Diabetes by Committee?

I was scanning through the hundreds and hundreds of messages in the Lantus insulin section of the Feline Diabetes Message Board and was struck (again!) by the breadth of support there. There is always someone around to lend a hand or an idea when things are going badly or to stay up all night with someone whose cat is skirting the edges of hypoglycemia.

Jiminy, I don’t even stay up all night with my own cat. She is so on her own between 11pm and 6am. Short of bitch-slapping me back into consciousness, there’s not much Isabella can really do to get my attention while I sleep. So if she has any sense at all she’ll schedule her lows for waking hours.

Yikes! Digress much?

Anyway, as I was saying, there’s lots of support on FDMB that to an outsider might look like diabetes management by committee. Caregivers report their cat’s BG numbers, trends, anomalies, and ask What should I do now? And then the opinions and suggestions start flying.

Shoot now!
Wait 30 minutes!
Raise the dose!
Lower the dose!
Try a new insulin!
Feed high carb!
Feed low carb!
Do the happy dance!
Pour yourself a drink!
Try a belly rub!

It’s crazy, comical, confusing, and ultimately, helpful. In the end only one person – the one with the cat and syringe – can decide the course of action. For myself, I know that I usually have an idea what I want to do and someone is bound to back me up. But if no one does – then I know I jolly well better listen to what the FDMB committee is saying. On account of they are really smart people.