Isabella has an appointment on Tuesday with a new vet. I have high hopes that this one will be a little more clued in about managing feline diabetes than her current vet.
No that the usual guy is bad – not at all. It’s just that I’m the only client he’s ever had who uses hometesting to monitor blood sugar. He can’t look at the numbers I give him and make sense of them because he just doesn’t have the experience. He needs to see my numbers, and urine test dip sticks, and blood tests for fructosamine levels and see how they all relate in order to learn. But I can’t afford to be his learning curve – those fructo tests cost 70 bucks a pop. Seventy of my bucks.
So I asked around for vet recommendations. The first place I called is not accepting new clients. The second, though, sounds pretty good. The front office gal told me that they have “dozens” of diabetic clients (it’s a cats-only practice) and that they teach owners to hometest. One of the three vets in the office sees all the diabetics. Then I talked to the vet and she basically passed my interview. So Tuesday the Isabella and I will visit to see how I like her in person. I’ll bring some blood glucose numbers and talk about curves and dosages.
I really hope I like her, and the clinic. Isabella is eight months into her diabetes experience and she’s not regulated at all. I really need some help understanding if regulation is a possibility and what I need to do to get there. I need someone to talk to who doesn’t think I’m a micro-managing head case. I need a veterinary partner.
And yet I feel very guilty about ditching the old vet. I dread the thought of calling and asking for copies of Isabella’s records. It seems like passing judgment (“Thanks, but you’re just not good enough for me.”) I’ll do it though. Because my cranky little diabetic deserves a doctor who knows what’s what.
No that the usual guy is bad – not at all. It’s just that I’m the only client he’s ever had who uses hometesting to monitor blood sugar. He can’t look at the numbers I give him and make sense of them because he just doesn’t have the experience. He needs to see my numbers, and urine test dip sticks, and blood tests for fructosamine levels and see how they all relate in order to learn. But I can’t afford to be his learning curve – those fructo tests cost 70 bucks a pop. Seventy of my bucks.
So I asked around for vet recommendations. The first place I called is not accepting new clients. The second, though, sounds pretty good. The front office gal told me that they have “dozens” of diabetic clients (it’s a cats-only practice) and that they teach owners to hometest. One of the three vets in the office sees all the diabetics. Then I talked to the vet and she basically passed my interview. So Tuesday the Isabella and I will visit to see how I like her in person. I’ll bring some blood glucose numbers and talk about curves and dosages.
I really hope I like her, and the clinic. Isabella is eight months into her diabetes experience and she’s not regulated at all. I really need some help understanding if regulation is a possibility and what I need to do to get there. I need someone to talk to who doesn’t think I’m a micro-managing head case. I need a veterinary partner.
And yet I feel very guilty about ditching the old vet. I dread the thought of calling and asking for copies of Isabella’s records. It seems like passing judgment (“Thanks, but you’re just not good enough for me.”) I’ll do it though. Because my cranky little diabetic deserves a doctor who knows what’s what.
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