Feeling Scared and Hopeless

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Tiffany and Pepper

Tiffany and Pepper

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Hi everyone,

Please ignore this post, I just wanted to write out my feelings with everything that has been going on. Pepper's glucose levels have been gradually increasing since I got back from a trip with her at the beginning of August. At first, I attributed it to the stress of the trip, being back, etc., but when it wouldn't go down and insulin did not make much of a difference in her levels during the day, I started getting concerned. I contacted her vet, got a new insulin vial, and sought advice from forum members for possible reasons. Her eating began to decrease and her water intake began to increase exponentially over the past couple weeks.

On Thursday 9/5, I got home and found her laying on the ground, resting, and barely responding to my pets and attention. I decided to bring her to the animal ER where they hospitalized her overnight. During her stay, they found out she had a UTI and ketones in her urine, indicating DKA. They were not able to get a usable blood sample because her blood was hyperlipemic each time. They had me transfer her to her primary vets office as they are not open during the day to hopefully get a good blood sample and continue having her on fluids. Despite spending a full day at the vet, they were also unable to get a usable blood sample because of her lipemic blood. They did an x-ray and ultrasound and found nothing of significance. They did send out her blood sample and said she probably has pancreatitis. They recommended having her hospitalized over the weekend at the ER and have a feeding tube inserted since she has not eaten in days. I then went to the ER with her bag of medications (Cerenia, gabapentin, ampcillin, Elura) and dropped her off.

She is now being hospitalized at the ER until Monday morning where I am sure I will need to bring her back to the vet's office. I saw her today, and she looked so weak and in pain. The ER vet called and told me they may have seen something in her stomach when doing an x-ray and will send it out to a radiologist for more information. They have inserted a Freestyle Libre and have her on continuous regular insulin, but her glucose levels are staying between 250-350. They have not inserted a feeding tube yet or gotten a usable blood sample. The ER vet said it literally looked like "Crisco".

I am feeling so hopeless and worried that this health issue will not get resolved anytime soon. All of the ER and vet fees are killing me. I know I have money saved up for a rainy day, but the longer this goes on the more I worry about how much everything is. I love Pepper so much and I'm so scared to lose her. It feels like no one around me understands how horrible and scary this is and instead focus on how expensive it all is. I am also so busy with school and worry I won't be able to take care of her as much as I should. I feel like a horrible mom and so alone in dealing with all of this. All of the vets and vet techs have been super sweet and understanding, but it's hard when you go home to an empty house filled with constant worry and dread. I just don't know what to do.
 
Tiffany and Pepper said:
Hi everyone,

Please ignore this post, I just wanted to write out my feelings with everything that has been going on. Pepper's glucose levels have been gradually increasing since I got back from a trip with her at the beginning of August. At first, I attributed it to the stress of the trip, being back, etc., but when it wouldn't go down and insulin did not make much of a difference in her levels during the day, I started getting concerned. I contacted her vet, got a new insulin vial, and sought advice from forum members for possible reasons. Her eating began to decrease and her water intake began to increase exponentially over the past couple weeks.

On Thursday 9/5, I got home and found her laying on the ground, resting, and barely responding to my pets and attention. I decided to bring her to the animal ER where they hospitalized her overnight. During her stay, they found out she had a UTI and ketones in her urine, indicating DKA. They were not able to get a usable blood sample because her blood was hyperlipemic each time. They had me transfer her to her primary vets office as they are not open during the day to hopefully get a good blood sample and continue having her on fluids. Despite spending a full day at the vet, they were also unable to get a usable blood sample because of her lipemic blood. They did an x-ray and ultrasound and found nothing of significance. They did send out her blood sample and said she probably has pancreatitis. They recommended having her hospitalized over the weekend at the ER and have a feeding tube inserted since she has not eaten in days. I then went to the ER with her bag of medications (Cerenia, gabapentin, ampcillin, Elura) and dropped her off.

She is now being hospitalized at the ER until Monday morning where I am sure I will need to bring her back to the vet's office. I saw her today, and she looked so weak and in pain. The ER vet called and told me they may have seen something in her stomach when doing an x-ray and will send it out to a radiologist for more information. They have inserted a Freestyle Libre and have her on continuous regular insulin, but her glucose levels are staying between 250-350. They have not inserted a feeding tube yet or gotten a usable blood sample. The ER vet said it literally looked like "Crisco".

I am feeling so hopeless and worried that this health issue will not get resolved anytime soon. All of the ER and vet fees are killing me. I know I have money saved up for a rainy day, but the longer this goes on the more I worry about how much everything is. I love Pepper so much and I'm so scared to lose her. It feels like no one around me understands how horrible and scary this is and instead focus on how expensive it all is. I am also so busy with school and worry I won't be able to take care of her as much as I should. I feel like a horrible mom and so alone in dealing with all of this. All of the vets and vet techs have been super sweet and understanding, but it's hard when you go home to an empty house filled with constant worry and dread. I just don't know what to do.
Click to expand...
Tagging more experienced members for you about DKA and Ketones and to look at your SS
If Pepper has Ketones and was DKA I would add that to your signature and the date
I hope Pepper will be ok :bighug::bighug::bighug:
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
@Wendy&Neko
 
I am so sorry you are going through this and I can certainly understand how worried and upset you are. Does Pepper actually have DKA or did she just have ketones in the urine/blood?
Do they have her on a drip?
It does sound as if she needs a feeding tube. Are they giving her anything for nausea or pain? If she has pancreatitis it is painful and she will be nauseated.
She is only 8 years old so I do hope they can sort this out and treat it. Once she gets home we can help you with post DKA or pancreatitis. Don’t blame yourself for this, it can happen so easily. And we are here to support you. Post anytime for support.

