Struggling

[Laura13]

How do you all cope with this? I am having a really hard time dealing with diabetes. I hate it. Rupert is so demanding. He is always hungry. He wakes me up every single morning so I can get up and feed him. If I sleep too long he will start scratching my arm. He constantly meows, from the moment I get up to the moment I feed him, from the moment I get home at night to the moment I feed him. He goes through everything in the kitchen, if we leave a plate or dish or anything out he is up on the bench licking it. He was licking the sink tonight, it was empty.

I can't get his levels under control. They are always high. I don't know what to do. I don't know what food is good for him. We've been doing this for almost a year and I still can't get the hang of it.

I'm behind on updating his spreadsheet because I just don't want to/can't deal with it.

I wish I could go out during the day without having to worry about not staying out too late and getting home to give him insulin.

I really think of diabetes as a burden. Rupert means the world to me and I would do anything for him, but I really really hate diabetes.

 

[BJM]

Yes, it can be a pain. It may help to find a friend or pet sitter who can come in and give you a respite.
What I saw of the spreadsheet didn't seem to have any tests between shots, only pre-shot tests.
Lantus is adjusted based on the nadir, the lowest glucose post-shot. Unless you get some tests between shots - on a day off, or the weekend, or even setting the clock for the middle of the night - you don't know how low he is going and if the dose needs adjusting.
Are you following a specific protocol for using Lantus, or going by the vet's instructions?

 

[phlika29]

I am sorry that you are struggling at the moment. I do understand the stress of feeling you have to get back and when you aren't there you are worried out him.

I've had a quick look at your spreadsheet I am wondering if you might have missed his optimum dose as you have been increasing in whole units. It could be that he is dropping low and then bouncing back up. As BJM said without more readings it is difficult to know. The forum members usually recommend increasing in 0.25 units at a time and then waiting for a few days to see the effect. Is there any way that you could get another test during the cycle. Even a +2 or +3 will help fill in the picture. If you are out all day could you grab a +8 or +9 when you get back, or maybe during the evening cycle?

I know we are asking you to do more but I see it like this. If you can put the work then the rewards are great, your cat should begin to be less food orientated and more happy, etc.

It sounds like you are only feeding him at shot time. It might be an idea to try something different. A lot of people here feed mini meals which eases the burden on the pancreas and helps a cat to avoid going too low. If you are out all day you could get a timed feeder like the pet safe five. That way he shouldn't be starving all day.

 

[terriy]

I am so sorry to hear that you are struggling. I see myself in your words!! When I go anywhere now I'm always thinking in terms of I have been gone 5+ hours now, I've been gone 8+ hours now, I've been gone 11+ hours now, ect...
I'm sure you get my drift. For the first year I did not go anywhere overnight. Then I got smarter and got myself a pet sitter from a company called Fetch Pet Care. Its a little pricy but well worth it when I need a break. I taught the sitter to give the injections and now when I need to get away from it all I have someone reliable and I don't have to worry while I'm gone.
Another thing that helped me is a book that I downloaded from Amazon for my Kindle Fire.

Sugarbabies: A Holistic Guide to Caring for Your Diabetic Pet Paperback – January 26, 2011
by Randi E. Golub CVT (Author)
"Sugarbabies" is a holistic and positive guide for anyone caring for a diabetic dog or cat. This book teaches about the signs of diabetes, how diabetes is diagnosed, and includes information on conventional and complimentary treatments, monitoring treatment as well as creating a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise. Compassionate decision making support is offered throughout the book.

Between this book and all the wonderful people on this board I don't have to "get it" or know everything.
That's how I cope - by reading everything I can get my hands on and talking to the wonderful folks on this board.
We are here for you and you are not alone in your struggles.
Terriy & Chicken Little

 

[Elizabeth and Bertie]

Oh Laura, sweetie; I hear you....

Dealing with diabetes can be a real pain in the backside at times.
And that's especially the case if the blood glucose numbers are erratic and the kitty is demanding or seems constantly hungry. This is quite common with newly diagnosed diabetics; but you've been at this for almost a year now, so that must be really hard for you.
(I understand too about not having updated the spreadsheet lately. Sometimes things can just seem too much...)

So, what can be done..?
Firstly, I absolutely agree with BJ and Sarah that it would be good to get some mid-cycle tests. That will give you crucial information about how any insulin dose is working in Rupert's body. It is possible that the dose is too high. There are some very low numbers (amongst the highs) in your list of preshots. (And are you using Alphatrak or human meter, Laura?)
Getting more mid-cycle test data could help enormously in getting to the right dose for Rupert, and hopefully it may be possible to have those numbers level out a bit.
Have you discussed the dose and the erratic numbers with your vet? And what has s/he suggested?

It would be useful to know more about Rupert's feeding schedule. Are you feeding twice a day, or though the day also? (A timed feeder can be helpful). And how much food is he eating in a day at the moment? Is his weight normal for his size?

As BJ suggested, is it possible you could get some respite? Is there someone who could help you by learning to test or give shots so that you can have a break from the insulin routine?
It's important to look after yourself too, Laura...

Huge (((hug))) to you,

Eliz

 

[Laura13]

Thanks everyone. I am currently only testing twice a day so I'll try and do some in between.

I haven't spoken to our vet about his levels, I don't really think she is very knowledgeable with diabetes, she will just say to up his insulin. We have a vet nurse who looks after our pets when we go away and she recommended another vet so I'm going to talk to them, see if they can offer any insight.

I'm using a human meter and I have now updated the spreadsheet. I know there's so much more I could be doing it's just so overwhelming.

 

[monty_dweezil (GA)]

I feel you. Dweezy was only diagnosed 6 weeks ago but it feels like years. I just want him to be ok. It is SO hard. He's not demanding at all, which is a relief, but it's just the constant worrying about whether he'll have a hypo while I'm at work or during the night. Whether his levels being constantly too high will damage him any time soon and be irreparable. *sigh* It wears a cat parent down, big time. We can only do our best, and you're certainly doing that.

We are virtually neighbours. I'm on the Gold Coast.

I also see you're feeding Fancy Feast chicken giblet pate...have you made sure this is one of the VERY few FF varieties here without cereals? In the US, there are many without cereals that are good to feed our sugars, but...here, not so much. I have not even touched a FF (even the cod, sole and shrimp, which doesn't mention cereals and is apparently safe) after finding out about the cereals added to Australian recipes and also how Dweez reacted after a week of eating those "low carb" FF recipes.

 

[BJM]

Some tips to deal with the hunger:
Add a tablespoon or two of water to the canned food to provide some volume.
Spread the food thinly across a large plate to slow the food consumption
Freeze half to be eaten as it thaws.
See if you can find a timed feeder on your local Amazon or pet supply stores. We have one called the PetSafe 5; if you can find that one, folks in the US have had good success with it.

Check the glucose when he seems hungry, especially if it is about 5-7 hours post shot; he could be low at the time and trying to get his numbers up.