More Health Woes

Is is something in the air?

Despite having been, so far, the healthier by far of the two baby kitties, Severus is very poorly today, complete with blood stained diarrhea, refusal to eat, shaking/shivering and excessive sleepiness :-( Rang the vet and explained that he had exactly the same symptoms that Voldemort had last week, so could I come and collect some more of the same rehydration water and probiotic tummy stuff. Told no, they wouldn't allow that unless they'd actually seen the kitten. Because clearly I'm an irresponsible owner who can't be trusted to recognise the same symptoms from one kitten to another. Sigh. So off we trotted to the vets, although Jon did the honours this time as I'm frankly rather tired of being there. Guess what? He and Emily sat in the waiting room for over an hour for the sake of a five minute audience with the vet who did the briefest of examinations and sent them home....with the same medicine that I'd asked for on the phone and been denied.

Meanwhile, first thing this morning I took Grandad for his doctor's appointment. Doctor tried to advise him re his diabetes and gradual increasing of his insulin *yet again*. Grandad lied through his teeth about his food intake, yet again. Grandad wants his insulin type changed. Doctor disagrees, but in any case says that he would need to talk to the diabetic clinic at the hospital about that (which is what I'd already told Grandad the doctor would say).

So, we get home and Grandad vows to ignore the doctor's instructions regarding his insulin and wants me to ring the diabetic clinic, which naturally I immediately drop everything to do. Rolls eyes. Diabetic clinic eventually ring back and tell him pretty much what the doctor told him, and that no, they won't change his type of insulin yet as he has a long way to go increasing the dosage of this one before they'd consider that. So needless to say, he's not happy. He was told at the last clinic to increase his insulin dosage morning and night by two units for three consequetive days, to monitor the results, and based on those results to make intelligent decisions regarding increasing one or both of them by another two for 3 days, monitor, repeat, monitor, repeat, until his blood sugar readings stabilised. Well, he only did that for a week, then got fed up with it. He's now been told again that this is what he needs to do. If he'd damn well followed the instructions the first time, it would probably all have been sorted by now, but no. He wants his type of insulin changed and believe me, he won't rest (or rather I won't rest running about after his wishes) until that happens.

Grandad's "tea" this evening was four rashers of bacon, two fried eggs, a whole tin of tomatoes and four slices of bread, plus a pudding - and he'll probably be back later for a snack. Yet he told both the doctor and the diabetic nurse, yet again, that he barely eats anything at all and couldn't possibly cut down any further. Sometimes I just feel like screaming. I'm sick of being expected to take responsibility for his health and wellbeing whilst at the same time not being given the "authority" to do so, since nobody actually bloody well listens to me apart from Jon, who feels equally trapped and frustrated.

And our health? Oh, well. Jon's most recent diabetic blood test and doctor's appointment are now months overdue, yet again. Emily's dentist appointment should have been made months ago too and her optician appointment is being shunted from month to month as other people take precedence. One of these days I'll get the hang of making *us* my first priority.