Please Help...New member, CRITICAL Condition

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Sadie's Mommy

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I don't know what else to do to stop myself from crying. i've been up all night. At about 6:30pm we had to rush Sadie to the hospital. She was found laying on her side, not moving, with her eyes open. We thought she was dead but then realized she was still breathing and had a heart beat so we rushed to the hospital. She is severely hypoglycemic. Her BG was almost not detectable. Her heart rate was low and her temperature was very low. They immediately started her on IV with sugar and gave her capsules of sugar or something, my mind is very hazy at the moment. They put her in an incubator with a hot water bottle. By the time we left she was perking up a bit but was still pretty out of it. She was at least looking around a little bit. They sent us home around 8:30pm and told us that they had high hopes but that she was still pretty critical and that we'd hear from them if there was an issue but I could call to check on her. I called around 12:40am and they said her temp was back to normal and they turned the incubator off but left her in there in case she needed it again. They said they were still doing the IV fluids and she hadn't eaten yet but they were hoping to get her to eat something over the night. They did tell me that she is not currently visual and that her lack of vision may be temporary or she may not gain her sight back. But, that things were looking better...heading more towards stable but not there yet.

Then at 2:30am I got a call from the vet that said Sadie just had a breathing incident, they was severely distressed and having trouble breathing. She seemed to quickly recover but then had a seizure. They gave her valium to stop the seizure. They did scans of her lungs which came back clear so they said it's possible she has brain swelling from the trauma her body went through during the day. They were still pretty hopeful, and were hoping for no more seizures but said they'd call if anything else happened. I called around 4:45am for an update and was told that she just had a second seizure. They again administered valium. She said if she seizes again they will administer phenobarbital which is a longer lasting seizure med to see if that helps but that if she keeps seizing recovery does not look promising and of course the bills are continuing to get higher. We are already at $1400 and they said she is in no way close to coming home. The money obviously is an issue but of course I'd pay anything to be able to bring her home again. Her estimated age is 7-8 but since she's a stray it is hard to tell. She's been with me for about 6 years. She is also FIV+ and was on 5 units of lantus twice a day.

We had people in to clean the carpets today so her bedroom (yes, she has her own room) was completely empty. Her food was moved to the bathroom sink and there was water in the kitchen that she had access to but I'm not sure she ate or how much. I was seriously distracted with everything and dealing with a few other issues. I should have checked on her. Instead, while we wait for the carpets to dry so we could put things back together we laid down for a nap around 3pm and woke up at found her around 6:20pm.

She was diagnosed as diabetic in January and we've been gradually increasing her doses from .5 units twice a day to 5. We just started her second vial of insulin on Monday. I'm wondering if the last time she was tested maybe the insulin was weaker causing them to increase her dosage and then when we switched vials if it became too strong for you? I just don't know. I feel horrible and like I failed her. I was told to call the vet back at 7:45am before the 8am shift change for an update. I'm terrified to call back and here there has been no progress. The vet prepared me when we spoke at 4:45am that I may need to make a tough decision this morning.

We plan on going to visit as soon as they will allow this morning and taking a pillowcase from home with us for her incubator.

I don't really know what I'm asking for by posting this. Is there hope? How do I give up on her when she's been such a fighter. She is so special to me and we've come so far from where she was prediagnosis, with the FIV, with struggles to socialize her with my other cat to finally where she has seemed so healthy and happy and greets me on the stairs every day when I come home and jumps in bed to snuggle and fall asleep on my chest at night. I just keep hoping this is a dream and I feel soooo responsible and heart broken and crushed.

How long is a reasonable amount of time to wait to see if seizures stop?

They said before they consider sending her home they want to see her stand, eat some food, maintain her vitals without oxygen, etc. They did take her off the IV fluids when I spoke to them at 4:45pm because her levels were spiking, even after taking her off the fluid and they are averaging around 200 right now. They said even if she isn't necessarily improving by this afternoon but if she's at least stable then that would make them happy and that it may just take her a few days of TLC to get back to where she needs to be. But if not, then it doesn't look good.

I guess I'm just looking for prayers, advice, anything.

Thanks so much for even reading my nonsensical post.

Forever and always, Sadie's Mommy
 
Oh, how horrible... hoping she pulls through.

If you read around the forum a bit you will see that 99% of us here on FDMB test our own kitties. We use glucometers meant for humans. You can pick one up at pretty much any local pharmacy. Relion Micro and Confirm are two popular ones you can get from Walmart. You draw small amounts of blood from the edge of their ear and test it. It is quick, easy, and painless for them.

