I am in tears

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Mary E. Beavers

Mary E. Beavers

Member Since 2018
Well first off I decided to start Squeakers back on insulin again today after 2 1/2 days of no insulin
6:15 am BG 388
6:20 am Fed low carb Special Kitty
Mixed Grill
7:20 am gave 0.25 Novolin N

Gonna Check BG in 2 hours then again in 3 hours for He starts to drop around 3 to 4 hours. I will feed again in 3 to 4 hours as well.

Now on to why I am in tears this morning. The other day when .Squeakers was hypo I opened his mouth to force in some syrup and saw he had only one fan on the top....poor thing...well a few minutes ago I was just reading a few thread and came across one that said the following:
QUOTE
Chris & China said: ↑
Another thing about her...if she's got some bad teeth, that will raise her BG too...Pain, infection and inflammation can raise it quite a bit higher. Getting her diabetes under control with bad teeth will be almost impossible.

I immediately started crying...for I opened Squeakers mouth and from the little time he let me look he only has the 1 cannine on top and his teeth are yellow and gross. How canI have not noticed him not having teeth ??? Why couldn't I have taken him to the vet way sooner when He was losing so much weight ? My heart is broken because if I had more money or had not taken on the responsibility of caring for so many cats then maybe I would have noticed him not being able to eat properly and just maybe I would have had more money to get him all the medical attention he needed...like regular vet visits...not just vet visits when sick. I am the worst Mama in the world!!! He may not even be diabetic...the pain/infection from his bad teeth may be what has caused his BG to be too high...maybe that is why he drops so low on such a small dose of insulin ???? I am going to call another vet today and talk about getting his teeth done...I will remorgage my house of I have to to pay for it. No more Pussy footing around.
 
Deep breaths, Mary. Many kitties have undetected dental issues. You know about the issues now and you can give some thought to how you want to proceed. Sometimes people have had to give antibiotics to the kitty to get them through the worst of it until a dental procedure can happen. Would it be possible for you to take him to the vet for a thorough mouth exam and to discuss a plan to help him right now?
 
I am so sorry....

I think many of us have been in the same kind of situation. Several years ago I lost my "heart kitty". The situation was complicated, but I will always believe that if I hadn't been broke and hadn't delayed a recommended test because of being broke, her cancer would have been caught in time. It's an absolutely horrible feeling.

We all just do what we can do. We all want to give our kitties the best care possible, but sometimes things get in the way. Squeakers knows you love him and are doing your best for him.

You're taking all of this responsibility on yourself, but don't forget-- the vet had Squeakers all last weekend. Didn't he examine his teeth then? He should have given him a thorough check-up to rule out any other causes of the high BG number. Squeakers may be diabetic regardless, but that plus the diagnosis based on a single BG number-- I'd be looking for a different vet, at least for the diabetes treatment and maybe dental evaluation/treatment.
 
Nan & Amber said:
I am so sorry....

I think many of us have been in the same kind of situation. Several years ago I lost my "heart kitty". The situation was complicated, but I will always believe that if I hadn't been broke and hadn't delayed a recommended test because of being broke, her cancer would have been caught in time. It's an absolutely horrible feeling.

We all just do what we can do. We all want to give our kitties the best care possible, but sometimes things get in the way. Squeakers knows you love him and are doing your best for him.

You're taking all of this responsibility on yourself, but don't forget-- the vet had Squeakers all last weekend. Didn't he examine his teeth then? He should have given him a thorough check-up to rule out any other causes of the high BG number. Squeakers may be diabetic regardless, but that plus the diagnosis based on a single BG number-- I'd be looking for a different vet, at least for the diabetes treatment and maybe dental evaluation/treatment.
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Thank You so much for sharing and easing my guilt somewhat. You are right about the Vet. I will not go back there again unless absolutely necessary. I Do Not trust this man....when I went there to pick up my Squeakers last Monday a lady brought in 2 traps with a beautiful cat in one and her kittens in another. They all looked healthy to me and I could tell this female was not feral for I have 25 former ferals and she was definitely not feral...not on guard at all...well a little while later the lady comes out and my boyfriend said to me awww that lady killed all those cats. I looked over at her and she was carrying two plastic bags with the dead cats in them I immediately got sick to my stomach. She was smiling and laughing and the way she just bounced up in there I knew that this was not her first time doing this. I DO NOT want a Dr that can just kill cats just because they are feral or just on the say so of some F'd up B**ch. All he said to me when I picked up my Squeakers was he is getting very old...I said I know up I want to do everything I can. I thought to myself this A** wants me to put him down. Oh ain't no way...not yet anyway. I am trying to call another vet now but have had not gotten an answer at the office yet...they don't see patients until 10 but I want to see if they can talk to me about getting a dental on my Squeakers and hopefully that is all that is causing his BG problem
Sorry about running on but what I told you about those kitties really bothered me and I still cry about it...here I am spending my very last penny to save the lives of my. Ferals and then I see that.
 
