Newly diagnosed and feeling defeated...but giving up on him is not an option.

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Sllanusa08

Sllanusa08

Member Since 2017
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Hi I'm stephanie, I'm 38 yrs old. I stay home due to an illness for just over a year now. My best friend is shadow, he is 13 yrs old and has been there for me thru everything when no one else was. He loves me unconditionally and I love him the same. Now he has been diagnosed with diabetes a couple weeks ago and I cannot afford his medication. This is the worst time for this to happen and I feel helpless and devastated that I am unable to help him now after all the years he has helped me. I'm hoping for some advise in the right direction so I can save his life, he deserves that much. Any help, advise would be deeply appreciated. I don't know what I will do without him and can't live with myself if I can't help him. I know it will all work out, I'm trusting in that and pushing forward. He is an amazing cat, and I'm lucky to have had him in my life.❤️
 
Welcome! We can help you with cost cutting measures. Here are a few:
  1. Insulins vary a lot in price. You can start with a cheaper one to see how he does on it.
  2. You can buy low carb wet food at a supermarket instead of expensive prescription food.
  3. You can learn to test your boy's blood glucose at home so you won't have to pay for expensive vet visits for that.
  4. You can apply for assistance with basic supplies from a group called Diabetic Cats in Need. @Chris & China is the member here who is the contact person.
Please go post on the main health forum and include this info:
  • Shadow's date of diagnosis
  • what insulin has been prescribed and in what dose
  • what Shadow eats now
  • whether you'll try testing his blood glucose at home
  • any other meds/health issues he has.
You'll get many more people looking at your post on that forum. This one is for introducing yourself and your handsome kitty. :)
 
Hello Stephanie and Shadow!

Kris got the bases covered to give you a feeling of how you can save money, but I just wanted to say how handsome Shadow Is, and I am so sorry that you've had such a rough year yourself. There's nothing like the unconditional love of our little fuzzy pals when we aren't feeling our best :bighug:

Welcome, and we look forward to hearing more about Shadow so that we can help.

Best,
Sandi&Whisper.
 
Sllanusa08 said:
View attachment 32644
Hi I'm stephanie, I'm 38 yrs old. I stay home due to an illness for just over a year now. My best friend is shadow, he is 13 yrs old and has been there for me thru everything when no one else was. He loves me unconditionally and I love him the same. Now he has been diagnosed with diabetes a couple weeks ago and I cannot afford his medication. This is the worst time for this to happen and I feel helpless and devastated that I am unable to help him now after all the years he has helped me. I'm hoping for some advise in the right direction so I can save his life, he deserves that much. Any help, advise would be deeply appreciated. I don't know what I will do without him and can't live with myself if I can't help him. I know it will all work out, I'm trusting in that and pushing forward. He is an amazing cat, and I'm lucky to have had him in my life.❤️
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Hi there from New Zealand.
Crikey. You two look like each other. Kindred spirits indeed.
I'm too new and green to offer much if any practical help.
I just wanted to say hi as another newbie.
 
Welcome & the people here are so helpful! It will all work out. Just one step at a time & be patient! I just wanted to say hi & we’re all here for support! Your Shadow is a cutie!
 
Sllanusa08 said:
View attachment 32644
Hi I'm stephanie, I'm 38 yrs old. I stay home due to an illness for just over a year now. My best friend is shadow, he is 13 yrs old and has been there for me thru everything when no one else was. He loves me unconditionally and I love him the same. Now he has been diagnosed with diabetes a couple weeks ago and I cannot afford his medication. This is the worst time for this to happen and I feel helpless and devastated that I am unable to help him now after all the years he has helped me. I'm hoping for some advise in the right direction so I can save his life, he deserves that much. Any help, advise would be deeply appreciated. I don't know what I will do without him and can't live with myself if I can't help him. I know it will all work out, I'm trusting in that and pushing forward. He is an amazing cat, and I'm lucky to have had him in my life.❤️
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You can change his diet.Callie was diagnosed in August.My vet said absolutely no dry food.I feed her Fancy Feast classic and Friskies pate.she does take 2 units of pro zinc twice a day.I just finished the first vile yesterday.It lasted over 3 months.That averages out to about $40. a month.Callie is doing well she goes for a check up today.Good luck with your kitty.
 
Kris & Teasel said:
Welcome! We can help you with cost cutting measures. Here are a few:
  1. Insulins vary a lot in price. You can start with a cheaper one to see how he does on it.
  2. You can buy low carb wet food at a supermarket instead of expensive prescription food.
  3. You can learn to test your boy's blood glucose at home so you won't have to pay for expensive vet visits for that.
  4. You can apply for assistance with basic supplies from a group called Diabetic Cats in Need. @Chris & China is the member here who is the contact person.
Please go post on the main health forum and include this info:
  • Shadow's date of diagnosis
  • what insulin has been prescribed and in what dose
  • what Shadow eats now
  • whether you'll try testing his blood glucose at home
  • any other meds/health issues he has.
You'll get many more people looking at your post on that forum. This one is for introducing yourself and your handsome kitty. :)
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Thank u so much!!! I will definitely do that and I appreciate your help very much!
 
