UPDATE! Katie in hospital for i-131 treatment, they say she is not eating...

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by katiesmom, May 30, 2019.

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  1. katiesmom

    katiesmom Member

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    Katie went in for her hyperthyroid treatment yesterday. She is not allowed to come home until tomorrow. She is not eating for them. Katie LIVES to eat, she never not eats, so this is a big deal.

    I guess she ate a little bit yesterday but nothing since. They didnt give her her insulin last night, I dont know why they didnt. I have no idea what her numbers are, they havent tested her.

    No insulin today because she is not eating. They dont want to give her insulin without food. I dont know what to tell them to do. I am not allowed to come get her, or visit, because of the radiation, I am worried sick.

    I am going to tell them to test her.....if her numbers are high, can she still have insulin (lantus) with out eating? Nobody is there with her overnight. I am so worried.

    Katie was tightly regulated, normal numbers on 1/2 unit lantus until this happened. I have no idea what is happening with her.

    Help me, guys...what do I tell them to do? If numbers are high should I insist she get her shot even without food?
     
  2. Julie and Honey

    Julie and Honey Well-Known Member

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    Sorry to hear. It is horrible feeling so helpless where your baby is concerned. Insulin without food is not recommended. Did they try meat baby food? A lot of vets use that for sick kitties. Maybe she just lost appetite due to current situation. Seems would be more dangerous for the cat to give insulin without food and they may not do that as far as a liability issue.
     
  3. katiesmom

    katiesmom Member

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    Mar 1, 2013
    Thanks for your reply. Katie is on a raw food diet, which I sent along. Regular food makes her vomit, so I dont know if baby food would make her vomit too. Like I said, Katie loves to eat, it's been years since she has missed a meal. I am a nervous wreck. I dont know how I will make it until tomorrow. I am waiting on their call. I am going to tell them to test her. My poor girl.
     
  4. CandyH & Catcat

    CandyH & Catcat Well-Known Member

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    Apr 23, 2019
    brainstorm, correct me if I'm wrong, could you get a tape recorder, voice memo, something like that, record your voice so they could play it to her?

    am sure they wouldn't allow any fabric that you touched, in with her, but maybe aural stimulation would work rather than olfactory

    yes, we were all worried along with you about the separation, sending hugs to both of you :bighug:
     
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  5. Julie and Honey

    Julie and Honey Well-Known Member

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    Dec 22, 2018
    Poor baby. Hang in there momma, cats are resilient and worst case you start her insulin when you get her home. Be comforted that she was in good numbers and on a pretty low dose, so hopefully will be relatively easy to get her back on track.

    Did they try giving her an appetite stimulant?
     
  6. katiesmom

    katiesmom Member

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    Mar 1, 2013
    Thanks everyone for your good thoughts and responses.

    She does have a blankie and toys from home with her. And they are trying to feed her in bowls from home. So everything has our scent on it.

    They haven't tried a appetite stimulant cuz Katie is supper sensitive to meds and we dont know how she will react. Especially with no one there overnight to watch her. Example-She's allergic to Cerenia, which is pretty rare. Katie is very high maintenance, and special, in many ways:)

    The treatment facility is 2 hours away...so unless they will let me "talk" to her over the phone, I dont know how I would get any voice recording down there.
    Problem is everything is radioactive, so I dont know if they will even take a phone in there. I am going to call them shortly if they dont call me. They leave at 530pm.
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2019
  7. Diane Tyler's Mom

    Diane Tyler's Mom Well-Known Member

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    Michelle, I'm so sorry to hear about Katie, please keep us informed , hugs to both of you
     
  8. katiesmom

    katiesmom Member

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    Mar 1, 2013
    I talked to them at 2:30 pm. She still hasnt eaten. She vomited during the night...which I knew would happen with no food, she tends to vomit when her tummy is empty...plus at home she eats every 4 hours 24/7. Now it's been 34 hours since she had a meal. And that was only 1.5 oz. They said they would test her later. I asked them to call me with her numbers and (this makes me angry), they said "if they have time" they would call. I practically begged them to please call cuz I would worry all night...and she kept saying, "well...we are pretty busy, I may forget...but we will tell you tomorrow." This went back and forth 3-4 times. I will be amazed if they call. *tears*
     
  9. Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)

    Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA) Well-Known Member

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    I'll be thinking about you and your sweet little Katie tonight. I'm sure that tomorrow can't come fast enough.
     
  10. Lisa and Witn (GA)

    Lisa and Witn (GA) Well-Known Member

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    The treatment may be making her nauseous. Have they given her anything for that?