JanetNJ said:
My cat went to the vet last summer for a dental and had to get a tooth pulled... She told me SEVERAL of just her teeth in the back had been absorbed. I had no idea. Cats don't exactly open wide for you very often. It's hard to
Know
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Thanks
I feel so bad ! He is so skinny and I really didn't know how skinny he had gotten until I gave him a bath yesterday. I started crying and my boyfriend says what's wrong I said look at my baby he is just skin and bone. He was starving and I was too busy to notice he couldn't eat the dry food any longer. My boyfriend said well you are giving him wet food now and he will gain the weight back so stop beating yourself up. I know you take good care of all those cats and your dogs so stop right now. Still can't help the guilty feelings but I will try to do my best for him now that I know. I know that several of my cats need dental but several hundred $ each on disability is extremely difficult.
 
Okay just did the 2 hour post shot BG
354 down from 388...not sure the insulin went in because I felt a little wetness and could smell it....I know the needle went in but he is skin and bone so perhaps it went through the other side ??? I will find out in another 2 hours though
 
Don't let the guilt get to you. Noah's teeth are rotten but he wouldn't survive the surgery so he'll be on pain meds the rest of his life. He manages quite well. Cats will put up with a lot of pain and not tell you, they just deal with it. They only need their fangs for catching prey, I've had many cats that lost those teeth first.
Nan and Kris are right. A quick dental exam is pretty much mandatory for any cat with new health problems and only takes a few minutes. That's on your vet, not you.
 
Mary E. Beavers said:
Okay just did the 2 hour post shot BG
354 down from 388...not sure the insulin went in because I felt a little wetness and could smell it....I know the needle went in but he is skin and bone so perhaps it went through the other side ??? I will find out in another 2 hours though
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Pretty flat numbers. May have been a "fur shot" (despite the name, that's usually how it happens-- in one side of the tent, out the other!). Always hard to say with those, some insulin might have gotten in anyway, even if some ended up outside. The next test will tell the tale!
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
Don't let the guilt get to you. Noah's teeth are rotten but he wouldn't survive the surgery so he'll be on pain meds the rest of his life. He manages quite well. Cats will put up with a lot of pain and not tell you, they just deal with it. They only need their fangs for catching prey, I've had many cats that lost those teeth first.
Nan and Kris are right. A quick dental exam is pretty much mandatory for any cat with new health problems and only takes a few minutes. That's on your vet, not you.
Click to expand...
Thanks
 
Ah Mary, things happen. Your doing the best you can.

My Smokey was 16 when I got him. I kept asking about the teeth. Vet said they are ok, don't waste money on cleaning until needed. Vet thought he was to old. Then we had to go to ER and they checked everything. They said he needed full mouth extraction but was to sick at the time. Then we got a few more diseases diagnosed. By the time everything was stable Smokey was 18 yrs and no one would do anything in regards to the teeth. I certainly wouldn't go to someone who said they would just because they wanted the money.

Now Olive here, I'm pushing for dental care. It's not easy. Vet says it's not needed. But teeth are yellow and we don't know if she ever had teeth checked. We don't even know her age. But I'm searching and found a Small animal dental and oral surgery only vet. We go in 2 weeks.

Maybe you can start a go fundme page. A lot of people donate for pets over people. Really make the story heartfelt. I'm sure you will get some help. Also contact https://m.facebook.com/DiabeticCatsInNeed. They might be able to help, it's what they do. Send them a private message. In the meantime antibiotic might help buy some time.
 
Olive & Paula said:
Ah Mary, things happen. Your doing the best you can.

My Smokey was 16 when I got him. I kept asking about the teeth. Vet said they are ok, don't waste money on cleaning until needed. Vet thought he was to old. Then we had to go to ER and they checked everything. They said he needed full mouth extraction but was to sick at the time. Then we got a few more diseases diagnosed. By the time everything was stable Smokey was 18 yrs and no one would do anything in regards to the teeth. I certainly wouldn't go to someone who said they would just because they wanted the money.

Now Olive here, I'm pushing for dental care. It's not easy. Vet says it's not needed. But teeth are yellow and we don't know if she ever had teeth checked. We don't even know her age. But I'm searching and found a Small animal dental and oral surgery only vet. We go in 2 weeks.

Maybe you can start a go fundme page. A lot of people donate for pets over people. Really make the story heartfelt. I'm sure you will get some help. Also contact https://m.facebook.com/DiabeticCatsInNeed. They might be able to help, it's what they do. Send them a private message. In the meantime antibiotic might help buy some time.
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Thanks for the info and thanks for sharing
 
Okay I am pretty sure the insulin did not go in or if it did then not enough to do anything
His 11:20 BG is 305 ( 4 hrs after injection)


It has steadily gone down but not enough makes me think the shot missed like I suspected
6:15 388 then fed
7:20 gave 0.25 Novolin N. ???? If went in
9:20 BG 354
11:20 BG 305
 
I just got off the phone with the vet that treated my Squeakers and he said they didn't even check his urine nor did the do any other type of examine....just blood work and he said thst was all normal... Said for me to bring him in and they will test his sugar levels....Hell No ! When I have enough money saved I will take him somewhere else

It looks like he is holding stable without the insulin so I am waiting on more insulin as well

Extremely angry and frustrated !!!!
 
