Merlin’s saga continues (was new bewildered member)

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Merlin’sMama

Merlin’sMama

Member Since 2022
Continued from https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...lin-continued-more.263411/page-8#post-2951757

Hello Everyone! What a horrendous night. I slept for about 45 minutes spread out over three hours. Now I’m up and at it again. John has been scanning Merlin every so often, and his readings are high…starting with 22.8 at 7:32, then the Libre just says “HI” for the next two readings, one at 9, one at 12:30. When I got up, I managed to do an ear prick on the fussy GlucoMen machine, out of sheer will, because I’m out of Contour Next strips. It worked! The reading was 32.1. I’m scared that all that sugar and honey and syrup is still working its magic. He acts ok, is eating LC wet, after sleeping a full 3 or 4 hours. The infamous vet has gone ahead and ordered some correct syringes, which should arrive today or tomorrow, she said. No ketones in the urine. I am shaking already at the thought of another all nighter of terror. No time to recoup. I sure could use some more advice, but I hope that Suzanne, Tee, and Bron are resting. I’m thinking this is just residue from the awful night of enforced sugar…
 
Merlin’sMama said:
Continued from https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...lin-continued-more.263411/page-8#post-2951757

Hello Everyone! What a horrendous night. I slept for about 45 minutes spread out over three hours. Now I’m up and at it again. John has been scanning Merlin every so often, and his readings are high…starting with 22.8 at 7:32, then the Libre just says “HI” for the next two readings, one at 9, one at 12:30. When I got up, I managed to do an ear prick on the fussy GlucoMen machine, out of sheer will, because I’m out of Contour Next strips. It worked! The reading was 32.1. I’m scared that all that sugar and honey and syrup is still working its magic. He acts ok, is eating LC wet, after sleeping a full 3 or 4 hours. The infamous vet has gone ahead and ordered some correct syringes, which should arrive today or tomorrow, she said. No ketones in the urine. I am shaking already at the thought of another all nighter of terror. No time to recoup. I sure could use some more advice, but I hope that Suzanne, Tee, and Bron are resting. I’m thinking this is just residue from the awful night of enforced sugar…
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Your first night was an exception not the norm! You were AMAZING! And so we're @Suzanne & Darcy @Teetee (UK) & @Bron and Sheba (GA) !
 
I am just about to head to bed. A bit earlier than last night!
Don’t worry about the high BGs. Merlin is bouncing from the lower numbers he was in yesterday. His body is not used to them now and the liver panics and dumps stored glucose and regulatory hormones into the system to ‘save himself’. Bounces can last from 1 to 6 cycles and there is nothing you can do but wait them out. It is very normal especially for newly diagnosed diabetic cats to bounce.
He will be fine.
I remember the first time Sheba dropped to 3, it was before I had joined FDMB and it was 1.30 am. I thought I wasn’t going to be able to get the BG up as nothing seemed to work. I had the whole house awake! I had to get my daughter to move her car as she was blocking my car and I thought I needed to go to the ER. But Sheba came up in the nick of time.
She was feeling very seedy the next day from so much honey and dry food I had fed her.:rolleyes:

Can you post a photo of the syringes when they arrive please so we can check them?
 
After I sent the vet who overdosed Merlin a text with the curve of the night and a recount of how it went, all she had to say was “It was really going up and down. Glad it’s coming up now.” I am glad I have the insulin and will soon have the syringes. But I don’t want to think about dosing him again. Not tonight if I don’t have to. The thought of it makes me panic and cry and hyperventilate.
 
I never imagined that such a scenario would take place where a vet would overdose a kitty like that.

And Jill after everything you have been through already, before last night! Here you thought, yes, finally got insulin, we're on the right track now whew! Your post here was so filled with joy at him getting his shot :(
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
I am just about to head to bed. A bit earlier than last night!
Don’t worry about the high BGs. Merlin is bouncing from the lower numbers he was in yesterday. His body is not used to them now and the liver panics and dumps stored glucose and regulatory hormones into the system to ‘save himself’. Bounces can last from 1 to 6 cycles and there is nothing you can do but wait them out. It is very normal especially for newly diagnosed diabetic cats
He will be fine.
I remember the first time Sheba dropped to 3, it was before I had joined FDMB and it was 1.30 am. I thought I wasn’t going to be able to get the BG up as nothing seemed to work. I had the whole house awake! I had to get my daughter to move her car as she was blocking my car and I thought I needed to go to the ER. But Sheba came up in the nick of time.
She was feeling very seedy the next day from so much honey and dry food I had fed her.:rolleyes:

Can you post a photo of the syringes when they arrive please so we can check them?
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Yes, indeed. I wish you had had someone like you now to talk to that night! I guess you did—you made it through! Thank you for this and ALL the advice and reassurances you have given us. So to clarify, it could be up to six cycles, but how long is a cycle, exactly?
 
