Hi everyone.
Sorry its taken so long to get on and update. Two jobs with only 1 hr between didnt make it possible. Thanks to Amy for updating people! I think she covered a good amount. The vet was prepared to see us at the front doors when they opened, but we were not there because Latte wanted to eat some food. Thats just a reminder that she is in charge of ALL our lives! :lol: He either delayed, or went back and forth in a surgery for us. What a wonderful, wonderful guy! he is so dedicated to us.
First and foremost, I want to offer my gratitude for those offering such great support. I would also like to thank "Cats in Need" and anyone who contributes to the fund (on latte's behalf or any other cat). Today did not cost us much at all in the end. But, at the last minute I was relieved of feeling forced to pts IF ketones or other great complications were and issue. I was given a choice, unrestricted of finances. I went back and forth from tears of fear to tears of gratitude. Please know these donations DO make a difference in both the life of the cat and the bean.
So the ketones were negative. They use the same strips I have. Mine are definately bad, so I should get some new ones. Someone mentioned checking on myself when not sure. Thats a really good idea. I will remember that in the future. I knew that my tests could possibly be wrong. I also knew with what has been going on, they could also be right. I was pretty scared when I saw her AMPS, then her HI this a.m. (tested it twice, just to add salt to the wound). She did not like these numbers. She went between acting weird...alert but kind of confused to lethargic. Hard to explain. Her vet claims that as long as she is getting insulin the possibilities of ketones is very slim. Im not sure if I buy it, from what I have read. Im still very nervous as she continues the high numbers. I will go get some new strips tomorrow.
She had a urinalysis and culture done. He said if nothing grows, then the a/b she is on (orbax) is probably doing the trick. He gave me another 5 days...ten days total. I do see improvements. She is peeing in ...or rather FROM the inside of her box. Normal for her. *knock on wood* she has not peed herself or outside the box from what I can tell in about 36hrs. Her shaved butt also looks good. :mrgreen:
Unfortunately she had to have a rectal exam because she was so stressed (and tight). I cant believe with 2 days of no pooping she had NOTHING in there. And yes, she HAS been eating enough where poop should have been coming out. he thinks I should check around the house. I really dont think its been deposited elsewhere. Thankfully she left a brown nugget in the box for me by the time I got home. Not great, but better than nothing! I use lactulose twice daily on her, and have slightly increased the dose in the last 48hrs.
As for her BG's. He spent about 10 minutes looking at her ss, along with another vet and came back to tell me (with a look of defeat) he had NO idea what was going on. To him it looked like she was having severe episodes of somogyl (sp)...aka bouncing. He wondered if my meter was reading higher than she actually was and she was going too low. I explained how dozens of cats on this site (if not more) do it daily from higher numbers. He was suprised, but believed me and crossed that off his list. I think it just puzzled him more. He decided to resort to consultation with 'his' online community. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with this route. I appreciate his ability to know when he doesnt know something.
Unfortunately, the collaborative efforts of the veterinarian community he reached out to have not been able to figure it out either. Many compliments on her ss, though! They all agree on her bouncing. Some think she may be getting too much insulin. Others are not convinced of it. its not recommended to increase at this point. It was also collectively agreed that R would only perpetuate the problem..so dont do it! The numbers could be related to her UTI, and there could be some relation to the increase in pred. So we are suppose to sit on it?!?! :YMSIGH: The vet does want to get this resolved, as he even admitted this is NOT good. Everytime I test Im terrified. I dont know if I want to see something high or low. Low just means high eventually, and high means a great big drop around the corner!
I am really glad I have been testing in these high numbers, as hard as it is to see. Had I not tested her +3.5 last night, I would have assumed she dropped 170pts in 2.5hrs. Instead I saw she dropped 270pts. that is H U G E!!! And, that can clearly explain why she hit a HI this a.m. I guess its a good lesson. When you have a cat running high, or seemingly in a bounce, you may just want to keep testing anyway. Secrets you never imagined could be revealed.
She is doing good. Some kibble was gone while at work both today and tonight. She ate some wet from a can at the vet, and a little wet before we left. Also some baby food this a.m. On my hour off she demanded under cover cuddle time and even fell asleep (me too, almost!). I wish I could have been home more today. I know she really likes me being here, even if she sleeps the day and night away.
The Plan:
*continue a/b's for the full ten days and recheck urine.
*decrease pred from 5mg 2x/day to 2.5 2x/day. I will not do this until I can be home to monitor BG's starting Thursday night. Keep the lower dose of pred unless she becomes symptomatic again.
*keep insulin @ 2u for now, decrease if necessary when pred is decreased. Do not raise and do not use R
*Continue monitoring for ketones (get new strips)
*Vet will follow up at end of week
Dang this was long. I continue to look for thoughts on her BG's, but will address that in another condo...another day.
Again, thank you EVERYONE.
