Time for Goodbye?

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DiabeticMom

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Hi everyone,
I have (had) a vacation on Jersey shore with extended family scheduled for the end of July. I had a vet tech come in & spend the night. She was trained to test, give shots & fluids & Bupe if needed. I wanted them to acclimate by spending a night this week and 2 nights next week. All very spendy but Chong has been my baby for 16 years. I left at 3 pm. She said that she couldn't test Chong that night because Chong was so angry but she gave her insulin.

I came back the next day about noon. I just got in the door when the sitter called. She left about 7 am for work, per our agreement. She said she 'wasn't the right sitter for Chong & I needed to find someone else'. Apparently Chong also attacked her ankles from beneath a chair that morning and was too angry to test. She managed to get the insulin in by wrapping Chong in a towel.

I knew Chong was tough to handle and asked if she'd have any problem using a towel. She said that wouldnt be a problem. She was young (about 24) and I guess didn't understand what I was saying. I asked if she would give it another try overnight next week but she didn't feel comfortable.

From the day I hired her (10 days previous) Chong's BG numbers started to rise. She had been 170 to about 280. Now she was in the 300s and sometimes the numbers are higher mid-cycle then pre-shot. I don't know what is going on. She has p-titis which I thought was flaring but now think might be something else. Her hind quarter is painful to touch and maybe all the time. I've just discovered this. I know she's in pain and has been but thought it was p-titis. With p-titis flares she has been getting Bupe quite often over the last few months, plus B-12 and sub-q fluids. She had blood checked in April and monthly urinalysis, all good.

Maybe I should have responded quicker with higher insulin doses. I doubled it from 1 units to 2 two days ago. She had been spending more time in the closet (hiding) even before the sitter.

I had already decided that I couldn't go on vacation since Chong got so upset. Now I'm thinking that Chong might be dying. The vet is ready to do all kind of tests but I think it might be time for goodbyes. Except I'm heartbroken and don't know if I can go through with it. She seems miserable tho. I'm miserable too just seeing her this sick. Her brother & sister (one was my other cat) both died since Oct. it was a litter of 4. I don't know about the fourth. Maybe this is just her lifespan. Maybe I'm rationalizing. Maybe I just want to go on vacation. Maybe I can't handle the worry and stress anymore. Maybe I'm just watching my baby slowly die and can't handle the reality of what I'm watching. Maybe I'm just being selfish and trying to keep her here with me. Maybe it's a minor little thing that can be easily managed but I just can't deal anymore.

Maybe she'll be much better tomorrow and i'll feel completely different. Sorry for unloading but I needed to get it out. I have only had 2 pets in my life. Chong and her sister Cheech who died in my arms in a vet office in Oct. I still don't really know why.

Barb and my baby Chong
I stopped posting her numbers because I couldn't get the spreadsheet to work and after trying everyone's suggestions, I still couldn't get it to work.
 
It sounds like you have a lot of stuff going on, Barb. If she were mine, I would take her to the vet and have her hindquarters looked at. It could be something complicated but it could also be something easy to fix. Maybe a bruise?

As far as your vacation, how about finding a vet tech to come in, test and shoot? Most are very capable and can use extra money.

If you want to give us some recent numbers, we can try to figure out what it is going on with the insulin. ( I looked at the numbers on the ss without checking the dates and thought she looked good.) If you want help with your spreadsheet, send me a PM and I'll try to fix it for you.

It's scary when you think they aren't feeling good and you don't know what is wrong. If I were you, I wouldn't want to give up until I had worked hard to find out what was going on, and whether I could help her.
 
Hi,
Since March, I had 1 vet tech who became 'too busy', a friend who could do it but then remembered she had double booked, and the last person that quit (see post above) was a vet tech. Chong gets very upset and angry. Vet techs don't seem to need the money very much. I am paying them to stay over night because Chong gets so stressed. I thoughtit he stress of an empty house with someone coming by daily when I went away at Christmas & in Jan pushed her into diabetes. My other cat died in Oct & it was first time ever that she spent that much time alone.
I have talked to a hospital about boarding but again the stress aspect. I talked to another vet tech who wanted to know if she could share the duties with another pet sitter. They could give insulin but would I mind if she showed them how to give fluids? I said no that I wanted an experienced person giving fluids but I'm sure that is what would happen when I'm gone.

I'm sending you a PM for help with the SS. I've put in many wasted hours. Is there a way to upload numbers into that spreadsheet from excel? If not I will post some on there without colors.

Thanks for your help.
 
Hi Barb -

Sorry to hear Chong isn't doing so well, and I completely understand your frustration.

Is there any chance you can take her with you on vacation? Depending on your plans, perhaps that would be the best option. I know how hard it is to leave them, even with capable people looking after them. When I was in PHoenix, Kim came and shot Grayson, and another friend came by to help. But he reacted much differently with her than he does with me, and knowing that, it was hard to be gone.

