New at Insulin

Status
Not open for further replies.
carfurby (GA)

carfurby (GA)

Very Active Member
I'm not sure if I should be posting to the Lantus forum or not. Everything I read says to wait until you understand more before you do.

I posted last night about the low reading (67) and needing to give Furball her next shot. I decided to wait until this morning because it was so late when I got the next reading (188). This morning, I was not able to get a reading and she didn't want to eat. I did not give her the shot. I know this is not good since I am just starting her on the insulin. Her first shot was yesterday morning. She does not hold still for me when I am trying to prick her ear and I have trouble sometimes getting a reading. I can only prick one ear because she has an ear infection in the other ear and is very sensitive to it being touched. I have been very stressed out lately and not sleeping well. I was very tired this morning when I needed to feed her and give her the shot. Looking back, I realize I probably should have given her the shot, but since I am on the two shots every 12 hours, I will have to wait. I work and have to do the shots at 6:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. to keep her on schedule.

My vet says it is okay to give her the shot if I can't get a reading. That scares me since during the week I won't be at home to check on her and I just got the low reading last night.

Any suggestions are appreciated. I don't want to hurt Furball, but I'm not sure what I'm doing and the vet isn't open in the mornings when I need to give her the shot if I have questions.
 
You can post here and in the Lantus forum. As long as you have a spreadsheet going (congrats on that btw) they can help you with dosing. Be sure to read the stickies (starred topics) at the top of the page first as they will all ask you if you have. :mrgreen: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=9

No, I agree with you and not your vet. With the numbers she has already gotten on Lantus, I would not shoot without getting a blood glucose number first.

As far as testing, we found it helpful the first week or so to put Oliver in a kitty burrito. We put a towel down on the couch next to the arm. We plopped him on top and wrapped him up until only his head was showing. We could lightly press him into the arm of the couch and keep him there. The other thing that is very important in the beginning is to heat the ear enough. Most cats like this so you can work on doing that today until your next shot time - a prescription bottle filled with hot water works as does a thinnish sock filled with rice and heated in the microwave. Hold it next to her ear for a minute or two, with lots of praise and a snack after.
 
Hi there!
I don't use Lantus, but like any insulin I would not give unless I could test first. Especially in the beginning because you don't know how Furball is going to react. Just think if you would have shot into 67, but not knowing she was 67. That's is VERY SCARY! All the members will tell you to test before each shot. It's important!

If your vet is like mine he didn't ever really give me the right dosing amount. I learned from the insulin support board, ProZinc. Post on the Lantus board they will help you through any dosing suggestion. I have heard amazing stories about Lantus cats.

If you have a questions just post. No questions is to stupid. No question will go unanswered. You won't drive anybody crazy either if you post a lot. You never know your post could be helping someone else. ;-)

Good Luck!
Jenn & Baxter
 
I would feel free to post on the Lantus forum. There are more people online at any time and someone will see your questions sooner. Look at this sticky to see information on how we format our posts. When I was new, I don't think I ever read it straight through because I was so stressed! But it does have almost all the info you need right there. Also, see the other stickies on top of theLantus/TR forum.

Regardless of post format, the people on Lantus are helpful and want to see you help your cat. Good job on the spreadsheet! My cat was diagnosed in January so I'm still kind of a newbie myself :) Welcome, and ask as many questions as you want.

Another important question for others who might stop by: What are you feeding furball? If you recently changed to all wet, that can lower her numbers nicely. 67 is a good and normal BG, but we need to figure out all the factors in how that happened. Some tests in the middle of the cycle will tell how low Furball is going. Usually with Lantus, they will arrive at a lowest number somewhere between +3-6 after their shot.
 
Furball was diagnosed at the beginning of February. I was told to change her diet from free feeding dry food and some canned food in the evening to just canned food two times per day. I was able to phase out the dry food within a week. She has been eating 9 Lives Tuna and Egg or 9 Lives Super Supper since then. She usually eats 3/4 of a can at a time. Although there are some days she doesn't seem to want to eat much. This confuses me since I keep reading that diabetic cats are always hungry.
 