Being able to home test gives you complete control over your cat's diabetes. Home testing can drastically reduce the chances of something like this happening to your cat. When your vets test blood glucose in the office, it can be influenced by things like stress, food, time of day, etc. and a single test every once in a while is NOT enough information do determine a dose by. 5u is a VERY high dose and unfortunately I am not surprised your kitty is hypo like this. A human diabetic would NEVER inject insulin into themselves without testing before, after, and routinely in between. Our cats should be no different.

What type of insulin is she on? We mostly all use long lasting insulins like Lantus, Levemir, and PZI/Prozinc, dosed on a 12/12 schedule. Older insulins like Humulin N and Caninsulin are not optimal for a cat because they metabolize insulin faster than humans and dogs, and these short acting insulins cause them to drop fast and then start to rise because their duration is only about 8 hours. Hypo is much more likely on these fast, harsh insulins.

There is another new member here today whose cat was having seizures, likely induced by hypoglycemia. It is sooooo sad to see there are still vets out there who do not do enough research and put cats at risk like this. :cry:
 
She is on Lantus 5 units 2x per day.

I just spoke with the vet who said she really isn't much better. She is off of oxygen and seems to be past the low BG part of her crisis. Her levels were a little over 200 and have come down to the upper 100s. But neurologically it's not looking good. She still isn't visual, hasn't eaten anything, can't stand up. I asked what they would do if she was hers and they said if we can afford to give her another 24 hours it might be worth it to see if she improves but if not then it's not wrong to make that decision now either. I don't want her to suffer but I don't want to give up on her either when she's never given up on herself or on me. They said she's had a few more "twitches" indicating seizure like activity but not nearly as severe as her first episode.

We are allowed to come see her at 10:30am (it's going to kill me to wait 2.5 more hours) and by then the vet that admitted her will be back in the office and have had time to monitor and to discuss where we go from here.

I just don't know if I can make this decision. I feel like I need to put it in God's hands and if its her time then it's her time but I don't know how I can make the decision to just give her to him without a fight. She's named after my grandmother whom I loved dearly and passed away 11 years ago. She was also a diabetic. Sadie is very special to me for so many reasons. I can't begin to imagine a world without her in it.

Please keep praying. I want so desperately to arrive there at 10:30 to have them tell me she's improved, even just a little bit on any level. So I know she wants to keep fighting to come home too.
 
Diabetic Cats in Need might be able to help with hospitalization fees if money is the issue for you - their website is here: http://fdmb-cin.blogspot.ca/ you could also try posting on their Facebook page if you have it.

I would go in and see her ASAP - you will know in your heart if she wants to fight or if it is her time to go. Here's hoping she can rest and recover now. :sad:
 
I would, if you can, give her more time....they don't immediately bounce back from a severe hypo. She may be blind and never get her sight back but cats, in time, do adapt. Neurological problems may also be present but time, once again, will tell you how severe those problems, if any, may be. Also, she may end up being in remission.....have seen it happen over the years where a hypo puts a cat into remission.
 
My Simba has had 4 severe hypos, even if I home test, and the first one left him with permanent brain and nerve system damages. Those "twitches" are a symptom of that. Like petite epilepsy.

Once we had another cat here, Stephanies Toonces, that was given 30 U! of insulin by the vets staff while boarded at the vet. He survived it, but was permanently blind and severely brain and neurological damages. She tried to rehabilitate him with help of neurological specialist but of course that was very expensive.


Simba has never lost his eye sight though in his hypos (jinx!) but he was paralysed after a vet induced anastethic in December 2007, and spent his time under the bed where he felt safe, and I had to carry him to the litter box and everywhere he wanted to go. I handicap adapted the apartment for him too. I also did daily neuro physio therapy with him. In February 2008 he had improved so far as that he could start to sit up for longer periods on his own. Eventually he was able to walk short stretches and finally he tried starting to run. He loves to run, but he wasn't able to stop, so he aimed for a corner in the living room using the wall to help him stop.

He had another bad seizure last year in January 2011. After that, he forgot what food was. It is very difficult to have a neurologically damaged diabetic, but in Simba's case it works since I am at home on disability myself and can help him.
 
So sorry to hear about Sadie. My prayers are going out to her for a complete recovery.
 
