New member need advice Night before first insulin and I’m freaking out!

Hi everybody. Merlin, my 12 year old who was diagnosed 10 days ago, is due for his first insulin tomorrow morning. His BG was 450mg/dL two weeks ago. The vet has been very sporadic with her communication and it took this long for the Freestyle Libre and Caninsulin to come in. She wants to sedate Merlin to fit the Freestyle Libre, which, I have read, is totally unnecessary. She wants me to bring his own food and bed in and keep him there for 12 hours to do a curve. She also ordered Royal Canin diabetic food that I bet she will give him tomorrow. And, on top of all of this, I feel like he may be improving since I took away the dry food and started feeding him LC food with lots of water many times a day. No ketones in his pee. Less drinking and less peeing. I should have learned to ear test by now. I don’t know if the vet can test his BG without the Libre because it took five days at the lab to get his results back. Should I cancel his appointment? Should I let her go ahead and give him insulin? I will fight to not have him sedated. He is skinny, but will he just keep improving if I don’t give him insulin? I have been reading ALL DAY on this forum, FB groups, links. My head is stuffed full and yet I still feel ignorant and incapable of doing all that’s ahead of us if we go through with the insulin. Is there any turning back if he starts on insulin? Should I wait and test him multiple times this week and see how it goes? Will insulin hurt him if he just needed lower carb food? Is that even possible. Ohh, help. I’m a mess.

 

Anesthesia is unnecessary to simply put on a Libre (unless your cat is a maniac at the vet or something). I would not allow my cat to undergo anesthesia except for when there is no alternative -- anesthesia is hard on the kidneys and other organs.

I wish your vet were not starting your kitty on Caninsulin, which is really not a good choice of insulin for cats. But I suppose there's nothing you can do about that now. More later...

 

Yes. It is possible. I would not start insulin yet until I had started home testing. Some cats just need a switch from high carb to low carb food... which you have already done. You are not feeding any more dry or anything but low carb wet food, right? You should try to get an idea of his CURRENT numbers and not what he was a few weeks ago on a different diet and at the vet (which would stress him out and cause his BG to be higher.

 

I am sure that you've already been told that the Royal Canin diabetic food is not low carb and not the best choice for your kitty.

 

Would it be possible to just get the Libre put on and then monitor what is going on with Merlin for a few days. Once the Libre is put on, you will not need anyone to do a curve -- it makes no sense. You will be able to get all the data you need from the Libre. We will be able to help you with a safe starting dose.

 

Previous post
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/new-bewildered-member-continued.262958/#post-2947137

@Merlin’sMama

 

Well, after hardly any sleep and waking at 5 am in a terrible tearful state, I have decided to go with my instinct and cancel Merlin’s appointment. I didn’t give a reason, so I can reschedule if need be. There is another vet here on the back burner that I would like to discuss the situation with. I contacted them last week. They requested his bloodwork, which I extracted from the vet, but then they requested their clinical notes and I didn’t think I could ask for those without raising concern. If I did go back to the first vet, I would insist on no sedation. I would have the monitor fitted in one appointment and go back for another to start insulin. As it was, I was supposed to have Merlin fasting this morning. Who knows how long til he would have come out of sedation to eat and then get insulin and then stay all day in a cage. It doesn’t seem right. So I am going to rethink this. I’m worried about waiting too long to treat him if he needs it, so I have to get him seen to this week. But I am relieved for now, and bony old Merlin is acting like his old self (with many more meals. )

 

That’s good. And there’s nothing to stop you from home testing. You need to go ahead and “Beard that Lion in its den! And don’t expect yourself to be perfect. I cried the whole first week when I tried and failed to get blood. It got easier.

 

I think I will wait til tomorrow. I am so frazzled from making that decision all night. I was nearly having a panic attack at 3 am. I feel a lot better now, but kind of shaky and unreal. Im checking my phone every five minutes for an email from a new vet I contacted this morning. Meanwhile, Merlin is having an afternoon sleepfest, as usual.

 

I know how you feel. I'm sorry. You are making good decisions for Merlin though, and I know you will be an excellent advocate for him.

 

Thank you.

 

Im so sorry for your stress and sending well wishes merlins way it gets easier, less stressful and more manageable, i promise! The learning curve in the beginning is steep and stressful, but you can do it! Keep asking tons of questions on this forum. The members here are so great and really know their stuff! Good luck and trust your gut!