6/11 Ruby First day of pred AMPS 71/+4 97/+6 87/+8 79/PMPS 72/+3 70

Katherine&Ruby

Katherine&Ruby

Member Since 2020
Yesterday on Ruby and her Sister. :cat:

Ruby ate all of her food yesterday but without her usual gusto. This is ok as long as she eats what she needs to maintain her body weight. The anti-nausea cocktail helps. She was alert and affectionate yesterday and was a good girl for Frank who pilled, fed and gave her insulin last night while I went out with a friend. New York is abuzz again after the long nightmare we endured collectively as a city during the pandemic, and that made me happy and hopeful.

Today is our first day on prednisolone. I am very scared and nervous about all of the side effects, but know this is the best thing I can be doing for my sweet girl right now.

Marina & Chico said:
Good luck with the treatment Katherine :bighug: how long will it take, do you know?
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Thank you, Marina. I'm still learning about all of these things, so I'm not really sure at the moment. It might depend on how well Ruby responds. I know the steroid dose can be tapered down and be given less frequently if Ruby achieves remission, but she will have to stay on it for the rest of her life in order to keep the inflammation at bay. I believe the chemo pill, chlorambucil, is given until she achieves remission, and should a relapse occur then a different drug could be administered. ETA: Wendy corrected me on this. See below.
 
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Wishing you the best today :bighug:! The effects of Prednisolone are pretty quick—a few days—with most cats and especially or more often with cats like Ruby who aren’t so severe that they aren’t eating, etc.. Hoping her “gusto” and excitement to eat returns very quickly….as in even the next few days :).

I am happy you were able to get out and enjoy the city again :)! Happy and Hopeful……a good place to be :bighug::bighug:!
 
Ruby and you have my admiration, and prayers for SCL remission. I have faith that you will provide just what will give Ruby the best life possible. People are learning through your experience. You are helping others, while suffering. But you have help, support and love on your side too, Katherine :bighug: plus you are a wonderfully devoted Ruby lover:cat:

Prednisolone - do your part to make Ruby feel good.
 
Tina Marie and Jan said:
Ruby and you have my admiration, and prayers for SCL remission. I have faith that you will provide just what will give Ruby the best life possible. People are learning through your experience. You are helping others, while suffering. But you have help, support and love on your side too, Katherine :bighug: plus you are a wonderfully devoted Ruby lover:cat:

Prednisolone - do your part to make Ruby feel good.
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You are so sweet, Jan, thank you. I do feel all of the love and support here and am eternally grateful for all of you. I would be lost at sea otherwise.
 
Tomlin said:
Wishing you the best today :bighug:! The effects of Prednisolone are pretty quick—a few days—with most cats and especially or more often with cats like Ruby who aren’t so severe that they aren’t eating, etc.. Hoping her “gusto” and excitement to eat returns very quickly….as in even the next few days :).

I am happy you were able to get out and enjoy the city again :)! Happy and Hopeful……a good place to be :bighug::bighug:!
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You're the best, Amy. Thanks for holding my hand through all of this and giving me the support I need to make the tough decisions and be strong for Ruby. :bighug:
 
PerfumedCatMom said:
Yesterday on Ruby and her Sister. :cat:

Ruby ate all of her food yesterday but without her usual gusto. This is ok as long as she eats what she needs to maintain her body weight. The anti-nausea cocktail helps. She was alert and affectionate yesterday and was a good girl for Frank who pilled, fed and gave her insulin last night while I went out with a friend. New York is abuzz again after the long nightmare we endured collectively as a city during the pandemic, and that made me happy and hopeful.

Today is our first day on prednisolone. I am very scared and nervous about all of the side effects, but know this is the best thing I can be doing for my sweet girl right now.


Thank you, Marina. I'm still learning about all of these things, so I'm not really sure at the moment. It might depend on how well Ruby responds. I know the steroid dose can be tapered down and be given less frequently if Ruby achieves remission, but she will have to stay on it for the rest of her life in order to keep the inflammation at bay. I believe the chemo pill, chlorambucil, is given until she achieves remission, and should a relapse occur then a different drug could be administered.
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Good morning Katherine. Hoping you and Ruby have a nice calm uneventful day. I know, you know, you are doing what needs to be done for Ruby’s best interest. Hoping side affects are minimal or better yet non-existent. Sending prayers and hugs for a good day. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Happy to try to help if I am able to Katherine :bighug:
Life surely throws us some challenging situations sometimes that are so hard :(. You and Ruby are strong…..go kick SCLs tushy :p!!!
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Hey Katherine, you are doing what our Ruby girl needs
I hope she can stay in the greens and if not you will adjust her dose as needed
Bring that gusto back Ruby!
Give Ruby kisses for me ♥:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
That’s actually nice Katherine. The question will be whether you see a jump or “spike” at some point in the next few hours. You may or you may not, you may also see more of an impact one day and not the next. It is not always 100% predictable how it will effect one cat to the next and day to day. Hopefully, a general pattern/trend will become clear with some time and then you will be able to manage it however you need to with the insulin :bighug:
 
Tomlin said:
That’s actually nice Katherine. The question will be whether you see a jump or “spike” at some point in the next few hours. You may or you may not, you may also see more of an impact one day and not the next. It is not always 100% predictable how it will effect one cat to the next and day to day. Hopefully, a general pattern/trend will become clear with some time and then you will be able to manage it however you need to with the insulin :bighug:
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I'll get a +6 to see where she's at. I guess I'm going to have to start testing more often again, at least for the near future.
 
