Newly diagnosed diabetic cat + Libre is making me feel like I can’t leave the house
Hi, I’m very new to all of this and honestly just looking for some perspective from people who have been through the early stages of feline diabetes.
My cat is 10 & was recently diagnosed and has only been on glargine insulin for about five days. She also has a FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus, which I thought would make me feel more secure, but right now I feel like it’s doing the exact opposite.
She’s had some really low readings and some really high readings, and I’ve already taken her to the ER twice because I was scared by the numbers and by changes in how she was walking. Both times she ended up being okay, but now I feel like I’m constantly waiting for the next drop.
I’m checking the Libre way too often. Like, every few minutes sometimes. If I see her in the low 100s, I start worrying that she’s going to keep dropping. If I see a downward arrow, I immediately get anxious. I’m scared to leave the house for too long because some of her lows have happened hours into the insulin cycle, and I keep thinking, “What if I’m not here when it happens?”
I’ve basically been structuring my whole life around her glucose for the last few days. Since the first ER visit I haven’t returned to work for fear it’ll happen while I’m gone and because of how badly my mental health has been affected.I’ve cut outings short, I’m nervous about sleeping, and I’m constantly watching her behavior and the app at the same time. The frustrating part is that when I’m not looking at the numbers and I just look at her, she’s usually acting completely normal — playing, eating, sleeping, being herself.
I do have an AlphaTRAK 3 on the way because I want a way to confirm suspicious Libre readings, and I’m also trying to get a clearer feeding/monitoring plan from a vet who is more experienced with feline diabetes.
I know the beginning is probably the worst part because everything is new and the dose is still being figured out, but I guess I’m asking: did anyone else feel this consumed by the Libre at first? How did you learn when to actually react versus when to stop staring at the numbers and just watch your cat? And how did you get comfortable leaving the house again?
I love this cat more than anything and I want to take good care of her, but I also know I cannot realistically monitor her glucose every five minutes forever.