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Poor Sheba and poor you - scary stuff.
Hope all is OK now. Hugs Lois "CATherine" wrote in message ... I always seem to learn life's lessons the hard way. This time Sheba almost paid the ultimate price for my folly and ignorance. Wednesday night I got home late, after 7. Sheba's supper and insulin was delayed. Since I was off Thursday, I stayed up late and got up late this morning, after 9:30. Sheba's food and insulin was again delayed. I was busy until after 3, when I finally set down to rest. Sheba was on the footstool at my feet. She gave several funny-sounding meows. I reached to pet her and she meowed normally. After a few minutes she meowed oddly again. I spoke to her and petted her. In the process I brushed her ears. They were cold. I pulled the stool out where I could reach her better and felt her all over. She was cold and didn't move. She meowed in a way that said "help me...something is wrong". I picked her up and she dangled instead of cuddling. Then she had a small siezure. I set her on the floor to see if she could walk and she couldn't. Then she howled and lost control of her bladder. I threw a rag on the puddle and screamed at Jeff to get the carrier and call the vet, while I ran to get some clothes on. (I was in my gown and robe) At the vet's, the tech put a heating pad with towel under her and then the vet shaved her throat and drew a vial of blood. When he came back in the room he asked me a question and I then told him about sleeping in, etc. Then he told me how important it is for her to be on a schedule. He talked about "crashing" and "bottoming out". And messing with her potassium and electrolytes. I had always thought low sugar would cause her to faint or something. it was all vague in my mind. I didn't know what to look for in the way of symptoms. If she hadn't meowed in a funny way I would have thought she was napping. But she almost died. her sugar was down to 29! And her temp was 96. The vet gave her oral dextrose and then later an injectin and some food. He talked to a specialist on the phone. The last couple of months I hadn't been in because she seemed to be stable; but the specialist siad her dosage should have been reduced when her diet got stable. For now she is to eat anything she wants for 2 days and no insulin. Sunday she gets only half the dosage she had been taking. In ten days she goes back for a glucose curve. Tonight she ate some of her diebetic food and later I gave her some broiled chicken. She loved it and even licked my fingers so i could save on napkins. She seems to be feeling ok now. But I will be diligent about her schedule from now on. I really don't need to sleep in. I can use a leisurely morning to pet my little girl and love her. CATherine |
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in article , CATherine at
wrote on 12/4/03 9:14 PM: On 4 Dec 2003 20:55:37 -0600, Karen wrote: in article , CATherine at wrote on 12/4/03 8:29 PM: I always seem to learn life's lessons the hard way. This time Sheba almost paid the ultimate price for my folly and ignorance. snip Tonight she ate some of her diebetic food and later I gave her some broiled chicken. She loved it and even licked my fingers so i could save on napkins. She seems to be feeling ok now. But I will be diligent about her schedule from now on. I really don't need to sleep in. I can use a leisurely morning to pet my little girl and love her. CATherine Scary Catherine! Do you have a little blood tester for her sugar? That may help you out a lot. If you can keep a little journal, it would also help you to figure out how she processes everything. I'm so glad she is ok now. Karen No, but I have urine test strips. I will have to be diligent about testing her urine frequently now. And go to the vet more frequently for the blood glucose test. Surely I can find $15 once a month or so. Still kicking myself, CATherine Catherine, I have a little video file I downloaded of a guy showing how he takes his cat's blood glucose levels. It's very easy. I kept it because the tester was just like the one my friend uses on her little girl, to show to her. It is 784kb. Could I send it to you? The test machine is like 100$ but I don't know how much the test strips are. It might be more affordable than going to the vet a lot and I know it is more accurate than urine testing. Let me know if I can email it to you. Karen |
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Poor Sheba....and you....I hope things are OK
