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One bad thing did happen while I was in Edinburgh and that is that Sybyl (my cat) was diagnosed with diabetes.
She’s always drunk a lot of water, more water than any of my other cats, and that is one of the key diagnostic clues to diabetes. As a one-time nurse, I know this and so am a bit peeved with myself: I wrote it off because she has a blocked tear duct, and somehow in my mind, she was taking in extra fluid to irrigate the blocked tear duct.
In retrospect, it’s easy to see I was in denial—and this is why even if you have a lot of medical knowledge, it is never wise to diagnose yourself or anyone who’s close to you.
She certainly doesn’t seem ill. She’s sassy. She’s perky. She’s active. She’s not obese. No acetone breath.
But I saw her bloodwork: Yep, definitely elevated glucose levels.
###
I’m going to go ahead and treat her.
I’ve always said that if it turned out one of my animals had a big medical issue, I would euthanize them rather than pay for expensive medical treatment. Readers attuned to every detail of the exciting life I narrate in these pages—expressly for your pleasure because really I’m just a sophisticated bot, collecting data from your eyeballs as you scan these entries!—may recall a few months back, this same vet recommended I invest in expensive dentistry for Sybyl.
And I ignored that recommendation.
No Invisalign for Sybyl, sorry!
But diabetes seems categorically different.
Mainly, because it’s an easily managed condition. There is an initial expense—for the consultation, for the monitoring device (which she will need to wear while we’re figuring out her insulin dose), for the insulin itself.
But once her optimal dose is calculated, it shouldn’t cost more than $50 a month. And yes, of course, that’s $50 a month I won’t be spending on streaming video subscriptions, or ice cream, or dope, or (fuck these people ‘cause their product is supposed to alert you to conditions like diabetes—and it didn’t) PrettyLitter. But hey! I can manage it without having to sit at a crossroads with a little sign: Will Work to Make Money for My Cat’s Medical Treatment.
Insulin is a sub-q injection with a tiny gauge needle.
Chances are Sybyl won’t even feel it.
###
What else?
Gardens look awful:
I easily have five hours of weeding ahead of me, and my tomatoes are a complete loss this year (sigh), but my basil and Swiss chard are rebounding, and my peppers are actually prolific.
So.
Not a complete loss.
She’s always drunk a lot of water, more water than any of my other cats, and that is one of the key diagnostic clues to diabetes. As a one-time nurse, I know this and so am a bit peeved with myself: I wrote it off because she has a blocked tear duct, and somehow in my mind, she was taking in extra fluid to irrigate the blocked tear duct.
In retrospect, it’s easy to see I was in denial—and this is why even if you have a lot of medical knowledge, it is never wise to diagnose yourself or anyone who’s close to you.
She certainly doesn’t seem ill. She’s sassy. She’s perky. She’s active. She’s not obese. No acetone breath.
But I saw her bloodwork: Yep, definitely elevated glucose levels.
###
I’m going to go ahead and treat her.
I’ve always said that if it turned out one of my animals had a big medical issue, I would euthanize them rather than pay for expensive medical treatment. Readers attuned to every detail of the exciting life I narrate in these pages—expressly for your pleasure because really I’m just a sophisticated bot, collecting data from your eyeballs as you scan these entries!—may recall a few months back, this same vet recommended I invest in expensive dentistry for Sybyl.
And I ignored that recommendation.
No Invisalign for Sybyl, sorry!
But diabetes seems categorically different.
Mainly, because it’s an easily managed condition. There is an initial expense—for the consultation, for the monitoring device (which she will need to wear while we’re figuring out her insulin dose), for the insulin itself.
But once her optimal dose is calculated, it shouldn’t cost more than $50 a month. And yes, of course, that’s $50 a month I won’t be spending on streaming video subscriptions, or ice cream, or dope, or (fuck these people ‘cause their product is supposed to alert you to conditions like diabetes—and it didn’t) PrettyLitter. But hey! I can manage it without having to sit at a crossroads with a little sign: Will Work to Make Money for My Cat’s Medical Treatment.
Insulin is a sub-q injection with a tiny gauge needle.
Chances are Sybyl won’t even feel it.
###
What else?
Gardens look awful:
I easily have five hours of weeding ahead of me, and my tomatoes are a complete loss this year (sigh), but my basil and Swiss chard are rebounding, and my peppers are actually prolific.
So.
Not a complete loss.
