Sorry... But I need urgent help. I am very depressed.

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monilovesanimals

monilovesanimals

New Member
The journey with my cat Jerry and his diabetes has been very hard for me to process.
It has caused me to lose hair, weight, and the will to even live, I have no motivation, my joints hurt, and i am in a constant depression and distress, I never leave my home, and I just do everything I can for him.

I am trying as hard as I can to give him everything he needs, but living in Colombia is very difficult.
I make little money per month and have to work 10 to 12 hours daily. Even though it's remotely,

I hate it... I just have to do it because I am the only responsible for my cats so I have to work this hard, even tho half of my salary goes to his expensive medicines..

I feel like I only want to be next to Jerry because I am so worried and distressed about testing his glucose and seeing results in the range of 320 to 350 (via Accu-Chek Instant).

I am very distressed to the point that it's even hard to read so much or even write, my joints hurt so much.... my arms hurt and feel numb most of the time...

Plus, the workload is unbearably high and demanding, with not only low pay but also a bad environment where mental health does not exist, as a contractor, I can't take days off without being deducted from my paay which I can't do.

I am very concerned about Jerry's glucose levels.

He is now 10 years old.
He is on Lantus insulin, 4.5 units every 12 hours.
His weight is 6.50 kilograms.
Location: Bogotá, Colombia.
The glucometer I use is Accu-Chek Instant.
His last fructosamine was 633.
He is also having one daily pill of Omega 3.
His other test results came in normal ranges.

He is happy and eats well, but his high glucose is very concerning as well as his dose of insulin.

I need urgent help with the following:
I know it might not be the right place to publish this, but please help me. :(:(:(:(:(

Many of the products from the USA that are good for diabetic cats can't be found in Colombia, South America. However, I have a friend who can bring them for me.

Can you please send me the links of U.S. stores where I can get the Chromium Picolinate that you give your cats? And the dose?
Or any other good recommended products that could be saafe and work for your diabetic cats?

I was able to get Zobaline in the U.S and was brought to me to Colombia, and I am giving him one tablet daily in the morning, Zobaline does not exist in Colombia...


Thank you and so sorry for all the story.
 
@monilovesanimals
Tap in this like
Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help
Your signature will be in gray letters , see mine about Tyler
It will also tell you how to set up our spreadsheet and how to use it.it's very easy.
If you need help setting it up just ask. Please add where you are from in your signature Bogota' Columbia


Do you have the U-100 syringes with the half unit markings, we adjust the dose by 0.25 units at a time

I can tag a member for you in case you need help with any other items
@whitedecay
 
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I don't know anything about chromium picolinate
But found an old post by a member
tap on this link post #7
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/chromium.97773/

Also found this posted by a member about half unit syringes

These are the syringes I use, I get them from Colombia but they're really common in Latin America, maybe you can search online?

1718972641535-jpg.70386




Or these which are 8 mm instead of 6mm which are still ok
333-320440__1.png
 
Last edited:
One of our members did a food chart listing appropriate diabetic foods for latin and parts of South America. Take a look at it to see if there is something you can find in Columbia that is appropriate: MEXICO AND ARGENTINA FOOD CHARTS Another option is to make your own food. This website has a formula some of our members have used: https://catinfo.org/making-cat-food/.

Most feed their cats around 6% carbs and under
Low carbs are
10% and under is low carb

What are you feeding Jerry?
If you can get Friskies,or Fancy Feast Pate and they're pretty affordable

Here is our U.S. food chart also
link:http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

I see you said you have a friend from the US who can bring items for you
 
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monilovesanimals said:
The journey with my cat Jerry and his diabetes has been very hard for me to process.
It has caused me to lose hair, weight, and the will to even live, I have no motivation, my joints hurt, and i am in a constant depression and distress, I never leave my home, and I just do everything I can for him.

I am trying as hard as I can to give him everything he needs, but living in Colombia is very difficult.
I make little money per month and have to work 10 to 12 hours daily. Even though it's remotely,

I hate it... I just have to do it because I am the only responsible for my cats so I have to work this hard, even tho half of my salary goes to his expensive medicines..

I feel like I only want to be next to Jerry because I am so worried and distressed about testing his glucose and seeing results in the range of 320 to 350 (via Accu-Chek Instant).

I am very distressed to the point that it's even hard to read so much or even write, my joints hurt so much.... my arms hurt and feel numb most of the time...

Plus, the workload is unbearably high and demanding, with not only low pay but also a bad environment where mental health does not exist, as a contractor, I can't take days off without being deducted from my paay which I can't do.

I am very concerned about Jerry's glucose levels.