Purrs Angela and Gizmo "CATherine" wrote in message ... I always seem to learn life's lessons the hard way. This time Sheba almost paid the ultimate price for my folly and ignorance. Wednesday night I got home late, after 7. Sheba's supper and insulin was delayed. Since I was off Thursday, I stayed up late and got up late this morning, after 9:30. Sheba's food and insulin was again delayed. I was busy until after 3, when I finally set down to rest. Sheba was on the footstool at my feet. She gave several funny-sounding meows. I reached to pet her and she meowed normally. After a few minutes she meowed oddly again. I spoke to her and petted her. In the process I brushed her ears. They were cold. I pulled the stool out where I could reach her better and felt her all over. She was cold and didn't move. She meowed in a way that said "help me...something is wrong". I picked her up and she dangled instead of cuddling. Then she had a small siezure. I set her on the floor to see if she could walk and she couldn't. Then she howled and lost control of her bladder. I threw a rag on the puddle and screamed at Jeff to get the carrier and call the vet, while I ran to get some clothes on. (I was in my gown and robe) At the vet's, the tech put a heating pad with towel under her and then the vet shaved her throat and drew a vial of blood. When he came back in the room he asked me a question and I then told him about sleeping in, etc. Then he told me how important it is for her to be on a schedule. He talked about "crashing" and "bottoming out". And messing with her potassium and electrolytes. I had always thought low sugar would cause her to faint or something. it was all vague in my mind. I didn't know what to look for in the way of symptoms. If she hadn't meowed in a funny way I would have thought she was napping. But she almost died. her sugar was down to 29! And her temp was 96. The vet gave her oral dextrose and then later an injectin and some food. He talked to a specialist on the phone. The last couple of months I hadn't been in because she seemed to be stable; but the specialist siad her dosage should have been reduced when her diet got stable. For now she is to eat anything she wants for 2 days and no insulin. Sunday she gets only half the dosage she had been taking. In ten days she goes back for a glucose curve. Tonight she ate some of her diebetic food and later I gave her some broiled chicken. She loved it and even licked my fingers so i could save on napkins. She seems to be feeling ok now. But I will be diligent about her schedule from now on. I really don't need to sleep in. I can use a leisurely morning to pet my little girl and love her. CATherine |
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On 5 Dec 2003 02:29:26 GMT, CATherine
wrote: I always seem to learn life's lessons the hard way. This time Sheba almost paid the ultimate price for my folly and ignorance. Wednesday night I got home late, after 7. Sheba's supper and insulin was delayed. Since I was off Thursday, I stayed up late and got up late this morning, after 9:30. Sheba's food and insulin was again delayed. I was busy until after 3, when I finally set down to rest. Sheba was on the footstool at my feet. She gave several funny-sounding meows. I reached to pet her and she meowed normally. After a few minutes she meowed oddly again. I spoke to her and petted her. In the process I brushed her ears. They were cold. I pulled the stool out where I could reach her better and felt her all over. She was cold and didn't move. She meowed in a way that said "help me...something is wrong". I picked her up and she dangled instead of cuddling. Then she had a small siezure. I set her on the floor to see if she could walk and she couldn't. Then she howled and lost control of her bladder. I threw a rag on the puddle and screamed at Jeff to get the carrier and call the vet, while I ran to get some clothes on. (I was in my gown and robe) At the vet's, the tech put a heating pad with towel under her and then the vet shaved her throat and drew a vial of blood. When he came back in the room he asked me a question and I then told him about sleeping in, etc. Then he told me how important it is for her to be on a schedule. He talked about "crashing" and "bottoming out". And messing with her potassium and electrolytes. I had always thought low sugar would cause her to faint or something. it was all vague in my mind. I didn't know what to look for in the way of symptoms. If she hadn't meowed in a funny way I would have thought she was napping. But she almost died. her sugar was down to 29! And her temp was 96. The vet gave her oral dextrose and then later an injectin and some food. He talked to a specialist on the phone. The last couple of months I hadn't been in because she seemed to be stable; but the specialist siad her dosage should have been reduced when her diet got stable. For now she is to eat anything she wants for 2 days and no insulin. Sunday she gets only half the dosage she had been taking. In ten days she goes back for a glucose curve. Tonight she ate some of her diebetic food and later I gave her some broiled chicken. She loved it and even licked my fingers so i could save on napkins. She seems to be feeling ok now. But I will be diligent about her schedule from now on. I really don't need to sleep in. I can use a leisurely morning to pet my little girl and love her. CATherine Purrs for Sheba, and hope she doesn't lay to much of a guilt trip on you. What a scary thing to happen ;-(( I fear that there would have to be some major changes around here if something like that happened, as nothing is done on schedule here. -- Steve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky [remove Junk for email] http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html |
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Now, Cat, don't be too hard on yourself! Yes, they depend on us for their