Sllanusa08 said:
Thank u so much!!! I will definitely do that and I appreciate your help very much!
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So glad to see you back here! We worry when someone posts here in distress and then disappears, never to be seen again. Love the avatar photo of Shadow - so handsome. :)

If you could go post on the main health forum and give us the info I listed in post #2 above, we can start helping right away. Ask any/all questions you have.
 
Anne-Callie said:
You can change his diet.Callie was diagnosed in August.My vet said absolutely no dry food.I feed her Fancy Feast classic and Friskies pate.she does take 2 units of pro zinc twice a day.I just finished the first vile yesterday.It lasted over 3 months.That averages out to about $40. a month.Callie is doing well she goes for a check up today.Good luck with your kitty.
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Really? Well that's what I have been feeding him is the fancy feast soft food in the cans because he loves it and always ate it anyways. He really hasn't even wanted to eat the dry food much in the past year. I noticed that he rarely wanted it and always wanted the soft food so started giving it to him because he has teeth problems and I thought it was hard for him to eat the hard food. I figured I would have to buy so expensive brand though so thanks for letting me know that helps a lot! And that's good to know about the prozinc much better than I expected. My bet told me $200 to get insulin.
 
Kris & Teasel said:
So glad to see you back here! We worry when someone posts here in distress and then disappears, never to be seen again. Love the avatar photo of Shadow - so handsome. :)

If you could go post on the main health forum and give us the info I listed in post #2 above, we can start helping right away. Ask any/all questions you have.
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Yes I know, I'm sorry. I don't mean to disappear but I am sick as well and some days are bad and hard to even think clearly enough to talk with people lol. But doing better and was happy to see so many helpful replies. I will post to the main forum here shortly. I need to call my vet and get the info again because I wasn't able to speak with him when he called and they didn't write down the info I need exactly. So as soon as I get all that I'll post it. Thank you!
Becky & Baby Girl Kitty said:
Welcome & the people here are so helpful! It will all work out. Just one step at a time & be patient! I just wanted to say hi & we’re all here for support! Your Shadow is a cutie!
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Thank you so much! Everyone here has been very helpful and I appreciate it so much because I have no idea where to even start. I know nothing about diabetes or how to give insulin so I am a little worried. Esp since I am sick to and I have read u need to give i insulin at same time everyday and have them on a schedule. I am very much not a schedule person especially now since I've been sick but I'm willing to do anything for him. I know I can make it work because there is no other option and I love him so much! Thank u for all your help you guys have been great!
 
JanetNJ said:
Welcome! We are here to help .
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Oh wow, that is great! Thank u so much because I know that will be very helpful for me I don't even have any testing supplies or anything so I guess I need to start there first. Thank u for your help!
 
PussCatPrince said:
Hi there from New Zealand.
Crikey. You two look like each other. Kindred spirits indeed.
I'm too new and green to offer much if any practical help.
I just wanted to say hi as another newbie.
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Ha ha, that is funny you say we look a like. Definitely made me laugh, thank u! Good to meet you and thanks for saying hi. Nice to meet someone else new here as well. Good luck to u and hope all is well.
 
Sllanusa08 said:
Oh wow, that is great! Thank u so much because I know that will be very helpful for me I don't even have any testing supplies or anything so I guess I need to start there first. Thank u for your help!
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do you have a walmart nearby? we can give you a list of what to buy.
 
Hi Stephanie, hi Shadow. Looks like you're off to a great start, just being here is the number one thing. This does not have to be tragic or put you into bankruptcy. Believe it or not everyone here has had that same awful feeling. I can't promise anything but motivation and love will move mountains. There is no such thing as a stupid question here and no one will judge you. :bighug:
 
Sandi & Whisper said:
Hello Stephanie and Shadow!

Kris got the bases covered to give you a feeling of how you can save money, but I just wanted to say how handsome Shadow Is, and I am so sorry that you've had such a rough year yourself. There's nothing like the unconditional love of our little fuzzy pals when we aren't feeling our best :bighug:

Welcome, and we look forward to hearing more about Shadow so that we can help.

Best,
Sandi&Whisper.
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Thank u so much! I appreciate you all so much! I got his prescription now and all the info I need so I will post on the main forum now. Thanks for everything!
 
Noah & me said:
Hi Stephanie, hi Shadow. Looks like you're off to a great start, just being here is the number one thing. This does not have to be tragic or put you into bankruptcy. Believe it or not everyone here has had that same awful feeling. I can't promise anything but motivation and love will move mountains. There is no such thing as a stupid question here and no one will judge you. :bighug:
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Thank u, that's good to know as I'm sure I might have a lot of those questions lol. Thanks for the help!
 
