Kudos to my vet for trying

[Doug N Libby]

Okay, I posted the awful phone conversation I had with my vet Jan 9 http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=60746, so I thought it only fair to share an update. We haven't had need to take Hershey to the vet since he was diagnosed Nov, 2011. I've emailed the vet Hershey's SS a couple of times, but she couldn't open it until recently. I called last week about getting a refill on ProZinc. When she called it in to Costco, she was told they didn't carry it (even though I had already talked to the pharmacist). Anyhoo - she had the assistant call and ask what I wanted to do...call it in somewhere else, change insulins, what...

I hadn't thought of changing...so - I started reading threads on here...and asking questions...and we decided we wanted to change to Levemir.

Doug called today and spoke to the assistant who said she didn't know if you could just change insulins and would have to talk to the vet and if we did change we'd pretty much be on our own. She asked Doug questions about our dosage and how we do things. She called back and said the vet would call the prescription in.

Fast forward an hour and the vet called. She had looked at the SS, but didn't understand how to read it. 'Did we indicate the dosage on it?' and a couple of other questions. She didn't have it in front of her but I explained the best I could. 'What's his dose?' (Depends on his BG when we do the preshot test.) 'What's his average dose?' (About .6u) 'How are you measuring .6u? Are you using insulin syringes? We usually dose at 2 - 4 units for cats.' (U-100's with conversion chart) 'I'm looking at a U-100 and can't see how you can dose .6u.' (Well, it's just over 1/2 u and we have syringes with 1/2 unit markings.) 'Can you come by and let me see the syringes so I can make sure we're all on the same page? How about Thursday?' (Well, I was hoping we could start the new insulin before then.) 'Oh, I'll go ahead and call it in for you because I know you must be running low and I don't want him going without.' (Okay, we'll see you Thursday.)

She was so much calmer, nicer and not defensive like she was in our Jan conversation. So, maybe it took her a little while to warm up to someone asking questions, doing research and having a different idea of treatment. Maybe in the interim she's done her own research...Doug said he thinks she's just trying to keep me out of her hair, but I think it's more than that.

I'm all for the sharing of information. So, I'm going to take this conversation as a step forward

Libby (and Hershey, too!)

 

[hmjohnston]

I understand how you feel- not with a vet (already gone through that) but with a boss. It is frustrating when they are so intelligent and they have doctorate degrees but they don't spend the time researching it.

Boss thinks the vet knows all and is to be followed absolutely without fail. (Mio is not doing well, getting high doses and has high numbers... apparently they go up each time they raise the dose :? .) Telling your boss off about her cat isn't the best way to keep your job nailbite_smile so it's a fine line between being coaxing and saying whats on your mind.

 

[Maggies Mom Debby]

I wonder if she'd had a fight with her DH, had a client die, or just didn't feel well the last time. Though you want them to be utterly professional at all times, they are only human.

I had a gyn who was a sweetheart, except when she was pregnant. I could always tell, even if she wasn't showing!

 

[BJM]

Take in the conversion chart for using a U-100 syring with a U-40 insulin to show her how you were able to do it.

The basic math is U-100 is 100 units per mL and U-40 is 40 units per mL, so whatever the measurement is on a U-100 syringe, filling it with U-40 insulin will only be 40% of that marking.