New Member - Home Testing

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ANagy3

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My kitty, Sylvester, was recently diagnosed with mild diabetes. The vet gave me Lantus to give him at home (1 unit per day to start). He also said that the majority of his patients don't home-test and said I didn't need to. However, how will I know if the insulin is working unless I bring Sylvester to the vet for testing? Sylvseter won't let me prick his paw-pad (he pulls away and meows like he's in pain) and I can't get him to let me prick his ears so I don't know how I'm going to home test if I can't get Sylvester to cooperate. My question is - how dangerous is it to NOT home-test. My vet seemed to think I didn't need to test and I can't seem to get Sylvester to cooperate. I'm confused. Please tell me it's OK to not home-test.

Thanks

Andrea, Nellie & Sylvester
 
Home testing should be done.
Ask any human diabetic if they give themselves insulin without testing their own BG and they will tell you Of course not!
Why would you want to shoot insulin into your cat blindly?

The best reason for home testing is so that you will be able to know if your cat no longer needs insulin at some point, now wouldn't that be great? There have been many many cats who have gone into remission, especially if their diet is changed to low carb wet food.

How dangerous is to NOT home test?
Here are some links.
List of Hypo symptoms
How to treat HYPOS-They can kill! Print this out!
Jojo’s HYPO TOOLKIT

Quite often, the cat is upset because the person is upset when trying to test. It's ok; just listen to the tips that others give you and try them out. My two sleep through my poking their ears, so don't worry. It's just a matter of getting the right technique for you and your cat.

Why would you want to take your cat to the vet for testing? Giving your vet money for something you can do at home and the numbers the vet gets will be affected by the stress your cat has by just being at the vet. Testing in the comfort of your own home is less painful for your cat, WAY easier on your wallet, and much safer for your cat's health.
 
Sometimes it helps to have an experienced cat-tester work with you and
your cat in your own home.

Where are you (city/state)....perhaps we have an FDMB member near you.
 
Hi there,
there's a member in Laguna Niguel which i think is pretty close to you? i sent her a message and pointed her here. her name is lori and tom on here so keep your eyes out for her.
if she's not available i could help you but unfortunately due to work i wouldn't be able to get down until friday (i live out in xxxx and we're going to be closed on friday so i'd be available all day). and don't worry, with the toll road it's really not that far :-)
 
andrea i'm in laguna beach and go to aliso viejo all the time. i shop 'henry's... so if you want some help learning how to home test i'll can pm you my phone number or you pm me yours ok. i've taught 3 or 4 newbie how and it's always been a good experience. i did'nt see if you have the materials needed but i can bring those.
 
(removed phone number) I would appreciate any help. I do have a home testing kit that my vet sold me. I haven't been able to use it yet though because Sylvester is not cooperating. I work 7:30-5:30 M/T/W this week and am usually home by 6pm but am off on Thursday/Friday this week. If this week isn't good for you because of the holidays, let me know. I'm so distraught over trying to get a reading on Sylvester. You're help would be a god-send!

Andrea, Nellie & Sylvester
 
hey there, could you edit out your phone number by chance? i pm'd it to lori in case she doesn't see it first so i'm sure she will call you. the board is open pretty much to anybody who wants to sign up so we prefer to be careful around here with that kind of information being posted openly. :-)
 
folks i'm going to see andrea and her sugar baby tonight.
2 things...will someone please post the 'dear mom' letter for her...i think she could use it.
next...this is a kitty currently undergoing chemo treatments for lymphoma. lets make sure we all keep that in mind.
actually it would be great to have it in her signature and we all know i don't know how to do that.
he's on pred.
he recently went 3 days without eatting.
and i believe she in the unlucky owner of a animal glucometer so i am bringing along a newbie kit so she can get her strips any time she needs them.
let's hope this monsoon rain slows down before i head over there at 7:30 tonight.
 
Dear Mom letter.....

Dear Mom,

I know it's only been a couple of days, but there are a few things I'd like to tell you.

First of all, you really do have to calm down, because you're stressing me out.

Please at least let me get all the way out of the litter box before you start to inspect it.

Don't stare at me while I'm eating. It makes me nervous. I need a little privacy please.

You really don't have to follow me from one room to the next. I'm not doing anything that I haven't done a million times before. I'm still trying to catch those pesky fish that live behind the glass. I'm chasing the dust bunnies under your desk. I'm waiting to catch Libby (drooler) off guard so I can smack her and run. I'm doing all those catly things I've always done. I don't need a perpetual audience.

Just because I'm sleeping, doesn't mean that you need to wake me up and check on me every five minutes. I'm a cat. I sleep.

I feel hot because I've been lying in my favorite sunny spot in the office. Yes, that really is the only reason.

I know it would make you feel better if I slept in your bed with you, but it wouldn't make me feel better. I've never done that before, so it would feel funny to start doing it now. Besides, I really like my bed. I've had it a long time, you know.

It doesn't mean that something is wrong with me just because I don't want to play. Don't you remember the rules? When you want to play with me, I want to ignore you and treat you with disdain. I want to play with you when you are reading the newspaper or attempting to drink your first cup of coffee. This has always worked for us, so why would I want to
change that now? So if I don't want to play with you, it doesn't necessarily mean that I don't feel good. It means that I'm just being the Rainbow I've always been.

Stop lecturing (boyfriend) every time you leave the house for five minutes. He has read everything you have. He was there at the vet's when you picked me up. He knows all the signals/symptoms of hypo, and he knows what to do. He knows where the syrup is. How could he not, since it's now in every room in the house. Remember when you told me that you would trust him with your life? Well trust him with mine. He loves you, and he won't let anything happen to me.

You know that pounding headache you've had since last Sunday? It might go away if you'd chill out just a little bit.

And lastly, every single sound I make need not be analyzed for meaning. Just because I speak to you, it doesn't mean I'm sick or hurting or getting ready to go hypo. I've always been a very vocal kitty. Sometimes a meow really is just a meow.


Love,

Your Sugar Cat

---

Written by Laura and Rainbow. We couldn't agree more with its sentiment.
 
Thanks to Lori (an angel) we were able to get Sylvester's blood sugar tonight. I feel like I can do it again by myself now. Yeah for me! He tested at 125.

A little background on Sylvester (or Vester, as I like to call him). Sylvester was diagnosed with Large Cell Lymphoma on Aug 6th. He started chemo treatments 2 weeks later and went into remission after his initial 7 week induction phase. He's now in the maintenance phase of his lymphoma and goes every other week for chemo. He was on 10mg prednisolone until this week when we dropped his pred to 5mg.

Are there any other kitties being treated for Lymphoma and diabetes?
 
Just getting home as the storm out here is bringing down trees and raining a monsoon. I literally could'nt get out of Andrea's driveway cause a big tree had fallen right across it.
My bedroom ceiling is leaking and the rain is not supposed to let up for a few more days.
there is a rushing river down the street i live on.

enough about that. Nellie and Vestor are the sweetest most adorable kitties. Nellie is the love bug. Andrea did the testing all by herself as Vestor would not tolerate me being in eyesight of him. I do not believe this kitty is a full blown diabetic and I hope to see those #'s in the normal range post chemo.

Nestor looks great for a cancer patient on chemo...he lost his whiskers like we hoomans loose our hair. but I wish I'd gotten thru my lymphoma treatments as well as he seems to be doing.

Good lluck Andrea, and please keep us posted.
 
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