I'm so sorry to read of Sadie's ordeal - and yours. Don't torture yourself with blame, please? It's obvious you love her dearly and did the best you knew. My thoughts are with you.
 
darn, i posted and it went poof. i just wanted to say that the neurological issues can take days if not weeks to clear up, if they are going to. PJ's Cagney was blind for awhile after her horrible hypo but her vision came back. and recently Andrea's Seymour was blind also after his bad hypo and he had seizures too. He was sent home on phenobarbital if i remember correctly. his vision came back and i'm not sure if he's still on the pheno or not. so the neurological stuff can indeed be temporary. so i'm not sure i'd make any decisions solely on those neurological side effects
 
If you can, I'd give her and yourself more time. Right now it does not sound like she is in any pain. Give her body more time to deal with what happened and adjust and recover, give yourself more time so that you aren't making decisions when you are still so over reeling from the initial hypo situation and can cleary make decisions on her condition going forward. I am so sorry this happened to your kitty. We do our best to take care of them and sometimes life distracts us for a second and unexpected things happen.
 
Dear Sadie's Mom, so sorry to hear about the difficult difficult times you all are going through. My advice would be to stay with Sadie as much as you can. Make sure that she has an item or two onto which you rubbed your hands plenty of times to provide her with familiar scents. I tied a sock with the knot in the middle and repeatedly rubbed my hands over it. A bit of time will tell you what to do because your breaking heart will know. My prayers and healing wishes are with all of you.
 
Sadie's Mom,

I would give Sadie more time. It is very possible for her to come out of this, including regaining her vision.

I echo Rylee's recommendation that you learn to hometest Sadie. 5U Lantus BID is a relatively large dose. Regular hometesting can help you keep Sadie safe.

Please give her a kiss from all of us.

Venita
 
We just got back from visiting her. She's in really bad shape. They are not able to stop her from seizing, it's about every hour or so. Even on phenobarbital and regular doses of Valium while seizing. The next step is to put her on an IV drip of Valium and hope that stops the seizures. If they continue they said there isn't much else they can do. We have decided to see how the next 24 hours play out but she's very doped up, not eating/drinking. Her prognosis is looking pretty bad. I wish they were more positive, I wish I knew putting her through this would be worth it and I'd get her back. My heart literally hurts, I'm absolutely crushed. I don't know what to do. She seized while we were there.

I wish I knew what to do.
 
I have left messages for Stefani to see whether she can give you guidance. Stef is the one whose Toonces was badly overdosed wile while in a vet's care.

She is the one person I know who can give you "hands on" guidance.

((((Sadie'sMom)))) I also wish I knew what to do. But I would hang with Sadie, as long as it is affordable.
 
Sending lots of prayers for Sadie....... don't give up just yet we've seen lots of miracles here!

There are lots of people here willing to help you with Sadie and get on the right track.

It's a darn shame that some vets are just not up to date on how to treat FD!
 
Sadies Mom - I am so sorry to hear about this. Unfortunately cat seizures aren't well understood and difficult to treat. I sure hope that Sadie can bounce back from this. My heart goes out to you and your family. Jan
 
I've never been through this so can offer no experience on it, but just hopes for the best outcome and strength for you.

I also would do as you are and see what the next day brings. I'm so sorry this happened to you and Sadie. She may just need time.

Melanie & Racci
 
Sadie's Mommy said:
...I wish I knew what to do.
Click to expand...

You will know when your heart tells you to set her free.

I knew when I saw Spitzer was crying in pain that I had to let him find peace across the Bridge.
 
Sending prayers and love and healing thoughts your way. My baby had a seizure on Wednesday so I know the pain you are experiencing. Hang on as long as you can!

Tori, Tyger and George
 
I am very sorry to read this and see that Sadie is in a bad way. Please try not to feel guilty about anything, you are doing the best that you can and sometimes things happen. I will keep you and Sadie in my thoughts.
 
The vet called, there is nothing more they can do. It's time to say goodbye. She is on the strongest anti-seizure med the have and an IV drip of Valium. And she's still seizing consistently. I can't let her suffer anymore. Please pray for her as she makes the long journey to God tonight. I know she's in good hands. We are on our way to help her go.
 
I'm so sorry, Sadie's Mommy. Please don't ever forget that you were a good mom to Sadie, and you worked hard to treat her diabetes. You didn't fail Sadie...her body failed her. My heart goes out to you and your family tonight, and my prayers go to Sadie for a safe journey to the land of endless catnip.
 
My heart goes out to you and having to make this decision. Prayers coming for a peaceful journey to the Bridge and peace in your heart for you. You did everything you knew to do to help her with the diabetes. Sometimes some vets just don't go far enough in helping new clients. My deepest sympathy to you on the loss of your beloved Sadie wings_cat
 
So sorry and sad to read this.
Sending prayers to Sadie and to you.