He came with on my business trip - kind of a test-drive for the trip to CO. It was rough, but he seemed much happier once he was there with me, my stuff, his food. litter box, and other things that resembled normalcy. I have no idea how he'll fly... hoping for the best (preparing for the worst!). But his ticket costs less than what you're probably paying the pet sitter, so it may work out in your favor - and Chong may actually get over whatever's going on (and even enjoy a vacation!)

Good luck with with whichever path you take.

Lu-Ann
 
Thanks. I thought about bringing her. The trip is Colorado to New Jersey but the biggest hurdle is the house has a 'no pet' policy. I'm sharing the house and will spend most of the time at the beach--or outside of the house. Other people (strangers to Chong) will be coming and going. This is a little beach shack. With all that I've still given it serious thought.

I'm intimidated by trying to fly with her. How do you handle your luggage and a large (14#) freaked out diabetic probably hissing cat, security, the plane, etc? Has anyone done it that can report back? I actually thought about driving.

Thanks for the suggestions though. All are very much appreciated since the only options I see are ones I don't want to do.

Barb
 
Barb,

I've done some preliminary work on your spreadsheet. Send me a pm.

Marcy and Klinger live in Denver. I will send her a pm and see if she knows any good FD pet sitters. What area do you live in?

There are lots of threads about flying with a diabetic cat. Here is one:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?p=681684

You can find more by going to The Old Board Link on the top part of the page and typing in "Travel with cat" or Airplane Travel etc.
 
Hi Barb,
Wanted to ask about the painful hindquarter. Is it her whole hind end, just the underside, or does she act like it hurts if you scratch like at the base of her tail? Wondering if it might be "injury" vs. illness?
Carl
 
Carl, it seems like her whole hind end including the back of her legs. When I scratch her back in front of her tail she doesn't seem in pain but does seem hyper vigilant.

It is raining here for the first time in memory. Rain & arthritis? Seems like more than that though.

She seems in pain now and it is 6.5 hours since her last Bupe.

Barb
 
Sue & Oliver,
I'll pm you. What should I send? My password?

Marcy & Klinger emailed me looking for a reliable pet sitter. I sent them all the info I had. It's not so much the pet sitter, it's a pet sitter who can handle a very stressed out, angry cat which is who she is when I'm not here. I've had a number quit---the last one made I less than 24 hours. She is the sweetest cat when I'm here and she feels safe, to me

Thanks for your help on the SS.

Barb
 
Barb,
Does the pain predate the recent sleep over by the vet tech? I was thinking she may have gotten hurt during a struggle or escape from the "stranger", or aggravated a lesser or old injury? Spine or hips?
Carl
 
I wondered but don't know because I just noticed it. I've been suspicious of pain there before but it was never like this. I could run my hands over her before.

I just tested her because she is moving 'gingerly'. Her PMPS was 395. At +4 it is 350.

Her AMPS was 345. +6 was 341 and +3.5 was 325. Notice i put that backwards. +6 first. She is getting 2 units.

I've never had it stay basically the same. I saw this before & got a new bottle of insulin. Same. Traded out strips. Same.

Why wouldn't it move with insulin? I was giving 1 unit but increased to 2 on Thursday. First 1.5, then 2. Her PMPS dropped to 242 so I went to 1.5. At +4.5 it was 347. I was so surprised I checked again. 2 minutes later it was 401!

Looking back I should have increased the insulin earlier but I had seen this before & if I could get the pain and p-titis under control the BG would come right down, so I worked on that. I still don't understand these numbers. I couldn't get a ketone reading.

Barb
 
Barb -

I'm getting ready to fly w/ Grayson, so have read several things about doing so. No drugs. Harness & leash attached inside the carrier. ID tag "DIABETIC" w/ your phone number on him. Regular dosing before/after flight. Pee pads in carrier, absorbant towel (Grayson has HUGE pee pies, so that's gonna be a must! ) Plastic trash bags and/or large ziplocks in case you need to pull out wet items on plane. If you've got a layover, or if the timing will be tough, I'll have a small litter box or cardboard tray, lined w/ trash bag, and a ziploc's worth of litter in my carry on so he can do his business in hopfully a "family" bathroom - one door, no stalls - at the airport before/after takeoff. You can carry insulin/needles/etc on plane.

It wouldn't hurt to have a vet record w/ you, but if he's going under the seat he typically doesn't need a health certificate. American charges $125 per flight for them; Southwest $75; Jet Blue $100. You can make your flight plans on line. ONce confirmed, call the airline and make the arrangements for the cat. Most only allow so many animals per flight. Must check in at counter - no kiosks. At security, they come out and you carry them through... thus the harness so he doesn't go off exploring the terminal!!! His carrier counts as one of your carry ons, so expect to check most everything else. When Cindy (cat) went for SRT, her mom packed 2 carriers - I'm doing the same. ONE HAS WHEELS!!! ($39 at Target) It will hold him through the airport - probably. My laptop, purse, and any of his essentials will be in that one, along w/ spare trash bags. Should he "leak" all over one carrier, I can put my stuff in the trash bag into the wet one, and switch him out. I thought that was a GENIOUS idea!!!

