9/2 Abby returning - DKA

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Kristin and Abby (GA)

Kristin and Abby (GA)

Member Since 2010
Hi gang. Abby and I will be returning here shortly. We've made several stints here over the last few years between initial dx, remission, then back, then very tightly controlled, and back and then tightly controlled again. Unfortunately since July things have been downhill and not-so regulated for unknown reasons. We left on vacation, only to return to her in obvious distress. We rushed her to the ER Saturday where they confirmed my fear of DKA. She remains there in ICU though they're hopeful to start her back on long-acting insulin tomorrow as she is responding to treatment.

So I just wanted to take a break from the tears to read up a bit on DKA and of course I knew there was some info here, so I wanted to stop by and say "hi" to my old friends. I remain hopeful lil Abby will pull through and if so we'll start posting again. Anyway, hugs to all and I hope your kitties are surfing well these days! Oh nuts, I guess I need to update my signature too.
 
Binks, the Tortie Girls and I are sending Abby our all for a quick and complete recovery!

:YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG:

celi & binks
 
Hey Kristen - I am sorry to r ad about Abby's DKA, but it sounds like she is responding well to treatment, that is good news. There should be a wealth of info here on the board, as I now several have successfully dealt with it. I wish you luck. It is good to hear from you, though I am sure the post is bittersweet. Mannie and I send many healing vines to Abby. Be well little one!
 
Hi Kristin,
Sorry to hear about Abby's latest problems, and sending thoughts and prayers for a quick recovery.

There are a couple of threads on the Health forum about a recently diagnosed DKA kitty (with Fatty Liver in addition), but there may be some useful information found there specific to DKA. Priss has returned home and is recovering.
A lot of people (too many) have experience with DKA, so I'm sure you'll get lots of help and advice.
My, guy, Bob is a DKA survivor.
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=78089
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=77976

Please let us know how she's doing,
Carl
 
Hi, Kristen. Sorry that you and Abby will be returning.

There are several cats here, mine included, who have survived DKA. If you've not been through this with Abby before, please let us know how we can help.
 
Hi Kristin! I actually was just thinking about you guys the other day and wondering how you both were doing. So sorry about the DKA. Tarragon had it twice last year and it stinks. However, he pulled through fine after 5 days in ICU. Let us know if there is anything we can do for you. Healing vines for sweet Abby and big hugs for you! ((((Kristin))))
 
J.D. had DKA.

Sending quick and full recovery vines to Abby, and hugs to you. Please let us know how she is doing. Go visit her at least once a day and bring her something that smells like you, from home. And make sure the vets address eating, if she's not. J.D. wouldn't eat anything at the hospital (8 1/2 days), so he came home with a feeding tube.

I know it's scary (((more hugs))).
 
Thanks everyone! I'm finding that DKA is almost like divorce...no one ever wants to talk about it but once you join "that club" it's amazing how many people have also been through the same thing and you'd never know it. This is the first time Abby's ever gone through this so I will definitely read all the links everyone has referenced.

She's been in the ICU since Saturday night and the report from the dr this morning was a bit mixed. Overall she continues to improve and has been eating both yesterday and all last night but she still has ketones in her urine. They had been hoping they could switch her to Lantus today but they're going to hold with the R until the ketones are gone. We saw her yesterday as she was waking up from the sedation for the central line and as I pet her she flopped her little head over my arm, dove head first into the food dish and proceeded to lick the bowl clean. We were so happy to see that we just started crying. She then calmed down and seemed to doze back into a quasi-sedated state. They had said yesterday that even after one day her kidney values came back to normal and her blood was less acidodic then it had been. She wasn't scheduled to get an U/S until tomorrow but apparently the radiologist was coming in today after all so they're going to try and get her an U/S today. I'm going to go see her again this afternoon and bring another t-shirt in case they tossed the one left yesterday.

She's been through so much lately...we moved from Georgia to Massachusetts in March and she did so amazingly well on the trip. Several weeks after that I had to go away for a week and when I came back her BGs were normal so we had a nearly successful OTJ run, but it didn't hold. Then in July she decided to stop peeing (turns out she just hated the new litter I was trying) and ever since that vet trip she's been impossible to regulate. At that time they also diagnosed her with very early stages of CKD. The vet did a fructosomine test and said her numbers were low and he didn't think she was diabetic anymore so he directed me to stop insulin and see what happens. Well, against my better judgement I did and it sent her on a cycle that I couldn't regulate. I had been slowly increasing the dose to ger her nadirs back down but hadn't found the magic ticket yet. And now this. There's gotta be something else going on in that little body that we haven't learned yet that is the root cause of all of this.

Anyway, enough rambling. Thanks again for all your support and prayers. If anyone has anything that I should be asking the doctors, please tell me. I'll try and visit some condos later today!
 
There's an inherent problem with the way many vets interpret fructosamine results. For a cat that's tightly regulated, you'd expect to get a fructosamine level that's less than 250. The 250 converts to <120 BG -- in other words, the cat's in normal BG numbers. Unfortunately, what this translates to on the lab print outs is "prolonged hypoglycemia." As a result, the vets will tell you to stop insulin. Obviously, seeing the fructosamine level without home testing results can have a bad outcome.
 
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