2/11 Fortune AMPS 140 (at hospital) PMPS 113 (at home) +1 228 +2 298

RachelG

RachelG

Member Since 2021
Yesterday was a big day, and Fortune is coming home today!!! The surgeon said he didn't find any evidence of the cancer spreading, and we should have the biopsies back in a week when we go in for his recheck.

Now that the source of the blood loss is gone, this should resolve his dehydration, nausea, and really help his QoL, which is the most important thing.

Trying to stay positive and hopeful and take a deep breath and be present, this is what we were hoping for!! I have been nervous to post, because there is always a chance...

Now I'm trying to find a surgery suit for him so he doesn't have to be in the cone of shame at home lol. Surgeon cleared it, and I want him to be as comfy as he can. UGH I'm so happy, and I cannot wait to have him home and love on him! He is staying most of the day so he can benefit from fluids, and that's fine - even though I want him home sooner, it's good to have the time to make a "safe space" for him to be for the next while during his recovery. Any surgery recovery tips are welcome!

I'll give another update this evening, and before you know it, I'll be back to posting his daily BGs soon! :) It sounded like his BG was lower this morning, which is really good, so I am interested to see if they changed his dose and take a peek at what his curve has been. My boy also finished all his breakfast like the champ he is!

Thank you for rooting for him!!
 
What amazing news, Rachel. Sounds like you found great doctors who were proactive and took the initiative to take good care of Fortune. Wish all vet experiences could be like this one you've just had. Hope you gets lots of good cuddle time with your sweet boy today. :bighug:
 
Bronx's dad (GA) said:
So happy to hear Fortune is coming home! I'll never forget taking Bronx home from Red Back after spending 5 days there for radiation. Was such an emotional ride home.
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Paul - I am so so grateful that you shared your positive experience first hand, it's what helped us trust the call to take him in to be hospitalized to get in with their oncology team. We know it was the right thing, but it was excruciating to make the call. And you helped us. <3 I plan to sit in the back with Fortune on the drive home and give him lots of sweet talk and pets the whole ride!

PerfumedCatMom said:
What amazing news, Rachel. Sounds like you found great doctors who were proactive and took the initiative to take good care of Fortune. Wish all vet experiences could be like this one you've just had. Hope you gets lots of good cuddle time with your sweet boy today. :bighug:
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Thank you! I agree. It is in such deep contrast to the care and experience we had just last week, that I feel a bit of whiplash, lol. They are very positive about the outlook for Fortune, and we am still recovering from the trauma of last week that it has been a bit more challenging to embrace. We are very excited to have him home to love on him, help him have a speedy recovery, and feed him as much as he wants!

SN: Can we do that, lol? With diabetes I know the food impacts his BG and we are back to feeding him low carb FF because it's his fav, but I want to plump him up!!
 
Woohoo! :woot:

Google "cat recovery suit", there are all sorts of adorable options.

I expect you'll want him relatively confined at first, so as not to stress or damage the surgery site. The hospital will have discharge instructions. Maybe you can call and ask if you need to do any special preparations.

For food, you might be able to find some LC kitten food options that are higher calorie. Or look for options in Dr. Lisa's list that are higher fat %.
 
Happy to hear this news! Here is a link to what I used for Phoebe Squeak. As you can see from the photo, she loved it. :rolleyes:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NHNF5L6/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20
upload_2021-2-11_16-36-24.png
 

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RachelG said:
Paul - I am so so grateful that you shared your positive experience first hand, it's what helped us trust the call to take him in to be hospitalized to get in with their oncology team. !
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And a special thanks to @Diane Tyler's Mom & Wendy who tagged me to your posts looking for an IM and Oncology vet in NJ. Diane even found all the links to the vets & hospitals. This board is priceless!
 
We are home! Fortune is in his little kitty hoodie for the time being, while we wait for his recovery suit to arrive in the mail.

He has gone for big sips of water three times since getting home, but already used the bathroom and was excited to be home and ask for food constantly :) Dinner is in about 30 minutes and I expect he is exhausted. He is laying on my leg right now while I type this from the floor in the room we set up for him.

He keeps dozing off, but then waking up and looking around and head butting me. Poor kitty has been through so much in the past week! Now we cross our fingers for a speedy healing, for his left kidney to pick up the whole work load, and for the biopsies to show the best outcome for my boy.

It's hard for me to leave him alone to sleep because I am so worried, but I am trying to leave him alone and not wake him up/feel his breathing. OOF it's been rough.

He is trembling a bit occasionally, so I'm trying to make sure he is warm, but I'm not sure if it's from the cold, him trying to purr, or something else.

His BG number today at the vet was beautiful! I don't have the times, but it looks like they took pre shot numbers, and a spot check. I hope he didn't dip too much last night...

