3. Lois and RIP-Java

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Kris & Teasel said:
How are you feeling today, Lois? Sometimes stepping back for a breather is just what we need. :)
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I bruised a rib or muscle in yoga, so am only gardening between rain, binge-watching tv, and hanging out with the cats. Java does his old man cat stuff in the yard, Lily hangs with us. The gabapentin should be compounded by noon tomorrow. How are you Kris, actually, all y'all?
 
Ouch!!!! Gosh I hope you feel better soon..that's gotta be rough!

I am glad you're getting some time to relax though and hope you're feeling a bit less stressed...a nice few days on the couch binge watching TV may be just what the doctor ordered!
 
I'm killing time waiting for the compounding Veterinary Pharmacy to finish up with the Gabapentin. Not testing Java regularly has been depressing the majority of the time and liberating the minority of the time. Depressing because I feel like there's something I could be doing that I'm not. Liberating because I'm not setting alarms in the middle of the night, just checking on him the couple of times when I get up to pee anyway.
 
Thanks for the tip on the mail order food. This is my second day of checking out the local pet stores and coming home with a variety of foods on the low phosphorus low carb low protein list. I try to do brick and mortar first, and mail order if I can't find it locally.
 
Wow! So much to catch up on in the past few days! First of all, I second what Rachel said - you're doing a great job! For what it's worth, I think testing pre-shot, is essential, and somewhere mid-cycle is helpful, but I think it would be just fine if you test a less, and just find some peace with this.

Kidneys: what I've learned in the past week or so is that low-protein and low-phosphorus are important for kidney health. Which is tricky when FD needs higher-protein. You just do the best you can in food selection. And at 20-years-old, I think Java should eat whatever he wants to eat. When I'm 97, you better believe I'm going to eat cookies and ice cream for every meal! Oh, and my Nana, who lived to be 102, said that a glass of whiskey ever day was essential for long life, so I might start doing that at some point too!

And just because I like telling stories: I joined here about two weeks before Sam was officially diagnosed (August 2015). I took him in because of the excessive drinking/excessive peeing/neuropathy symptoms. The vet ran the blood tests for diabetes, but told me to change his food, wait two weeks, and then come back. So I immediately started googling everything I could find about FD, and quickly landed here. By the time the vet said to start insulin, I had already had two weeks to study. I love this community, and love sharing this journey with all of you!
 
Djamila said:
For what it's worth, I think testing pre-shot, is essential, and somewhere mid-cycle is helpful, but I think it would be just fine if you test a less, and just find some peace with this.
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I agree, I think this makes more sense.

I hear myself in retrospect saying to the mobile vet that I had used 50 or 60 test strips in last 3 weeks, and that I had used 5 test strips in 30 minutes because I was convinced the result was wrong. She had several points, 1 that the vet who first talked about doing curves later said he regretted ever suggesting it because he wished people would go by observed behavior and physical signs primarily, 2 something about all the bloodletting not being good...

He had his first dose of compounded Gabapentin this evening.
 
I think it's worthwhile to relax a bit and not stress SO MUCH over the numbers. We always remind people that their cat is more than a number...is he happy? How does he seem? I agree with what your vet said about that...it is good to go by physical signs. I mean the numbers are important of course, but in the end...you do have to see how he SEEMS also. :bighug:
 
Talked to the vet yesterday. His urine is perfectly fine.
I'm on my way to a tax protest in SF and tested Java before leaving. It was either 506 or 560, I'm on ferry, had to run, but *neither* is good.
I don't quite have the language yet. Her assumption is that his Symogi / bouncy will level out. I don't think it ever will.
 
You may be right about the bouncy never leveling...but as long as he has you, his rain puddles, and that sunny spot on the deck, he's going to be okay.

How was the protest? We had one downtown here today too -- I would imagine in most big cities. I hope you had a good day!
 
Hey Lois! Yeah, bouncy kitties sometimes level out, but sometimes it takes a LONG time...heck we have several on the board now! But the point is Java still has a good life with you. :bighug:
 
Kris & Teasel said:
Ahem ... have a look at Teasel's SS. Bouncy is an understatement! :blackeye:;)
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I still can't see your SS.
I'm pooped. Ran into two work friends as we walked along! It seemed like a long line of marchers. My Marin friend is dragging me to eyeglass shops. Weekend ferries don't run often. Should I photo a cable car for you? We're just off Union Square now.
 
Here you go!
 

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This is at the Powell Street turnaround. You can see all the tourists lined up at the end of the block to get onto the next cable car.
 

