Impurrfect

Barb - sending hugs and prayers for you and Tammy.

Amy

tanyapmc

Thinking of you and Tammy.

Rowan

Hugs across the miles to you, Barb. I know what it's like to sleep all day and have no energy to get up. Just hang in there, no matter what.

gypsytears

Even if you don't feel like posting Barb, don't forget to take care of you . We'll be here when you are ready.

scaredykat

Well, she's still here with me. She had her blood work done and NOW we have to WAIT until tomorrow or Sat for the results. I was so pissed tonight. I though we were going to get to see the vet too. The girl that took her blood messed up and had to poke her twice. She said her leg might be swollen a little and limp some tonight. I'm glad I wasn't in the room with them when it was done. We spent another $200 bucks. UGH!!!!

So, we still don't know if she has diabetes or not. Their also gonna check her thyroid too with the blood work. I'm in a doctor hating mood again tonight. I hate them all. People doctors too.

My husband and I decided when they call tomorrow or Saturday that we're not bring her in again until after Christmas. It's almost Christmas and it's really draining us and Tammy. Plus we can't afford another $200 when we're not even done Christmas shopping yet. We will worry about what will happen after Christmas is over. Tammy loves Christmas and knows it's coming. She gets all excited when i start bring stuff out. So she's going to have Christmas with us and her sisters.

Oh, I did go to a meeting right after too tonight. I was 1/2 late but i made it. The topic was Remembering your last drunk. Pretty ironic after just posting my last drunk on here yesterday.

Barb

Dee_Sober4today

:ghug
Just wanna send hugs your way for you guys and Tammy.
Hang in there. :praying

stone

((((Barb))))

barb dwyer

*prayers*

Dee74

me too

D

St_Kurt

If it helps your doctor hating mood any:

Blood draws on animals aren't as simple as they are with people. When you go to the phlebotomist they say "sit still" and you do, they have vacutainers which are designed not to exceed your blood pressure and collapse your veins, and so it is stick-pop-done. Then you hold the cotton ball on the place where the needle was like the phlebotomist asks to keep a hematoma from forming.

Unfortunately with animals it's not so easy. Cats have tiny veins so vacutainer systems are not possible - it would collapse the vein and damage it due to the excessive pressure. For that reason syringes are used and the phlebotomist must take care to apply the exact amount of pressure that will draw blood without collapsing the vein. Cats have fur and most owners don't want it shaved, therefore in order to see the vein you have to wet the fur and look through the hair - not easy unless the cat is white or has very very large veins. There is no way to place a tourniquet on a cat so it requires a second person to hold the animal and act as a sort of "human tourniquet". It is not easy to hold off an animal's vein while it is moving. Afterwards, the tourniquet assistant has to somehow hold onto the squirming angry cat and press a cotton ball down where the blood was just drawn.

I've drawn blood on 1000s of cats of all ages, sizes, and levels of health. It would be nice if I could say "if you sit still it won't hurt and I'll be done in a second."

Actually, I do say that but to date, no cat has ever followed my directions. Usually they are screaming their head off and trying to kill me while I do my utmost not to hurt them or cause any more trauma than a blood draw. I still miss on occasion. Cats move or if they are ill, their veins are thin and weak, sometimes it means sticking the cat twice. I've done it. I've seen vets with 20+ years experience do it. And there is a reason why we don't do procedures with the client in the room. Most pet owners say that their pets are like children. Well, the pets know that and with the owner in the room they are terrible. The best way for us to get bit is to keep the client in the room while working with their pet. (Let's just say that even I leave the room while another vet works with my animals.)

Oh, and having a hematoma (fancy medical name for "bruise") and a sore arm is the result of any blood draw - human or cat (man, mouse, or moose as a professor of mine says).

So, hopefully you will forgive those vet techs for taking care of your cat. Next time any of you are at the vet and you want to help them out and make the experience less traumatic for your kitty, here's some tips: allow them to shave the spot (just mention that you don't mind if they do) and leave the room without fuss (your pet will key off your odd behavior if you make a big excessive goodbye - just walk out like you don't care).

As for diabetes/hyperthyroid in cats. Both of these conditions are common and rewarding to treat. Yes they require daily attention (pills or insulin) but they become routine and they can extend a cat's life decades (depending on the age of the cat). If my cat had either I'd be ... well, not pleased, but ... not worried either. Neither is very costly to treat and both become easy routines for the cat.

If you vet is taking awhile to diagnose these then they are doing it correctly. Neither condition is obvious and they require a combination of observation and clinical testing to confirm. Jumping into either diagnosis too quickly will delay proper treatment.

I'd be hoping for diabetes honestly (if I had to choose). Cats do really well on insulin and giving a cat an insulin injection each morning is very well tolerated. Most of them come not to care because it also means they get their food. I've pet sit diabetic cats that come running when you rattle the sharps container! LOL.

By the way, the cost to your vet for a feline blood panel, a T4 , and a CBC is about $100 dollars in lab fees. Then there's paying the 2 technicians (about $10-$15 /hour each). If they're doing a Fructosamine which would really kick ass for diagnosing diabetes, then that's another $30. Not to mention the costs of the facility itself... Nobody ever went into vet med to get rich.

I hope your kitty is doing well tonight and that her diagnosis is something easy to treat. She may be with you many more Christmases to come.

Cheers
~SK

Impurrfect

(((((Barb and Tammy))))))

Sorry Tammy had to get poked twice, but I also know that it's pretty darn hard to get my cats to cooperate with anything they don't want to! Hopefully seeing the Christmas stuff out will make her forget about her sore leg.

I'm hoping whatever is ailing her is easily (and cheaply) treated but I'm glad you've decided to have a good Christmas with her and her sisters.

Hugs and prayers!

Amy

scaredykat

Hi everyone, Tammy is doing well today. She had to watch me today wrap up grandpa and grandma's presents. LOL

St. Kirk- Thank You for the useful information. I'm feeling better today and don't have a resentment against the tech. We still don't have the results yet. So probably tomorrow they let us know.

Barb