5/6 Biscuits amps 563 +4 High . Diagnosis of Acromegaly pmps High +3 high

Mollycat

Mollycat

Member Since 2019
Test results
Insulin like growth factor 535 ref 12-92
Insulin autoantibody 2 within normal limits
Vet mentioned several medication options. Radiation,surgery.
I'm going to talk to the cat vet who did Bert's thyroid radiation for options.
Feeling overwhelmed
I expected this diagnosis now I feel horrible because I don't know what to do about it. I just went through radiation with my other cat for his thyroid h and he hada million other problems and I lost him in January .
I'm not ready for this. It's overwhelming.
I know you're all there for Biscuits'







yesterday
 
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Om. Considering its overnighted or priority there should be a tracking number.

Anyway, the IAA is only run one day a week I think Wednesdays or Thursday so sometimes you don't know about that for 10 days. From previous post you said vet couldn't send until Monday. If anything the acro results should be ready. Ask them to at least release that test and not hold it until IAA is ready.
 
Olive & Paula said:
Om. Considering its overnighted or priority there should be a tracking number.

Anyway, the IAA is only run one day a week I think Wednesdays or Thursday so sometimes you don't know about that for 10 days. From previous post you said vet couldn't send until Monday. If anything the acro results should be ready. Ask them to at least release that test and not hold it until IAA is ready.
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Thanks, that's what I asked the tech to call and check on . Hopefully they'll do that.
 
Sorry the IGF is positive. Glad the IAA was normal, it explains the reason for high dose.

One of the medications is pasireotide outrageously expensive in the States, last I checked it was over 13k a month. The cabergoline is more affordable but still a bit up there.

Radiation quite a few people do. The surgery to remove the pituitary gland, some have done. There is/was a program in NY that funded the surgery and hospital stay and post mri. It does not cover initial mri or any post up meds. You would have to see if they still have the funding. Maybe read some posts in the Facebook Feline Acromegaly Group.

You have options, just need to weigh out the pros and cons.

You might want to stock up on your insulin as you are using it rapidly and possibly switching to Lev as it seems more comfortable for cats on the high doses. Maybe talk with Marje and Wendy about adding R insulin.

Hope the doctor regarding radiation can help you weigh out your options in more detail.
 
Olive & Paula said:
Sorry the IGF is positive. Glad the IAA was normal, it explains the reason for high dose.

One of the medications is pasireotide outrageously expensive in the States, last I checked it was over 13k a month. The cabergoline is more affordable but still a bit up there.

Radiation quite a few people do. The surgery to remove the pituitary gland, some have done. There is/was a program in NY that funded the surgery and hospital stay and post mri. It does not cover initial mri or any post up meds. You would have to see if they still have the funding. Maybe read some posts in the Facebook Feline Acromegaly Group.

You have options, just need to weigh out the pros and cons.

You might want to stock up on your insulin as you are using it rapidly and possibly switching to Lev as it seems more comfortable for cats on the high doses. Maybe talk with Marje and Wendy about adding R insulin.

Hope the doctor regarding radiation can help you weigh out your options in more detail.
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Thanks so much
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Knowledge is power. And not to belabor the obvious, Biscuits hasn't a clue that he has a diagnosis of aero. He's the same lovable cat he was when you thought that all that was going on was FD. Give him a hug and start reading!

Ask all of the folks her with acro-kitties to share their experiences. We've all got your back.
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I really appreciate you kind words and support!!
 
So sorry for the Acro dx :bighug:.

As Paula has mentioned, there are options depending on your budget and location. Bronx also has Acro and we did 5 days of radiation (SRT) in NJ. Some places like Wash St Univ offer 1-day radiation and folks who've done it seem very happy with the results at a much cheaper cost than what I did. Dr McCue in NYC does surgery to remove the gland and is cheaper than a 5-day SRT if donation funds are still available, but a much more invasive procedure. Cabergoline is a cheaper alternative and many here are on that, will run about $100/mo since Biscuits is 11lbs. What state do you live in? Does Biscuits mind traveling?
 
I am so sorry for the result, but now you know why he hasn’t been responding to the insulin yet. First of all, your priority will be to get him to better blood sugar numbers. The decisions on treatments don’t need to be made right away. But if you are going to do surgery or radiation therapy, I wouldn’t wait overly long. You do have time to research what you want to do. It’s a trade off between money, travel, and what you can do. Note that some acrocats still have several years of good quality of life without any treatment but insulin. Thankfully cabergoline, which Olive is one, has showed up as a cheaper cost option in the last couple of years

You don’t have to go to the Facebook group. People have posted their experiences on the high dose forum here. Last fall we had three kitties do the hypophysectomy or surgical removal of the pituitary, two of them in New York, one in London.,@JeffJ , @LuvinThisPig @Bronx's dad and myself have gone for stereotactic radiation therapy. As have others, but they aren’t active members. We have Amethyst and Olive on cabergoline, probably others active but I need to look at notes. As Paula said, the other drugs are outrageously priced.

Neko lived over five years with acromegaly, most of it pretty good quality of live. There are side effects of the growth hormone that impact our acros, not all the same way, but do need managing. For example, Neko had bad acroarthritis so needed joint help and pain meds. She also had some soft tissue issues with her mouth. Her kidney and heart issues towards the end were likely caused by the growth hormone

Give Biscuits a kiss from me. He is still the same sweet cat he was yesterday before diagnosis. He is in a not unique club. One in four diabetic cats has acromegaly, as do some non diabetic cats, though less common. In hindsight, Neko had acro symptoms at least six months before her diabetes diagnosis.