PerfumedCatMom said:
I'll get a +6 to see where she's at. I guess I'm going to have to start testing more often again, at least for the near future.
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Or think about the Libre2 just to get all the data—whatever works best for you & is less stressful. Check the +6 & +8. Again, it is fascinating how the effect (if there is one) can differ within one cat let alone from one cat to the next. I wish I had Ruby’s internal playbook (and my own cats as well) :rolleyes:
 
Tomlin said:
Or think about the Libre2 just to get all the data—whatever works best for you & is less stressful. Check the +6 & +8. Again, it is fascinating how the effect (if there is one) can differ within one cat let alone from one cat to the next. I wish I had Ruby’s internal playbook (and my own cats as well) :rolleyes:
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I love love love the Libre; sadly Ruby feels very differently. She has been miserable with it on. I will see if her holistic vet has experience applying it because her last primary vet did not and Ruby barely moved off the bed because he put it too close to her shoulders (even though I sent him the paper showing application to the neck) and she couldn't walk or jump.
 
I cannot even tell you how frustrated that makes me :arghh: when the endos have made it clear, even to the point of putting it in the first & only feline dedicated Endo textbook, how and where to place that sensor :banghead:.

Definitely ask your holistic vet for help. If you need more pictures let me know. If I was closer I would offer to help…..I have my shaving kit and travel…LOL. I have also found that the Smith & Nephew
No-Sting Skin-Prep has protected the skin and helps keep the Libre on….to the point that I just move to the other side of the neck and allow time for the other side to grow out and loosen once one is done.

Please let me know if you do decide to do it. The Libre2 is much more accurate—especially in the lower ranges vs the original Libre. The only issues with the Libre2 are that you have to buy the reader (the app for Libre2 is still sitting at the FDA waiting for approval for the US) and most important, have access to a Windows based computer to download the info. The drivers for Libre2 are not compatible with Mac. I have no idea why but they aren’t :(.
 
PerfumedCatMom said:
I know the steroid dose can be tapered down and be given less frequently if Ruby achieves remission, but she will have to stay on it for the rest of her life in order to keep the inflammation at bay. I believe the chemo pill, chlorambucil, is given until she achieves remission, and should a relapse occur then a different drug could be administered.
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Twisted around again. The steroid can be tapered down if Ruby achieves remission, and possibly she can go off of it. Mine stays on a much reduced dose because she's also got IBD and needs it for that. Typically the chlorambucil is kept on, even after remission. Though there is some variability, Neko's IM vet talked about possible dose reduction. We just never got that far due to her other conditions.

I think your current rate of testing is enough to characterize the steroid effects. Any additional tests should only be for a few days I'd think.
 
Cool, I'll talk to her about it when I see her on Tuesday. I can get the skin prep on Amazon--spray or wipes?

Getting a reader is not a problem. I've always wanted one anyway so that someone other than me could scan the sensor if I couldn't be around, like DBF or a cat sitter. He uses a PC, I use a Mac, so that's not an issue either.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Twisted around again. The steroid can be tapered down if Ruby achieves remission, and possibly she can go off of it. Mine stays on a much reduced dose because she's also got IBD and needs it for that. Typically the chlorambucil is kept on, even after remission. Though there is some variability, Neko's IM vet talked about possible dose reduction. We just never got that far due to her other conditions.

I think your current rate of testing is enough to characterize the steroid effects. Any additional tests should only be for a few days I'd think.
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:banghead: OK, I think I've got that through my thick head now. What would I do without you, Wendy. :)

Yeah, I want to keep tabs on the BGs so that I can adjust dosing accordingly. She was doing so well on the drop dose but I'm at a point where the depot for that has built up enough that I can increase at any time if needed, and that will require monitoring.
 
I've seen an extremely fast turnaround in cats put on prednisolone. Let's hope Ruby will be one of them! And if anybody will be able to manage her BG and keep it in a good range, it will be YOU, Katherine! You are amazing, and I have full confidence in you. I do understand how discouraging it is though, after all of your hard work. I'm glad you got out last night!
 
I think it helps that Ruby has a mostly working pancreas. I tested my civvie (SCL cat #1) when he started prednisolone (albeit a 10 mg dose to start) and it took his numbers up about 40 points temporarily. Give the girl a blood glucose meter and let the experiments begin!:p Going to 5 mg wasn't as much a bump.
 
PerfumedCatMom said:
If everyday could be like this, I can live with it!
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It may very well be like it is today for Ruby :bighug:. It does not impact every cat the same way and even with a diabetic, sometimes, despite the odds, they do very well. Time will tell but I say this is a spectacular and promising start...enjoy it :D
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I've seen an extremely fast turnaround in cats put on prednisolone. Let's hope Ruby will be one of them! And if anybody will be able to manage her BG and keep it in a good range, it will be YOU, Katherine! You are amazing, and I have full confidence in you. I do understand how discouraging it is though, after all of your hard work. I'm glad you got out last night!
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Thank you for the encouraging words and all of the faith you have in me, Suzanne. Insulin is something I have learned how to use fairly well at this point as a tool because I'm working with objective data given to me by a meter that doesn't react emotionally. It's the other stuff that I can't control or measure that freaks me out more.
 
I'm glad to see Ruby is doing well so far on pred!

I had a civvie (Cookie) who was on chlorambucil and pred for two years and did very well. Just want to mention I used the generic of chlorambucil which cost much less. I got it compounded from Stokes pharmacy in NJ. (They deliver.) This was a few years ago and things could have changed of course.
 
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