carolynandlatte
Very Active Member
Good Morning LL!
I tried to squeeze in a post last night, but ended up on the phone with an old friend for a long time (which was nice).
Latte is very intuitive and knows exactly when to pull it together, or at least give me a sign that she is still ready to be here. I was not thinking it was 'time', but I was feeling sad about the changes I've seen over the last few months and fearful of how much closer she is getting. Add her vet's optimism, and I felt a little better. Of course her BG dropped to a decent number when we returned, and she spent the entire evening getting up to eat every hour or so (unfortunately it was kibble). This was a very good sign.
I had a long list of topics to discuss, with the main goal of walking out of there with more tools to help her feel more comfortable as the days, weeks, or months progress.
FD:
He has not looked at her ss for a while, and agreed to do so. He admitted that at this point I know a lot more about it than him (at the very least with her case), and he might not be of much help. He only cautioned me of raising her doses too quickly...which we all know I am often too slow to raise. He did think when I was ready, it might make sense to split the pred dose to see if it will even out her cycles. I have to wait until I know my schedule can be somewhat consistent next month before I do this. We talked about possibly needing to miss shots in the upcoming month, in which he reassured me she would probably be okay. She would need to be consistantly sitting in high numbers for a very long time to develop the ketones. He did say she will probably be more prone to a UTI, and to keep tabs on that.
He also agreed that she did not need to be really low. When I described how she was acting the last time she was in the 50's, he said they were likely symptoms of hypo. And why, when she was not 'that' low, or why when she has been that low before was she showing them on that day - he had no explanation. Just, be careful.
Kidneys:
Did not do any blood work, because there is nothing more I could be doing for her (other than renal diet - which I scoffed at :lol: ), and would end up feeling more depressed about the situation if things were getting worse. If she was at a life threatening point, we would both know without blood work. Since there are not obvious signs...only subtle (which could be related to anything), than they were not worth doing at this point.
Metabolic Acidosis:
We will wait to do these tests a little longer...see reasoning below.
Breathing Issues:
He could hear the sounds I was concerned about. he said wheezing/crackling when breathing in could be one of many things. Cancer is a possibility, though its usually accompanied with discharge - something she does not have. it could also be allergies. Its just something for us to be aware of and keep an eye on to see if she shows discomfort or distress with her breathing. Heart rate was good.
Pred and other Med tweaks:
At this time, he felt her vomiting has reduced enough and her weight (see below) is good enough that it would be unneccesary to make any changes (increases).
General Exam:
Good for her, except obvious pain she is having in her hips. At first he could not tell if she was just stiff, but as she relaxed he said she was in pain. :cry: I dont know how he can physically 'feel' she is in pain, but he said one hip in particular was worse than the other...and that is the side she was limping on the other day. I had never told him which side. I am going to start the bup. with her tomorrow, when I can be home all day and the clinic will be open for 12 hrs. I have injections of .3ml. He told me I can give half, if I felt more comfortable. It just means it would last a shorter duration. I will start with half the dose. One thing I fear, other than a severe toxic reaction (because Im paranoid of pain meds), is having a cat whose personality is changed to a lump on a log 24/7, just to decrease their pain. I hope it does not change her so much that she cant be herself.
Her vet was ecstatic about her weight. This is a cat that has been hard to keep above 7lbs for quite a few years. She was 9.6 on the richter scale :lol:. This is the highest recorded weight for her - ever! In fact, he said if she came in and he knew nothing about her, he might recommend she lose a little weight! ohmygod_smile So, she is eating enough. But, he did acknowledge the amount of effort I have to put in to get her to eat and how hard it must be. :YMSIGH: Her body shape is very different - round in the middle and sunken in the rear. I figured as much that it was atrophy, which he confirmed.
They brushed her up and cleaned her off in the back. This is something she cant do, and I practically get attacked for trying because its so painful for her. When she pees lately she kind of sits her butt on the edge of the litter box, so she gets wet. There is some brushing out of mats that could be done, as well as clipping of her back claws (all things she wont let me do), which we will wait on after we see what the pain meds do for her. Maybe once she is in less pain it will be easier to do. It might require a little shaving and a fresh start. *sigh*
So, any labs or other concerns will be addressed AFTER we see if we can manage her pain. A lot of things could change - her pH could be okay, and the pain could be the cause of her lethargy/recent vomiting/need for appy stim. She might be able to clean herself better, or pee the 'right' way so she doesnt get icky, her BG's could get a little better, etc.
Im hopeful, but nervous (about the pain meds). I know in my heart that we are now at that point where it HAS to be done. Tomorrow is the day I have been dreading since I gave the metacam. I know this is a completely different medication, but....the association of pain meds/life threatening reactions cannot be shaken.
Its a late start for me today, but my work will take me into the very weeeeee hrs of the a.m. I will try to check in some time tomorrow and let you know how she is reacting to the bup. Though I wonder if I will know the difference between her being 'hungover' from the big party at Pats tonight, or the drug! ;-)
last condo:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=9287
I tried to squeeze in a post last night, but ended up on the phone with an old friend for a long time (which was nice).