Merlin’sMama said:
After I sent the vet who overdosed Merlin a text with the curve of the night and a recount of how it went, all she had to say was “It was really going up and down. Glad it’s coming up now.” I am glad I have the insulin and will soon have the syringes. But I don’t want to think about dosing him again. Not tonight if I don’t have to. The thought of it makes me panic and cry and hyperventilate.
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You had a bad first experience. That is not the normal experience. And we are here to help you. As you can see, we stay with you for as long as you need. You had a baptism by fire!
I would recommend you start with 0.5 units twice a day, using the U 100 syringes , and hopefully the cycles will be uneventful.
 
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Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
You had a bad first experience. That is not the normal experience. And we are here to help you. As you can see, we stay with you for as long as you need. You had a baptism by fire!
I would recommend you start with 0.5 units twice a day, using the U 100 syringes , and hopefully the cycles will be u ever truly.
Click to expand...
Is there some info on what a cycle is, in terms of Merlin recovering from all the sugar?
 
Merlin’sMama said:
Yes, indeed. I wish you had had someone like you now to talk to that night! I guess you did—you made it through! Thank you for this and ALL the advice and reassurances you have given us. So to clarify, it could be up to six cycles, but how long is a cycle, exactly?
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A cycle is 12 hours…the time between one dose of insulin and the next. So 6 cycles is three days. Some cats bounce for the 6 cycles and some only 1. Every cat is different. So just feed him as normal and he will be fine.
When you get the syringes, we will get you to draw up the dose and take a photo of it so we are all on the same page with the dose.
A positive from last night is, you have learnt so much about how to manage low numbers and to always check and question everything if you are not happy with what the vet tells you.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
You had a bad first experience. That is not the normal experience. And we are here to help you. As you can see, we stay with you for as long as you need. You had a baptism by fire!
I would recommend you start with 0.5 units twice a day, using the U 100 syringes , and hopefully the cycles will be uneventful.
Click to expand...
Nite nite, Bron. Thank you again:bighug:
 
Merlin’sMama said:
Is there some info on what a cycle is, in terms of Merlin recovering from all the sugar?
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As it was just honey and sugar, I would say it is out of his system now. And the high carb food you fed was wet food so that leaves the system more quickly than the dry high carb food does. You know how you feel after eating a big bag of sweets or high carb food.
The high BGs now are from the stored glucose and regulatory hormones in his system. We can’t do anything about those.
 
I have been checking Merlin’s pee for ketones since the diagnosis, and it has always been clear, thank goodness. I guess it will be ok not to dose him with the proper amount of insulin while he comes down from last night, maybe over those 3 days. When his numbers are back to what they were before, we will be ready, hopefully, syringe in hand.
 
Merlin’sMama said:
Continued from https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...lin-continued-more.263411/page-8#post-2951757

Hello Everyone! What a horrendous night. I slept for about 45 minutes spread out over three hours. Now I’m up and at it again. John has been scanning Merlin every so often, and his readings are high…starting with 22.8 at 7:32, then the Libre just says “HI” for the next two readings, one at 9, one at 12:30. When I got up, I managed to do an ear prick on the fussy GlucoMen machine, out of sheer will, because I’m out of Contour Next strips. It worked! The reading was 32.1. I’m scared that all that sugar and honey and syrup is still working its magic. He acts ok, is eating LC wet, after sleeping a full 3 or 4 hours. The infamous vet has gone ahead and ordered some correct syringes, which should arrive today or tomorrow, she said. No ketones in the urine. I am shaking already at the thought of another all nighter of terror. No time to recoup. I sure could use some more advice, but I hope that Suzanne, Tee, and Bron are resting. I’m thinking this is just residue from the awful night of enforced sugar…
Click to expand...
By the vets mistake u were thrown in the deep water and u made it!! I think from now on it’s gonna be all ok even thou they go low and we have to keep an eye on them and intervene but u did amazing job last nite and all the help from amazing people here - thank you so much guys :cat::kiss: u r stars!!! I mean if u survived that marathon u can do it!!!!! :bighug:
 
Teetee (UK) said:
I'm so glad he's doing well Jill, wow what a day and night that was but you both came through it and that's the most important thing.
As @Bron and Sheba (GA) explained his numbers could probably be all over the place for a while if he bounces.
Well done Jill and Merlin :bighug:
@Suzanne & Darcy @Bron and Sheba (GA) :bighug:
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Hey, Tee. I'd pick you as a partner to go through an overdose/hypo prevention session any day! And Bron, naturally.
 
