Vet shot down my request for Lantus

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ja9390

ja9390

Member Since 2016
Last night I sent an email to my vets office explaining that Diego has been on Novolin for 5 weeks and still remains in high numbers, is visibly uncomfortable most of the time, and his patterns are still wildly unpredictable. I requested him to be switched to Lantus immediately and even backed this up by attaching a link to his spreadsheet containing 5 weeks worth of data. FINALLY got back a response after calling them all day, and the email said that the doctor does not recommend switching him to Lantus right now. They claim that he is not yet outside of the time frame that some cats take to become well regulated and that this just might take some more time. They suggested that I could stop by to speak to the doctor about this personally tomorrow which im sure they will charge me for, and said that if the decision to switch to Lantus is made, it will have to be after the doctor examines him again (again...more $$)

Again, this response was sent to me after I specifically and BLATANTLY expressed how nervous I was about his health and how frustrating it is to come home from my already insane life and see my cat of twelve years suffering.

What would you do? My gut instinct says to give an ultimatum but at this point that could be a knee-jerk overreaction. I'm 100% done and pissed.
 
He's already gotten a second opinion about three weeks ago when I hauled him to the ER vet after hours on a Sunday. He was vomiting and not eating and the ER doctor point blank looked at me and said this cat needs to be on a longer lasting insulin, and that he's surprised that the only thing still wrong with his body is his high glucose. I relayed this message to the vet and she brushed it off.
 
He does but he's pricey and when I went to his practice I was shocked by how unclean it was kept. I just needed somebody to save Diego's life so I didn't complain but I wouldn't take him back and definitely wouldn't drop him off there.

Two different people have recommended a clinic to me here in town and it's right down the road from my job. Tomorrow once I finish taking my entrance exam I am going to swing by and see if I can have a consultation with somebody.
 
You may be able to get a prescription for the ER vet you already took him to without taking him back again. They have already said they think he should be on something like lantus so maybe if you ring them and say you agree but your regular vet isn't playing ball they will write you the prescription without another appointment. Good luck with your exam.
 
jayla-n-Drevon said:
:bighug:
Don't let them bully you...
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Oh no, I don't let anyone bully me. I get what I want and I don't let anyone or anything stand in my way of it. It is frustrating, though, because I feel like this game they're playing is largely because I'm young and they don't take me seriously. They certainly aren't expecting me to ask for his medical records to be faxed to his new doctor soon either. I don't have the time in my day for foolishness like this. He's my cat and it's my money and I don't feel like asking for him to switch to Lantus is a ridiculous request considering that he has made next to no progress regarding getting his higher numbers down into a more acceptable range. If Diego were a human child, he'd be in the ER by now.
 
ja9390 said:
Oh no, I don't let anyone bully me. I get what I want and I don't let anyone or anything stand in my way of it. It is frustrating, though, because I feel like this game they're playing is largely because I'm young and they don't take me seriously. They certainly aren't expecting me to ask for his medical records to be faxed to his new doctor soon either. I don't have the time in my day for foolishness like this. He's my cat and it's my money and I don't feel like asking for him to switch to Lantus is a ridiculous request considering that he has made next to no progress regarding getting his higher numbers down into a more acceptable range. If Diego were a human child, he'd be in the ER by now.
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Actually you should ask for copies of all the medical records so you have a hard copy for yourself. If you do find another vet that you can deal with you can take the test results in and they can make copies there. I always ask for a copy of any tests I have done. I paid for them so I have that right,
 
Have them mail you a copy of his records.....then you'll have them to show anyone else you want to...or tell them you want to pick them up from the office

I just told my first vet that I wanted to keep track of China's medical records in a file at home so I didn't have to tell them I was going elsewhere
 
Chris & China said:
Have them mail you a copy of his records.....then you'll have them to show anyone else you want to...or tell them you want to pick them up from the office

I just told my first vet that I wanted to keep track of China's medical records in a file at home so I didn't have to tell them I was going elsewhere
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They're going to put two and two together when I show up there in person tomorrow and ask for his records with a permanent, annoyed look on my face. I called the banfield clinic earlier today (run by petsmart) to ask for a consult and they immediately jumped to wanting me to bring him in for a glucose curve first thing so they can determine his insulin dosage. I said no, he's too stressed for a curve and I will do it at home and send you the data. They said they typically don't allow that. I hung up. My nerves are shot and will be for a while.
 
ja9390 said:
They're going to put two and two together when I show up there in person tomorrow and ask for his records with a permanent, annoyed look on my face
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Let them....with the kind of advice they've been giving you, if they did add 2 and 2, they'd probably come up with 5

You paid for them....they are YOUR records

When we started looking for a new vet, I started calling around. I asked for the vet to call me back (usually after hours they will) Then I'd ask them how they manage their diabetic cats. What kind of insulin do they usually start with? Are they open to switching insulins if their "favorite" doesn't seem to be working? How do they feel about home testing? What kinds of foods do they recommend? What kind of outcomes have they had in the past with their patients?