He is now 10 years old.
He is on Lantus insulin, 4.5 units every 12 hours.
His weight is 6.50 kilograms.
Location: Bogotá, Colombia.
The glucometer I use is Accu-Chek Instant.
His last fructosamine was 633.
He is also having one daily pill of Omega 3.
His other test results came in normal ranges.

He is happy and eats well, but his high glucose is very concerning as well as his dose of insulin.

I need urgent help with the following:
I know it might not be the right place to publish this, but please help me. :(:(:(:(:(

Many of the products from the USA that are good for diabetic cats can't be found in Colombia, South America. However, I have a friend who can bring them for me.

Can you please send me the links of U.S. stores where I can get the Chromium Picolinate that you give your cats? And the dose?
Or any other good recommended products that could be saafe and work for your diabetic cats?

I was able to get Zobaline in the U.S and was brought to me to Colombia, and I am giving him one tablet daily in the morning, Zobaline does not exist in Colombia...


Thank you and so sorry for all the story.
Click to expand...


@Bandit's Mom
@Wendy&Neko
@tiffmaxee
Hi Ladies I gave some info to this new member, anything else to add ?
Thank you
 
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Hi and welcome to the forum. I am so sorry to are feeling so depressed.
I am going to ask @Bandit's Mom if she can set up a spreadsheet for you so that you can add any blood glucose data you might have from the last few weeks. She will contact you
I can see Diane has given you a lot of information already.
The chromium picolinate you mention is not suitable to give to cats. Please don’t give it to your kitty.

What you need to do to help your kitty is
  • Feed a low carbohydrate diet
  • Give insulin…the Lantus you are using is a great cat insulin.
  • Test the blood glucose…the glucose meter you are using is good.
  • Follow a dosing method…we can help you with this.
Here is a link to our 2 dosing methods
 
Hi @monilovesanimals, please see the PM I sent you with the details I need for setting up your Signature and Spreadsheet?

monilovesanimals said:
Hello thank you for helping


I am feeding him Royal Cannin Glycobalance,
and Inaba Tuna
And Some wet food from the brands Dr Clauders and Evolve.

He has been on 4.4 units of insulin every 12 hours for the last 3 months.
and he has had 1 tablet daily of Zobaline.
Click to expand...
Royal Canin Glycobalance (both wet and dry) is too high in carbs for a diabetic cat. You need not restrict yourself to prescription food.
Any low carb (with carbohydrates less than 10%) canned food will do. Most of us feed our own cats Fancy Feast Classics, Friskies Pates or 9-Lives Ground because they get less than 10% of their calories from carbs. They are also easy to find and affordable.
 
Zobaline is a form of vitamin B12 -- it's called methylcobalamin. I suspect you can find it in Columbia. You do not need Zobaline which is a particular company's product. If you have a good vitamin or supplement store, they should have it.

There are a number of alternatives for food. There are carbohydrate cat food calculators on the web. Plug in the numbers into the calculator so you can tell if a food is low in carbs. As noted above, the Glycobalance is high in carbs -- the canned is 14% and the dry is almost 25%. The prescription foods are very expensive. It's also very likely that it's the reason Jerry's numbers are higher than you'd like.

Most of us have had a similar experience as you've described. We became worried and scared about caring for a diabetic cat. This is a treatable condition. And, importantly, we're here to help.
 
Hi, first of all welcome!!

I know diabetes can feel like a terrible thing at first, but hang in there it does get easier with time and practice, take a big breath and go one step at a time.

You can start with what you can do right now like your spreadsheet, that alone will help you a lot since you will be able to see what's going on and it will help the people with a lot of experience in here to help you

The food is also something you can start looking at so that you can switch him to a low carb high protein option, doing the food at home with a recipe like the one they suggested before (https://catinfo.org/making-cat-food/) can save you a lot of money and it is really a very good option but it can be time consuming and you do need to follow the recipe as it is and include all the supplements ( specially the taurine) the supplements are not hard to find if you can get someone to bring them to you from the US or get some canned food the important thing is that you choose a low carb one and no dry.

Zobaline is used if he has a diabetic neuropathy (week back legs ) which you do not mention he has, if he doesn't have a neuropathy you do not need to give him zobaline

And remember you are not alone we understand what you are going through, we been there so keep asking here and we will try to help you as best we can
 
One thing to keep in mind when we talk about changing food - do it very slowly. If you change the food you give Jerry to a lower carb food, his insulin needs may go down dramatically. So don't do it all at once.