Merlin’sMama said:
I think I’m going back to bed for awhile. Catch ya later! Xxx
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Me too. I got up at 5 a.m. (that was HARD) and went back to sleep at about 7:45 a.m. and slept until nearly 11 a.m. (which I never do). I'm drinking coffee now to try to start to feel more normal. I saw your waning gibbous moon at 5 a.m.... lovely. Now I want to catch up on all the Merlin news (vet, syringes, etc.) and please don't forget to put your hypo kit together with oral syringes and any kind of sweet stuff that you want to give him - wonder how much honey you used up yesterday? -- oh, and more Contour test strips!
 
Merlin’sMama said:
I can!!! But first, I must find the syringes. Apparently they are in “short supply” in Cork. Could you please tell me again the name of your pharmacy? I will come pick them up if I have to. Do you need a prescription from the vet to get them there?
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I remember Paulina saying yesterday that she had her vet call in an Rx for the syringes to a pharmacy and the only reason she picked that pharmacy was because it was the closest one.
 
Merlin’sMama said:
all she had to say was “It was really going up and down. Glad it’s coming up now.”
Click to expand...
I wonder if she understands that every time it went down from the overdose... it was brought back up again with HC food/gravy and honey! Can't she see there was a battle going on there to prop up the numbers?? I guess she didn't want to say much... or she's just kind of flabbergasted.
 
Merlin’sMama said:
Continued from https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...lin-continued-more.263411/page-8#post-2951757

Hello Everyone! What a horrendous night. I slept for about 45 minutes spread out over three hours. Now I’m up and at it again. John has been scanning Merlin every so often, and his readings are high…starting with 22.8 at 7:32, then the Libre just says “HI” for the next two readings, one at 9, one at 12:30. When I got up, I managed to do an ear prick on the fussy GlucoMen machine, out of sheer will, because I’m out of Contour Next strips. It worked! The reading was 32.1. I’m scared that all that sugar and honey and syrup is still working its magic. He acts ok, is eating LC wet, after sleeping a full 3 or 4 hours. The infamous vet has gone ahead and ordered some correct syringes, which should arrive today or tomorrow, she said. No ketones in the urine. I am shaking already at the thought of another all nighter of terror. No time to recoup. I sure could use some more advice, but I hope that Suzanne, Tee, and Bron are resting. I’m thinking this is just residue from the awful night of enforced sugar…
Click to expand...
Hi Jill!! I just want to hug your daughter for all the help she gave you last night, too. Merlin also deserves a wonderful day of nobody bothering him much ... out under his bush, perhaps. :cat: When you give that first shot (after posting a photo of the syringe, of course, for peace of mind) I would do it in the morning when you are well-rested.
 
Oh, and you should add Lantus to your signature instead of No Insulin. Write Lantus on your spreadsheet, too, in the upper area next to where it says SLGS. For today and until you begin you can just put NS (no shot) in the units column of your spreadsheet.
 
Teetee (UK) said:
I'm so glad he's doing well Jill, wow what a day and night that was but you both came through it and that's the most important thing.
As @Bron and Sheba (GA) explained his numbers could probably be all over the place for a while if he bounces.
Well done Jill and Merlin :bighug:
@Suzanne & Darcy @Bron and Sheba (GA) :bighug:
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Thank you! We are all very sleepy today, but happy we made it through with all of your help. So grateful. Hope your kitty is doing ok too.:bighug:
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Me too. I got up at 5 a.m. (that was HARD) and went back to sleep at about 7:45 a.m. and slept until nearly 11 a.m. (which I never do). I'm drinking coffee now to try to start to feel more normal. I saw your waning gibbous moon at 5 a.m.... lovely. Now I want to catch up on all the Merlin news (vet, syringes, etc.) and please don't forget to put your hypo kit together with oral syringes and any kind of sweet stuff that you want to give him - wonder how much honey you used up yesterday? -- oh, and more Contour test strips!
Click to expand...
Yes! John already went and bought more Felix and some Purina gold pate. He also got more strips. We have to find a place to get squidging syringes, but that cut off one worked great! Small enough to really get it in there. It’s 5:37 and I am still in my jammies, having had only 45 minutes of sleep. I want to go back to bed, but I might as well wait now. The vet was told by the pharmacy that they cant get those syringes in because they are “in short supply.” Point blank no. So I told her I will source them. I have asked Paulina if maybe she could send me some. John asked at another pharmacy and they said they don’t carry them because people use the pens with Lantus. What the heck?? I may have to special order them from England. I would ask my family to send me some, but, so far, two packages sent by them have either gone missing or have been returned with melted chocolate. The postal service is a farce. So I am still in limbo about that. I will probably go pharmacy to pharmacy tomorrow and show them the photos of the syringes that Paulina sent me. Ridiculous. Anyway, I hope you get caught up on sleep tonight. Merlin is still “HI” on the Libre monitor, which I see is normal for his situation. Instead of that panicky feeling when I look at the monitor, I like to read that right now as “Hi!” Or maybe I am just goofy from lack of sleep! I cant thank you enough for sticking with me last night. You are a gem. I needed you so desperately and you were right there on the screen. Makes me cry again, but in a different way than last night. It’s starting to seem like a terrible nightmare now. And yes, in those 45 minutes of sleep, I did dream of honey syringes. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I wonder if she understands that every time it went down from the overdose... it was brought back up again with HC food/gravy and honey! Can't she see there was a battle going on there to prop up the numbers?? I guess she didn't want to say much... or she's just kind of flabbergasted.
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I think, as my husband said, she wants to “cover her arse.” She has never accepted any blame for anything. Either that or she is completely clueless. I think she must be relieved that I didn’t send her a nasty blamey text (but boy oh boy did I want to.) I figured I have to keep cool in case I need anything from her, and I want her to be there in case of emergencies. Not that I would totally trust her, but I would be there too! I will be gradually finding myself a new vet, I think. At least I have the monitor and the insulin now! And wow did that monitor do the job for us last night! If we didn’t have that, I’m afraid his little ears would look like Swiss cheese right now!:nailbiting:
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
I never imagined that such a scenario would take place where a vet would overdose a kitty like that.

