Yep! Those were ,"the good old days" At one time I had 2 boys 2 & 4 yrs old, my husband left, I had no job (I cleaned my neighbors houses to earn money )
I took in a litter of 6 kittens no one wanted. They were fed the cheapest cat food I could find & never saw a vet! They all lived over 20 yrs & the last one was 24!
Our world is too polluted now. The ocean is full of plastic & we probably are too !
My cat Ravan was the first one that ever got diabetes & now kidney disease & seizures. I got lucky ,my vet was old time medicine. He was willing to listen to my ideas & often gave me a break on the bill. He retired in March

I doubt if I'll go to a vet now. You're lucky you found someone that's willing to co operate.
Most vets are out for the money.They want you to use an animal meter & the strips that cost a fortune & they want you to bring them in for them to test!
When I started here I knew "nothing" about Diabetes. I read everything & did research. The more you know the easier it gets to handle everything without getting stressed out.
How come your SS stops at 2017?