1/25 Sid diagnosis

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Lydia & Sid & Jake(GA)

Lydia & Sid & Jake(GA)

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Hi everyone.

I hope you all are having a good evening so far!

I received the results today. Sid has IBD and small cell lymphoma. The specialist doubts pancreatitis is an issue or not that significant of one. Sid started chlorabucil today and will get 1pill/week for 10 weeks. He also received a cerenia injection today to deal with nausea/vomiting. He may need another as that one will only last 24 hours.

He is doing a good job of eating on his own and I have not had to use the feeding tube for food, only meds.

As I wrote yesterday, he was Hi all evening and in the morning and I doubted I was really giving him the shot or the PZI stopped working. The specialist believes the lymphoma is preventing the proper utilization of the insulin so that makes things more challenging. But just to test things, I got the conversion from the vet and gave Sid the PZI with a U100 syringe (usually it is U40) and will see if that makes a difference tonight. I've never liked the U40 syringes because the needle part is too long for my taste anyway. If he stays HI then the vet is going to inject the PZI in the morning and if he still stays HI, then we are going back to lantus or levemir.

So I'm happy that we have the diagnosis and have started a targeted treatment. If he doesn't respond that well to the chlorambucil alone, we are going to add prednisolone but we are waiting a week or two to see how things progress.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=61974
 
I'm glad you got the diagnosis and I wish you luck with the new meds. I hope he keeps feeling better and better. :YMHUG:
 
HOORAY for a diagnosis and a treatment plan!

Rock on, Little Sid...lots of folks cheering you and Lydia on from the sidelines!

yay.jpg
 
As Sienne has written here so many times, "knowledge is power". No matter what the diagnosis, you can feel more confident you have the right plan for going forward. We are sending heaps of healing snowflakes to you and Sid. :YMHUG:
 
I'm sorry but glad you got a diagnosis also. I know you will have more quality time with Sid. You really should look up antinausea protocol/advice for the chemo treatment on the lymphoma group. Sending really big hugs for you and Sid.
 
Hi Lydia & Sid,

It's good that you now know what the issues are and how to go about dealing with them. Lydia, it sounds like you really have a handle on things and we are with you every step of the way. Sid is a lucky boy to have you. It's great that he is eating and that you only have to use the tube for the meds. That must certainly make everything much easier. I hope you can get the insulin dose straightened out (and also determine which insulin will work best for Sid).

Feel better and better, Sid. Rusty is gathering some beautiful healing vines to send to you tonight. Lydia, you and your boy are in our thoughts and prayers.

Hugs, many of them :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG:

Ella & Rusty
 
At least the wondering is over. Bu I am sorry about the dx. Paws crossed that the treatment works. :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG: cat_pet_icon cat_pet_icon cat_pet_icon
 
You must be so relieved (in an odd way) to at least know what is going and and now be able to take the approriate steps to deal with it.

Sid we know what a fighter you are and have the greatest confidence that you will beat this but we'll send you some extra healing vines to try and make your journey a bit easier.
 
I'm glad you have a plan and it sounds like you have a supportive vet. I'm also very glad to hear Sid is eating. Now, if we can just get his BG numbers under better control.
 
I'm sorry for the diagnosis but yes, knowledge is power, and it's great to have a plan in place. And, awesome news that Sid is eating on his own. We're thinking of you!!!
 
Things would be so so so much better if I could just get his glucose under control. But it is so difficult when he doesn't respond to the insulin like he's supposed to!

Sid is still Hi tonight at both the +2 and +4 readings. I'm going to just give him a unit of lantus in the morning and see what happens. He will be at the vet tomorrow all day anyway and they test his bg every 3 hours unless he starts dropping and then they do it every hour. (They will also syringe feed him if he drops and won't eat.) I don't think "testing" the PZI is a good plan anymore because I suspect it is not working anymore - but I'm not sure why the PZI isn't working when it did work a couple days ago.

Sid was given R at the vet yesterday and today and that brought his levels down pretty fast. I'm not sure why the R works so well unless it has something to do with intramuscular injection (R) vs sub Q injection (PZI). If so, then I think I'm in trouble because I do not know how to give intramuscular injections and have no one here to help hold Sid. Well, but I won't think the worst!

If the lantus doesn't work, I may have to resort to R and giving that 2-3x/day. I have not mentioned this plan to my vet yet though. He keeps pushing me to put Sid back on Humulin N - but I am not doing that unless all else fails.
 
Hi Lydia - just wishing you the best of luck with everything. I am glad that you have a diagnosis and can now move foreword with a treatment plan. Be well Sid!
 
aw lydia, i wish it were better news, but am glad you know what's going on now. i've heard that cats respond incredibly well to chemo, so hopefully you're going to see him feeling perkier before long.

i don't have any wisdom to offer on the use of R - i'm just starting it myself. it's used in addition to the lantus/prozinc/lev type of insulins in our situation, not instead of them.

we're here with you, cheering you and sid on! many hugs!
 
You should change your subject to note you have an R question. A number of kitties are on it right now and can explain probably. Julie and Punkin are one of them.

The metoclopromide also includes absorption which he may have been having issues with before.
 
I'm sorry for the diagnosis, but I am glad you guys have a treatment plan already in progress for Sid .. hoping the BG numbers come down .. extra hugs and kisses sent sid's way ..
 
Lydia

Sorry to be getting to this late and I'm sorry for the dx but now you know and now you have a plan.

