12/10 Pepper AMPS 508, +6.5 372, PMPS 383
- Thread starter Nancy&Pepper (GA)
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Wendy&Tiggy(GA)
Member Since 2011
Re: 12/10 Pepper AMPS 508, +3.5 374
What is NDW?
Pepper seems to drop at PMPS+8-11 so maybe he is bouncing off that. Maybe do a few spot checks around then.
What is NDW?
Pepper seems to drop at PMPS+8-11 so maybe he is bouncing off that. Maybe do a few spot checks around then.
Grayson & Lu
Member Since 2012
Re: 12/10 Pepper AMPS 508, +3.5 374
Hi Nancy -
I'm Lu-Ann and my super-sized, extra sweet boy is Grayson. I heard about you on the Acro FB site - in fact, you've been in touch with Tracy... her boy Leo and Grayson had SRT together the same week.
Pepper's SS looks like Grayson's on ProZinc. They referred to it as "swimming in a sea of pinks". I had both tests run simulataneously in May. Like you said, when you have a spreadsheet like ours, the insulin resistance is no surprise. I had a really hard time, however, swallowing the acro dx. At the time, Grayson was holding 12 pounds - he had been 22# the previous June, and 18 in January when dx w/ diabetes. So in my mind, Grayson looked anorexic - and couldn't possibly be Acro.
My vet called and talked to the folks at MSU, and they sent a pre-paid mailer for the blood. We drew on a Monday morning, and it was Fed Ex'd overnight. Tests run on Wednesday, and results late Friday. One of them is only done one day a week, so it's another week if you don't get the blood there in time. I was sitting on the edge of my seat all day/week long.
I also started examining my other cats and did comparisons. Foot size, head size, poop size (Grayson has Mega Colon - his are almost the same as human-sized), and looked for the separation in the teeth. His were wider than the other cats. Other than the poop, everything else was pretty much normal. He has since shown more growth signs.
We had an ultrasound done at NC State Vet School, which showed enlarged kidneys, pancreas and slightly larger other organs. That, plus his IGF-1 number (236) were still not considered a "slam dunk" dx. But in speaking with Dr. Lunn, previously at CSU, and who saw him after the ultrasound, she said the insulin resistance, high dose, and the numbers in combination were a really good indicator. We didn't see the tumor til we were at CSU.
I looked at several locations - CO was a 3.5 hr flight. One cat had gone to Florida (drivable), another Yonkers, NY (for Cyber Knife radiation). I didn't talk to anyone who went to UCD - it seemed CSU had done the majority of the cats, and was the one cutting edge location on the SRT. Once I got past the emotions of the dx, that was the only place I wanted to go. No regrets. There was also only one direct flight from Raleigh to Denver... and that was preferable than having to do a connection and the stress on him of a longer day of travel, and the ups/downs associated with it.
If you opt to go, there's great info on flying w/ a sugar kitty and lots of us with experience that can tell you what we did. I'm happy to share my thoughts with you if you end up getting to that point, either here, by PM or on FB/Acro. Just let me know if I can offer any assistance.
Lu-Ann
Hi Nancy -
I'm Lu-Ann and my super-sized, extra sweet boy is Grayson. I heard about you on the Acro FB site - in fact, you've been in touch with Tracy... her boy Leo and Grayson had SRT together the same week.
Pepper's SS looks like Grayson's on ProZinc. They referred to it as "swimming in a sea of pinks". I had both tests run simulataneously in May. Like you said, when you have a spreadsheet like ours, the insulin resistance is no surprise. I had a really hard time, however, swallowing the acro dx. At the time, Grayson was holding 12 pounds - he had been 22# the previous June, and 18 in January when dx w/ diabetes. So in my mind, Grayson looked anorexic - and couldn't possibly be Acro.
My vet called and talked to the folks at MSU, and they sent a pre-paid mailer for the blood. We drew on a Monday morning, and it was Fed Ex'd overnight. Tests run on Wednesday, and results late Friday. One of them is only done one day a week, so it's another week if you don't get the blood there in time. I was sitting on the edge of my seat all day/week long.
I also started examining my other cats and did comparisons. Foot size, head size, poop size (Grayson has Mega Colon - his are almost the same as human-sized), and looked for the separation in the teeth. His were wider than the other cats. Other than the poop, everything else was pretty much normal. He has since shown more growth signs.
We had an ultrasound done at NC State Vet School, which showed enlarged kidneys, pancreas and slightly larger other organs. That, plus his IGF-1 number (236) were still not considered a "slam dunk" dx. But in speaking with Dr. Lunn, previously at CSU, and who saw him after the ultrasound, she said the insulin resistance, high dose, and the numbers in combination were a really good indicator. We didn't see the tumor til we were at CSU.
I looked at several locations - CO was a 3.5 hr flight. One cat had gone to Florida (drivable), another Yonkers, NY (for Cyber Knife radiation). I didn't talk to anyone who went to UCD - it seemed CSU had done the majority of the cats, and was the one cutting edge location on the SRT. Once I got past the emotions of the dx, that was the only place I wanted to go. No regrets. There was also only one direct flight from Raleigh to Denver... and that was preferable than having to do a connection and the stress on him of a longer day of travel, and the ups/downs associated with it.
If you opt to go, there's great info on flying w/ a sugar kitty and lots of us with experience that can tell you what we did. I'm happy to share my thoughts with you if you end up getting to that point, either here, by PM or on FB/Acro. Just let me know if I can offer any assistance.