Hi Carla,
Try not to feel to0 confused. The learning curve here is fairly steep, but you'll get there. It's a lot to soak in all at once. You'll find out that "always" and "never" really don't apply to cats. Yes, most diabetics act like they are starving (which is actually what happens to a diabetic) and at first they eat much more than they did before they got sick. That eventually stops, once the insulin starts to make them feel better. But they all have off days. Sometimes they just feel like crap and don't want to eat. That's something you want to pay attention to, of course, because eating is important to a kitty getting insulin. The insulin and the food sort of have a tug-of-war over what the blood glucose is going to be. Food pushes it up, insulin pushes it down. Not enough food and the insulin will act in effect more strongly.

I know the vet said twice a day feeding, and people have advised many smaller meals throughout the day. Then there is your schedule and the fact that you work and can't be home to feed during the day. Lots of people have had to deal with that issue, and those that have can give you some tips on how to make it work for Furball. The many small meals is the best way to go, so we'll just have to help figure out how to make that happen.

You might also have a hard time getting tests in between shots with your work schedule. The most important shots that you need to get are the two per day just before her shots. The other really important time to be able to check her BG is at the mid-point between shots, (nadir) which is when the insulin should be most effective, and that is the number that Lantus dosing is based upon. Some people can't get the day-time tests in, so they set the alarm to get a middle of the night test or two. But a lot of people are in the same sort of situation you are in, and they can help by telling you how it works out for them. You may have to do more testing on the days you don't work, maybe do a BG curve one day per weekend. What it comes down to is that you can only do what it is possible for you to do. You'll figure out how to adjust to this new situation you find yourself and Furball in, and it really will just become a new routine for you both. But people need to sleep, and people need to work, and the rest of the world doesn't stop turning. You just figure out how to do it, and ask people for help that have done it.

The food you are feeding her is a good diet for a diabetic. The change to canned food has already improved her condition. You just don't have the home-testing numbers to prove that maybe yet, but it has helped a good bit. And as time goes by, it will get easier to get those ear pokes too. Once she figures out the pokes and the needles cause her to ultimately feel better, it's actually something she will not avoid. Many cats end up reminding us when it's time for the next test or shot. The trick is to make it a "reward" experience for her. Find a low carb treat she really loves, and give her one every time you have to stick her with some sharp object. She'll purr through the process. Bob's been in remission for 8 months, and if hears the meter beep, or the zipper on the meter case open, he comes running looking for some shrimp. He learned quick, and still hasn't forgotten!

This will get easier, and less confusing or overwhelming.

Carl
 
Welcome to the fd world.
Lots of folks have given you great advice. That will always happen here.

I was (Bean is in remission) a PZI insulin user, but by following the advice from this site, my Bean did go into remission and my Bean is still here with me today. It has almost been 1 yr since her last shot, she has not been back to the vet since her curve 1 week after her dx and I thank this forum for that 100%!

It will get much easier, the steps will become routine for you both. I never would have thought that Bean would get into my lap for her testing. She was not and still is not a lap cat unless she wants it. But, with a special treat (only during test time), she will hop right onto my lap and is patient while momma tests. She sees me get the test basket (all the goodies in it), and start to carry it to our chair (only test in one place), she is right there~knowing she is getting that treat... I dont test that much anymore due to remission, but just last week, I pulled out the test basket and got her attention, started walking to the chair and before I could get the goodies set onto the table, she was jumping in my lap......mommabean cried! Yes, I sure did.....

I love her sooo much as all of us here do and I am sooo glad I followed the advice given to me from everyone here. If you would like to glance at her spreadsheet you will see why I cry when I think of loosing her due to not home testing and trying like crazy to follow the vets advice. He wanted me to increase the insulin from 1 unit to 2, wanted me to feed script foods (high carb), and did not want me to test at home! eeeeeks.

Sorry for the long post.....glad you are here and keep posting, asking and things will work out...

furry paw hugs coming your way :smile:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top