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Been better. Thanks for asking.
I'm having a flare of a chronic thing that's painful.
I'm testing Java now and then and his BG was 708 this morning and off-the-charts "HI" 5.5 hrs. later. I just gave him his evening shot oh I guess over an hour ago.
He's losing so much weight. It used to be that just his butt end was skin and bones, and now his shoulders are starting to get that way. I'm really careful with shots, I just don't understand what is happening. Depressing.
 
Lois and Java said:
Been better. Thanks for asking.
I'm having a flare of a chronic thing that's painful.
I'm testing Java now and then and his BG was 708 this morning and off-the-charts "HI" 5.5 hrs. later. I just gave him his evening shot oh I guess over an hour ago.
He's losing so much weight. It used to be that just his butt end was skin and bones, and now his shoulders are starting to get that way. I'm really careful with shots, I just don't understand what is happening. Depressing.
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I'm sorry you're having such a rough time.
 
Thanks you guys.
I am so bummed out. I just had the first fur shot that I know 100% was a fur shot. His BG was 701, too. Eff eff eff.
It seemed like it went in okay. I picked him up to put him back down on the ground and then I felt moisture on my fingers, that smelled like Band-Aids.
I've got to do something to stop what I'm doing wrong. I might go to Dave the vet and get a little patch shaved, and take Saline, and have someone watch what I'm doing, to see if another set of eyes sees where I'm going wrong.
I'd really like to get some insulin into him, like a half unit or something. I know it's not the protocol here, yet does anybody ever do it?
 
Lois and Java said:
Thanks you guys.
I am so bummed out. I just had the first fur shot that I know 100% was a fur shot. His BG was 701, too. Eff eff eff.
It seemed like it went in okay. I picked him up to put him back down on the ground and then I felt moisture on my fingers, that smelled like Band-Aids.
I've got to do something to stop what I'm doing wrong. I might go to Dave the vet and get a little patch shaved, and take Saline, and have someone watch what I'm doing, to see if another set of eyes sees where I'm going wrong.
I'd really like to get some insulin into him, like a half unit or something. I know it's not the protocol here, yet does anybody ever do it?
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Some people do TID dosing but it's a big burden on the human. You need to do a lot more testing and it restricts the rest of your life significantly.
 
I wouldn't add another dose this morning Lois...I KNOW it's against the grain, but SOME might have gotten into him. :bighug:

I think getting a patch shaved would be great. A lot of people do that to help them dose better.
 
Rachel said:
I wouldn't add another dose this morning Lois...I KNOW it's against the grain, but SOME might have gotten into him. :bighug:

I think getting a patch shaved would be great. A lot of people do that to help them dose better.
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I ended up not doing it for all the usual reasons.

Where do people shave the patch? I saw a photo in a thread really recently but I don't know where it was - either the thread so I can go look, or where on the body of the cat. I'll try Google.
 
That sounds right, but I don't remember where it was. Someone else's thread. I'm finding things here through Google though. There are a couple photos posted of grabbing the kitties fur and rotating the wrist to expose the skin, and blowing on the fur to make sure the skin is exposed. Also several people have said they leave the needle in and count. One person said she counts to one elephant. someone else said she waits to the count of ten. There are more threads to read...
 
Thanks Yong, I feel pretty confident that it got in this time. You'll have seen my reply in the other thread.
My poor bunny, it was 707. He is such a trooper... Went outside today, drank rainwater, sat in his favorite places, watched his favorite spots in the yard next hours. He looks like he didn't feel good though.
The heck with this not testing. I can agree that I don't have to test him every 2 hours, but I'm going to be doing AM and PM pre-tests and a check around the nadir.
 
StephG said:
Yep I have a patch shaved on Chuck. I just shaved it down again.
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Steph could you please post a photo or two? Do you rotate where you put the shaved spot? I'm curious to see where it is on the cat's body and then curious to see a close-up, if you're up for that. Many thanks!
 
I'll try to get a clear picture if those aren't good. I used the other shoulder for a few days til chuck's soft lump went away. I shoot in a clock pattern. Start at 12, then 1 at pm, 2am, 3 pm... clockwise, moving one hour on the clock for each shot. Spreads it out a bit and makes sure I don't poke exactly where I did the shot before. I figure that can't be too comfortable.
 
Ahaha it was on Sam's! Those are the pictures I was thinking of :). I wasn't on parr with my :bookworm:. Was steering Maury a little after receiving my BOS award from Bobbie and Bubba :smuggrin:
 
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