Carl
 
(((((Sadie's Family))))) My heart breaks with yours. Your love for Sadie shines, and she will always know that. Godspeed and Angelwings, dear girl. wings_cat
 
Sending positive thoughts. Sadie is definitely in peace now and I'm sure your kitty knows you did everything you could do to help! All my love.
 
I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am you and Sadie had to go through this. I hope it brings you some comfort to know you did your very best for her and that she is no longer suffering. What a lucky kitty to have someone love her so much!

Praying God's comfort for you -

Libby
 
I am so sorry. You did so much for your Sadie but sometimes there is just nothing that can be done. I wish for peace for you as you remember the good times with your girl.
 
Mu heart just goes out...Sweet little Sadie is safe in Gods arms...
I cant help crying
Fly free little one, on the wings of angels fly free.
jeanne
 
Thank you everyone for your support during this extremely painful time. We went in last night and visited with her. I got to hold her tight and say goodbye. I apologized to her profusely for not being able to do more and told her how proud of her I was for fighting so long. She's always been a fighter.

I'll never forget the night I found her, outside my old apartment. It was going to snow that night and she was so sweet and came right up to me. I didn't want her to freeze so I convinced my boyfriend at the time to take her in, even though we already had 2 cats and 2 dogs. I took her to the vet a few days later and they told me she was FIV+ and did I want to put her down. I cried and cried and said no way. I named her after my grandmother who had passed away. I loved her so much already even after just a few days.

Her life was not easy. I worried about my other cats getting sick as I was uneducated about FIV and my vet didn't know much. I kept her segregated and she stayed in my room with me and would cuddle with me every night. Eventually I gave in and wanted her with me all the time, not just when I was in my bedroom so I tried to mingle her with my other cat, Sullie. However, Sullie would really pick on her and try to attack her and she would cry and hiss. So back to my bedroom. Eventually I tried again and he got her pretty good and she had a big wound on her back so at that point I decided I love them both and couldn't part with either so I got them declawed in an effort to keep them safe from one another. After that, they learned to live together, but were never friends. It was rare to find them on the same bed or couch together but it did happen. (Opposite sides of course!)

I started having lots of issues with Sadie in the fall, she stopped using the litterbox regularly. It was very frustrating and challenging. She was finally diagnosed in January after she reached a frightening light 6.5lbs. She was in a really bad place but I nursed her back to health, I moved in with my current boyfriend so he could help with her shots, etc. We got special litter, she had her own bedroom that she could come and go from. Multiple litter boxes, tons of treats, and lots and lots of love. She was his first cat, and he fell in love with her instantly, even though she was destroying his carpets. She would cuddle on the couch with me at night. During the day she'd stay upstairs mostly (probably to avoid the dogs) but as soon as I would get home at night she'd come running down the stairs to greet me and to get her kisses. Every night she'd run and jump into bed with me and fall asleep on my chest until I rolled over and then she'd just lay next to me. The feeling of her little heart beat so close to mine was so comforting. After we moved into my boyfriend's house and started her insulin treatment she made a full recovery. She gained weight, she became spunky again. She had us wrapped around her little paws. When she wanted something she made sure to tell us and we'd go running.

There was nothing more relaxing and comforting that picking her up and having her curl up in my arms like a little baby and to hear that purr and to give her kisses.

I'm having such a hard time. I'm remembering all the times I left her to go away. How I went out Friday night instead of spending her last night with her. I had no clue this was coming and her time was so short. I'm wishing I had hugged her harder, kissed her more, and snuggled with her longer. Saturday was such a long, crazy day and I'm not sure I'll ever forgive myself for being asleep when she needed me most. She must have been so scared. I'm so heart broken. I'm remembering how hard it was to find her Saturday morning and give her her shot. I'm wondering if that was a sign. She never really liked it but she never really ran from me either. I'm wondering how many signs I missed that if I had picked up on could have saved her life. I'm disgusted with myself that she's gone now and if only I hadn't had the carpets cleaned and it was just a regular Saturday that she'd probably still be here. I feel like a failure. I'm her mommy, I'm supposed to take care of her and I failed.

I slept in her room last night, the room she loved to sleep in and could be found 9x out of 10. Curled up with a blanket full of her hair. It was the first time I've really slept since Friday night because of how worried I was about her. I wanted so badly to wake up with her curled next to me and realize it was just a nightmare. But in my heart I know that'll never happen again. She'll never come down the stairs for her kisses when I get home. She'll never yell at me for more food or water, or for extra kisses. I'll never feel her little heart beat laying on top of mine or fall asleep to the sound of her purrs.