The other thing you can do once there, is to get a large dog crate and keep him in it at the house. That way he's contained, and you don't have to worry about someone leaving the door open and him getting out or anything. And you can keep an eye on him. And he'll DEFINITELY have his eyes on you!!!

Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
Hope spreadsheet is up and working!

As soon as we can see the past few weeks, we can tell better. In general, she was doing very well at 1 unit. Some tweaks might have helped - maybe an increase of .25 when she was in the 300s or giving insulin at the 200 range even if only a little. The more data you can get, the more you can tweak the dose. And I get that the Bupe was/is? in the picture and complicates things.

One thing that will really help us is for you to post at least every couple of days and get feedback on the dose and how it is working. Some people post daily and that is really helpful.

Hard to tell what is going on right now without more history. The flat cycles (or inverse - when the +6 is more than the preshots) can indicate too much insulin. But we wouldn't want to base that on one cycle; we'd want to see a pattern. It is possible that the increase from 1 unit to 1.5 was too much. I saw on your ss that you have U100s? You can increase by .25 units and sometimes that makes the difference.

Fill in your spreadsheet and let us try to help you figure it out.

Lu gave you some great tips on flying with Chong. If you can't stay with your friends, could you get an inexpensive pet friendly motel nearby? She could stay there during the day while you are playing and she would be settled and happy at night. We did a road trip with Niko, staying in a different pet friendly motel each night. He would need to check out the space each time and find the highest place to be, but then settled in. As long as we were there, he was okay. If we were going to leave, we put a note on the door about his being in the room, but keeping her in the crate is good too. That whole scenerio could also work at the rental with your friends. Keep her in the crate during the day and let her roam your room at night and sleep with you.

All these ideas may seem impossible - which I can appreciate - we are just trying to brainstorm with you.
 
I wondered but don't know because I just noticed it. I've been suspicious of pain there before but it was never like this. I could run my hands over her before.

I just tested her because she is moving 'gingerly'. Her PMPS was 395. At +4 it is 350.
Click to expand...

Barb,
Several months ago, I trashed my lower back moving furniture, and required weeks of chiro visits to get my spine back in place. Even when the muscles were healed, and my back was back in line, I experienced nerve pain and discomfort in one of my legs from my hip to my knee. Tingling, numbness, hot flashes, etc. The nerves had been compressed and damaged apparently. Anyway, I'm thinking that maybe Chong was hurt like that and much of the pain and walking gingerly could be after effects of some sort of trauma to her back? I think that rather than all sorts of bloodtests, maybe an x-ray might show something? Or an ultrasound to see if there's organs that are abnormal?
Haven't seen the updated SS yet, but my gut says stick with the 2u dose and see what it does over the course of a few cycles.
Carl
 
Hi, Barb. :smile:

I also have a cat who seems angry with other people but is a love with me. When my mom and I had our week vacation planned, I really tossed and turned about what to do with Poopy. After weighing everything, Poopy's stress, the quality of his care, the cost of traveling with him versus other arrangements, a chance at a break from the daily care for me, etc., it just made more sense to take him with me. Was it a pain? In many ways it was, but it was also one of the most amazing trips I've ever had. I would swear Poopy knew I was making efforts for his well being, and was truly a love during the trip (once we got where we were going). He even made friendly with my mom!

At the motel, I used a large dog crate to keep Poopy in while I was away from the room. Part of this was to avoid escaping when maids came in, and part was to be sure he didn't do something out of character to the room. Never know what an angry cat can get into, ya know? :lol: He never was angry, when we'd leave the room, and I think he felt secure in the cage.

What is funny is how long it took me to figure out how to get a tag to notify folks of Poopy being diabetic, just in case we were separated. I kept looking for a medical alert charm to add to his halter, to go with his vet tag. Finally had someone suggest to me to go to the local pet market (PetSmart, in my area) and make a tag! Easy peasy! I put "Diabetic" on one side and my cell phone number on the other.

Bottom line, I know we do what we have to do for our sugar babies. Whatever you decide to do is what is best for you both. Good luck!

And I hope you find out soon what is going on with Chong's hind quarters. Poor baby.
 
Barb,
I don't really have any words of wisdom to offer, but wanted to let you know what I so can empathize with you. My Alex loved me and DH, but really didn't do well with any strangers. We had pet sitter after pet sitter come in and most rejected us as clients right away because he would get so stressed and rather violent. When we finally found someone who we had several trial runs with, he waited until we were away to reject them.

I hope you find Chong's problems soon and can get her feeling better.
I hope you can also get away for vacation.

Best of luck to you both!
 
Hi,
I posted my SS. Please look. Should I increase insulin? What should I do?

Special, special thanks to Sue & Oliver for help with my SS.

Barb & Chong
 
Hi Barb,
Can you detail "not feeling well"? I think there's something besides just the diabetes causing the highs. She was much better at 1u and pain/infection seems to be the culprit. Her back end still the same?
Carl
 
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