Latte is very intuitive and knows exactly when to pull it together, or at least give me a sign that she is still ready to be here. I was not thinking it was 'time', but I was feeling sad about the changes I've seen over the last few months and fearful of how much closer she is getting. Add her vet's optimism, and I felt a little better. Of course her BG dropped to a decent number when we returned, and she spent the entire evening getting up to eat every hour or so (unfortunately it was kibble). This was a very good sign.
I had a long list of topics to discuss, with the main goal of walking out of there with more tools to help her feel more comfortable as the days, weeks, or months progress.
FD:
He has not looked at her ss for a while, and agreed to do so. He admitted that at this point I know a lot more about it than him (at the very least with her case), and he might not be of much help. He only cautioned me of raising her doses too quickly...which we all know I am often too slow to raise. He did think when I was ready, it might make sense to split the pred dose to see if it will even out her cycles. I have to wait until I know my schedule can be somewhat consistent next month before I do this. We talked about possibly needing to miss shots in the upcoming month, in which he reassured me she would probably be okay. She would need to be consistantly sitting in high numbers for a very long time to develop the ketones. He did say she will probably be more prone to a UTI, and to keep tabs on that.
He also agreed that she did not need to be really low. When I described how she was acting the last time she was in the 50's, he said they were likely symptoms of hypo. And why, when she was not 'that' low, or why when she has been that low before was she showing them on that day - he had no explanation. Just, be careful.
Kidneys:
Did not do any blood work, because there is nothing more I could be doing for her (other than renal diet - which I scoffed at :lol: ), and would end up feeling more depressed about the situation if things were getting worse. If she was at a life threatening point, we would both know without blood work. Since there are not obvious signs...only subtle (which could be related to anything), than they were not worth doing at this point.
Metabolic Acidosis:
We will wait to do these tests a little longer...see reasoning below.
Breathing Issues:
He could hear the sounds I was concerned about. he said wheezing/crackling when breathing in could be one of many things. Cancer is a possibility, though its usually accompanied with discharge - something she does not have. it could also be allergies. Its just something for us to be aware of and keep an eye on to see if she shows discomfort or distress with her breathing. Heart rate was good.
Pred and other Med tweaks:
At this time, he felt her vomiting has reduced enough and her weight (see below) is good enough that it would be unneccesary to make any changes (increases).
General Exam:
Good for her, except obvious pain she is having in her hips. At first he could not tell if she was just stiff, but as she relaxed he said she was in pain. :cry: I dont know how he can physically 'feel' she is in pain, but he said one hip in particular was worse than the other...and that is the side she was limping on the other day. I had never told him which side. I am going to start the bup. with her tomorrow, when I can be home all day and the clinic will be open for 12 hrs. I have injections of .3ml. He told me I can give half, if I felt more comfortable. It just means it would last a shorter duration. I will start with half the dose. One thing I fear, other than a severe toxic reaction (because Im paranoid of pain meds), is having a cat whose personality is changed to a lump on a log 24/7, just to decrease their pain. I hope it does not change her so much that she cant be herself.
Her vet was ecstatic about her weight. This is a cat that has been hard to keep above 7lbs for quite a few years. She was 9.6 on the richter scale :lol:. This is the highest recorded weight for her - ever! In fact, he said if she came in and he knew nothing about her, he might recommend she lose a little weight! ohmygod_smile So, she is eating enough. But, he did acknowledge the amount of effort I have to put in to get her to eat and how hard it must be. :YMSIGH: Her body shape is very different - round in the middle and sunken in the rear. I figured as much that it was atrophy, which he confirmed.
They brushed her up and cleaned her off in the back. This is something she cant do, and I practically get attacked for trying because its so painful for her. When she pees lately she kind of sits her butt on the edge of the litter box, so she gets wet. There is some brushing out of mats that could be done, as well as clipping of her back claws (all things she wont let me do), which we will wait on after we see what the pain meds do for her. Maybe once she is in less pain it will be easier to do. It might require a little shaving and a fresh start. *sigh*
So, any labs or other concerns will be addressed AFTER we see if we can manage her pain. A lot of things could change - her pH could be okay, and the pain could be the cause of her lethargy/recent vomiting/need for appy stim. She might be able to clean herself better, or pee the 'right' way so she doesnt get icky, her BG's could get a little better, etc.
Im hopeful, but nervous (about the pain meds). I know in my heart that we are now at that point where it HAS to be done. Tomorrow is the day I have been dreading since I gave the metacam. I know this is a completely different medication, but....the association of pain meds/life threatening reactions cannot be shaken.
Its a late start for me today, but my work will take me into the very weeeeee hrs of the a.m. I will try to check in some time tomorrow and let you know how she is reacting to the bup. Though I wonder if I will know the difference between her being 'hungover' from the big party at Pats tonight, or the drug! ;-)
last condo:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=9287
) But better than having her feel worse that first day/night of split.