New Decison & Scared

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Nicole & Baby

Nicole & Baby

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Baby was diagnosed on 12/11, we are on Wellenss & Nature's Variety Raw Rabbit.
Her #s are in the 200 range normally - I am Ok with this.......but don't want the Pancreas wearing out.
So..I am off the 7-10th of January ... & will start her on .5
I do have the RX in the fridge & the syringes.....but I know nothing! Will shoot her based off of videos.....any advice, help, etc?
I am SUPER SCARED to do this. The Vet looked at her #s & said..she would not put a kitty on insulin at this point......in all honesty...neither would I.
But knowing the pancreas.......I dont want any further damage.
I am single..........& only have myself to rely on....so I have to work, have two kitties nearly 9 & cannot be home at the 6 hour point...I can get a time feeder..but am waiting for my next paycheck... what do i do??
 
Hi Nicole

I know what you're going thru, it is scary - no doubt there, but I will tell u - u can do this and there's always a way to work around your schedule.
Tell us what a typical day is like, work schedule.
What time are u up and then go to work at?
Till what time in the evening?
Are weekends free for u?

Also, read some of the stickies up top on lantus, if you have, read them again to refresh yourself. Also, the thread titled : "Dear Mom"...read it! It's so inspiring!
Hang in there for others suggestions and recomendations. It will be ok.
cat_pet_icon
 
Take a deep breath. There are some amazing folks here who can walk you through what you will need to do. But I can promise you, nothing is scarier than that first injection (my benefit was that my first injection was on a human; but my nursing instructor had to take my hand and push in the needle...). But before anything else, take a breath...and another one.

Best-
Michele
 
Welcome to LL: Nicole, you will do fine. Read the stickies, get your spreadsheet set up so you are ready to go. You are smart in starting your kitty on insulin. Lots of us here have hectic schedules and life gets in the way but you will be able to manage all of it. Glad you found the forum. Keep your chin up, relax and breath.
 
Welcome to Lantus Land Nicole. I just posted to you and must have forgot to hit reply because I don't see it.
I am sure you must be scared....we have all been where you are.

When Putty was first diagnosed his numbers were only in the 200's also, so I think you are making a good decision to start insulin. Do you have syringes with 1/2 unit markings?
If you post the town/city you live in maybe somebody on this board may live near you and show you how to give Baby his first shot.

You are doing great with hometesting.....that is half the battle.
Did someone here suggest that you shoot .5 units twice a day?
 
Welcome to the Group, you are in good hands. Everyone here is very helpful in getting you started. Be positive and do not panic.
 
Hi there! What an awesome job getting numbers you've done! You are right that her numbers are rather low for a diabetic, but that does make starting now all the more important. You can start at an even lower dose if you're concerned, such as 1/4u. Regardless, don't be scared, you're going to do fine.

Did your vet show you how to give the injections? If not, there are lots of videos on youtube .. just search "cat insulin shot" Also, you might try posting on the Health board asking if anyone lives near you.. just list your city and state. If there's anyone near you, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to come over and help you!

Lots of people here hold full time jobs during the day and they will help you to learn how tests and shooting with work out for you and will give you pointers. As far as the food goes, some use feedersm and some people even freeze food and leave it out to where the kitty can eat it as it defrosts. You can also feed 3 times a day, which I did when I was working. Feed on the way out the door, feed on the way in and feed before bed.


((((hugs)))) Once you get started, this will all be old hat.. but you've done a terrific job so far!
 
Hi and Welcome to lantus land--I totally understand your feelings-
In my experience, i learned how to shoot from the videos AND
Practicing giving a shot to an Orange!! It does give you the feel of actually giving a shot, and, you can even shoot some water into it..It really helped me--I was sooo scared..But now almost 2 yrs later, it's 2nd nature to me..

You are already testing, so I'm going to send you the photos of what a 0.5unit dose looks like in the syringe..
Hope it helps, I still use it from time to time.. know you love your cat, so you will be great..

Here's the link to the photos: http://www.romlin.com/jock/SyringeFineGradations/


Good luck we are here for you. cat_pet_icon :YMHUG:
 
Hi and welcome,

I can't address the issue of insulin or no insulin, but others here will who know more than I do. I CAN say that when I had to give Basil his first shots, I felt totally nauseated and kind of faint. But now, I am pretty good at it.

There are three adults in my house (sometimes 4) and when we first started testing, it took all three of us. Now, any one of us can do it alone.

So hang in there and it will all work out. Best of luck!
 
Welcome aboard!

I too learned how to shoot from videos - the first one is the scariest, from then on - very easy. Someone suggested listing your city - any of us that are close would come and show you how to shoot, even test, get you started. Bottom line - don't worry! You are doing great! I am glad you have found the board - all here are wonderful people, very supportive, knowledgeable, helpful when one needs it.

Hang in there - it will all come together. Good Luck! cat_pet_icon
 
Welcome to LL :smile:

You have found the right place. Breathe!!! I think it's great that you want to give Baby insulin. The numbers are not terrible, but they are not normal for a kitty either. Please let us know what your schedule is like. It is important to shoot 12/12 with Lantus.

I think the 1/2U or even 1/4U may be all Baby needs. More experienced eyes will be along soon.

Post every day.

(((Hugs))) you can do this!
 
Welcome, Nicole!

You are definitely in good hands here -- so much experience, and so many people willing to share knowledge, and those with less experience (like me) will cheer you on.

