Good afternoon to all of the FDMB Newbies! First I want to thank Wendy for posting our story and secondly, I want to say - YOU CAN DO THIS TOO!
I want to tell you briefly about Mego's story, tell you what I've learned and give you some tips...
Mego is my 15.5 year old sugarcat and once a sugarcat... always a sugarcat. Mego never had any health problems his whole life until just a few short weeks ago. I started to notice he was drinking excessively and using the litterbox more frequently. When I would clean out his box, I also noticed that his "litter clumps" had gotten much larger. He was urinating so much at a time, that there would often times be puddles in the box. This is when I knew something was not right.
I took Mego to the vet (his favorite place in the whole world :lol: ) and had some blood work done. His blood glucose came back at 450 mg/dL - well above normal levels. All other results came back normal. Our next test was a urine test and since Mr. Mego is so un-cooperative at the vet, they sent me home to get a sample using non-absorbent litter in his box. Using a syringe, I collected a sample and took it to the vet for analysis - again his numbers were well over 350 mg/dL. With these 2 tests, and symptoms of excessive drinking & urination, my vet gave Mego a diagnosis of diabetes on March 15th, 2013.
I will tell you honestly, that I freaked out and was very upset. I spent the whole evening after diagnosis crying trying to figure out what I was going to do. After all, I am on a tight budget as it is and I honestly had to consider his advanced age. While at home waiting to get his urine sample (collected several days after his initial bloodwork), I began to vigorously research feline diabetes online... and guess what I found? The best thing any sugarcat owner could ever find -
The Feline Diabetes Message Board!
I began reading, and reading and reading some more. After all my research on this site, I made the decision that I WOULD be able to treat Mego affordably and I wouldn't have to do the unthinkable and put him to sleep. :sad: This is
My First FDMB Post
I learned about the importance of home testing and what kind of supplies I would need. I went to Walmart and picked up everything I needed including wet food (SEE LIST BELOW). Mego had spend 15.5 years eating dry food that was basically killing him, unbeknownst to me. :-x I immediately began home testing Mego before administering insulin to get a good idea of what his blood glucose levels were. I then began began administering the prescribed 1 unit of insulin (Lantus) twice daily on the evening of March 18th. Mego began to respond immediately. And for reasons you will be able to read on the spreadsheet, he responded a little too well!
What I didn't know immediately was that the vets office had given me the wrong syringes! :twisted: What I thought was 1 unit, was actually 2.5 units with the wrong syringe. I was basically overdosing my poor guy causing some very intense and scary nights. I never said this would be easy...
I stopped administering the insulin as soon as I caught the error and proceeded to get the correct syringes and resume treatment as son as possible. Using the Tight Regulation Protocol, I was able to get Mego's sugar levels down to levels in which his pancreas could begin to heal. With 2 weeks of insulin treatments, Mego's levels came down enough that I was able to stop administering the insulin and Mego began his Off The Juice Trial for 14 days. He was able to maintain healthy sugar levels with the use of low carb wet food only.
Mego has been off insulin since April 12, 2013 - less than a month after his diagnosis! :mrgreen:
What Did I Learn & Tips for Success:
- Do all the research you can and read ALL of the posts here multiple times
-Switch your cat to a low carb wet food if you haven't already!
-Ask every question you can think of - there is no stupid question no matter what you think
-Learn how to home test -
I truly believe this saved Mego's life when I was accidently overdosing him and it will save you a lot of money in vet visits by doing your own curves
-This can be done on a budget
-This takes dedication and time up front and there can be sleepless nights, but every minute was worth it!
-Look at all supplies given to you by the vet or purchased carefully so you know you've got the right stuff
-Get support from other Newbies as they understand what you are going through at the beginning
-Listen to the experts!!! They are here to help you and will stay up with you to monitor you and your sugarcat
-Set up a spreadsheet with BG testing info as soon as possible so the experts can see your progress and give you the best advice
-SET UP A HYPO KIT IMMEDIATELY - I had to use mine on the second day of insulin
-Shop around for the best prices in your area - a lot of money can be saved this way
-There are days when you feel like you won't be able to do this - stick with it!
-Remember to take care of yourself too!
There are many, many more...
My Initial Diabetes Purchases
-ReliOn Micro meter $14.98
-ReliOn blood glucose test strips (100 count) $35.88
-ReliOn 30 gauge Lancets $3.74
-ReliOn Ketone test strips $6.64
-Friskies classic pate canned wet food
-Karo syrup - HYPO KIT
-Friskies gravy shreds - HYPO KIT
-Lantus Solostar insulin pen $25 using Lantus savings card you can get from their website
-ReliOn pack of 10 U100 insulin syringes $1.87 w/ 1/2 unit markings
I hope this helps just one person. If anyone has any questions, feel free to send me a private message. If I am not able to answer your question, I will put you in touch with someone who can. You can see Mego's spreadsheet with remarks as well as his profile at the end of this message.
Good luck to all of you and I am sending you strength to get through these initial start up days.
Katie & Mego
Mego's story isn't exceptional or out of the ordinary... with the help of everyone her on FDMB, Mego is successfully off the juice.
