Re: 3/3 Lance AMPS 257- First time on the Lantus boards!
Thank you for the warm welcome over to the lands of Lantus! :lol:
I am VERY enthusiastic, and was a lurker for some time. - I created a profile for him, but for kicks, here is his story in a nutshell:
The story behind Lance and his diabetes, as well as his life with me, is a strange one. He was diagnosed in 07' and when I received him in '09 he was still massively overweight. His paperwork stated at the time of diagnosis in '07 he was 22lbs. Then at the time I met him in early summer '09, hanging around 18lbs. He was on Vetsulin, I believe getting about 5 Units 2xs a day. As well as free eating kibbles with occasional wet prescription diet. (If my memory serves me correctly). The person who allowed me to take him was unable to afford his medication or food. Which was part of the reason they sought me out to surrender him to. I am known within my group or friends as the girl who adopts "problem" or "special needs" animals.
I quickly found these boards, and got to work.
I got him transisioned to FF, he was visiting my vet regularly, losing weight, and our dosage dropped to 2U 2x. Until 7/2010, I went on vacation with a boyfriend and left him in the care of my best friend who was use to caring for ALL of my animals. She was 16 at the time, and I think I trusted her a bit more than should have been allowed. 4 days into a 12 day long vacation in CO (I live in IL, and had driven to CO) I got a phone call that he was not moving, eating, anything. She had missed every single shot after I left. - I had him rushed into my exotics vet (whom I trust implicitly with my sugar gliders, and that week found I now trust him implicitly with my cats!).
We spent $2K on a hefty 5 day vet stay. (I came home early). He came home on all sorts of liver/ kidney medication. And went through 2 rounds of the Kidney meds. It was horrific. During his hospital stay, the techs and all the vets were blown away by what a fighter Lance is. I was reminded almost daily until I returned home, that he -might- pass. He was very weak, and they tube fed him nearly every day he was there. His first night home was messy and tearful, they gave him a few more months to live, at most a year. I set in for the worst, hoped for the best, and knew I'd love him no matter what, always.
My Exotics man, Who is now my main vet, put him on Lantus. For the first 2 months Lance was home, he was on 2U 2xs a day. We went back for subsequent visits every 4 weeks. My vet texted and phoned me often to give me to the second support, should it be needed. By November we were down to 1U. Everything coasted nicely, and Lance seemed to get stronger by the day! Christmas time had him running up and down hallways again, and singing songs out windows to birds. He even would venture out to the barn to feed the horses in the morning, sometimes :roll: He seemed to have defied the prognosis given to him just a few months earlier.
Not everything can be golden though..
We lost our farm in April of 2011, and because of the uncertainty of our living situation, Lance had to return to the person he came from before me. I was heavily reluctant to do this. I offered to assist in the expense of his care, wanting to help make sure he did not end up back in the same condition I once upon a time received him in. I spent the next 16 months calling and emailing the person he was with, as well as visiting as often as I could. A 4 hour round trip was a lot, but I managed it every few months.
In early October 2012 (last fall) I got a phone call from the person keeping him. He asked if I could take Lance back, because he was causing major problems with he and his room mate. He had been to the vet, twice in the past 3 months. No diagnosable issue.. Lace had been marking, and throughout his stay had continued to get more antisocial and withdrawn. Despite our tight living quarters (My fiancee and I are -still- living in a very cramped 2 bedroom apartment, running 2 small businesses out of it, no less!) I said yes. I said we would compromise, we would make room. We did.
I brought him home, and he seemed abysmal. He hated me, it seemed. For nearly 2 weeks I struggled to get him to eat enough for what I knew to be "safe" to shoot him on. To top it off the person he had been with had him back on "cheetos" (dry kibbles). And for some reason he now hated ALL brands of safe/ approved wet food. He hissed and growled every time he saw anyone, and spent all of his time sitting in an old rocking chair with one of his old blankets on. Glaring into space, or sleeping. - Then, one morning I woke up and he was sitting at the end of the bed, where he use to sit and wait for me every morning. He slowly started to realize he was home, and really with me again. His demeanor changed entirely first back into the kitty I remembered, and continued into this sweet and loyal, and dare I say cuddly, older cat.
When I agreed to bring him here, I made a promise to him as well as a pact with myself. I was going to feed him the best I can afford, and as soon as I could spare the extra money, we were going to start home testing. This cat's story is far more complex than I can fit here. He is an amazing cat. He deserves the best I can do for him.
Like I said, he is my very best friend ;-)
He knows whats up!
You sound very enthusiastic. I am so happy you found FDMB. 
