New-ish Member

Status
Not open for further replies.
LindyNova

LindyNova

Member Since 2019
Hello! Doing my intro a bit late, but it is what it is. This is going to be a book, I'm afraid......

I joined the FDMB & FBook page back in Nov--after Nova's diagnosis of 507--no ketones--before insulin. She was down 4 lbs from a high of 15. I learned more about good food, made the switch to Friskies Pate--axed the dry--her numbers dropped almost 200 points on food alone in 1 week. Got a meter/strips/lancets from a friend. When we started the insulin the vet saw her every week for a BG test. I tried to test but failed miserably--the FB people made me feel better, but it took me a super-long time to trust myself (and not be affected from the nay-sayers in my fam) and find my way. When the vet raised the insulin from 1u to 2 u, I about had a heart attack--seriously some MAJOR anxiety--especially reading about the SLGS in the lantus info---SO worried about a hypo, but swallowed my fear and raised while still not testing except maybe once or twice on the weekends. Recently switched to using a syringe instead of the lantus pen needles and also started feeding 3x/day rather than 2x with some help from my oldest son. (I'm at work, and my hubs won't do it--claims he will barf from the smell.) Ordered a fructosamine test in Dec and Nova was still double the acceptable #.

Today, I went to the Vet (after 1 month) and she said that she was very happy that Nova's numbers stayed in the 280s in the last three months since diagnosis, and didn't need to see her for 3 months or so. Well!.....I am certainly not comfortable with that, not to mention their not being into home testing (the numbers will drive you crazy!---somewhat true) and never suggested a curve either at home or at their office. When I mentioned the curve I did yesterday--that showed a bounce, they shrugged it off. (!) So today, I announced to my husband and adult sons that I am going to do my very best to test before each and every shot and some mid-cycle tests (+5-6) and doing a curve at least every couple weeks, if not more. My husband freaked, my oldest son agreed with him (no changes!!!), and my youngest son doesn't have a problem with it.

So, here I am....reading more....taking control, & putting my faith & trust in myself and you all.

I don't post often. I DO like to read. But if I ever have a question, or need help....big or small, here is where I will will turn---or if not concerning anything huge, maybe the FB page.

Thank you all in advance. :) Linda & Nova
 
Last edited:
Hey Linda! Glad to see you over here from the FB group!

I'm thrilled you're going to take charge with Nova's care and that you have at least 2 out of 3 of the men in your life's support (we'll keep working on that hubby of yours)

For now, it's just a matter of gathering more data...at least before every shot and (if at all possible) at least a mid-cycle on the AM cycle and at least a "before bed" on the PM cycle. Most cats go lower at night so it's important!

I saw you mentioned Start Low, Go Slow....if that's the dosing method you are choosing, he actually earned a reduction in dose yesterday by dropping below 90 so he'd drop to 1.75U

If you can get Pre-shots and at least 1 test mid-cycle on every cycle, you could do TR (but if you have help from your son's, it's safer and better to get more than 1 test in between the shots. If you think about your spreadsheet like it's a puzzle, the more pieces (tests) you have sprinkled around, the easier it is to figure out what the whole picture is.

Also, you should pick one meter and use it consistently for your spreadsheet. Going back and forth between a human and a pet meter will not only drive you crazy, it'll make your spreadsheet harder for us to decipher and help you the best.

Since you have your signature done and your spreadsheet going, feel free to post in the Lantus forum where you'll get the most experienced eyes helping you.

Reading other member's posts will also help you. You might see questions that you didn't even think of to ask, or explanations that make more sense to you than others.

Good luck and welcome to the sugardance!
 
Hello and a belated welcome to FDMB. I am glad to hear that you will be testing before every shot and doing your own curves. This is the most accurate way of determining how well your dose is working. You will soon realize that taking your cat to the vet for testing is no longer needed. Tests at the vets office are usually not as accurate as doing them at home since stress can considerably raise glucose levels. What some members do is email a copy of the spreadsheet to their vet just so they know how their cat is doing. You will also eventually become comfortable about adjusting the dose based on your readings. Don't worry, we are here to help you when that time comes.

