Newly Diagnosed - finally starting to get head wrapped around it all

[clovercreekelmo]

Elmo, my dearest little boy that I have raised from 4 days old, started showing signs of neuropathy in mid June. He was eventually diagnosed with diabetes on 6/14/16. I had already played Dr. Google and knew what was coming so I was armed with questions. My vet is very patient with me, but ultimately prescribed Novalin. After wasting two weeks with that, I pushed to use Lantus and am finally starting to see his numbers improving.

I have not yet decided whether I will be doing TR or SLGS - but I am a numbers person, so I have been tracking his BGL's and adjusting his U's up to try and drive him into the safe zone. It looks like I am doing it right, increasing his dose - wait several days, increase again. He is showing improvement in his numbers, but still not where I want him to be.

Due to the number of special needs cats in the house, it is nearly impossible to limit dry food. My crystal babies have to be on low S/O index food and that is what we feed everyone. They get wet food in the morning and limited hard food overnight - because of that, TR may not be the right way to go.

My main goal is get him regulated in the safe zone to allow his neuropathy to begin healing. He is on B12 now for two weeks so I am hopeful we should start seeing improvements as we drive his BGL's down. Ultimately I would love to see full remission, but I know that is a longer project.

I just wanted to introduce my sugar baby and look forward to continue reading your insights and continue learning how to manage this.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Welcome. You do seem to have your hands full and you seem what is required for proper treatment.
Although low-carb canned would be best for Elmo, you have to make your own decision what is best in your case.

 

[Shelly & Jersey (GA)]

Welcome to you and Elmo. I'm so glad you found this site. It sounds like you've got a great start with food, insulin, and home testing. One suggestion I would have is to make sure that you grab a test or two in the middle of the cycles, if possible. Lantus brings the glucose level down to it's lowest point (the "nadir") somewhere around 6 hours after the shot, although that varies from one cat to the next. Dosing is largely based on the nadir. (How low does the dose take the kitty?)

As additional questions arise, please don't hesitate to ask them. I think I asked the same questions 50 different times. The individuals here are extremely knowledgeable and will help however they can. You can post your questions on either the Feline Health/Main forum or the Lantus & Levemir forum. In either place, you'll get tons of help.

Hang in there. Managing diabetes is overwhelming in the beginning, but it does get easier with time.
Shelly

Edited to Add: Are you using a human meter or an AlphaTrak? That makes a difference when interpreting the numbers on the spreadsheet.