You may not remember but Linda's (Bear Man) Teddy had lymphoma many years ago and I believe it was small cell. My Teddi was dx with lymphoma last fall....large cell. The oncologist told me that small cell lymphoma usually responds great to chemo and kitties can get into remission. Large cell.....different story and the rates of remission are not so high. So it's encouraging that Sid has small cell and his chances of remission are much better with the chemo.

I don't know if you gave lantus this morning but just remember that it has to fill a shed and so you probably won't see a difference right off the bat.

I would suggest you PM Libby about the "R".

Sending Sid healing vines and hoping he continues to eat.
 
Marjorie and Gracie said:
You may not remember but Linda's (Bear Man) Teddy had lymphoma many years ago and I believe it was small cell. My Teddi was dx with lymphoma last fall....large cell. The oncologist told me that small cell lymphoma usually responds great to chemo and kitties can get into remission. Large cell.....different story and the rates of remission are not so high. So it's encouraging that Sid has small cell and his chances of remission are much better with the chemo.
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Hi Lydia,

I have been following some of your posts about Sid. I am very sorry to hear about the diagnosis, but as Marjorie mentioned, my civie, Teddy, also was diagnosed with small cell GI lymphoma. He was treated with Chlorambucil (a.k.a. Leukeran) and Prednisolone. He had a seven year remission from his lymphoma. He passed away in October from pancreatic cancer. He was on Leukeran and Pred (later upgraded to a stronger steroid) for the entire seven years of his remission, and had excellent quality of life. He was prone to pancreatitis attacks, and periodically had to be treated for those. Inflammation in the GI tract can travel to the pancreas. The Leukeran can cause some inappetance and nausea, so Teddy started taking Ondansetron to help him with that. Teddy also responded well to Cerenia when needed.

Teddy was on a higher dose of Leukeran. He started with a pulse regimen of (as I recall) two tablets for four days repeated every three weeks. After a few years, he changed over to a maintenance schedule of one tablet every second day. This is quite a bit more than Sid is getting. I leave it up to your vet to prescribe what he feels is the correct amount for Sid. There is a very good remission rate for Leukeran in combination with Prednisolone. I am not aware if it has been found to be as effective for lymphoma when used alone, though it is quite frequently prescribed alone for IBD (which is on a spectrum with lymphoma). I know you have to consider the effects of steroids on Sid's diabetes, so again, I leave that up for you and your vet to discuss. I wanted to give you hope that GI lymphoma can be treatable. Leukeran is a good drug. The side effects can be dealt with. I think that you and your vet have a good plan. I will be sending lots of healing thoughts to Sid.
 
Somehow i find all this so encouraging :-D

some excellent input from some gifted caregivers!

Celi

Sidz...iz ona wai 2 hang wit u...
De B promisez notz 2 mess wit u hairz-
onless u WANTZ de hairz fixted... :-D
den ah bringz da gelz an' kurlerz!
Binks
 
Thank you everyone. Yes, the specialist intentionally put Sid on a low dose of the leukeran (chlorambucil) to see how he responds. He has lost a lot of weight and is pretty weak (down to 5 pounds) so they are concerned about him becoming sick and becoming even weaker. If Sid does not respond pretty quickly to the leukeran, they will add prednisolone (they haven't yet because of the affect on the bg. Sid has been running very high lately as I mentioned).

Thank you Linda for telling me about Teddi. I remember reading some of your posts and have seen the video of Bear Man. (Talk about tears through that!) My vet said that Sid might have *months* to live but I say *years*!! I am not listening to that - he has been wrong before. I am taking it day to day and not worried about how long things might progress.

Tomorrow I expect to receive the ondansetron. It has been surprisingly hard to get my vet to prescribe it. He prefers cerenia and will not be convinced that ondansetron is better than cerenia for nausea. I plan to give Sid both.

Sid is eating on his own so far pretty well but I think the nausea meds will help. Tonight he has wanted to be out and about walking through the living room so I had to put the rest of the cats in the basement. Otherwise I have to hover and make sure no one tries to chew on or play with his feeding tube.

I talked to the specialist today regarding the insulin and he wants me to increase the dose of PZI. I did that tonight and Sid has responded. I checked his bg an hour ago and it was 217. I'm going to check it again now to make sure he isn't going too low.


Binks I wants to hang wif you too. Love Sid.
 
Lydia,

You are doing an incredible job taking care of (loving) Sid! Believe me, I know, literally, how hard this is.

The vets also prescribed Leukeran for Tawny when she was so sick too. Her dischg pprs read: "We are starting her on oral Leukeran for suspected underlying intestinal inflammatory disease." She had a slightly enlarged lymph node at one time during her illness too.

This scared me to death! Then Linda shared her story about Teddy w/me and that gave me such hope.

(Tawny never actually got the Leukeran, b/c as it turned out I had trouble finding it around here, then she went back in the hospital again and the vet said to wait. Then she got better and came home again w/the tube, and by the time I actually found some Tawny had gotten so much better that the vets "un"prescribed it.)

You are doing the most incredible job w/Sid. I literally know how tired you are, how scared you are, how hard you are trying for him. Sid knows it too. He loves you. Tawny is closer to me now than she ever was. Right now she is lying right next to my computer on my desk 4" from my hand alternating between grooming herself and me.

Karrie was also an incredible inspiration to me during this time. She told me once that she would gladly get up every 2 hrs to do this for Maverick just to have him back again.

They are so worth it.

Hang in there, Lydia. We are all hanging in there with you, & Sid.

Desi & Tawny et al
 
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