hi holly.
okay so know we knew what we suspected is true. knowledge is power. however pablo can't read lab reports so remember as far s he is concerned today is just another day, snackus, sleepus, purrs, eat a flying bug if really lucky. all diabetic cats are special, acros are extra special. (you'll know what i mean by that later on).
how it works is this, you have your LL condo everyday just like normal. there is plenty of other acros around right there. but you are also a card carrying member of HD ISG now and can open a condo there whenever you want, for any questions you have about acro stuff (although you can get answers about that from both ISG's, acro is not some 'rare condition' anymore and plenty know enough about it answer questions anywhere on board).HD ISG happens to be a very supportive place and would be good to introduce yourself. there is also the catacro board, a sister board of FDMB's that has info and support which you shoudl register for.
so what has changed for how you will handle this? first you have to understand what acro is. your cat probably has a fully functioning pancreas, the high BG numbers are not about lack of pancreatic insulin output, they are about hormone output 'blocking' the insulin from working, insulin resistance. the output is not something that can be controlled, rather it is something you learn to 'flow with'...there will be times of great insulin resistance, rev ups of hormone output and times of ebbing, or phase down eras when insulin needs are reduced. how the hell are you suppose to know what to shoot then? what i suggest is that you get to a L dose that gives you some nice hours of blue, and pick up some R insulin~ which is a very handy tool for acros. R is very flexible and lets you use it with a scale (including zero being on that scale) allowing for quick corrections should GH output be changing at times. like you will never get to a L dose that gives the perfect curve and be able to stay at that dose forever. L doses will go up and they will go down in response to what pablo's acro~ness is doing. due to the shed action of L insulin it is harder to make quick changes, but by adding R into mix you can compensate.
every acrocat is different. you might be like nina/KB and hang out at a fairly low dose for long time making little changes up and down to that dose or you might be like lorna/girlcat and have big rev ups and phase downs on the dosing scale. time will tell.
so things to add to your toolbox:
~a bottle of R insulin.
~lots of cans of HC. because you probably have a functioning pancreas if you do have a cycle that is giving you lower than needed numbers feeding LC will cause pancreas to spit out more insulin, so need that HC around to bring a number up.
things to know:
~do not try to pill your cat or let anyone else do so. pills get crushed and syringed in with water, or the med given by injection or topical, most meds are available in other forms than pills. (this is cause of the overgrowth of soft tissue on throat that occurs in mot acrocats at some point. btw, also the reason for the snoring most acrocats do).
~do not let vets or tech do jug sticks to draw blood. (also cause of the same reason. along those lines too, if anesthia is ever needed say for dental or something, let vet know that they will want to have small ET tube handy to use, like more kitten's throat size than adult cat's).
~if you notice any 'arthritic type' of things going on with back/back legs, talk about it so that supplements can be started.
thinks to do:
~introduce yourselves over on HD ISG.
~sign up for catacro board.
~get the R and HC in house.
~read and learn and ask questions. people are around to help you!
~relax. this so did not occur overnight, hence nothing needs to change overnight, and remember above all nothing has changed in pablo's eyes.
any questions right now? sure you will have plenty of questions after you've had some time to digest, no worries we will help you.
~jojo