It wasn't hard to pin down the ones I felt good about working with and the ones that never heard from me again
 
ja9390 said:
They're going to put two and two together when I show up there in person tomorrow and ask for his records with a permanent, annoyed look on my face. I called the banfield clinic earlier today (run by petsmart) to ask for a consult and they immediately jumped to wanting me to bring him in for a glucose curve first thing so they can determine his insulin dosage. I said no, he's too stressed for a curve and I will do it at home and send you the data. They said they typically don't allow that. I hung up. My nerves are shot and will be for a while.
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Even if they figure out you want to see a different vet, the point is that YOU PAID FOR THE TESTS. They are not some sort of confidential secrets, they are results of tests that were asked for and paid for by you. You have the right to request copies of all tests done on Diego.
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
Even if they figure out you want to see a different vet, the point is that YOU PAID FOR THE TESTS. They are not some sort of confidential secrets, they are results of tests that were asked for and paid for by you. You have the right to request copies of all tests done on Diego.
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Yes, I'm picking them up tomorrow if I have time. They wouldn't be losing me as a client in the first place if they'd have worked with me. Indeed I did pay for the tests and I'll leave with the tests. Don't want to ask for them to be emailed or mailed out...they'll probably omit a record or two unless I'm there staring them in the face.
 
It's time for a new vet with a more contemporary understanding of feline diabetes. The literature is clear -- long-lasting insulins like Lantus and Levemir give newly-diagnosed kitties the best chance possible at achieving remission. I know most veterinarians get mere hours of instruction on diabetes in school, but that doesn't excuse continuing to prescribe these harsh, short-acting insulins that were originally created for dogs when even lay people know that there are better and more effective options available.
 
I wanted to make sure I wasn't being crazy in my thinking that it's time to find somebody better for Diego. He doesn't deserve this; tonight at PMPS he was 118 because he apparently didn't like the food I laid out for him today too much. Once I fed him dinner, an hour later he was in the 320's before I gave his shot. He's sleeping up against me right now, perfectly content. This is the most peaceful I've seen him in about 10 days...he does that sometimes where he just doesn't eat too much during the day and then by that night his numbers are actually normal.
 
ja9390 said:
They're going to put two and two together when I show up there in person tomorrow and ask for his records with a permanent, annoyed look on my face. I called the banfield clinic earlier today (run by petsmart) to ask for a consult and they immediately jumped to wanting me to bring him in for a glucose curve first thing so they can determine his insulin dosage. I said no, he's too stressed for a curve and I will do it at home and send you the data. They said they typically don't allow that. I hung up. My nerves are shot and will be for a while.
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very smart to be cautious of Banfield vets--your a wise young lady:bighug:
 
Definitely time for a new vet. Be sure to keep a record of Diego's clinical signs alongside his BG data. It all points to the Novolin N not helping him in the way that another more cat-friendly insulin should.


Mogs
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Today is the day I go vet shopping. Have to be up two hours earlier than I normally do, so I fed Diego right away before testing him so I would have enough time to give insulin before I left. Already at +10.5 he is at 318 and I'm sure his food hasn't had enough time to fully absorb yet. I can always tell when his BG is starting to creep back up because he will gallop in and out of rooms and intentionally make a bunch of noise in the early morning to wake me up so I can help him. But, that's all part of the process of using Novolin and I just need to give it more time...
 
ja9390 said:
96.4% cumulative score on that nursing entrance exam, btw ;)
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Congratulations!!! WTG!! WOOT!!! WOOT!!


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ja9390 said:
Yes, I'm picking them up tomorrow if I have time. They wouldn't be losing me as a client in the first place if they'd have worked with me. Indeed I did pay for the tests and I'll leave with the tests. Don't want to ask for them to be emailed or mailed out...they'll probably omit a record or two unless I'm there staring them in the face.
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I once had an "argument" with my doctor who I was firing. I went in to get my test results. The first person said I needed to see the doctor in order to see my results. I said they are my tests, I want my results now.
 
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