It took me time to get comfortable shooting, but if this scaredy-cat can do it, anyone can! It all gets much, much, much easier with just a little time. :smile:
 
Welcome Nicole! You've found a wonderful place for information, guidance, and support.

Like many of the others here, I learned how to test and shoot by watching videos on YouTube. My best advice is to watch several of the videos. There are some rather odd people who make videos so look at several as a way to get a good cross-section. Many of us test, feed, then shoot -- in fact, I shoot when Gabby's head is buried in her food. I honestly thing testing is more difficult than shooting, so if you've mastered testing, shooting will be less challenging.

Like you, I'm the only one caring for Gabby and my kitten, Gizmo. And, like you, I work full time. I may have more flexibility in my schedule and there are days when I can come home for lunch and test. There are many times, though, when this is impossible. We have a back up message board. Once you register, you will be able to access the LantusLand section and there is a thread on how people who work full time manage. This is the link - I just don't know if you can get to it without being registered.

Please ask questions. The front end of this learning curve is huge. We're here to help.
 
Roni and Moonie said:
...AND
Practicing giving a shot to an Orange!!
Click to expand...
Don't tell anyone I told you this, but if you fill a syringe with vodka and shoot an orange, and then freeze or refrigerate the orange, you'll have a very nice adult snackus. LOL...just don't tell anyone. mkay? :mrgreen: (Yes, one of those nursing school things that get passed on...and you might want to mark which orange you -ah, "juiced" so that there is no accidental eating of it (or bringing it to school in lunch sacks. Ahem. Not me...)

Breathe, Nicole. You'll be fine. Have an orange! :mrgreen: (Just kidding...)

Best-
Michele
 
Hi Nicole,
Just wanted to welcome you to the boards!
WOW...you've already conquered the dreaded gl tests & have your spreadsheet up. :mrgreen: Great going! The hardest thing for me was getting Bee's ears to bleed. I personally found the shot itself to be a piece of cake from the very start. I keep her away from food for 2 hours before dose time. Then test, feed & shoot. She's so focused on her food that she doesn't even notice when I pull up the scruff of her neck & administer the shot. I hope it will be just that easy for you too!!

Good luck...we're all rooting for you! :RAHCAT
 
You can do it! It might take a lot of chocolate, some tears, a new alarm clock, timed feeders, a TON of reading....but you can do it.
Your vet will show you how to inject. It's really not too hard. And BG testing gets easier - mostly just a little frustrating when you miss, but hey, we've all missed. Your cat will pick up on your fear, so take a deep breath and exude confidence as you go in. And reward with a treat - so kitty will forward to the treat and ignore the poking.

Now what did I do with that orange - - - - - :lol:
 
Michele and Esse said:
Roni and Moonie said:
...AND
Practicing giving a shot to an Orange!!
Click to expand...
Don't tell anyone I told you this, but if you fill a syringe with vodka and shoot an orange, and then freeze or refrigerate the orange, you'll have a very nice adult snackus. LOL...just don't tell anyone. mkay? :mrgreen: (Yes, one of those nursing school things that get passed on...and you might want to mark which orange you -ah, "juiced" so that there is no accidental eating of it (or bringing it to school in lunch sacks. Ahem. Not me...)

Breathe, Nicole. You'll be fine. Have an orange! :mrgreen: (Just kidding...)

Best-
Michele
Click to expand...


errrr... Michele I think you are my new best friend drinking24
 
Oh Michele I know the orange thing from Med school! Did you ever actually eat one (I hate vodka!) I have done lot's of other evil things with fruit etc. And of course I perfected my sewing abilties on ham hocks! :lol:

I find an orange isn't so good for SQ technique, a raw chicken thigh works, you can make a pretty good tent with the skin.

Your gonna be just fine Nicole! After the dicussion here, I'm not so sure I can say without :lol: that you truly are in good hands.
 
I am just running out hte door but wanted to say hello quickly . I totally understand your fears - we all have had them - but you can do this and it is the right thing to do . I am also single with 2 kitties and work out of town so there was definately some stress related to not being able to check in at first but it will all work out. Take a deep breath - remember that you are doing this to help your darling critter. So many people here to help you :)
 
Good morning Nichole. Just getting around to reading your post and there really isn't much I can add to what everyone else has said, except Spot and I welcome you to FDMB!

Lots of good advise going on here...I especially like the chicken thigh suggestion for learning how to tent the skin. I was a lucky gal and my vet showed me how to shoot by using a solution and having me inject Spot in the office under their supervision (not sure exactly sure what the solution was, I was very nervous and didn't really pay attention).

Oh, yea, also enjoyed the advise about the vodka and oranges.....that would make a nice little snack on the go haha_smiley
 
Thank you everyone! I will reply with more here in a bit, but am at Work.
I am in Leawood, Kansas - anybody near by to show me how to shoot tomorrow - if not, I will watch the videos - just thought I would ask :-D
 
Hi. Well after looking at your spread sheet you are doing very well with the testing!

Its good to know that you will be home the first few days Baby is on insulin. This way you can do spot checks and see how the insulin is working. Keep in mind that you might not see the full effect for a few days (once his "shed" is full). Have you read the stickies about how Lantus works? I will try to post the link for you.

I also think injecting is easier than testing. The trick is to be swift and confident. No hesitating or slow poking :-)

Once you have to go back to work, you will feel more at ease once you have a timed feeder. I set Fluffy's for a snack at +4 and +8 just to make sure he doesnt go too low while I am not home.

Good luck! You are doing great so far :-D
 
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