Any time you have questions, let us know. That is the purpose of this board, to help our members to give the best care to their sugar kitties.
 
Hi Linda,
Nova is a real cutie! Thankfully you’ll get tons of support here. The experts will chime in, I know, but I wanted to say hi and that I wish the best for you and Nova. It’s not easy to move forward when you’re having to face resistance. I admire you for being such a good kittie mom.
Hugs,
Susan & Scout
 
Thanks very much to you both. One quick question...since I am having a hard time with the testing before the insulin...Nova gets all growly hissy and that makes it hard to give her shot while/right after she finishes...how much ahead of the feed/shoot can the test be? If she is lying down, we don't have a problem unless the blood doesn't come right away, but then she doesn't mind the additional poke....
 
sandscout said:
Hi Linda,
Nova is a real cutie! Thankfully you’ll get tons of support here. The experts will chime in, I know, but I wanted to say hi and that I wish the best for you and Nova. It’s not easy to move forward when you’re having to face resistance. I admire you for being such a good kittie mom.
Hugs,
Susan & Scout
Click to expand...
Thank you! that pic was taken when she was a whopping 15lbs and healthy. She is working her way back up from 11 at dx, now at 12.4. The resistance is very hard, but I understand where he's coming from....he sees me stress, and doesn't like that. BUT the stress I feel is much less when I know appx where her numbers are.
 
Welcome! Your story sounds similar to mine. I did not home test for a long time and just stressfully and expensively tried to manage my kitty’s diabetes without it, until one day I just told myself I had to “suck it up” and start trying. My girl was a difficult little nightmare and hated testing when I started, so not every test was successful but I kept at it. After a few weeks she finally decided testing wasn’t a big deal after all :rolleyes: and I could test her 3+ times a day, no problem. Being able to test her at home and know what her numbers were like was SO much less stressful than when I was trying to manage her diabetes blindly. Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions you have, you got this! :cat:
 
Linda and Nova, I just stopped in to say that you are awesome. I love my vet, but he also had very little to recommend when we got started. Your vet did one great thing, they got you on a great insulin for kitties. You are awesome for getting Nova on a better diet. Being able to test at home is going to truly help you fine-tune Nova's treatment.

For once, having anxiety worked in my favor. I started home testing Billy right away because I was terrified not to. I got great information from this site, and great advice from the people here. I don't mean to frighten you, I just want to illustrate how important home testing is. I would have lost my Billy on day five if it were not for this board and home testing. If I hadn't been home testing, I would have followed my vet's advice and given him 2 units when he was at 52 BGL. This board and these people saved my Billy's life. That's why I've been in here so much, trying to give back a little.

Some folks simply can't handle the testing or the blood, so I'm not judging your hubby. Now, the food thing--okay, maybe I'm judging him a little. :) Some members have had big success with an automatic feeder. They make them for wet food, and some folks even set a ice pack underneath, or freeze some of the later portions, to keep the food fresh. Might ease your mind it you got one. Every cat is different, but I know that feeding Billy several small meals a day and at night has made a huge difference in his recovery. My vet wanted me to do the twice a day feeding, but I am very stubborn and didn't listen. I just make sure I pick up any leftover food 2 hours before test time. That makes sure they are hungry when they get insulin, and gets you a more honest pre-shot number.

And now, I've written a novel, so I'll just say that you rock and you have totally got this!
 
LindyNova said:
Nova gets all growly hissy and that makes it hard to give her shot while/right after she finishes...how much ahead of the feed/shoot can the test be?
Click to expand...

A lot of us shoot while their head's in the bowl. With Lantus, it doesn't usually start to "kick in" for 2-3 hours after the shot, so we Test/Feed/Shoot all in about 5-10 minutes.

It does take 15-20 minutes (at least) for food to get broken down and into the bloodstream as glucose, so if you can test right after feeding, that should work too....a better option would be to give her a little pure protein snack like a little piece of baked chicken or freeze dried protein-only treats. Pure protein takes longer to break down and should have little effect on the blood glucose.
 
woke up late...got a poke....not enough blood (face in bowl) Need a new strategy for am test. Was 338 at 3.5 last night. Will keep on trying...geez, this is frustrating!
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top