A Lazy Sunday!? I Think Not

So, this morning I woke up and remembered that Archie, my diabetic cat, is almost out of his insulin. I thought, "this would be a good day to do a glucose curve since I won't have time during the week." The last time I had called to get more insulin, they needed to see him and wanted to curve him, etc. It costs an arm and a leg to take him in and have this done. We have three other animals (another cat, Sophie and dogs, Brandie & Autumn), so we seem to visit the vet quite often. It is a good clinic although probably one of the highest priced. We (well, Brandie & Autum) also go to their Doggie Daycare once in awhile. Needless to say, they get lots of money from us! Sidebar: If you've ever watched Animal Planet, you may have seen Dr. Fitz on Emergency Vets. He practices at Alameda East. One of our dogs, Autumn, has actually been seen by Dr. Fitz a few times. Anyway, my thought was that maybe his doctor wouldn't give me the hassle of having to see him if I did a curve on him at home. So, I got the glucometer and lancets out and then opened the test strips to find that there was only one left...Aargh! It is going to take at least six to do a curve, and that's only if I do it right the first time for every blood draw (I knew that wouldn't happen).

I called JD at work (he works the graveyard shift) and asked if he could stop at the 24-hour Walgreen's and pick up more test strips. I thought for sure that I specifically stated "24-hour" since it's Sunday and most pharmacies don't open until 10 am. After hanging up with him, knowing that he was going to stop, I did the first blood draw (successful the first time I might add). Archie was very cooperative and his glucose reading wasn't too bad...a little high...but I know we have all day to play with. And, at the time of the first draw, he had only just received his first dose of insulin (he takes it twice a day). JD got home about 15 minutes later and said, "Walgreen's pharmacy doesn't open until 10 am." Okay...I admit it...I let my frustrations take hold because I know I specifically pointed out, "24-hour!" I was just silent as he went on to talk about something else, and then he could tell I was upset. I know he was tired, but damn, I specifically pointed it out. So, as he was brushing his teeth, he made a point to tell me that I wasn't being "grateful". I felt bad for that because he was right, I wasn't being grateful. Instead, I was secretly breathing hard. He's always the one to tell me to pay attention. Sigh!

So, it was 8:30 and that point and I needed to do the next curve at 9:30. I started looking online for the closest 24-hour Walgreen's since we live in the boonies. Some nerve... our Walgreen's that we FINALLY got last year didn't have the decency to designate itself as "24 hours"! The first one I called said that they had the test strips but only in the 100-pack which is $93. Aargh, he's a cat, I love him with all of my heart but there is no way I need that many. Around 8:45 I apologized to James and told him that I was grateful but frustrated. Before leaving, I said "goodnight" to him. And, I was off, to drive across Denver to try and find the strips. Instead of going to the Walgreen's I called, I drove to one a little bit further away (without calling first...doh!). The pharmacy was open, however, they did not carry what I needed. So, I drove across to the one I originally called. The guy I had talked to said, "oh...you need Ascensia Microfill...you asked for Ascencia Contour on the phone...we do have the 50-strip Microfill." Sigh...good news...but damn it, I did say "microfill" to him! What is it with men and listening!?!?

I made my purchase and got out of there. I had a few minutes to spare so I stopped at Starbucks for an iced caramel macchiato and then came home to do the next blood draw. Archie is such a good cat and tolerates it quite well. In fact, I think it's harder on me when I have to stick him more than once because I can't get his darn ear to bleed for me. And, as I had mentioned earlier, I ended up wasting a test strip because there wasn't enough blood for a good reading. After two pokes and two test strips later (and dropping the container of test strips on the floor), we finally had the second blood draw! Whew! And, it was only 9:30! So much for a lazy Sunday. The next blood draw is set for 11:30 but for now, I must go attend to the two puppies...