Good Morning -Remember how I mentioned in Sunday's post that I had taken Boris to the vet on Saturday because of his insatiable appetite and thought that probably he had hyperthyroidism? Yeah, well the vet called late yesterday afternoon while I was at work to tell me that the results came back and what he has is diabetes.
What? Can cats get diabetes? I mean, apparently, they can, because he has it, but how?
What I know of diabetes would serve no-one well. I know that my engineer great-uncle who had it figured out how many carbs were in a scotch on the rocks so he could eliminate that amount of bread from his diet and still be able to have his beverage of choice.
I know that the grandmother of a child I used to work with had a diabetic seizure once during a meeting at our office because she had elected not to fill her insulin prescription, stating that she was too busy with the family drama to take care of herself.
I know that people who have it end up only having those nasty sugar-free candies as a choice for sweets - which is better than no sweet, I suppose. I know it can lead to dialysis and kidney failure. I know it's worse for kids to get than adults. I know a lot of kids are getting it now because of poor diet and exercise and obesity. I know that, genetics aside (if there is a genetic predictor for diabetes...? I don't know...), a sweet, fatty diet and low exercise induced obesity are the primary way to develop diabetes.
I know there's no cure, but that it can go away or decrease with good diet, exercise and medicine. I know that there is a lot of finger pricking, syringes, and blood glucose level awareness, supposedly made easier by various items advertised on daytime TV.
That's what I know of human diabetes - just enough to cause some serious damage.
Here's what I know of feline diabetes - nothing. Not a damn thing.
On the phone with the vet I learned that a high blood level is 150 and Boris' was 604. I learned that he had glucose in his blood and urine (the body's way of trying to dump it when there's too much).
I learned that I'll have to give him insulin shots twice a day. Like most experiences at the vet, I learned that there's a human insulin that is twice as expensive as the animal insulin but some studies showed that when it was paired with a specific expensive diabetic cat food, some cats reverted back to pre-diabetic and didn't need shots anymore.
I learned that, once managed, this shouldn't impact Boris' dance to the finish line of life any more than anything else that goes on with a 13-yr old cat.
I learned that I can't wait until I get back from PA to start his insulin and so needed to find either a boarding place that will administer injections or swap my friend who I pay $10/day to stop in and check on the cats for a $50/day service that will give Boris his meds in addition to stopping in and checking on the cats.
I was (still am a bit) in shock, so when the vet suggested we find a time to come in so I can learn how to give Boris these shots, I scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. I wanted to avoid it as long as possible because practicing injections at the vet makes it real and I wasn't ready for that yet.
My brain was still reeling with the information and trying to figure out what I'd do with him while I was gone, how expensive that boarding or care would be, if there was something I could have done to prevent this, how he'll respond to the shots, what it'll be like to have to give shots twice a day to my cat, if I can find the Petsmart receipt for the $20 for the month's worth of soft food pouches I just bought because I'm sure they're not on the diet now, how he must feel, etc., etc.
I called the $50/day pet service and talked with the woman, but wasn't convinced this was something I could or should do. While we were talking, I was Internet searching for something else and found a boarding place that sounded good. The pet service woman needed to check availability and so said she'd call me back.
Once off the phone with her, I called the boarding place and they said that they'd board and inject Boris for $13/day. Normally that price differential would have me wondering about the cleanliness of the place or kindness of the staff, but the reviews spoke glowingly so I booked with them. Here is my strong and clear intention that they live up to their glowing reviews because I can't afford the pet service and can't leave him unmedicated for a week.
Once I had a set plan for him while I was away, my head cleared a little and I realized that I probably shouldn't wait until Wednesday afternoon to start him on his insulin. I called the vet back and rescheduled for today at 4. She needed to know if I was going to go with the in-house, cheaper animal insulin or if she needed to call into a pharmacy the expensive human insulin.
I asked if I could switch up once started. She said it wasn't advised. I asked if the cheaper insulin would be detrimental to him. She said it wouldn't. I asked if a cat with such elevated levels like his would be likely to reverse his diabetes, even with the fancy insulin. She said it was possible, but unlikely.
I hate that these decisions are based on finances and raise a big thank you up that I have never yet had to make big health decisions for myself or a person I love because the money would still be an issue with a human (it's not that I have it but don't want to spend it on my cat, it's that I don't have much of it and need to chose wisely how it's spent).
I chose the cheaper insulin, accepting that I was ruling out the sliver of a possibility that he could revert to pre-diabetic with the twice as expensive human insulin. He's 13-years old, and while I'd love for him to live well until he was 80, I know that he's started his final act and the fancy insulin isn't going to have a big impact on that.
One thing I don't know but was afraid to ask was what death by diabetes looks like. I know this cancels out the agreement I had made with Boris that he would, when it was time, go quietly in his sleep in a place where I could find him (rather than sneaking off to die alone as some cats do). What I don't know is what his end will look like now.
When I was younger and afraid of tornadoes, I ordered a book on them from Scholastic so I could learn and not be afraid anymore. Knowing what is going on and what is likely to happen goes a long, long way for me in decreasing fear. I know I need to ask these questions of the vet and know I'll probably start crying, but it's better for me to know than to wonder.
So - that's our Virgen - a picture of Boris overlayed with images of syringes (it's such, such a good thing that I'm not needle-phobic) and the Virgen. My partner is much more delicate when it comes to the body and medical procedures, so I've already assured her that I will be his dealer and she will only have to fill in if I'm ever out of town.
I'm not sure what the "here's to" is today. Here's to knowledge. Here's to compassionate care. Here's to Boris.
Speaking of, here is Boris. The photo used on the Virgen is a bit blurry and you can't see his beautiful eyes because he had them closed in petting bliss, so I snapped this one of him this morning. Each day when I step on the back porch to shoot the image of the Virgen on the back table, he comes and waits at the door for me to finish. He doesn't much go outside anymore, but he still likes to be my shadow.
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