Update on Melissa's Belle
Hi dear everyone, and, of course, all your sweet furries,
My apologies for the update delay. Have been slammed with another bout of acid reflux resulting in being in bed or the bathroom the last three days/nights. I only came downstairs to take care of Nikki and recharge the phone.
Here's the scoop on Belle, who's doing better! The best way to describe everything, I guess would be to go day by day.
Wednesday:
Belle threw up and had a little diarrhea in the morning. Melissa gave no insulin. Belle's vet appointment was canceled because of a medical emergency involving her father's girlfriend, who was going to take them; but, was obviously unable to do so. Melissa did speak with the vet a couple of times; but, he was reluctant to diagnose Belle over the phone. Unfortunately he mentioned ketones and other serious possibilities. Melissa became very upset with the prospect of enormous vet bills as she has no money. I told her we don't know it's ketones. Let's try to relax, okay? Let's see how she does today.
By early afternoon, Belle had eaten a bit of FF and some dry food and kept both down. At some point later that afternoon, she drank almost an entire dog bowl of water. She also purred a bit when Melissa pet her. She even was on the bed for a while instead of kind of hiding. By evening, Melissa was concerned because she drank all that water and hadn't peed. I assured her Belle would pee. I also told her that Belle had given Melissa the gift of the first of the 5 Ps: Purring. By now, Melissa had skipped two shots (counting Tuesday night). She also skipped her shot that night.
Thursday:
Belle was still eating and keeping it down. She hadn’t pooped since the brief diarrhea Wednesday morning. Melissa believes she peed during the night. (There’s another cat, Juliet, a civvie, so you all know the multiple-cat box drill...) She also started preening. At some point late afternoon/early evening, Melissa went out, and when she returned found a cat toy in the kitchen. She says Belle is the only one that does that. So, now we can add more to Belle’s list of 5 Ps: Peeing, Preening, and Playing . This after skipping four shots, so Melissa chose to skip that night's shot as well...
Friday:
By early afternoon, Melissa called to say Belle had definitely peed and finally pooped -- a normal poop. She was perkier and had flown into the kitchen when she smelled the bacon Melissa was making. She enjoyed a couple of small bites immensely. Belle had now accomplished the last of the 5 Ps: Pooping. Melissa had given no shot, nor was she intending to. She was now convinced Belle is not a diabetic. I told her that when Jennifer comes to teach you how to home test Belle in the comfort of her own surroundings, you'll know that for sure. She told me that her plans for the weekend had changed. She and her father were leaving that night to spend the weekend at his girlfriend's helping her fix things around her house. She would be bringing both Belle and Juliet... I suggested she let Jennifer know that. She told me her internet service was down...
There is more; but, I'm not going there. Please understand that this is both a delicate and precarious situation and Jennifer is aware of this. It is my hope that you all will remain supportive; or, if you must, very, very gently disagree. Let's all be glad that Belle is doing much better and hold hope in our hearts that she continues to do so.
I've been privileged to help a lot of newbies here. But, must confess, this is whole new territory for me...
Thank you all so much for listening and caring.
Much love and countless hopeful hugs for you all and your furries -- and for Belle and Melissa,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz, forever dancing in my heart...
PS: Oh, and Carl? Pall Mall Orange 100s (because they're cheap), Blue 100s in a pinch. Don't worry about the chardonnay. After this week, I'm a Gatorade and ginger ale girl...
If you need a test kit just let me know and I'll bring one with me and some test strips to keep you going for a bit.