Do your research, hug your cat, ask questions. I remember how I felt at this point. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
((((Sandy)))). I know you were hoping this would not be the diagnosis but now we know and now you can move forward with determining how you want to treat it. Wendy, Paula, Paul, and others can be of great help. I wouldn’t recommend the Facebook group either but we do have an acromegaly forum on this board that you can read through. You can still post here daily as it is a more active board but there’s a lot of info on the acro forum of FDMB.

Paula is correct that now that we know, we can add Novolin R (Novolin R and Humulin R are the same insulin but the former is available at Walmart for much, much, much cheaper) into the mix. As you know, R is a fast acting insulin. Lantus and Levemir are not able to pull high numbers down quickly so the thought of using R at specific times is that it brings the BG down and allows the L insulin to have a lower place to start from. I like giving R at a.m. +10 because the R kicks in about PS and then two hours later, the Lantus onsets. We use it at other times as well and it can be given a couple times in a cycle provided you are there to monitor.

We do highly suggest that you have an experienced R user work with you from the very beginning when you want to use R. There are several conditions of using it that are important to know so you don’t get into a “situation”.

I’m not going to be back until after the 20th so think about it. If you want to get started, Wendy can help; Paula can help. There are others, too.

The other thing I’d recommend is switching to Levemir as soon as you are done with the Lantus vial you have now. It’s a really nice insulin for high dose kitties; it doesn’t sting; it works great with R, it’s a little bit less expensive than Lantus.

Hang in there. Keep increasing the dose after every four cycles until we are seeing some pink. Write down your questions and post them for us. Love on that sweet boy. And take a deep breath....a little extra yoga meditation will help now.

:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
I second Marje’s comment about switching to Levemir. That is something you might want to bring up with your vet. Besides the sting factor, it often seems to have a bit more duration in some high dose kitties.
 
Bronx's dad said:
So sorry for the Acro dx :bighug:.

As Paula has mentioned, there are options depending on your budget and location. Bronx also has Acro and we did 5 days of radiation (SRT) in NJ. Some places like Wash St Univ offer 1-day radiation and folks who've done it seem very happy with the results at a much cheaper cost than what I did. Dr McCue in NYC does surgery to remove the gland and is cheaper than a 5-day SRT if donation funds are still available, but a much more invasive procedure. Cabergoline is a cheaper alternative and many here are on that, will run about $100/mo since Biscuits is 11lbs. What state do you live in? Does Biscuits mind traveling?
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I'm in Ohio. He's great in the car on trips to the vet
 
Marje and Gracie said:
((((Sandy)))). I know you were hoping this would not be the diagnosis but now we know and now you can move forward with determining how you want to treat it. Wendy, Paula, Paul, and others can be of great help. I wouldn’t recommend the Facebook group either but we do have an acromegaly forum on this board that you can read through. You can still post here daily as it is a more active board but there’s a lot of info on the acro forum of FDMB.

Paula is correct that now that we know, we can add Novolin R (Novolin R and Humulin R are the same insulin but the former is available at Walmart for much, much, much cheaper) into the mix. As you know, R is a fast acting insulin. Lantus and Levemir are not able to pull high numbers down quickly so the thought of using R at specific times is that it brings the BG down and allows the L insulin to have a lower place to start from. I like giving R at a.m. +10 because the R kicks in about PS and then two hours later, the Lantus onsets. We use it at other times as well and it can be given a couple times in a cycle provided you are there to monitor.

We do highly suggest that you have an experienced R user work with you from the very beginning when you want to use R. There are several conditions of using it that are important to know so you don’t get into a “situation”.

I’m not going to be back until after the 20th so think about it. If you want to get started, Wendy can help; Paula can help. There are others, too.

The other thing I’d recommend is switching to Levemir as soon as you are done with the Lantus vial you have now. It’s a really nice insulin for high dose kitties; it doesn’t sting; it works great with R, it’s a little bit less expensive than Lantus.

Hang in there. Keep increasing the dose after every four cycles until we are seeing some pink. Write down your questions and post them for us. Love on that sweet boy. And take a deep breath....a little extra yoga meditation will help now.

:bighug::bighug::bighug:
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Leoberry is still an Acro-kitty. His Acro thread details the diagnosis and treatment, which was $7k or $8k in 2016 at Colorado State
Leo's Acro diagnosis and treatment with SRT

He was diagnosed with Acro in 2016, but probably had it in 2015. He has kept going for 4 years, so it was worth it. Unfortunately, other issues are now affecting him. Now, at age 13, we enjoy the good days and get him thru the tough days.
Leo - laptime outside 04-22-2019c.jpg
 
JeffJ said:
Leoberry is still an Acro-kitty. His Acro thread details the diagnosis and treatment, which was $7k or $8k in 2016 at Colorado State
Leo's Acro diagnosis and treatment with SRT

He was diagnosed with Acro in 2016, but probably had it in 2015. He has kept going for 4 years, so it was worth it. Unfortunately, other issues are now affecting him. Now, at age 13, we enjoy the good days and get him thru the tough days.
View attachment 44816
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:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
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