I heard from Dr. B. today regarding Missy's fructosamine test result. He said it was higher than he would like but that it is better than it was. He advised staying at our present insulin dose and we're to have another test in December. Missy's geriatric system may not be able to achieve the same high level of control as a younger cat's. We also need to be careful not to send her into a diabetic seizure by using too much insulin! So there's no change for Missy right now.
insulin
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To the vet with Missy this afternoon. It was time to see how well her blood sugar level was being controlled. It turns out she's doing very well indeed. Her weight is 9.1 lbs., up a bit from last visit when it was up to 8.9 lbs., and a good, healthy weight for a cat her size. Her blood glucose was 68.7 — tested twice because Dr. B. couldn't believe it. That puts her blood glucose at a "low-normal" level, way down from the last visit when it was 387. The fructosamine test will be back tomorrow (Wednesday) and will be a better indicator of just how well she is doing — glucose can rise and fall rapidly depending upon a number of factors. She was cringing, yowling, and growling during the exam and blood taking and was, as usual, ever so happy to get back into her carrier. In the waiting room after the exam she got feline treats which she ate enthusiastically — a trick she repeated at the food bowl when she got home. Good ol' cat.
UPDATE: The fructosamine result was 483 (normal is 172-370) which indicates, on average, that Missy's blood sugar level is running high. Her insulin regimen will likely need some tweaking and, I'm guessing, it will involve twice-a-day injections to smooth out the ebb and flow of blood glucose. We're to speak with Dr. B. next week.
It was a very quiet weekend, almost a waste. I hadn't recovered fully from whatever gripped my insides last week. I spent most of the day Saturday and Sunday firmly planted in my reclining chair, not eating, not drinking, rarely moving. Just totally whipped. Too bad, too. Fantastic weather both days … would have been wonderful to be out. Oh well, I just needed to recover. I had planned a vacation day for today, which was fortunate, because while I started out tired, my energy has been returning. Now, at about 5:00 PM, except for persistent heartburn (felt for the duration of this illness) I'm feeling much more myself. I managed to make a run to the Salvation Army and a recycling place to rid us of unwanted goods and trash. I also managed some overdue updates to a couple of my Web sites. I need to get back to that old chair, though, as I'm feeling like there's a risk of overrunning my recovery. No relapses, please!
Managed to stick a needle clean through Missy this morning! It sounds way worse than it was, but it was uncomfortable both for the cat and me. The insulin needle is only 5/16th of an inch in length. I stuck it in at the wrong angle and penetrated into her skin on one side of a pinched fold and out the other side, squirting the insulin dose out and on to her fur! I really felt badly for her –it obviously gave her a little hurt– but did manage to give her a full dose successfully, and nearly without pain, a few minutes later. I thought I'd gotten to the point where that particular mistake (not that uncommon) wouldn't happen to Missy and me, but there you are!
PhotonStopper 