Hi Stefania, no need for apologies. We are just trying to hold your hand a bit when you need it most.
As for the sensor, can you have it out in another spot instead of Jessi’s neck?
I put Ivy’s sensor on her side, higher up, so she can’t lie on it so much. I also avoid the neck area so she can’t scratch it off with her hind leg. (I also have a tee shirt on her because she will pull the sensor off if I give her the opportunity, bad kitty).
It’s trial and error to find the right spot for your cat.
If this helps at all, my 2 cents…. I try to think of a sensor as a way to guide me through the day. I watch the trends to see where she is heading and if I need to take action by getting an ear prick and an actual blood test.
Unless Ivy goes very low on the libre, say 40s or under/Lo, that’s where I will ear prick her to see what’s really going on.
Otherwise, I find it gives me guidance to know a general range of where she is and if I need to start paying close attention.
I have to limit the amount of ear pricks I do with Ivy because she’s not a cooperative cat in general, and will bite and scratch me.
All We can do is the best we can do, and you are doing that for sure for Jessi.
Thanks Staci! After this one died, I decided never to put the sensor on her neck again! We're both happier for that!
My plan is to put it somewhere on her side even though I know that isn't ideal since she could lie on it or try to lick it or bite it. I want to at least get it in a spot where she can't kick it with her back legs. Right now my attention is taken up a lot by this tumor, which is visibly getting worse, at least on the surface and making her very unhappy. I'm not sure how much time I can devote to figuring out the when, how, where, with whom of the sensor. I don't think I can do it myself right now, so either I just wait it out and hope for the best, far from ideal, or I find someone to help, or I take her once again either to the same place, which I'd rather not, or to another clinic, where most likely they have no idea what they're doing.
Because they're not getting back to me, I have to wait to see how long before a surgery date is set and when it will be for. They told me to bring her in again next week before the date will be decided, but I am so fed up with it. they seem to want to drag this on as long as possible, and unfortunately, there actually is a motivation for them to do that. Since it's a University hospital, it's all students, professors and newbie vets there, In that context, every animal is a case study, an opportunity for studying and practicing. Basically, Jessi is a like a little guinea pig for them and if I had a better option I would be gone from there forever. But I don't and I am putting up with it, hoping and praying this will be over soon and we can move on to much better things.
One good thing is that I put a shirt on her and replaced the neck wrappings entirely. The shirt has a high turtle neck and I lined it with my secret new method to keep the tumor protected and moist...I'm waiting for someone to guess what I used
She hates the shirt, but she's obviously more comfortable around her neck area now. I wrote more about this on this thread:
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...pdate-and-more-questions.278911/#post-3089282
The shirt can obviously double also as a cover for the sensor once it's placed somewhere on her side. It's tricky because she has a lot of sensitive spots and if we put it on one of those it will make her want to take it off fast, just like was the case on her neck. I know where a sensitive spot is because when I touch it her skin shivers. It doesn't leave a lot of choices because she has a lot of those areas. It may have to be on the side of her lower-mid belly. I know this means she will probably lie on it, but it's the only spot where I think she would tolerate it better. Time and experimenting will tell, but first I have to figure out how to get the placement done properly. At home is not an option, so either I take her somewhere or we do it in the car. This was my wacky idea a few years ago when I realized that this was the only place where we could stay close to home but where she would stay still enough to do stuff to her. At home, she fights too hard to get away. Away from home, yes, even just in my car parked out front, she becomes petrified and kind of submits. It's not fun for her, but it's better than going to a Vet every time.
I just have to get up the courage to do it. It means that I will have to do everything at once, shaving, cleaning, prepping, placing the sensor, and covering it too. As a beginner, this will be very challenging for me so I may see if this at home vet I know will come help me out. We have groomed Jessi in the car several times before and it was fine, obviously not ideal, but you do whatever you have to to minimize stress while getting stuff done! Right?