I don't know how to do this. How to just move on without her in my life. My poor little Sadie baby. She certainly stole my heart and took it with her. Life just will not be the same now. She taught me how to love unconditionally by testing my patience daily, she provided unconditional love by being patient with me, and regularly melted my heart.

Sadie baby, my little peanut, sweet pea...
We'll be together again some day and there will be no needles, no pain, no seizures, just love...lots of love and kisses. You were so loved, so loved, honey. My little honey bunny, I'm so grateful for the last few months where you were so happy and healthy again. I would have done anything to save you, to give you more time to be happy and to feel so loved. You deserved so much more.

If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever.

Forever and always,
Your mommy

P.S. If you can, come back to me, in dreams, as another pet, however you can. My heart will wait for yours. Always. It won't be whole without you.
 
Sadie's Mommy: That was a beautiful story about Sadie. Don't beat yourself up...just remember that you saved Sadie's life when you brought her in on that snowy night...and you didn't abandon her or put her down when she was diagnosed with FIV or diabetes. She got an awful lot of lovin' and pampering from you while she was on this earth, and there are many cats who are not that lucky. You were a very good mommy to Sadie, so just keep reminding yourself how much longer she DID live due to your care, and how happy she was with you as her mommy. (((HUGS))) to you.
 
I am so sorry to hear about your loss.
This is incredibly difficult time for you, and I wish all the strength to you. She was a special kitty; it was meant for her to meet you on the snowy night, she was meant to love you.

Cherish all those beautiful memories, and keep her close to your heart.

All the best wings_cat
 
Oh Hon,

I am so sorry for your loss of your sweet special girl Sadie, but you didn't fail her in any way. You saved her life on that snowy night, you stood by her when she was dxed with FIV and then you stood by her again when she was dxed with diabetes. You did the best you could with the information that you had at the time, you trusted a professional that was suppose to know how best to help her. It is NOT your fault that it was her time to leave you.

i know well that feeling of failing a very special little girl, My Muse lead me here when she was first dxed, and she too left me because of a hypo event overnight. I know all too well that sickening feelng that I just killed my beautiful girl because she trusted me to make her well, she trusted me to give her that shot and it was by my hand that she received it.

But out of her death I became a much better kitty mom to all my other cats, I stayed on this board, I learned about the right way to feed them, I learned what different diseases looked like I became more aware of all of their daily habits...and 6 months after I lost Muse through this board I adopted Maxwell, who like my sweet Muse was also a hurricane Katrina survivor, then later I also adopted Musette again from DCIN, her original name was Angel but we renamed her in honor of the girl we lost but who taught us so much about feline diabetes.

And if luck will have it we will again be adopting another unwanted diabetic kitty soon. I know absolutely with all that I am that Muse sent both Maxwell, and Musette to me, she understood that her mom was a cat lady and life would never be complete without a kitty to sleep with her and snuggle with at night. Now granted I have 11 other cats, but none of them are bed snugglebugs like my Muse was and the two she sent me fill that bill in spades. And it really doesn't surprise me that Muse figured I needed two cats to fill the very large paw prints she left in my heart.

Sadie will always be with you in your heart, she really isn't gone you just have to hug her differently now, instead of using your arms now you have to use your heart. If you allow yourself you will feel her brush against you in the soft breeze, you will hear her purr on the wind. And when you are ready there will be another that comes along that Sadie has hand picked to take her place in your home, because no one will ever take her place in your heart, instead they will carve out their own special place.

When a human passes away there is a will that spells out what is to be done with their worldly goods, but pets don't have that, but I would like to think if they did they would ask us to pass on their toys, their place on the bed/couch/chair and most importantly our love for them to another of their kind that does not have a warm place to sleep or enough food to eat. For how could someone that loves us lowly humans so unconditionally ever ask us to withhold love from another animal?

I know it doesn't feel like it now but one day you will remember something that Sadie use to do and you will smile again, it may even come when you see that next ball of fluff do the same thing. Because Sadie has whispered in its ear...'hey, do this...mom always laughed when I did it."

Fly Free Sadie and land ever so softly back in your mom's heart....you were so loved and will be so missed by her.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
I am so very sorry for your loss. We lost our Spooky to bladder cancer on April 12, we know how devastating it is :( may she & your family find peace. You will be in my thoughts.
 
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