insulin injections and regular feedings (remember, Hopitus1 had diabetes, and I kept him alive 5 years after diagnosis, which vets tell me is a long time for diabetic cats), but that's exactly what happened to Hopitus in the backseat of our specially rigged sedan in late '87, when our little convoy crossed the country from northern CA back to south FL. He howled, had a seizure (I was driving and son in shotgun seat beside me described Hops "twitching, bigtime") and passed out. Pulled over, laid him down roadside on blanket, forced Tang drink into side of his mouth (he had revived by then) and continued on down to Wichita Falls, Tex, where a kind local vet advised me, no charge, by pay phone in gas station to continue on to FL, feeding but *no insulin* till we reached our destination, as Hops (and the other two also) was very off his feed and not eating well during the long trip, messing up his diabetic status very bad. One of the vehicles (not mine) had broken down several times and we had about a 3-day delay in a cat-friendly motel in Montgomery, AL, waiting for a carburetor from Birmingham....the cats ate better (thinking we had arrived in our forever home, the air-conditioned, comfortable, cat-friendly motel) but the vet said Hops would do better with excessive sugar in his blood than another insulin "crash" like that one in the car. I called to thank him from FL (he was shocked) and informed him Hops was fine and under FL vet's care at that point. We had not given the diabetes a thought when I injected Hops with his usual insuliin dose at a rest stop in New Mexico early the morning of the day he "crashed" and seized that afternoon. That sneaky disease diabetes has lessons for anyone who has anything to do with it, victims and caregivers alike. Give yourself a break. So glad Sheba is okay now. I know how much you love her. "Steve Touchstone" wrote in message ... : On 5 Dec 2003 02:29:26 GMT, CATherine : wrote: : : I always seem to learn life's lessons the hard way. This time Sheba : almost paid the ultimate price for my folly and ignorance. : : Wednesday night I got home late, after 7. Sheba's supper and insulin : was delayed. Since I was off Thursday, I stayed up late and got up : late this morning, after 9:30. Sheba's food and insulin was again : delayed. : : I was busy until after 3, when I finally set down to rest. Sheba was : on the footstool at my feet. She gave several funny-sounding meows. I : reached to pet her and she meowed normally. After a few minutes she : meowed oddly again. I spoke to her and petted her. In the process I : brushed her ears. They were cold. : : I pulled the stool out where I could reach her better and felt her all : over. She was cold and didn't move. She meowed in a way that said : "help me...something is wrong". I picked her up and she dangled : instead of cuddling. Then she had a small siezure. I set her on the : floor to see if she could walk and she couldn't. Then she howled and : lost control of her bladder. : : I threw a rag on the puddle and screamed at Jeff to get the carrier : and call the vet, while I ran to get some clothes on. (I was in my : gown and robe) : : At the vet's, the tech put a heating pad with towel under her and then : the vet shaved her throat and drew a vial of blood. When he came back : in the room he asked me a question and I then told him about sleeping : in, etc. Then he told me how important it is for her to be on a : schedule. He talked about "crashing" and "bottoming out". And messing : with her potassium and electrolytes. : : I had always thought low sugar would cause her to faint or something. : it was all vague in my mind. I didn't know what to look for in the way : of symptoms. If she hadn't meowed in a funny way I would have thought : she was napping. But she almost died. her sugar was down to 29! And : her temp was 96. : : The vet gave her oral dextrose and then later an injectin and some : food. He talked to a specialist on the phone. The last couple of : months I hadn't been in because she seemed to be stable; but the : specialist siad her dosage should have been reduced when her diet got : stable. For now she is to eat anything she wants for 2 days and no : insulin. Sunday she gets only half the dosage she had been taking. In : ten days she goes back for a glucose curve. : : Tonight she ate some of her diebetic food and later I gave her some : broiled chicken. She loved it and even licked my fingers so i could : save on napkins. She seems to be feeling ok now. But I will be : diligent about her schedule from now on. I really don't need to sleep : in. I can use a leisurely morning to pet my little girl and love her. : : CATherine : : Purrs for Sheba, and hope she doesn't lay to much of a guilt trip on : you. What a scary thing to happen ;-(( : : I fear that there would have to be some major changes around here if : something like that happened, as nothing is done on schedule here. : -- : Steve Touchstone, : faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky : : [remove Junk for email] : http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html |
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I'm sorry this happened, Catherine, but very glad that you were able to get
