (as opposed to the putting it in practice thing). Vet didn't like home testing. She increased his insulin from 2u to 3u, which I know now was really stupid). The vet tech was really nasty because I insisted on feeding Fancy Feast and not Purina DM. It was a horrible experience overall and we didn't go back for a while, which I'm not advocating. When I increased the Lantus according to the vet's directions, Barry blood sugar shot so high the glucometer couldn't read it (over 600). I immediately posted here and got help very quickly. I realized then that the vet really didn't know what she was doing. Given the vast number of things that can go wrong with a large variety of animals, it made sense. That's why we send people to specialists. I stuck close to what info I read here and listened to the people who are or have done this on a daily basis. When I do that, life is much easier.
Home testing. Barry taught me the importance of home testing. I had slacked off of testing and one night had a feeling I needed to test before his shot. He gave me a 16 & 18. I did a control solution test. Checked my BS. It really was that low. No symptoms of hypoglycemia. If I had given him his shot, I'm certain he would have died. When I took Paisley in for her first appointment the vet said he didn't think home testing was necessary. He can think all he wants. I KNOW it is important. Paisley has thrown me 30s. When I'm told that home testing isn't necessary I tell them about Barry and ask what would have happened if I had shot at that. What can they say?
Air bubbles, fur shot, poking self.... You're giving insulin under the skin not IV so you won't kill your cat with an air thrombosis. Besides, bubbles are very small. Fur shots, like ****, happen. After shots I run my hand over the shot area to check for moisture. It makes me feel better. Poking yourself, also like ****, happens on occasion. According to the pharmacist, getting insulin in muscle will hurt for a couple days. You're more likely to poke yourself testing, from my experience.
Best advice......READ, READ, READ.....BREATHE (repeat as needed).....Keep spreadsheet up to date.....Post condos so many eyes can keep track of progress and catch things you might miss or not have thought of....Ask ANY questions you have and remember it's ok to ask the same question more than once (or twice)....
Remember that this is about the health of your cat, not the health of the vet's ego. You can do this. It can be discouraging, frustrating, overwhelming and tiring. Don't let that stop you. Post your concerns. We're here because of our cats and we do understand. Maybe most of all, be gentle with yourself. That you didn't have your cat euthanized at diagnosis says loads about you. It puts you in the "very special person" category.
Welcome to Lantus Land!!!!! Enjoy the ride. :YMPEACE:
Barry Dx 6/2009. Lantus. OTJ 10/23/2009 otj_icon
Pailsy Dx 5/2011 Lantus. A work in progress. haha_smiley
