Thursday, July 18, 2019

Nahum - update 2

I picked Nahum up from the emergency vet on Wednesday morning and brought him to our regular vet for him to spend the day there. They did some more diagnostics, including x-rays and discovered some areas of concern. We talked about getting an ultrasound and thankfully, the traveling ultrasound vet happened to have an open slot for Thursday morning.

I came home for lunch on Wednesday to this scene:

Poor Theo has been so anxious with Nahum gone and unwell. He counter surfed, made a big mess and tried to get into the double wrapped gluten free bread. Theo, like the humans in the family, are stress eaters. He loves bread and uses food for comfort - he fits right in here. His obsessive eating behaviors have actually tamed down over the years, but when he gets stressed, they resurface.


When I brought Nahum home Wednesday evening, Theo was so happy to see him! He was right there to greet him and welcome him home.


I kept a very close eye on Nahum all night. I woke many times in the night and got up to look him over to make sure he was ok. It's gonna take some time before I can leave him unattended and not be an anxious mess. The image of his comatose body laying on the floor is burned in my brain and I've been having flashbacks about that moment. When I described find him to the vet tech I broke down sobbing. I was grateful the tech was understanding and kind.

He spent Thursday at the vet again. They monitored his blood glucose and gave him insulin. He didn't drop dangerously low, but when we picked him up 8 hours later his blood glucose level was still dropping. They taught us how to use the meter, so we will be monitoring his blood glucose level at home now.

The preliminary ultrasound report indicates both adrenal glands are enlarged, nodule on the spleen, and signs of intentional disease. The working theory for the diabetic symptoms is Cushing's Disease due to a pituitary gland tumor. We will get back some other test results tomorrow that may narrow down the diagnosis. Meanwhile, the vet has referred us to an Internal Medicine Specialist and an MRI at Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine.


Of course when I hear all of this information, I immediately think of Willow. She had a very fast acting brain and nasal tumor that caused all sorts of weird symptoms and ultimately it was faster at causing problems than we could orchestrate treatment. Nahum's symptoms are different, but he's still potentially got a tumor growing around his brain, and it feels like the symptoms came on quickly. I'm trying to not jump to conclusions, but it's really hard.

Tonight we took our first glucose reading and gave him a more conservative insulin dose, per the vet's instructions. I think I'll be getting up in the middle of the night to test his blood just to be sure. He'll be returning to the vet tomorrow so they can keep an eye on him and monitor his blood sugar. Somehow, I'm going to have to figure out how to trust leaving him home alone again. After him nearly dying on Wednesday after being left alone all day, I'm not sure how I'm going to mange that.

Thank you everyone for your purrs and prayers, and for the information - it's been really helpful! I've been taking in a lot of info from www.felinediabetes.com, it's all a bit overwhelming. And special thank you to Connie from www.kittyblog.net for the emotional support through these hard few days. She had perfect timing to text me, "how are things?" right when we arrived at the hospital and the emergency vet grabbed the unresponsive Nahum.

Continued prayers and purrs appreciated.

12 comments:

  1. Oh, I'm so sorry for you all, but now I'm specially sorry for Theo. I did not know that they can be stressed so easily and I'm impressed. Fingers crossed to pass this nasty situation with no permanent damages to any of you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would give anything if I could just reach over and "fix" this awful situation for Nahum and for you all. Theo included. It wrings the heart to know things are at such a pass. I DO have hope however that this will be better for all of you. That the right med at the right time will be found. And Tufts? I could not be happier for you and Nahum. I haven't been there but I very well know of them . I will be anxious to see the next update.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Continued purrs and purrayers from us, to all of you. I'm glad you have good support around you!

    We'll hope for a better update the next time. (((Hugs)))

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dang, purrs and prayers from all of us too.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My heart goes out to you. Know that I am keeping you, your wife, Nahum, Theo and the rest of the crew in my prayers and send many purrs, too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sending purrayers and POTP to Nahum and Theo and the rest of the family !

    ReplyDelete
  7. continmewed blessings two ewe dood; N strength to dad and mom az well; saying we're sorry doesn't help with the situation, but we R ~~ ♥♥♥♥

    ReplyDelete
  8. What are his numbers, and what is his prescribed dosage? You mentioned a conservative dose as per orders. Does the doctor recommend chaning his dose depending on his numbers?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are still trying to land on a dosage, yes vet has been changing dose based on his numbers. The last 24hrs:
      7/19:
      6:53pm 490, gave him 0.5 units insulin
      7/20:
      6:15am 109
      9am 66
      12:09pm 173
      6pm 338, gave him 0.25 units

      He's getting Lantus

      Delete
  9. I am an old hat at testing cats. I can even test kittens.. so if you need any help in that area.. Just reach out..

    I hope you only get good news from here on out..

    ReplyDelete
  10. I don't know exactly where you live, but I highly recommend
    New England Vet and Cancer Care Center in South Windsor, CT. For me, it is the same distance as Tufts, just a different direction.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for sending in your comments!