2/9: 265, 398
2/10: 150, 491, 476 (day of surgery)
2/11: 140

Wendy&Neko said:
For food, you might be able to find some LC kitten food options that are higher calorie. Or look for options in Dr. Lisa's list that are higher fat %.
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This is brilliant! I sent DH to the store with a list of options! Great suggestion!!

Bronx's dad (GA) said:
And a special thanks to @Diane Tyler's Mom & Wendy who tagged me to your posts looking for an IM and Oncology vet in NJ. Diane even found all the links to the vets & hospitals. This board is priceless!
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YES!! I appreciate you calling them out, I would be completely lost without @Diane Tyler's Mom who has helped me since my very first day posting by connecting me and linking me to everything and everyone that could possibly help, and @Wendy&Neko has been invaluable, as has @tiffmaxee and so many others. Fortune, DH and I are SO SO grateful for you all!!
 
Well, I just checked his PMPS and it's only 113! So now I'm worried about shooting his full 2IU. Any advice?

He likes to keep us on our toes!

J.J. and Phoebe Squeak said:
Here is a link to what I used for Phoebe Squeak. As you can see from the photo, she loved it. :rolleyes:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NHNF5L6/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20
View attachment 59739
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Haha so cute! I ordered it, and it should arrive in the next few days! In the meantime we put him in a hoodie which he likes more than the cone but not by much lol.
 
I was told he was getting 2 IU - I double checked before discharge.

He is VERY hungry - halfway through his second can :)
 
If he was getting 2u at the clinic and they did not remark he had dropped, he’s eating well, you have all the supplies, and can test for however long tonight, you “can” shoot.

OTOH, you don’t know if he’s clearing a bounce and dropping or if this is a second dip. If you shoot on time, it could be a busy night. If you stall, he could keep dropping to where you have to skip. I’m not a big fan of reduced doses because most of the cycle will play out the same.

If you know he will eat really well and you have a pretty good idea how to manage his curve with food, then it’s best to give the full dose on time. Normally, if I suggest you shoot, I’d stay up with you but my husband and I have an at-home dinner date and he’s waiting on me now. So I can’t really tell you to shoot...you have to decide if you can handle low numbers. I’m very sorry I can’t hang out.
 
RachelG said:
We are home! Fortune is in his little kitty hoodie for the time being, while we wait for his recovery suit to arrive in the mail.

He has gone for big sips of water three times since getting home, but already used the bathroom and was excited to be home and ask for food constantly :) Dinner is in about 30 minutes and I expect he is exhausted. He is laying on my leg right now while I type this from the floor in the room we set up for him.

He keeps dozing off, but then waking up and looking around and head butting me. Poor kitty has been through so much in the past week! Now we cross our fingers for a speedy healing, for his left kidney to pick up the whole work load, and for the biopsies to show the best outcome for my boy.

It's hard for me to leave him alone to sleep because I am so worried, but I am trying to leave him alone and not wake him up/feel his breathing. OOF it's been rough.

He is trembling a bit occasionally, so I'm trying to make sure he is warm, but I'm not sure if it's from the cold, him trying to purr, or something else.

His BG number today at the vet was beautiful! I don't have the times, but it looks like they took pre shot numbers, and a spot check. I hope he didn't dip too much last night...

2/9: 265, 398
2/10: 150, 491, 476 (day of surgery)
2/11: 140



This is brilliant! I sent DH to the store with a list of options! Great suggestion!!



YES!! I appreciate you calling them out, I would be completely lost without @Diane Tyler's Mom who has helped me since my very first day posting by connecting me and linking me to everything and everyone that could possibly help, and @Wendy&Neko has been invaluable, as has @tiffmaxee and so many others. Fortune, DH and I are SO SO grateful for you all!!
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Rachel ♥♥:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
RachelG said:
Well, I just checked his PMPS and it's only 113! So now I'm worried about shooting his full 2IU. Any advice?

He likes to keep us on our toes!



Haha so cute! I ordered it, and it should arrive in the next few days! In the meantime we put him in a hoodie which he likes more than the cone but not by much lol.
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So happy you ordered it
 
Marje and Gracie said:
If he was getting 2u at the clinic and they did not remark he had dropped, he’s eating well, you have all the supplies, and can test for however long tonight, you “can” shoot.

OTOH, you don’t know if he’s clearing a bounce and dropping or if this is a second dip. If you shoot on time, it could be a busy night. If you stall, he could keep dropping to where you have to skip. I’m not a big fan of reduced doses because most of the cycle will play out the same.

If you know he will eat really well and you have a pretty good idea how to manage his curve with food, then it’s best to give the full dose on time. Normally, if I suggest you shoot, I’d stay up with you but my husband and I have an at-home dinner date and he’s waiting on me now. So I can’t really tell you to shoot...you have to decide if you can handle low numbers. I’m very sorry I can’t hang out.
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I understand. He has been eating really well so far, with breaks, I'm guessing due to pain or nausea post surgery. We have never had low numbers at home before - he went hypo last Sunday but we were at the vet. We have stalled a bit already (he was due 30 min ago). We are retesting now, to see if his number has changed. I'm pretty sure he is bouncing since his numbers were so high, but still a bit inexperienced.