Lu-Ann
Nancy&Pepper (GA)
Member Since 2012
Re: 12/10 Pepper AMPS 508, +3.5 374
Hi Lu-ann. Thanks for your PM. I'm still coming to grips with the whole idea. If it comes to that (and I can afford it), I think I would prefer to go to CSU, as well. What benefits have you seen from the SRT? I know a lot of people (or rather, cats) don't have the SRT, and I looked at Grayson's spreadsheet and you still seem to be giving him a very large dose. Are you expecting the dose to come down eventually, or have there been other benefits to Grayson? Thanks again.
Nancy
Hi Lu-ann. Thanks for your PM. I'm still coming to grips with the whole idea. If it comes to that (and I can afford it), I think I would prefer to go to CSU, as well. What benefits have you seen from the SRT? I know a lot of people (or rather, cats) don't have the SRT, and I looked at Grayson's spreadsheet and you still seem to be giving him a very large dose. Are you expecting the dose to come down eventually, or have there been other benefits to Grayson? Thanks again.
Nancy
Grayson & Lu
Member Since 2012
Re: 12/10 Pepper AMPS 508, +3.5 374, +6.5 372
We didn't change to a long-lasting insulin until May 31 due to scheduling issues, so by the time we went to CSU, we hadn't even gotten close to regulation. The SRT doesn't "kill" the pituitary right away, but (my understanding is that) the cells that are over- producing live out their lives, but stop over-producing. That's why they say it takes 7-70 weeks for a response to the treatment. We maxed at 50u plus 3u R, and then had what appeared as a breakthrough. If you look at the Lev SS, you'll see I dropped when I had the first blues. It was like a panic, as I was still getting used to seeing yellows!!! I learned I could only do one thing with low numbers - either shoot reduced, or delay. I couldn't do both or it ended up as a setback, with a long time to recover. Then around the first week of November we had a real reduction - down to 20. Then he stopped responding, and we climbed back up - again at a very busy time for me work-wise. So for the past week or two I've been somewhat conservative. Now we're back, and he's doing much better with 32u. So yes, we're still shooting scary high doses - but it's 40% less than where we were ... so it's relative.
Perry & Sooty had the cyber knife in Yonkers, NY. He was the highest documented dose kitty - and went OTJ at 26 weeks after treatment. I really encourage you to look at the cribsheet, and study the others' SSs, as that's probably the most helpful thing I've found... as it applies to dosing, reductions, shooting low numbers, etc.
And while you're doing this, PLEASE take time to breathe. I had to do this at my pace, as I was REALLY overwhelmed with the Acro dx. I pull away when I feel pressured, so I had to read, learn, look, read, read some more, and eventually ask questions ...and later make decisions.
Also, Grayson is 7. He had no other health issues, so I opted to treat. Four days of anesthesia is a lot. Leo is older, and he did just fine too. So, if/when you get to that point, there will be lots of other people to talk to and help you decide what options/ paths you might want to consider. You don't have to decide anything right now - just take things one step at a time.
If, as some people have suggested, your vet isn't supportive of the testing, I'll be glad to share how I approached mine - and it was very well received. Like anything else, most of the response is based on how you ask! (my long-term vet in the same office, rolled his eyes after I mentioned this website initially). The other vet is the one that has treated Grayson since.
We didn't change to a long-lasting insulin until May 31 due to scheduling issues, so by the time we went to CSU, we hadn't even gotten close to regulation. The SRT doesn't "kill" the pituitary right away, but (my understanding is that) the cells that are over- producing live out their lives, but stop over-producing. That's why they say it takes 7-70 weeks for a response to the treatment. We maxed at 50u plus 3u R, and then had what appeared as a breakthrough. If you look at the Lev SS, you'll see I dropped when I had the first blues. It was like a panic, as I was still getting used to seeing yellows!!! I learned I could only do one thing with low numbers - either shoot reduced, or delay. I couldn't do both or it ended up as a setback, with a long time to recover. Then around the first week of November we had a real reduction - down to 20. Then he stopped responding, and we climbed back up - again at a very busy time for me work-wise. So for the past week or two I've been somewhat conservative. Now we're back, and he's doing much better with 32u. So yes, we're still shooting scary high doses - but it's 40% less than where we were ... so it's relative.
Perry & Sooty had the cyber knife in Yonkers, NY. He was the highest documented dose kitty - and went OTJ at 26 weeks after treatment. I really encourage you to look at the cribsheet, and study the others' SSs, as that's probably the most helpful thing I've found... as it applies to dosing, reductions, shooting low numbers, etc.
And while you're doing this, PLEASE take time to breathe. I had to do this at my pace, as I was REALLY overwhelmed with the Acro dx. I pull away when I feel pressured, so I had to read, learn, look, read, read some more, and eventually ask questions ...and later make decisions.
Also, Grayson is 7. He had no other health issues, so I opted to treat. Four days of anesthesia is a lot. Leo is older, and he did just fine too. So, if/when you get to that point, there will be lots of other people to talk to and help you decide what options/ paths you might want to consider. You don't have to decide anything right now - just take things one step at a time.
If, as some people have suggested, your vet isn't supportive of the testing, I'll be glad to share how I approached mine - and it was very well received. Like anything else, most of the response is based on how you ask! (my long-term vet in the same office, rolled his eyes after I mentioned this website initially). The other vet is the one that has treated Grayson since.
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