Let us know how she is getting in and we can tell you what to ask for medication wise for when she is discharged.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
I am so sorry you are going through this and I can certainly understand how worried and upset you are. Does Pepper actually have DKA or did she just have ketones in the urine/blood?
Do they have her on a drip?
It does sound as if she needs a feeding tube. Are they giving her anything for nausea or pain? If she has pancreatitis it is painful and she will be nauseated.
She is only 8 years old so I do hope they can sort this out and treat it. Once she gets home we can help you with post DKA or pancreatitis. Don’t blame yourself for this, it can happen so easily. And we are here to support you. Post anytime for support.

Let us know how she is getting in and we can tell you what to ask for medication wise for when she is discharged.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your kind words. She does have DKA - she had trace amounts of ketones in her urine on 9/5 and now has a moderate amount of ketones as a result of not eating. She has been on fluids pretty much for the past 48 hours. They have given her Cerenia for the nausea and Elura as an appetite stimulant on top of her antibiotics for the UTI. I was just told by the ER vet they will probably insert the feeding tube today once her electrolytes and hydration are in order. They also let me know they will be stopping the continuous regular insulin as it does not seem to be helping much. The vet said it will probably take several days to get everything under control.
 
Tiffany and Pepper said:
Thank you for your kind words. She does have DKA - she had trace amounts of ketones in her urine on 9/5 and now has a moderate amount of ketones as a result of not eating. She has been on fluids pretty much for the past 48 hours. They have given her Cerenia for the nausea and Elura as an appetite stimulant on top of her antibiotics for the UTI. I was just told by the ER vet they will probably insert the feeding tube today once her electrolytes and hydration are in order. They also let me know they will be stopping the continuous regular insulin as it does not seem to be helping much. The vet said it will probably take several days to get everything under control.
Click to expand...
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
 
I’m sorry your kitty has DKA but it sounds as if she is getting good care and a feeding tube is a good idea. If she is still not eating well when she is ready for discharge please ask for the tube to be left in so you can feed her via the tube at home until her appetite improves. It’s not hard and will be much easier if she is not able to eat by then. I will write more later about what you will need once she is home
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
I’m sorry your kitty has DKA but it sounds as if she is getting good care and a feeding tube is a good idea. If she is still not eating well when she is ready for discharge please ask for the tube to be left in so you can feed her via the tube at home until her appetite improves. It’s not hard and will be much easier if she is not able to eat by then. I will write more later about what you will need once she is home
Click to expand...

I hope she will be able to go home. I just got a call from the ER vet and some numbers have improved or are trending upwards, like her glucose levels (180) and electrolytes. However, she also told me her kidneys have taken quite a hit from everything based on some values which is extremely worrisome. The vet said the prognosis is fair but only if she continues to receive treatment. She is being transferred to a 24-hour hospital tomorrow and I was quoted $6000-$15000 based on her diagnoses of DKA and hepatic lipidosis. I am wondering if I need to consider putting her down so she isn't in pain. I just don't know what to do.
 
Tiffany and Pepper said:
I hope she will be able to go home. I just got a call from the ER vet and some numbers have improved or are trending upwards, like her glucose levels (180) and electrolytes. However, she also told me her kidneys have taken quite a hit from everything based on some values which is extremely worrisome. The vet said the prognosis is fair but only if she continues to receive treatment. She is being transferred to a 24-hour hospital tomorrow and I was quoted $6000-$15000 based on her diagnoses of DKA and hepatic lipidosis. I am wondering if I need to consider putting her down so she isn't in pain. I just don't know what to do.
Click to expand...
@Bron and Sheba (GA)
 
Tiffany and Pepper said:
I hope she will be able to go home. I just got a call from the ER vet and some numbers have improved or are trending upwards, like her glucose levels (180) and electrolytes. However, she also told me her kidneys have taken quite a hit from everything based on some values which is extremely worrisome. The vet said the prognosis is fair but only if she continues to receive treatment. She is being transferred to a 24-hour hospital tomorrow and I was quoted $6000-$15000 based on her diagnoses of DKA and hepatic lipidosis. I am wondering if I need to consider putting her down so she isn't in pain. I just don't know what to do.
Click to expand...
I would not put her down while there is a good chance she will be OK.
Both DKA and hepatic lipidosis are very treatable.
Neither of those diseases are painful like pancreatitis for example, which can be painful but if a pain medication is cat should not suffer. And even if you thought she was in pain, there are several medications she could have to reduce any pain.
Once the electrolytes and blood work are back to normal and ketones have reduced substantially, if she has a feeding tube and you are able to look after her at home, she should be able to come home. She will need a lot of care for a week or two when she comes home. Mostly with feeding her, checking ketones and blood glucose….that sort of thing.
As far as the kidney issue goes… that should improve as she gets better and is more hydrated. We see a lot of cats who have had DkA or hepatic lipidosis with raises kidney values in the early days but most seem to return back to normal over the following weeks .
 
Hi everyone,

Unfortunately, Pepper did not make it throughout the night. Thank you for all the words of advice and support. This forum and community members helped me and Pepper a lot. I wish you all the best.
 
Oh Tiffany, I am so sorry to hear Tiffany passed away. That is so sad for you.
Please look after yourself
Fly Free Pepper and land softly at the rainbow bridge :rb_icon:cat_wings>o
 
Big hugs, I was so hopeful for a good outcome and for your kitty to come home again. I am so sorry. This was a very emotional thread. Prayers. I ask Jesus to take away the pain.
 
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