Just retested - he is at 112 now.
 
Ok, spoke to my husband, we are going to shoot him now (we are about 45 min late, oops) and stay up.

We want to give him the best outcome and with everything going on, we don't want him to have super high BG too.

Enjoy your date!!
 
RachelG said:
I understand. He has been eating really well so far, with breaks, I'm guessing due to pain or nausea post surgery. We have never had low numbers at home before - he went hypo last Sunday but we were at the vet. We have stalled a bit already (he was due 30 min ago). We are retesting now, to see if his number has changed. I'm pretty sure he is bouncing since his numbers were so high, but still a bit inexperienced.

Just retested - he is at 112 now.
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So he’s flat...that’s actually a good sign but I can’t make any promise without any data.

Is he on antibiotics? As long as he is not ketone prone or ever had DKA, you could skip and give you all a break. It doesn’t hurt to shoot a Reduced dose but he will do whatever he was goin* to at least for several hours.
 
Marje and Gracie said:
So he’s flat...that’s actually a good sign but I can’t make any promise without any data.

Is he on antibiotics? As long as he is not ketone prone or ever had DKA, you could skip and give you all a break. It doesn’t hurt to shoot a Reduced dose but he will do whatever he was goin* to at least for several hours.
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He is not on any antibiotics and has had DKA - when we thought he was last week, it was actually non-regenerative anemia due to cancer :rolleyes:

What would you do if it was your kitty - shoot or not shoot? He did eat well...and I am happy to keep feeding him since he lost so much weight from the hospitalization last week, lol
 
RachelG said:
We are home! Fortune is in his little kitty hoodie for the time being, while we wait for his recovery suit to arrive in the mail.

He has gone for big sips of water three times since getting home, but already used the bathroom and was excited to be home and ask for food constantly :) Dinner is in about 30 minutes and I expect he is exhausted. He is laying on my leg right now while I type this from the floor in the room we set up for him.

He keeps dozing off, but then waking up and looking around and head butting me. Poor kitty has been through so much in the past week! Now we cross our fingers for a speedy healing, for his left kidney to pick up the whole work load, and for the biopsies to show the best outcome for my boy.

It's hard for me to leave him alone to sleep because I am so worried, but I am trying to leave him alone and not wake him up/feel his breathing. OOF it's been rough.

He is trembling a bit occasionally, so I'm trying to make sure he is warm, but I'm not sure if it's from the cold, him trying to purr, or something else.

His BG number today at the vet was beautiful! I don't have the times, but it looks like they took pre shot numbers, and a spot check. I hope he didn't dip too much last night...

2/9: 265, 398
2/10: 150, 491, 476 (day of surgery)
2/11: 140



This is brilliant! I sent DH to the store with a list of options! Great suggestion!!



YES!! I appreciate you calling them out, I would be completely lost without @Diane Tyler's Mom who has helped me since my very first day posting by connecting me and linking me to everything and everyone that could possibly help, and @Wendy&Neko has been invaluable, as has @tiffmaxee and so many others. Fortune, DH and I are SO SO grateful for you all!!
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You are welcome Rachel, I just feel in love with him from the very start ♥:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Poor bunny! His BG has been so high since his the day before his incident last Wednesday, I just want him to feel better fast.

But also glad we don't have to stay up too late, lol.

Thanks for checking in on us, Elise! Is it easier if I tag you when I update it? Appreciate you so so much!!
 
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If you post with a question I will get an email. I will only see the tag if I’m check the board. I’m checking on a couple others too I so I will be on and off.
 
Oof he jumped all the way up to 298. Do you think we still need +3? Seems like he will keep going up :(

Fortune seems SO tired, probably exhausted and recovering from surgery, and resting to heal. I'm sure the business and stress of the hospital didn't help.

Did I bungle it up for him by reducing his shot?
 
RachelG said:
Oof he jumped all the way up to 298. Do you think we still need +3? Seems like he will keep going up :(

Fortune seems SO tired, probably exhausted and recovering from surgery, and resting to heal. I'm sure the business and stress of the hospital didn't help.

Did I bungle it up for him by reducing his shot?
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I think this would have happened even if you shot a full dose. He’s been through a lot. Everybody need sleep.
 
tiffmaxee said:
No. Get some sleep. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
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YAY! We are dismantling our bed frame so our mattress is low enough for Fortune to get on and sleep with us if he likes (no jumping or going up steps for this bunny cat)! We are falling down tired - poor DH even moreso than me. I'm just so glad to be posting about BG drama vs the craziness with cancer!

Thanks for helping us out tonight! XO
 
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