Many of us had very tough beginnings with the feline diabetes journey. We can relate to how you feel. :bighug:. Once you get a spreadsheet set up and start following a dosing method, you will gain some control over the process. In the meant time, feel free to post here. We can help with the feline diabetes, as well as the emotional side of it.
 
There are lots of us here who understand your feelings. You are already getting some good help. I just would like to add that you really are going to have to take a little care of yourself in whatever ways you can find to do so. If you don’t take care of yourself then you won’t be able to help Jerry or take care of your other cats. It sounds obvious. It also sounds trite, but it’s true. I am sorry that your job is so difficult. It truly sounds horrible. I am glad that you have some job though (as bad as it sounds) so that you have been able to get insulin and supplies for Jerry.
 
Greetings from a venezuelan living in Argentina!

Hang in there! i understand you. The first month and a half was pure chaos for me too. BG's on the upper 400's, insulin seemed to do nothing my kitty seemed to be constantly distressed and so was i. It takes a while for glargine to start doing it's thing. If your cat has stopped constantly peeing and constantly chugging water, some progress is being made even if blood glucose readings might not indicate so. Diabetes is a very stressful condition for a cat. They feel weird, they can't do the things they did before nor eat what they ate before, and now they have to get jabbed every day. Stress leads to higher blood glucose too. Eventually things will start to stabilize and hopefully Jerry will not need as much insulin. Things will become predictable.

I myself have been on the market for proper wet cat food, and at least when it comes to Argentina choices are less than ideal. It's all either 84+% water, less than 40% protein, and when you find something that could have less than 10% carbs, well it has carragenine or multiple phosphates. point is you might want to consider home cooking which is overwhelming at first but in practice it's easy and for sure your cat will appreciate it.

Another thing! ask your vet if your city has a donations instagram/facebook for diabetic pets. My first lantus pen and glucometer was provided by them. There's no shame in receiving help. You need it.
 
Hi ???
We don't know your first name yet so for now I'll go with that. You don't have to be concerned about privacy here, you can publish as little or as much as you want about yourself. Some of these things you've already done bit it often helps to know where you live, your time zone, if there are other animals in the home and if your work schedule interferes with your cat's 12/12 cycle. Some members, for privacy reasons, cannot be contacted by the PM (private message) system and possibly for their own safety can't have anyone know where they live. I've had three stalkers in my life that were only crazy, not dangerous so for me it's not a big deal.
Your mental state and all the symptoms you describe are typical of a high stress situation but it doesn't have to be. I've only had two diabetic cats, some members have had four or more at one time and we all started from nothing. You get the bad news, come home and cry but then you do what you have to do. It sounds easy when I say it but diabetes doesn't kill cats. It will change your social life and obviously the money you spend. For me the first week was Hell but then, because of my great vet and a cat that knew I wasn't doing this to hurt him it became a minor inconvenience. When our second diabetic cat (sugar cat) arrived I just yawned, brought him home, got new batteries and strips and started again.
I'm sorry if this sounds cruel but cats and dogs are intelligent enough to know when you're not well. When you come at them with a lancet or syringe afraid you're going to hurt them they will expect it to hurt. You're not the only person here in this position; I have brutal OCD, PTSD, I'm low end bipolar. On top of that in the last few years we've lost friends, cats and dogs, family members and an attempted suicide. No matter how much it hurts I cannot ignore an animal I promised a lifetime home to. Again, I know I make it sound easy but the reality is it's not that hard.
There's no advertising here, we're not trying to sell you anything and everyone here has volunteered their time. This isn't what anyone wants, we all want our cats to live to 20. There are no stupid questions here and we've all made mistakes. I've missed shots, had one dog eat a bowl of licorice and another dog eat a bottle of TUM's (ant-acid). One of our cats, he's upstairs sleeping, once got out of the house and went missing for 88 days.
See, it's not just you. Take comfort knowing you're in the absolute best place for diabetic cats and you just made hundreds of new friends.
My name is Dickson, we live in Canada.
 
Hello everyone, I am still alive but suffering.. i have neuropathy pain and no one knows what causes it, it gives me bad mograines and scrutinising pain on one entire side of my body
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
I don't know anything about chromium picolinate
But found an old post by a member
tap on this link post #7
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/chromium.97773/

Also found this posted by a member about half unit syringes

These are the syringes I use, I get them from Colombia but they're really common in Latin America, maybe you can search online?

1718972641535-jpg.70386




Or these which are 8 mm instead of 6mm which are still ok
333-320440__1.png
Click to expand...
Thank you, yes I use the ones from your first picture.
I am giving him 4.5 units every 12 hours using that syringe is that too much?
 
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