That is frustrating. I hope you can find another good vet in your area.

Mary E. Beavers said:
It looks like he is holding stable without the insulin so I am waiting on more insulin as well
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Yes, pretty stable, although he has dropped 100pts since the morning, so he might have some downward movement going on. It's hard to say for sure-- definitely not a dramatic move downwards, at least so far. I agree with waiting on more insulin for now, just to be sure.
 
Well, dropped 80pts, anyway, but he was higher yesterday! It can also take 72hrs (in extreme cases) for carbs to get out of their systems, so he might have that going on.
 
I have another vets office I can go to in Baltimore City and they are very good and a lot more reasonable in prices. Only thing thing walk in only and They are busy. They welcome Ferals there too. They only charge $125 for dental cleaning plus so much per root if extractions are needed and I know the vet I just went to starts at $260 for cleaning so a huge difference
 
Tested Squeakers at 3:30 got 175 retested got 69 retested got error code retested and got 405....OMG !!! This is crazy...poor guy getting stuck too much
Fed about 2 tbs of ground beef
4:45 BG 50 then retest 380
I am done testing for today I got to give him a rest from the sticking...I am not good at the sticking yet and it takes several sticks to get enough blood to pool
 
Mary E. Beavers said:
Tested Squeakers at 3:30 got 175 retested got 69 retested got error code retested and got 405....OMG !!! This is crazy...poor guy getting stuck too much
Fed about 2 tbs of ground beef
4:45 BG 50 then retest 380
I am done testing for today I got to give him a rest from the sticking...I am not good at the sticking yet and it takes several sticks to get enough blood to pool
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What meter are you using? Id call the manufacturer for a replacement. Sounds off.
 
Unfortunately we hear that problem with the Prime quite often....it really negates the savings when you have to use 2-3 strips each time to make sure you're getting a good number

You might want to consider going ahead and getting a Confirm or Micro....the strips are more, but they take the tiniest sample and you shouldn't get so many wrong results. I love my Confirm!!

When you get better about testing, you can always go back to the Prime to save money!!

Don't beat yourself up over what you could have, should have done.....You're doing what you need to NOW and that's the most important thing!!

Take a look at China's Profile (in my signature)….She was a walking skeleton when she was diagnosed.....now she's uh....."too fluffy" for her own good!!
 
Chris & China said:
Unfortunately we hear that problem with the Prime quite often....it really negates the savings when you have to use 2-3 strips each time to make sure you're getting a good number

You might want to consider going ahead and getting a Confirm or Micro....the strips are more, but they take the tiniest sample and you shouldn't get so many wrong results. I love my Confirm!!

When you get better about testing, you can always go back to the Prime to save money!!

Don't beat yourself up over what you could have, should have done.....You're doing what you need to NOW and that's the most important thing!!

Take a look at China's Profile (in my signature)….She was a walking skeleton when she was diagnosed.....now she's uh....."too fluffy" for her own good!!
Click to expand...
Thanks and when I get some money I will look into a better meter...I have already used over 50 test strips since Tuesday
 
This is what you can take away from this place. People who have been doing this for a very long time and know what to look for, what to do about it and what to ask for. My own health was what got me to question doctors and most of them really don't like that. If you hear "It's doctor actually" run away. Bring a notebook to your vet and make a point of asking "should we test for this/why is that test necessary/what I've been doing or told to do isn't working or practical".
You don't have to be belligerent or nasty but never cower in the face of authority. Someone always finishes at the bottom of the class.
I'm more educated about my one in a billion combination of neurological conditions than a typical ER doctor so when I say "That drug has been proven to no longer be effective" they get red in the face. The key is to get educated here and know that feline diabetes is not taught very well in veterinary colleges. :banghead: :(
 
Mary, I had problems at first with the relion prime. Mostly because I couldn’t get enough blood & then it malfunctions. This may be a repeat & if so, my apologies. I learned from these folks how to fill a small sock with regular rice & tie it off. Warm it in the microwave just enough to be able to apply to the ear to get it warmed up. (Test on your wrist if not too hot) Massage the ear from base to tip for awhile. It takes time. Once the capillaries grow you will not need to do all this. I also put a very small amount of Vaseline, not much, so that the blood will pool up in a nice little ball. I hope this helps you. And I assume your using the outer 1/3 of the ear tip... ok good luck!
 
Becky & Baby Girl Kitty said:
Mary, I had problems at first with the relion prime. Mostly because I couldn’t get enough blood & then it malfunctions. This may be a repeat & if so, my apologies. I learned from these folks how to fill a small sock with regular rice & tie it off. Warm it in the microwave just enough to be able to apply to the ear to get it warmed up. (Test on your wrist if not too hot) Massage the ear from base to tip for awhile. It takes time. Once the capillaries grow you will not need to do all this. I also put a very small amount of Vaseline, not much, so that the blood will pool up in a nice little ball. I hope this helps you. And I assume your using the outer 1/3 of the ear tip... ok good luck!
Click to expand...
Yes I am using 1/3 of outer ear and thanks for the tips
 
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