Tracy0504 and Zarley
Member
There seems to be a lot of pet owners who recommend Lantus - especially in light of Vetsulin going away.
Zarley has been on Lantus for only a few days and I already miss Vetsulin terribly. I don't mean the last vial of Vetsulin (the one that made his numbers go crazy), but the Vetsulin he was on for a year -- the one where I just had to give him the same dosage at the same time morning and night and test him every few weeks or so after he was regulated to make sure he stayed in the 100-250 range. My otherwise carefree, happy cat.
Now "we're" on Lantus, and I expected to monitor him closely (every few hours) for the first few days, but the more I read these boards and see spreadsheets, it seems that this isn't just a "first few days" thing. This seems like a "for the rest of the cat's life" thing. I've already spent each day (and night) in a state of panic, worrying about him going into hypo. I'm literally afraid to leave the house. I'm afraid to go to sleep each night. I'm poking that poor cat in the ears every two hours (or more often when I see his numbers go low). I can't live like this and it's not fair for me to force him to. I was thinking earlier - it would be like someone telling you to check the air in your tires every three hours. No one would be able to deal with that for very long. I'm single, have a full-time job and freelance jobs (to keep my head above water) and am going to school. I'm exhausted. If all day long is spent testing the cat, I'm going to get fired. If I'm up all night every night I'll end up in the hospital. HOW are any of you managing?
I just want Zarley back in the 100-250 range. I don't want his numbers below 100 or anywhere where I'm worried they'll go lower. I don't want perfection. I just want him out of the BG danger zone. I don't understand about sheds or overlap or how Lantus is supposed to work -- and I've read and re-read all the documentation on this board - it's just not sinking in. I'm used to higher PS numbers and a six-hour nadir. With Lantus it's like Russian Roulette. I have no idea what the drug is doing or supposed to do other than he could go into hypo at any random time. I have to test him again in two hours (9:30 pm EST) and I'm afraid of what the numbers are going to be. I actually want his numbers to be high (and isn't that a horrible thing to say), because if they aren't, I'm either going to be afraid to give him a shot or if I do give him a shot, I'll be afraid to go to sleep all night again. I'm sitting here crying my eyes out.
I just want him on a consistent dose of something I can give him morning and night and otherwise just allow him to enjoy being a cat. It sounds like I can't do that with Lantus. Isn't there anything out there that is just twice-a-day consistent dosing? As I always promised him, if I can't give him a good quality of life, I will have to put him down.
Please, someone help me.
Zarley has been on Lantus for only a few days and I already miss Vetsulin terribly. I don't mean the last vial of Vetsulin (the one that made his numbers go crazy), but the Vetsulin he was on for a year -- the one where I just had to give him the same dosage at the same time morning and night and test him every few weeks or so after he was regulated to make sure he stayed in the 100-250 range. My otherwise carefree, happy cat.
Now "we're" on Lantus, and I expected to monitor him closely (every few hours) for the first few days, but the more I read these boards and see spreadsheets, it seems that this isn't just a "first few days" thing. This seems like a "for the rest of the cat's life" thing. I've already spent each day (and night) in a state of panic, worrying about him going into hypo. I'm literally afraid to leave the house. I'm afraid to go to sleep each night. I'm poking that poor cat in the ears every two hours (or more often when I see his numbers go low). I can't live like this and it's not fair for me to force him to. I was thinking earlier - it would be like someone telling you to check the air in your tires every three hours. No one would be able to deal with that for very long. I'm single, have a full-time job and freelance jobs (to keep my head above water) and am going to school. I'm exhausted. If all day long is spent testing the cat, I'm going to get fired. If I'm up all night every night I'll end up in the hospital. HOW are any of you managing?
I just want Zarley back in the 100-250 range. I don't want his numbers below 100 or anywhere where I'm worried they'll go lower. I don't want perfection. I just want him out of the BG danger zone. I don't understand about sheds or overlap or how Lantus is supposed to work -- and I've read and re-read all the documentation on this board - it's just not sinking in. I'm used to higher PS numbers and a six-hour nadir. With Lantus it's like Russian Roulette. I have no idea what the drug is doing or supposed to do other than he could go into hypo at any random time. I have to test him again in two hours (9:30 pm EST) and I'm afraid of what the numbers are going to be. I actually want his numbers to be high (and isn't that a horrible thing to say), because if they aren't, I'm either going to be afraid to give him a shot or if I do give him a shot, I'll be afraid to go to sleep all night again. I'm sitting here crying my eyes out.
I just want him on a consistent dose of something I can give him morning and night and otherwise just allow him to enjoy being a cat. It sounds like I can't do that with Lantus. Isn't there anything out there that is just twice-a-day consistent dosing? As I always promised him, if I can't give him a good quality of life, I will have to put him down.
Please, someone help me.