Okay, so as for updates...
I'm still WAITING! Can you hear the frustration in my voice as I type that? Well, it's there. I'm not happy. No movement on insurance, and nothing new from Libby's lab. I'm going crazy, I really am. I feel like this is never going to happen. Kevin feels the same way too. We had a heart-to-heart about it on Friday night. Tears were involved. There are times where IF just hits you like a freight train when you least expect it, and Friday night was one of those times.
We hope to get a response on the insurance appeal on Thursday, so I am praying like crazy it is good news and approved. If it's denied, I'm going to lose my mind. And I have no idea when Libby's lab is going to start returning her phone calls, which appears to be the real obstacle on that front at this point of time. It's immensely frustrating because it appears it comes down to one particular lady just picking up the phone and calling her back! How hard is that!? Libby has left messages to no avail.
But the main thing that has really been consuming most of my waking (and sometimes sleeping) moments is Nadia and trying to manage her newly diagnosed diabetes. We had a consult with our vet on July 2nd, but scarily enough, it turns out much of the information our vet gave us was incorrect and actually deadly. She started off telling us to give Nadia 1u of insulin twice a day, then out of the blue at the end of the appointment she switched it to 2u of insulin twice a day. That is A LOT. I asked her about the prospect of me doing home blood glucose tests, and she said they totally weren't necessary and not to do them. My gut said that 2u was too much and that not doing home testing was irresponsible.
Being who I am, I did a ton of research and found an incredibly active online forum of people who manage feline diabetes day in and day out, and they all agreed - 2u WAY too much, and I MUST home test. Unfortunately, even the best vets aren't very well versed on feline diabetes and much information has changed in recent years. And by following the proper protocol, new research shows that up to 80% of kitties can go into remission. Unlike humans, their pancreas can actually heal! That is my goal, but it takes a lot of dedication to get a tight grasp on it and get her pancreas at healing levels.
On the fourth of July, I started her with 1u and her levels dropped dangerously low that night even on the lowered dose. Which means that if I had given her 2u as my vet had advised, she certainly would have gone into hypoglycemic shock. Then had I actually listened and not tested, I never would have known her level was so deadly low and the second 2u shot would have killed her. I am so glad I didn't listen to the vet!
Nadia eating her breakfast this morning. I have to do her shots/tests on the counter where there's light and the dog and other cat don't interfere.
Both of our cats have had a drastic food change because dry food was what triggered Nadia's diabetes in the first place. Switching a cat's food can lead to upset tummies. Our other kitty, Chloe, has had um....bathroom issues lately. And I only realized it after she made a mess all over herself last night. This meant only one thing - BATH TIME. Giving a cat a bath is equivalent to cat torture. They hate it and soaped up they are like a greased pig with claws. She looked ridiculous and shrank to half her size when when wet. Luckily we got her all cleaned and I'm hoping the tummy issues heal quickly so there are no more torturous baths in her future.
Nadia found a ray of sunshine to stretch out in after her shot. She doesn't seem too traumatized by all of the poking!
Between cat poo issues and and chasing Nadia every few hours to hold her down and poke her ear for blood and give her insulin shots, I feel like this is somewhat of a training camp for a baby. I obviously realize this is not the exact same thing, but I'm literally at her beckon call day and night to make sure she's okay. Kevin and I have split up duties to care for her when the other is absent. I can't wait until we have a regular routine and her blood sugars are regulated. But until then, she has to be closely monitored to make sure she doesn't drop dead one afternoon for her levels being too low.
It's actually caused me to get my mind off of IF for a bit, which is a good thing. Right? :) Maybe it's a blessing in disguise.
Well maybe one thing at a time is better, but I really hope progress is made soon! Enough torture!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it will be nice to get the hang of this cat diabetes stuff before having to get knee deep in my cycle. Although if I were to get my calendar tomorrow, I would make it work. Hands down! :)
DeleteI sent you the angel! There wasn't a place on the website to put a note or mark that it was a gift so I emailed customer service. The lady was very nice and even said she would gift wrap it for me. I'm not sure what went wrong! lol I love Kelly Rae Roberts' pieces and knew I had to send you that angel to remind you to hold onto your hope!!
ReplyDeleteAww!! DP THANK YOU!!!!! This was so sweet. It really made my day. :) I am so blessed to know you.
DeleteHow sweet is that!!
ReplyDeleteVery!
DeleteMy cat started on 1 unit twice daily, but his sugars were still in the 200s and I was scooping clumps the size of a continent out of the box, so I moved him up to 2 units twice daily -he was doing great on that -he's weight was steady, we weren't filling the water bowl as much, and I stopped testing as he levels were in really good range. His fructosamine level was 300, which the vet said was perfect. Continue our plan and recheck the fructose in 6 months. I gave him his insulin on the 4th of July and went to the gym, when I came back he had a 'glazed' look to him, so I checked his ear and it was 34! I fed him a load of cat treats and I haven't dosed him since and he's been 70-100 at all times during the day. I am so glad it happened on the holiday, when I happened to be home. The glucose checks are more annoying than giving the injections, but I feel that I should have been doing them at least a few times per week. The good news... The Vet thinks he may be in remission. Diabetes in cats can resolve if caught early and treated with Lantus (that looks like Nadia's insulin) so...it does get better!
ReplyDeleteAww, I'm so glad to hear your story is headed in a good direction. Nadia appears to be extremely sensitive to the insulin. I may do a .25u increase, but according to the protocol I'm waiting to see what happens over the course of a few days before deciding.
DeleteThat's so scary about his hypo episode! Glad you were able to treat him and you were home! I hope he goes into remission. :)
I agree, glucose checks are 100 times harder than the shots. Thanks for commenting.
Kinda scary that your vet fave you wrong information. Seems to me, he should have been able to do some of his own research on the topic. Nadia is a beautiful cat! Love her coloring. Good luck with everything. Hopefully she will be one that goes Ito remission and recovers!
ReplyDelete