Newbie saying hi!

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Miss Miss Astrid

Member Since 2012
Hello everyone!

I just wanted to introduce myself. My 10 year old kitty Astrid, aka Miss Miss, and I are very grateful for the information all of you have shared on this site, and we look forward to getting to know you all. :)

I gave Astried her first injection of Lantis last night...she seemed to be fine with it, but I was fighting tears. And I'm not even sure that I got the medication under her skin! This is scary and overwhelming right now, but I'm hoping in time I won't be so freaked out and confused by all the changes I need to make to keep her healthy and happy. I'm researching everything I can, and trying to take it all in. Whew- so much to learn!

Anyway, that's all for now. I'm really glad I found you all and this wonderful site!
 
Welcome to FDMB!

I'm a not so new Newbie - just over a month in - and this forum is now, probably, my most visited site.

Read as much as you can - the welcome pages, the stickies and the posts - its amazing the amount of knowledge on this site and everyone is so helpful and full of useful advice.

The first thing is home testing. As you've started giving shots - which do get easier - you should start blood testing. Its pretty tricky at first but is necessary to keep Miss Miss safe - you can find lots of info on it on this site and also youtube videos on home testing cats.

Anyway, I'm about to go to bed - after 1 last test of course :-D

Again, welcome and this really is the best place to be if you have a diabetic cat!

Denise
 
You are in the right place :-D the injections and blood testing are overwhelming at first but it won't take either of you long to adjust. Before you know it you will be testing in your sleep :-D

Home testing really is vital for keeping Astrid safe and will also save you money and give you more accurate results (stress generally increases BG) as compared to having the vet do curves for you.

I highly recommend that you check out the 'stickies' (posts at the top of the page) in the Lantus tight regulation forum. You will find great advice on handling low numbers and may wish to consider adopting the tight regulation approach if you are able to. 85% of cats that are put on that program within the first 6 months of diagnosis go into remission, including my Vyktor :-D
 
Hello, and welcome to FDMB!

We've all been where you are right now and we know how you feel. But take heart in knowing that by giving insulin you are helping your cat to feel happy and well again. And Lantus is a really nice insulin for cats. :smile:

Giving shots can feel awkward at first. But your confidence will increase greatly over just the next few days. If you don't get all the insulin into your cat you'll probably know it because you will feel a teensy wet patch on her fur (what we call a 'fur shot'). Most of us have done that at some time or other. :roll: If you can't feel any wet patch then you HAVE got the insulin into the cat.

What dose of insulin is your cat on?
And what are you feeding her?

Eliz in UK
 
Welcome! Pepe and I are new here too. Shots get easier and I'm still learning the home testing. I would recommend the ReliOn meter (i am getting one today) as I've been told it uses a very tiny amount of blood. I have an Accu Chek which uses a bigger drop and I'm having problems getting that! :YMSIGH: Pepe is being very good about it.
It all does get easier and this is the best place to be! People are so nice and helpful.

Sharon and Pepe
 
Hang in there! It will get so much easier soon!

My cat has been on Lantus for just under a month now. It was really stressful at first, but it's going well now. When I was first trying to do the blood testing at some ridiculous early hour of the morning with shaky hands and an uncooperative cat, I was actually so stressed one time that I realized I was just about going to literally pass out. I had to chuck the cat in the bathroom while I lay down on the floor for a few minutes - I felt like such a basket case! But I soon realized she didn't mind the vet doing the ear prick for the blood testing because he was just very calm and matter-of-a-fact about it. So I started approaching it with the same attitude, and now she's fine with it - she just lies on the kitchen floor before she gets fed and lets me do what I need to. Her blood sugar numbers are really good now, and I think she's started associating feeling better with all the stuff I've been doing, because I realized that for the last few days instead of heading for her favorite hideout in the closet after she eats, she circles back and lies down on the kitchen floor until I give her the insulin shot. THEN she heads for the closet. I can see she's feeling so much better now, too, that it makes the initial difficulty well worth while.

There are so many of us here who probably had never stuck a needle in anyone for any reason before we started caring for our diabetic cats . . . if we all can do it so can you!
 
Hi again, everyone

Thank you all, so much, for your replies! It's taken a while to respond because I have spotty internet- I tried to write and save a response a few times, but I guess I don't know how to use this site too well just yet.

Denise: I didn't know I was supposed to test, this came as quite a surprise! The vet told me to give Miss Miss her insulin 2X a day, and after 10 days, to bring her back for blood tests. Unfortunately, my car is in the shop...so until I can be sure of a ride back to the vet, I've been giving her insulin once a day. Do you think this is OK?

Vyktor's Mum: Thank you, that's great advice! I bought all the recommended food I could afford, and some organic dog food, because it had high quality ingredients and no nasty fillers. They didn't have organic cat food, so I hope this will work! Right now it's proving very difficult to figure out what times to do injections because I work very irregular hours. Ugh. I would LOVE it if Miss Miss' diabetes would go into remission! I am really tired of a bathroom floor covered in cat pee. :( Obviously, I also hate that she feels unwell!

Sharon: I am giving Miss Miss whatever the dose is that makes up the first mark on the syringe. (I don't know what that measurement is called...!) She is currently eating a twice daily dose of canned cat food: The flavors of Friskies that my vet recommended. What are your favorites?

ehmeelu: OMG, that is EXACTLY how I felt when I gave her the first shot! I wanted to lie on the floor and cry. Not to mention, I found out that I had transported and stored the insulin exactly how I wasn't supposed to! It took me over 2 hours of walking (and shaking the insulin around in my purse) in the heat, to get it home the first time. When I started reading how I was supposed to take care of it, I nearly freaked.

Thank you all, again for all of your nice replies. This is such an overwhelming task by ones self- monetarily, emotionally and physically! I feel really lucky that you all are out there, and understand my pain. Money was tight before this diagnosis- I barely make enough to cover my bills each month, so this new expense is rather a shock. Plus my car is in the shop, probably needing a transmission I have no money to pay for, so getting the cats to the vet is a serious challenge. In addition, I've lost 3 fur babies quite unexpectedly in the last few months, so I was already feeling a bit fragile, emotionally...anyway, I really appreciate the support. You've all made the whole situation a little bit less traumatizing.

:-) Shannon
 
Hello Shannon-

You are doing well so far- we all learn a lot at the beginning :lol:

I don't know about the dog food- I know dogs need different nutrients than cats so a steady diet might not be the best but interspersed with cat food should be okay. Others who know more will chime in. I feed my kitty on Special Kitty from Wal-Mart- I get the 12 pack of 13 oz cans of mixed grill, super supper, and tuna, here it is $8.83 (individual cans are $.70 each), and the 4 pack of chunky chicken and tuna $1.42. They are all 5% and under in carbs and she continues to eat them (getting picky in her old age).

If you can, Miss Miss might do with free feeding throughout the day. You can freeze the canned food in ice cube trays and set them out with some water cubes to melt and keep the moisture content up. Many on here feed at least 4 times- just divide what she is used to getting in two meals and make it four meals. This goes a long way in helping their BG levels to remain steady instead of rising and falling over 12 hours.

The up front costs of everything is the kicker. Maintenance cost is a lot cheaper- as long as the strips are reasonably priced :-D

Heather
 
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