Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Nermie update

Hi everyone! I wanted to do a quick post and explain to everyone how things went at the vet today. 

I talked to two people last night that really helped me. The first was a cat rescue lady in my area. You might remember when we rescued the kittens we found in the woods here; and she was the one who helped us with that. Her name is Margo and she is phenomenal with cat rescue! I also talked to a friend from high school who dealt with a cat with diabetes. She explained how she was able to manage everything and made me feel much better about the situation. They both gave me fantastic tips and tricks to use as well. Also, thank you everyone that commented with their experiences and prayers!! They were soo appreciated!!!

So back to the update…the vet was fantastic… Not that I didn’t always know he was… But they were so amazing today!

I got to my appointment with a huge list of questions… How do I manage this with other cats in the house, do I have to put everyone on only wet food, how many times a day do I do the shots, what if he runs and hides from me every time it’s shot time, how can I afford this while going to school with no income, etc. - I just had so many questions swirling in my head. 

They gave me all the information necessary to make a decision. He explained how simple and doable it is going to be and at this point I believe him. They are going to be available at all times for any questions and issues. They gave him 3 units of insulin before we left the vet and my instructions are to start tomorrow morning and give him 2 units in the morning and 2 units at night (along with his special diabetic food) for the next two weeks. Hopefully this will bring down his level. He was close to 800 when his blood work came back so the vet believes it will be at least two weeks before it can get down to a more manageable level. 

I have an appointment scheduled in two weeks to do a glucose check and make sure his numbers are back near normal or at least heading that way. At that time we’re going to add in something for the infection he has (he has elevated white blood cell counts) but the vet doesn’t even wanna touch that until his glucose numbers come down.

Here is what we went home with…

Special diabetic food from the vet. My vet charged about $2.25 per can and when I checked chewy it was $2.17 so no much savings to get elsewhere. He will get hopefully two cans of his a day and start gaining weight back.


Here are the syringes…I am in nursing school and these are the tiniest needles I have ever seen. When they gave him the shot at the vets he didn’t even flinch. Hopefully that keeps up!


Here is the insulin … super pricy but it lasts a long time refrigerated. It is about $135 and it should be enough for the next three months if his dose of 2 units / 2 times a day remains the same.


And here is my sweet little boy Nermal!!! This is his second major heath scare in his 6 years of life and hopefully he can improve and continue to live a long and happy life!! Love that sweet face!!!!


Thank you again for being so supportive and helpful on my last post! Prayers are still welcome!!!

As with the previous post- any experience with diabetic pets is welcome!! 

So many hugs to all of you!!!

18 comments:

  1. Sounds like a thorough vet, with a "baby step" approach. Just remember, units of insulin are NOT mls of fluid like other meds. Insulin "units" are much smaller quantity of fluid than a ml. (Had an inexperienced nurse almost overdose a human on insulin by grabbing the wrong syringe and not understanding "units.") As much as we all hate having to find a colleague to check our insulin syringe, it saves lives. May all your patients be so cute. Prayers said for both kinds of patients. Linda, RN in Kansas

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my! What a horrible mistake to make by a nurse! That is actually one of the first things we learned...insulin. I double check my syringe each time now even though he is only on 2 units...better safe than sorry. Thanks for all the advise and experience Linda! It is truly appreciated! HUGS

      Delete
  2. I am glad it all went well and you are feeling better about it!! Do keep us posted as the two of you settle into your new routine!! xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I will definitely do that Terri! It is coming along great though!!! HUGS

      Delete
  3. That's good news to hear and you should be quite good at giving injections.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL Andrew! Yes, that is one of the first things we learn in nursing school...but it is soo much harder to "stick" a living thing than a fake rubber arm. HAHA. HUGS

      Delete
  4. (This is the third time I've tried to post. Sorry if it's a duplicate. Safari is battling me!)
    Sorry that you and Nermie are going through this, but glad you Nermie has you as his "mom." Looking into that face, I can see why you are so dedicated to his well being. Sounds like you have a vet you can really trust. I'm a cat mom, too, and appreciate what a difference that can make. Good luck to you and Nermie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes! My vet is absolutely amazing! He is so down to earth and really explains things in a way that makes everything seem so simple. I am so happy Nermal is slowly getting better. Thank you so much for all the kind words!! HUGS

      Delete
  5. I know people who had had diabetic cats, and all has gone well, so I am sending best wishes to you. It sounds like you are getting it under control.Hurrah! Thanks for visiting my blog. Hugs-Erika

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the kind words and all the encouragement - it means way more than you know Erika!! Have a great weekend!
      HUGS

      Delete
  6. So glad that all is well and your sweet Nermie is hopefully on the way back to good health. (((hugs)))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Pamela! He is doing much better and appears to be gaining weight everyday! Thanks for the kind wishes and words! HUGS

      Delete
  7. We gave our Angel Little Bit two allergy shots each month. We do what we have to do to keep our babies as healthy as possible. I know you'll do this just fine and your baby will start feeling better.

    Thank you for joining the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous day. Scritches to Nermie. ♥

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely - I agree 100% that we do what we have to. They give me sooo much love - how could I not? Thank you so very much for the kind words of encouragement!! Nermal is already gaining some weight I think!! YAY!!! HUGS

      Delete
  8. Replies
    1. Aw...thank you so much. I agree but I also know that I am biased! HA - HUGS

      Delete
  9. I hope it all works well for Nermie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Julie!!! I really hope it does...he appears to be gaining a little weight already. HUGS

      Delete

ICU Nurse it is

 Hi everyone!! I am just here checking in quickly. I almost feel bad checking in as it has been an eternity since I posted!!! UGH! Life has ...