4/20 Kasha AMPS 426, PMPS 479 - Vet updt

Appetite still not good. She ate maybe 3/4 of a normal breakfast (which is maybe enough because the only reason she generally eats more is because I relentlessly bug her until she does). I'm measuring f.25 units as a drop or so less than .5 units. When I'm feeling better, I will get a magnifying glass or something, but the only reason I'm leaving the house is to take her to the vet tonight, if that actually happens.

I suppose it doesn't help that I am now feeling sick, hopeless and frustrated with this whole process.

Yesterday's Condo

 

Re: 4/20 Kasha AMPS 426

Sorry your sick.
When I saw you were frustrated, I opened the spreadsheet to see what was up with Kasha. I saw beautiful numbers on a small dose, couldn't ask for much better than this. My guess is Kasha may have dropped further last night after the +3 BG 140 and bounced, the drop from +2 279 to +3 140 could make her bounce to this AM BG 426. When there are fast drops, or low BG numbers, the liver thinks the cat is in danger and dumps glucose into the system. Once the liver starts seeing/adjusting to these circumstances it learns to feel safe with lower numbers -- we affectionately call this liver training school.
Hang in here -- you have a kitty that is doing fantastic.

 

Re: 4/20 Kasha AMPS 426

Thank you - you have no idea how much that means to me. This is such a roller coaster ride for us, I can't tell if it's going well with her or not.

 

Re: 4/20 Kasha AMPS 426

Kasha is doing better than well. :mrgreen:

 

Re: 4/20 Kasha AMPS 426

Not to worry--You have great support here-D knows her stuff..
Kasha is doing so well..Hope you see better numbers today & that YOU feel better!!

 

Re: 4/20 Kasha AMPS 426

Looking good in here....hope you feel better soon. We all understand your feelings of frustration~~believe me, i certainly do. But your kitty is doing so very well and things will get better. Yay Kasha!! :YMHUG:

 

Re: 4/20 Kasha AMPS 426

I know it's frustrating -- especially when you don't have anything to measure your cat's progress against. One way to give you a sense of Kasha's progress is to look at other SSs. Or, scroll through Kasha's. There is a marked difference in how consistent the numbers are as you've been keeping the doses more even. There's a bounce here and there but nothing like at the beginning. You have big chunks of blue and now green. This is really good progress!

I hope you start to feel better.

 

Re: 4/20 Kasha AMPS 426, PMPS 479

Not a good day - her appetite is poor. It seemed to revive around 3 pm, but I wouldn't really let her eat because then I knew she wouldn't eat dinner. Just let her have the tiniest snack. I don't know if her high numbers are killing her appetite or what. We're headed to the vet for a check-up, diabetes follow-up now, so I'll see what they say. Chicken dust, etc. doesn't seem to make a big difference. I even opened up a jar of baby food tonight and she ate maybe 2 tsp of it before she walked away. That's what she does - she laps at what I put in front of her for about 20 seconds, then walks away. If it weren't for the insulin, I would just let her get good and hungry - but I can't really do that now. I know the more choices I give her, the more of a finicky cat she'll become. I even cooked her chicken tonight and she ate about 3 bites and said, no thanks.

Discouraged.

 

Re: 4/20 Kasha AMPS 426, PMPS 479

((((hugs)))) hang in there, I agree with D, Kasha is doing really, really well on a small dose. Keep working on a way to make the dose as consistent as possible - at such a tiny dose, a drop difference can be significant. I think you'll see Kasha's numbers level out very soon.

It never hurts to have a vet visit, especially when something significant like appetite changes. Maybe she has something else going on that has changed her numbers.

 

Re: 4/20 Kasha AMPS 426, PMPS 479

Seeing the word "discouraged" made me feel for you. I know that feeling (maybe peek at Noisy's ss). Looking at other SSs is always good.

I predict, in your not too long future, you will not feel discouraged. Please update vet visit when you can.

 

OK, so Kasha had her vet visit. She's gained 5 oz. in the last 5 1/2 weeks or so since her diagnosis (now 10 lbs 6 oz.). And that's after 2 days of poor appetite.

As for her appetite - she provided a urine sample on her own and there were signs of a UTI (which is how she got diagnosed in the first place - she had a UTI), so she got an antibiotic shot. Last time, a day or 2 after the shot she perked up and started to eat more. Hopefully, that will help us out. That's one reason I kept the vet appt because I was slightly suspicious when she walked up to me and gave me the "funny meow" a couple of times and then the appetite thing.

Hoping for the best.

My vet was very supportive of what I'm doing with the testing (although I can tell she thinks I'm crazy). They did the fructosamine test, I'm interested in hearing those results, since we've never had that before. I gave the vet a copy of her spreadsheet too.

 

Couple of thoughts...

A fructosamine test is what amounts to an average of BG levels over a 2 - 3 week period. It's very helpful for diagnosing diabetes. It's also helpful if you don't test. Given that you do test, and have considerable data, the test isn't going to give you more information than you have. I'd suggest saving your money! (Or appease your vet this once!)

If Kasha spontaneously provided a urine sample, it wasn't a sterile sample (unless she's an exceptionally talented kitty and peed in a sterile cup). The preferred method to test for a UTI is to get a cytocentesis. A needle is used to withdraw a urine sample from the bladder. A culture and sensitivity (C & S) is then run. This allows the bacteria, if present, to be grown and it can then be identified and an antibiotic that targets the specific bacterial can then be prescribed. Do you happen to know what AB the vet gave Kasha?

 

AB? Oh - antibiotic! Convenia - I think is the name. It's an injection cuz she's really bad when you try to pill her. Really bad. This antibiotic has worked for her before - I think it's broad spectrum, I may have researched it last time, but I just can't do it now. I don't have any extra energy left right now.

I know that ideally they would do a culture, but I also know that I've argued with my own docs about that and plenty of times they just used the blood cells in the urine to diagnose me. I was trying to minimize the trauma for Kasha (and me, cuz I'm still sick too). I suppose if her symptoms continue, I'll have to go back but I have to travel next week and I haven't even begun to get ready. All of my 3 cats are having major health issues right now. I've been at the vet every day except 2 since last Thurs with one cat or another.