Oh, I don't think "a lot" will quite cover it. Your story just rang the bell for me, it was not boo-hoo self pity. More of "Why is this happening to us" which really connects the dots for a lot of people here. Some members (me) do not have a lot to offer medically but having a few thousand new friends never hurts. And NOT creepy internet friends, we're more of a Readers Digest bunch. o_O
 
Noah & me said:
Oh, I don't think "a lot" will quite cover it. Your story just rang the bell for me, it was not boo-hoo self pity. More of "Why is this happening to us" which really connects the dots for a lot of people here. Some members (me) do not have a lot to offer medically but having a few thousand new friends never hurts. And NOT creepy internet friends, we're more of a Readers Digest bunch. o_O
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Thank u, I'm glad it didn't come off like self pity, I was worried about that. Yes definitely good to have a few thousand new friends for sure. Esp that can all understand what your going thru. I don't have a lot of that so very happy to make new friends here. Haha you guys definitely are not the creepy internet friends lol! ☺️
 
Stephanie! Last words from me here and then it's all business. I was going to ask if you've moved to Main Forum yet but I see that you already have and yes that is the right place to start. So this is obviously where you get all the big hugs, Community/Off Topic is where I post pics of me as a baby. Once you get into medical details you might not think everyone is warm & fuzzy but nothing could be further from the truth. The really smart people here are driven into helping others and are often very busy so never ever mistake a "do this, inject that" reply as cold. All the replies you get come from people who are actually trying to help, otherwise you wouldn't hear a peep. We sometimes get new members who just disappear and I have no idea why. Maybe Grandpa (that would be me) scared them away with his bushy eyebrows. And there is no "board" in a really official way that supervises every post 24/7. It's more like we're having some kind of demented party and they're trusting us not to burn the house down. It's all volunteer and it's all free. Pretty neat place isn't it? See you on the other side.
 
Noah & me said:
Stephanie! Last words from me here and then it's all business. I was going to ask if you've moved to Main Forum yet but I see that you already have and yes that is the right place to start. So this is obviously where you get all the big hugs, Community/Off Topic is where I post pics of me as a baby. Once you get into medical details you might not think everyone is warm & fuzzy but nothing could be further from the truth. The really smart people here are driven into helping others and are often very busy so never ever mistake a "do this, inject that" reply as cold. All the replies you get come from people who are actually trying to help, otherwise you wouldn't hear a peep. We sometimes get new members who just disappear and I have no idea why. Maybe Grandpa (that would be me) scared them away with his bushy eyebrows. And there is no "board" in a really official way that supervises every post 24/7. It's more like we're having some kind of demented party and they're trusting us not to burn the house down. It's all volunteer and it's all free. Pretty neat place isn't it? See you on the other side.
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Ya I don't get offended easy and any help I can get is appreciated more than anyone could possibly know so no need to explain. I appreciate u letting me know though but I am really easy going and laid back, also a people pleaser which sometimes is more of a downfall than a plus lol. And yes this place is great! More than I expected and I'm so thankful I happen to stumble upon it. Life saving actually, for my baby shadow and me. He's 13 but I know he has a lot more years in him and we need each other right now as it has been a rough time for us for the past 2 years. Thanks again!
 
Sllanusa08 said:
Yes I do that would be great!
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Great!

1. Relion micro or confirm meter (not Prime as it takes too big of a sample) $18
2. Box of 100 extra test strips $36
3. Box of 26 or 28 gauge lancets as the ones that come with human meters are too thin $5
4.cotton cosmetic rounds to go behind the ear and protect your fingers $3
5. Neosporin ointment with pain relief $4
 
That kid is not off to a good start. I'll give odds he'll be dysfunctional by 18 and the money will be gone soon after that. No one likes a showoff Biff! Or whatever hip name he has. I'm ready for my closeup Mr DeMille!
Teachers rock, bratty spoiled kids get sprayed with the hose.
 
Hey @SweetPea whatcha' doing down at the bottom of this thread? Does this mean someone besides myself has a demented sense of humor? I only spray them when they throw their lunch on my lawn. We live in a corner house across the street from a high school.
There was a kind of inside joke there, Janet is a teacher.
 
Some of the slackers who wander aimlessly by my house make me wonder. Is it just 12 years of baby-sitting? To the school's credit they banned all cell phones from the school years ago but the parking lot is jammed all day because every fragile 18 year old needs a ride in Mommy's Land Rover. :banghead:
 
I rarely see college kids look up from their phones as they walk to class or wait for class to start. There is ZERO interaction with other students. Completely bizarre! In fact, they walk up stairs and down the stairs while texting, never looking up or responding to a "hello" since they are also wearing headphones. OMG. haha.
 
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