her to the vet in time to save her. How scary that must have been for you! I don't know anything about diabetes, but I am hoping that Sheba gets stabilized and things go well for her from now on. Purrs, -- Britta ROT13 to reply Check out pictures of Vino at: http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on Vino and "friends" album "CATherine" wrote in message ... I always seem to learn life's lessons the hard way. This time Sheba almost paid the ultimate price for my folly and ignorance. Wednesday night I got home late, after 7. Sheba's supper and insulin was delayed. Since I was off Thursday, I stayed up late and got up late this morning, after 9:30. Sheba's food and insulin was again delayed. I was busy until after 3, when I finally set down to rest. Sheba was on the footstool at my feet. She gave several funny-sounding meows. I reached to pet her and she meowed normally. After a few minutes she meowed oddly again. I spoke to her and petted her. In the process I brushed her ears. They were cold. I pulled the stool out where I could reach her better and felt her all over. She was cold and didn't move. She meowed in a way that said "help me...something is wrong". I picked her up and she dangled instead of cuddling. Then she had a small siezure. I set her on the floor to see if she could walk and she couldn't. Then she howled and lost control of her bladder. I threw a rag on the puddle and screamed at Jeff to get the carrier and call the vet, while I ran to get some clothes on. (I was in my gown and robe) At the vet's, the tech put a heating pad with towel under her and then the vet shaved her throat and drew a vial of blood. When he came back in the room he asked me a question and I then told him about sleeping in, etc. Then he told me how important it is for her to be on a schedule. He talked about "crashing" and "bottoming out". And messing with her potassium and electrolytes. I had always thought low sugar would cause her to faint or something. it was all vague in my mind. I didn't know what to look for in the way of symptoms. If she hadn't meowed in a funny way I would have thought she was napping. But she almost died. her sugar was down to 29! And her temp was 96. The vet gave her oral dextrose and then later an injectin and some food. He talked to a specialist on the phone. The last couple of months I hadn't been in because she seemed to be stable; but the specialist siad her dosage should have been reduced when her diet got stable. For now she is to eat anything she wants for 2 days and no insulin. Sunday she gets only half the dosage she had been taking. In ten days she goes back for a glucose curve. Tonight she ate some of her diebetic food and later I gave her some broiled chicken. She loved it and even licked my fingers so i could save on napkins. She seems to be feeling ok now. But I will be diligent about her schedule from now on. I really don't need to sleep in. I can use a leisurely morning to pet my little girl and love her. CATherine |
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"CATherine" wrote Tonight she ate some of her diebetic food and later I gave her some broiled chicken. She loved it and even licked my fingers so i could save on napkins. She seems to be feeling ok now. But I will be diligent about her schedule from now on. I really don't need to sleep in. I can use a leisurely morning to pet my little girl and love her. Aww, poor Sheba. Those low blood glucoses don't just make you feel weak, but your self-esteem vanishes completely, and you feel like the world is crashing down on you, so it's a scary place to be. Sheba probably meowed because she was scared. So glad to hear she is alright now. Don't beat yourself up, Catherine, now you know and will be able to prepare for such situations, and recognize them. There used to be these little glucose packs for humans, where you could inject some glucose directly into a patient if they lost consciousness. Has your vet ever mentioned anything like that that you could keep around the house for emergencies? Purrs for you both. It does take some time to get used to this illness, but you are doing a great job. -- Marina, Frank and Nikki marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi |
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"Karen" wrote in Catherine, I have a little video file I downloaded of a guy showing how he takes his cat's blood glucose levels. It's very easy. I kept it because the tester was just like the one my friend uses on her little girl, to show to her. It is 784kb. Could I send it to you? The test machine is like 100$ but I don't know how much the test strips are. It might be more affordable than going to the vet a lot and I know it is more accurate than urine testing. Let me know if I can email it to you. I would be interested to see that, Karen. I have one of those little testers for myself, too, and I was just trying to picture in my head how you would go about to test a cat. I mean, I prick a little hole in my fingertip, but where do you draw the blood on a cat? Surely not its toe pads? ;o) Both Frank and Nikki kick up such a fuss at the vet's when having their blood drawn (from the leg), I can't imagine doing that on my own. Could you please send it to the address below? -- Marina, Frank and Nikki marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi |
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