Thank you everyone for all your well wishes, it reminds me of why I am part of this community, with all the good-hearted and caring people here.
I will pick up the insulin today from the vet and get started with his injections tonight, twice a day for the rest of his life. There is a very slim chance that his pancreas could begin functioning again and produce insulin on his own, but that is not really to be hoped for. In addition, we have to continue to control his asthma. He will no longer get the steroid injections. INstead, we are administering an inhalant once or twice a day. It doesn't work as well as the injections, but the risks of side effects are much much less. It also has the inconvenience of having to be done every day, where the injections were done every couple of months or so. I do regret that we didn't switch to the inhalant sooner. Perhaps we could have avoided the diabetes issue if we had done so, but we did what seemed right at the time and I guess that's all you can ever do. You can't go back and second-guess every decision that you make. You just have to make the best choice that you can and then be willing to accept the results.
In a way I am looking forward to getting started with his treatment. He has been mopy for a while, low energy and stuff. Maybe once we get his system regulated again, his old personality will start to re-emerge.
I was never a cat person. I grew up with dogs, and didn't have a lot of interest in cats. But my wife had cats when she was young, so when we moved into an apartment that allows them, we got two of them. I was surprised at how quickly I fell in love with them. In fact, in the early days we discovered that I have a mild allergy to the cats. I can break out in a rash if my exposure to cat dander is too great. At the time, we were not sure if we could keep them, but I had already fallen in love with them and the thought of giving them up just about broke my heart. Luckily, we discovered that if we make an effort to keep the apartment clean, sweep and mop and vacuum regularly, I seem to have no problems whatsoever. The occasional sponge bath for the cats, using simple distilled water, also helps neutralize the dander. I have not had any outbreaks in a couple of years, and most of my outbreaks, after the first one, were quite mild.
Anyway, I guess having them has taught me a lot about unconditional love. They accept us for who we are, and all I can do is the same in return. They drive me nuts, keep me awake at night, scratch up the furniture, but I guess I just love 'em, and I'm dedicated to taking care of them in the best way that I can, come hell or high water.
Thanks also to those who like his name. I always loved the Beowulf poem, and thought there were some great names for pets in that story. Yes, our other cat, even though she is a female, is named Grendel. I don't think she has been sick a day in her life.
