Newbie: Need help regulating SO STRESSFUL!!!

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sarahannew

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Sorry for the shouting. I really do feel like I'm crying out for help. I don't feel that my vet has much experience with feline diabetes, and I don't know anyone else who has had to deal with it. I live alone and work long hours some days. I go to work and worry about my cat Mama who has just been diagnosed. I am the kind of person who will get to the bottom of an issue, especially a health issue and get all the books and learn more than my doctor. But I'm having a really hard time with this!

Ok I've been reading all the awesome documents on this site and links and such and I'm learning so much. Thank you. I will continue reading and learning. I would like to just tell you what's going on and get some feedback if that's ok.

Mama had a UTI about a month ago and had been urinating frequently and drinking enormous amounts of water. After 2 weeks on the antibiotics, she seemed to start feeling better, but the drinking and peeing was still so frequent, that I took her back in for a blood test. Which, I think they should have done all along. They said she has diabetes and her sugars were at 500. I gave her 2U 2x per day from the U-40 syringe of Prozinc (she weighs about 10 lbs, btw had lost a lot of weight really fast down from like 14).

After a week of this treatment, I finally figured out how to home test her sugars. To my astonishment, on Feb. 17th they were 450 before her evening meal, and of course raised afterward to 500. I called the vet the next morning, thinking it's not doing anything. I said, maybe I'm doing it wrong, or maybe I left it out too long for one evening (like 4 or 5 hours by accident once), or maybe she just needs more. She said to raise it to 3 U. Bad idea, but not at first. In the morning (Feb. 18) I gave her 3 U and tested it throughout the day and it stayed between 350 and 385. I gave her another injection of 3U at 7:30 pm and by 9:30 her sugars were at 243.

The following day, Feb. 19 her sugar was at 50 in the a.m. !! I treated her for hypoglycemia by putting honey on her gums, and fed her and her sugars climbed up to 134 by 10am and I was off to work. Of course I called the vet for advice and she said not to give her any more injections until her sugars were over 300 and reduce the dose again. So at 10pm when her sugars reached 323 I gave her 2 units.

This morning (Feb. 20) her sugars were 387 and I gave her 2.5U at 7:30 a.m. Today at 6:15 when I got home from work, it was at 139. Ugh, I should have just given her 2U, maybe less. She ate dinner. At 7:45 it is 167. Now, at 9:15 it's at 236.

Also, I feed her the Fancy feast I've been feeding her for more than a year, but have cut out most of the dry food. I only now feed her Blue Wilderness Mature for dry food, which I've recently switched too. I don't know her exact age as I've had her for almost 10 years, but I think she's 13 or 14. I know her food got all out of whack when the vet had me Hill Prescription C/D dry food because of the UTI...and then I switched back to the Wilderness because of all the fillers and crap in that food. Maybe the change in food is making it harder too.

So my question is, should I give her an injection tonight? should i give her 1U or 1.5U? How long is it supposed to take to get her sugars into the normal range? Should I be happy with her sugars in the 300s or isn't that dangerous? Was the dose too high to begin with? I was so scared when her sugars dropped to 50, I didn't know what to do. Please let me know if I'm on track or WAY off track. I think I need some moral support here. Thank you for reading this, and for your feedback. I'm very emotional and worried about this.
 
Hello and welcome to the board, you are in the right place. Please don't be stressed though. It's great that you are home testing. I have asked a few PZI experinced members to come over and advise on dose.

However it would help us if you could set up a spreadsheet and input your readings, that way we can track trends and so on.. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

If you are home testing regularly, you should work to cut out the dry food and ensure your fancy feasts are low carb ie the fancy feast classic pâtés only. This will help regulate Mama and better control her BG.

A normal cats BG is 50-130, so you shouldn't be happy with the sugars in the 300s. There are experienced members here who can help you regulate her if you are willing to work with them.

Hopefully the experienced PZi guys will be here soon.

Wendy.
 
Okay first off Breathe...its going to be okay you are now in the best place in the world to help you help Mama...I don't use your insulin but I know plenty of folks that do, so I'm going to go tried to flag a couple down for you...Just hang in there, we have a bunch of dynamite folks here that will hold both your hand and Mama's paw.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang.
 
So my question is, should I give her an injection tonight? should i give her 1U or 1.5U? How long is it supposed to take to get her sugars into the normal range? Should I be happy with her sugars in the 300s or isn't that dangerous? Was the dose too high to begin with? I was so scared when her sugars dropped to 50, I didn't know what to do. Please let me know if I'm on track or WAY off track. I think I need some moral support here. Thank you for reading this, and for your feedback. I'm very emotional and worried about this.



I would give her one unit. You started at a high dose and have been reducing and found it is a nerve wracking process. We like to start low (.5- one unit), monitor the numbers (great job testing) and then raise the dose slowly as needed.

There is no schedule - every cat is different. But, in general, it takes at least weeks for their body to adjust to the low carb food and insulin. The good news is that the insulin is definitely working.

We have a PZI forum where you can post and get dosing advice. Everyone there has used or uses your insulin. It is here:

http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=24
 
Thank you for your kind reassurance! I felt relieved right away. :-) I appreciate the advice, and especially, knowing it's working. I know she has stopped drinking so much and has a little more spring in her step. I will check out the other forum, too. And also that document. I will give her 1U tonight.
 
Hi Sarah,
How did Mama do on the 1u last night?

Carl
 
I gave her 1U last night because her sugars were 236 at 9:15. In the morning they were up to 425! So I gave her 2 this morning about 7:30 am. I didn't have to go to work till noon and tested again around that time and they were 274, so I gave her .5 U. Gave her plenty of food before I left. Just got home, and it's 7:30pm and she's at 254. Not too shabby, I'd say. But now I'm stumped. Should I try 1.5? Should I give it to her now?
 
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