    I agree she needs to be tested. If they can give her something for nausea then they could syringe feed her in order to give her insulin.
     
  11. Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)

    Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA) Well-Known Member

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    How is Katie doing today?
     
  12. Julie and Honey

    Julie and Honey Well-Known Member

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    I was thinking about her today too, hoping things are getting better.:bighug:
     
  13. CandyH & Catcat

    CandyH & Catcat Well-Known Member

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    Apr 23, 2019
    Catcat wants to know how Katie is doing -- hopes this treatment will pay dividends for her, even though it's stressful on both of you
     
  14. vstarjewel

    vstarjewel Member

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    May 7, 2019
    Hopefully Katie is home by the time you read this . . . there are programs on most computers that will let you do a voice recording . . . if not, you can do one on your phone and email it to the vet. They can play it from any android device (aka phone, tablet, computer, etc). If you want help doing this let me know, I'd be more than happy to help . . . blessings to you both!!!
     
  15. katiesmom

    katiesmom Member

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    Mar 1, 2013
    THANK YOU everyone for your well wishes and prayers. Katie is home. Yippee!! She is good. She ate within the hour after being home and I fed her small meals every couple hours the rest of the day- after not eating for 2 days! I tried to feed her in the car on the way home and she wouldnt eat. I literally cried when she started eating at home.
    She has checked the house out several times, making sure it was the way she left it.

    Her sister, Anabelle, was happy to see her too. You know how most cats hiss and growl when the other has been at the vets because they smell different? Not Anabelle, she loves her sister so much, she knew it was her and proceeded to clean her face. I have tried several times to stop them from cleaning each other, since Katie is radioactive, but I finally gave up after several times. They are determined. :) The vet said not to worry about Anabelle, just the humans, and human to keep 3 ft away from Katie except for a few cuddles. I just thought it would be prudent to keep Anabelle away for a while too, but they were not having it.

    On a different note, and more on topic for this board-
    Katie has not had insulin since Thursday morning. I gave her insulin Wednesday morning, and they didnt give any more until Thursday AM. The tested her BG Thursday afternoon and it was 77, so they gave no insulin, Friday morning it was 117, no insulin. Of course she hadnt eaten either.
    The vet questioned whether she even needed insulin. I thought...you cant tell that by two tests! She's been a diabetic for years. She has been tightly regulated on 1/2 unit. He warned me to be careful.

    I waited til I got a few meals in her and tested her last night. 61 on relion. Just got a tiny bit of blood though, and sometimes that artificially lowers the results, I have found. That is a normal preshot number for her, it's usually in the 60's. But that was with no insulin for a 1 1/2 days. With the vet's words ringing in my ears, I decided to hold off on the shot.
    So I tested again this morning. Better amount of blood, plenty...67. No shot. Now we are up to 48 hours with no insulin. Normally I would shoot at those numbers, but I decided to see where this goes. Maybe she doesn't need it? I knew treating the thyroid may help her diabetes, but not this soon! It takes a few weeks. Plus we wont know yet if the treatment worked. On 5-6 % of kitties, it doesnt, and they have to have a 2nd treatment (Lord, I hope not). And she was diabetic long before the hyperthyroid. So we will see. If her numbers start creeping up, I will resume the insulin. If not.... I may get an unexpected OTJ trial. Too soon to tell.

    Thank you all :bighug:
     
  16. Lisa and Witn (GA)

    Lisa and Witn (GA) Well-Known Member

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    That is great news.
     
  17. Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA)

    Daddy Jack's Mommy (GA) Well-Known Member

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    I am so happy to hear that! I've been so worried about her. And that is so sweet that Annabelle loves her so much - that they love each other, actually. She must be so happy to be home. And it appears that an OTJ trial may be in the works. As you said...time will tell.
     
  18. CandyH & Catcat

    CandyH & Catcat Well-Known Member

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    Apr 23, 2019
    :bighug::):cat::cool::D:joyful::kiss::smuggrin::woot::cat:

    what wonderful news, we are all rejoicing -- purrs to Katie, purrs to Annabelle, hugs to you
     
    Last edited: Jun 1, 2019
  19. Diane Tyler's Mom

    Diane Tyler's Mom Well-Known Member

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    Sep 21, 2018
    I'm so glad Katie is home and eating and feeling better!
     
  20. Jill & Alex (GA)

    Jill & Alex (GA) Senior Member Moderator

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    Woo-hoo!!! Fantabulous!!!
    Thank you for updating!
     
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