And Jill after everything you have been through already, before last night! Here you thought, yes, finally got insulin, we're on the right track now whew! Your post here was so filled with joy at him getting his shot :(
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Thank you for saying so. I was so happy to finally get him on the road to wellness. Just a (huge) dip in the road. We will get there soon enough, right? :cat:
 
Somewhere buried in last nights saga, someone mentioned a supplier of syringes in England that I could order from. Who was that, and could I please have that again? My PTSD wont allow me to slog through those pages right now.:confused:
 
Merlin’sMama said:
Somewhere buried in last nights saga, someone mentioned a supplier of syringes in England that I could order from. Who was that, and could I please have that again? My PTSD wont allow me to slog through those pages right now.:confused:
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It’s @Bron and Sheba (GA) She knows of a pharmacy in England that will ship the syringes to you. When she wakes up, she will see this tag and respond, I am sure.
 
I just read the entire thread on your adventures yesterday! Holy Jesus!

Bron was with me, my very first day here for the exact same reason. My vet gave me the U100 syringes for a U40 insulin.
It's just ridiculous how stupid this is. It's not freaking rocket science!

I'm glad you made it through! On the positive side, you gained SO MUCH valuable information in a very very short period of time. Even though it seems like a lot right now, you'll appreciate it later, I promise. :bighug:
 
SashaV said:
I just read the entire thread on your adventures yesterday! Holy Jesus!

Bron was with me, my very first day here for the exact same reason. My vet gave me the U100 syringes for a U40 insulin.
It's just ridiculous how stupid this is. It's not freaking rocket science!

I'm glad you made it through! On the positive side, you gained SO MUCH valuable information in a very very short period of time. Even though it seems like a lot right now, you'll appreciate it later, I promise. :bighug:
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I think it really was a learning experience, though at the moment it just seems like the dark hole of hell with little angels helping us get out. I don’t ever want to do that again, though. I know that hypos happen, but hopefully 21-hour near-hypos aren’t very common!
 
I was reading along as well yesterday. I'm glad Merlin is safe I hope you get some much needed rest. Suzanne, Bron & FrostD have helped me out so much. They are a God send that's for sure. Hopefully you can find a new vet asap. That's just ridiculous, I think she should have her license pulled. Good luck to you & Merlin. Hopefully you don't have to go through that again. You know what to do now though & someone will always be there to help you:bighug:
 
Merlin’sMama said:
Oh yeah! I never thought of other EU Amazons. I used to buy tons of crap in the US!
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Lol! I don't know if I'm supposed to feel bad now?!:D:p

Merlin’sMama said:
I think it really was a learning experience, though at the moment it just seems like the dark hole of hell with little angels helping us get out. I don’t ever want to do that again, though. I know that hypos happen, but hopefully 21-hour near-hypos aren’t very common!
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You'll appreciate the crash course you had. The next time you'll be much more calm and you know what to do. I'm 27 months into this, today of all days mine went bottoming out on me, with a 1.5 +8. I did run, but not like a headless chicken :oops:

My tips; buy in France. They're half price on testing gear, including the libre. I'm waiting on the libre 3, it's going to be awesome!!!! And they're the ones who make a lot of skincare and makeups too.... and the prices!!!! just saying! And no, I don't understand a word of French.

And trust these guys, not your vet. Many of us go to the vet for prescriptions, we run doses and regulations ourselves. Your vet won't stay up with you for 21 straight hours, we will, as you experienced yesterday. :bighug:
 
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