I went to my 6:00 a.m. spin class Friday and suffered through it. Do you ever have workouts when it's just more difficult than you know it should be? This was one of those. I came home and ate breakfast and felt like I was ready to go back to bed. Instead, I took Boomer for a two-mile walk in the rain. After that, I ended up falling asleep on the couch by 10:00 and taking a two hour nap. I could not wake up all day. I had to work at 5:30 and once I started getting ready for that I seemed okay.
Saturday morning was supposed to be a 50-mile bike ride with my Cinderella Challenge training group but I received an email at 9:30 p.m. Friday night saying it was canceled due to rain. I woke up Saturday morning with a sore throat and headache. I wasn't surprised by this considering Sara was sick two weeks ago, Keith was sick last week, and it's been going around at work. At this moment, I was happy the bike ride was canceled.
Then something else happened and I was quite happy I wasn't out riding. My 10 year old black/white cat, Xena (Warrior Princess) was showing some very strange symptoms that she wasn't doing very well. We noticed a few months ago, she started walking flat footed on her front legs. Then very rapidly, she was doing it on all four legs. She has always been an indoor cat so we just figured she was not aging as well as my almost 20 year old black cat.
Well, Saturday morning she pooped in one of the bathrooms, which she has never done. After that she kept going into corners, squatting and leaving little pools of light red colored urine. Then she was hiding under the bed. It scared me enough to call the vet and take her in immediately.
When we adopted her from the local shelter, she was a tiny baby and very, very sick. I stayed up the entire first night we had her, praying she would live through the night. The next day she had to be hospitalized for three nights because she had pneumonia. Shortly (like a week) after that, she fell off the kitchen counter and fractured her back leg! She had to have screws put in and she was in a cast for six weeks. So, as I held her Saturday morning I was very scared that this was the end for her and I was sad having to take her to the vet.
After talking to the doctor, he indicated she had symptoms of diabetes. Suddenly a lot of other symptoms came to mind for Keith and I. She had been drinking a lot more water and we had been going through litter like it was going out of style! We were constantly needing more litter. We left her at the vet so they could draw blood and urine. I left feeling *much* better then when I got there. I even took a photo (not shown here) of her, in case we were going to have to put her to sleep.
As soon as we got home I jumped on the Internet and read everything I could about Feline Diabetes. It is more common than one would think. After a long four hours, we heard from the vet. Xena's blood sugar levels were 541. It should be between 70-170. Bottom line? She has to receive insulin injections twice a day and her diet needs to be changed from dry food to a prescription wet food (or canned protein-rich food). He showed me how to give the injection yesterday and this morning I did it all by myself. It isn't that bad, considering. The hardest part was taking her bowl of dry food away from her. She's used to being free fed. She pretty much tried to trip me every time I walked into the kitchen today. In time she will adjust to it. I am feeling very positive about Xena's treatment plan and happy her disease is treatable so we won't lose her at an early age.
I had a 20k trail run scheduled for today and sadly was too sick to participate. Pretty much sucks! No bike ride, no trail run. What a waste of two days off, huh? I've stayed in my pajamas ALL DAY, hoping the rest will do me good and I can get out and do something tomorrow.
"MED2011" Accountability:
02/14 - 2 mile walk, Body Pump, 25 minutes on Stair Master
02/15 - 1.65 mile walk, Spin
02/16 - 1 mile walk, Body Pump, 20 minutes on Stair Master
02/17 - Turbo Kick Box
02/18 - Spin, 2 mile walk
02/19 - 1.65 mile walk
02/20 - sick :(
Stay well, my friends!
Until later.............
13 comments:
poor kitten :(
She looks happy in her box though!
Urgh, I'm sorry to hear about poor Xena.
Hope you feel better. I had to cut my run short today because of a bad sinus infection. So frustrating.
Feel better soon.
Your kitty looks a bit like our Sierra. I have a big problem with pet food industry. Cats by nature are carnivorous and all the carbs that are put in cat food can't possibly be food for them.
Hope your cat is doing better.
Wish you a much happier week.
Aww your poor kitty! That makes me so sad! Holy moly a blood sugar of 500? Wow..poor baby! I'm so glad you guys caught it in time! Hope she's back to her old self soon! :0)
Hope you are feeling better as well!
Poor Xena! Does she handle getting the shots ok? I would think that would be hard. I can barely get medicine into my pets orally when they need it.
Take care of yourself and I hope you're back up and at it VERY soon!!
Sorry about Xena. I'm sure you are releived that it is treatable. I know several people with diabetic cats that have been giving insulin shots for years; to me that is good news. I bet she's already feeling better now that you have her sugar under control. :-)
Sorry to hear about Xena. My brother had a cat that developed diabetes and he had to do the injections too. Hope it's not too traumatic for either of you!
And get better woman! Being sick stinks. :(
ugg I am sorry! it sucks being sick and then poor Xena on top of it all :( I hope you are all feeling better soon.
I love that her name is Xena as I once was a fan of the show, sucks that she has diabetes but it's great that it's something that can be managed. I grew up with three dogs and five cats. Just focus on getting healthy, that stuff has been going around. I got sick twice this winter already and it's been awhile since the last one (first week of January) that I can get sick again. I thought I would see you at Chabot now I know why we didn't, you were referring to Chabot right. It was beautiful but a muddy mess.
You're allowed a day (or three) off. Hope you're feeling better!
I hope your nest post will be that you are fit as a fiddle!
Sorry you're sick and sorry about poor Xena! :( but that is the name of my cat at my parents house :)
I know feline diabetes is no fun, but I know it can be manageable and Xena is lucky to have you as a mom to take care of her!
Little animals are just so very special...so glad she has such a great Mom. She is gorgeous too!
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