7/7 Grayson AMPS 333

Status
Not open for further replies.
Grayson & Lu

Grayson & Lu

Member Since 2012
Good morning everyone -

We've been posting on the Lev board for the past 5 weeks since we switched from 5 months of ProZinc, however I've not been as consistent w/ my posts there as I had previously, and there isn't much traffic there, so I hoped you wouldn't mind one more kitty crashing your forum!

As for introductions, Grayson is a 7 year old DSH who was a strapping 21.6# boy last year this time. Over Christmas he dropped about 3 pounds and was dx in early January. With some expert guidance, we switched food, then started ProZinc. The first 5 weeks Grayson danced marathons on it, resulting in good numbers, some long cycles and some major reductions. Fast forward 5 weeks, and he began to "swim in a pool of pinks". We had 3 run-ins w/ ketones, but never any hypos. So his dose varied in that time from .2u BID to 9u TID. BIG RANGE! He was tested and came back positive for both Acro and IAA. On May 31st we switched to Lev, where he's doing very well in spite of his high doses. We will be having SRT done at CSU very soon.

This morning, Grayson gave me an AMPS of 333. We're LOVING these lower preshots - and the fact that he actually MOVES on Lev. While on ProZinc, he spent a lot of time "at the IHOP", or flat as a pancake! I'm pleased to report that Grayson has LEFT the IHOP!!! (although he stops in from time to time to visit his friends there!). cat(2)_steam

I'm his mom Lu-Ann, and our house is home to 2 dogs, Dom & Jack, and several other kitties who used to come frequently to eat. Now they're "on our payroll" and live inside! Hoping to get to know more folks here, so please stop by and introduce yourselves.
 
Welcome to Lantus Land -- well really Lantus and Lev Land!

There are any number of people who are using Lev who post here. I hope you'll find this a comfortable place to post. I don't know if you've had a chance to connect with Leo's bean, Tracy. They are heading for CSU very soon, as well. (I think I've seen you cross post to each other but I may be making that up!)

Several of the people with acro cats have used the Tight Regulation Protocol with their kitties. There has been some discussion about this and from my read, it looks like the critical factor is knowing how your cat responds to carbs.

Please let us know how we can help. Again, welcome!
 
Thanks - and yes, we've connected. We'll be there at the same time.

As for the carbs, I'm pretty boring of a mom... Grayson eats Fancy Feast Classic Chicken and Classic Turkey & Giblets. Every once in a while I'll give him a can of Ocean Whitefish... usually when I'm doing a curve, as I want the least impact as possible from food spikes.

Before the Acro & IAA dx, I started keeping up with food type, quantity and timing... what I found was, despite his vorracious appetite, the food consistently gave him a 30 point spike per can. And following the dx, I realized that no matter what I did to eliminate variables, he was still gonna do what he was gonna do. At least that made me feel better - that it wasn't something I had much control over. Of course Grayson has gotten into some mischief, getting into kitchen cupboards, removing lids from Tupperware cannisters, and eating cat and dog kibble.... and egg noodles, and cereal, and..., and ..., and...! Now the food cannisters are stored in a closed off room, and he's spending more unsupervised time in the dining room w/ the dogs, with the door to the kitchen latched!

The only thing TR protocol I'm not following is the timing of increases. I'm following more from the Acro/IAA FB group, which is only to say, increases after 6 cycles. We are finally up past where we were dose-wise, when he was getting shot TID on ProZinc. His numbers are looking amazing - compared to the previous four months! Still room for improvement, but even Dr. Timian at CSU was pleased with them! That made me feel a WHOLE lot better, as one of the things they initially said is that they wanted him "somewhat regulated" before doing the SRT. My initial thought was, "We'll NEVER get there!" - but we're inching closer each day. He's responding, and the numbers are getting better. I'll take it!!!

Thanks again! There are a fair amt of familiar kitties over here, and I've been trying to meet some others that I hadn't seen before... unfortunately, timing doesn't permit that to happen too quickly!
 
What a character!! Egg noodles!! You have a carb addict. (It also sounds like Grayson is smart and single minded when he wants something.)

I don't think a 30 point food spike is that bad. Jill's Alex can get a 30 point spike from freeze dried chicken treats. Cats vary with how sensitive they are to carbs. Should Grayson's numbers drop, you'll know he'll respond to food.

Actually, increasing every 6 cycles IS the TR Protocol. The only time that a dose is held a little longer is if nadirs are below 200. If this is the case, the dose is held for up to 10 cycles. Several of the people with acro cats that have posted here have allowed their cats to run in blue and green numbers. This is counter to what the FB group recommends. At one point, there was an attempt to discuss this issue but no one from the FB group would engage in the discussion. You might find this condo on acro that Libby started interesting.

My cats get the same food, as well (Wellness chicken or turkey). One thought -- it turns out that Wellness in the 15 oz cans costs the same or less per ounce as FF. Given Grayson's size, if he'll eat Wellness, it might be worth considering.
 
Hi Lu! And Grayson too cat_pet_icon Good to see you over in Lantus (and Lev) Land. There's usually alot of traffic over here so if you need help this is the place to be.

Just a little over a week to go and I'll get to meet you and Grayson.....I'm excited to meet you guys and get our boys some help.

Funny about Grayson getting into all sorts of food, egg noodles sure are yummy! :lol:

Have a great day and talk to you soon.
 
Just wanted to pop in and say Hi! Welcome to L (& L) Land. There are a lot of knowledgeable, caring, supportive people here.

I love Grayson's name. He's a very handsome fellow. I couldn't imagine trying to chew on a hard egg noodle, though. He sounds like a character.

Hope you guys have a great day!
 
I guess the egg noodles are a "monkey see - monkey do" thing. I used to always give my dogs pasta - both before and after cooking, and sometimes Grayson would be right there with them. He definitely likes to be "one of the gang"!

His revenous appetite has been crazy - I guess typical of Acros, but we can go through as much FF as I'm willing to open! And he'll still paw at me for more! At one point, I used the expression that "he'd rip my arm off to beat me with it, if I wasn't opening his food fast enough"! He's settled in somewhat from those days, but every now and then I still give him the can and allow him to try if he thinks he can be faster!

Sienne and Gabby said:
Actually, increasing every 6 cycles IS the TR Protocol. The only time that a dose is held a little longer is if nadirs are below 200. If this is the case, the dose is held for up to 10 cycles. .
Click to expand...

It's really only been since we've switched to Lev that we've even SEEN blues (only the early days of ProZinc). I guess the good thing about that, is that I've never had to deal w/ a hypo! ;-) And so far on Lev, no little ketones rearing their ugly little heads... although I imagine the high dose is keeping them at bay!

Other than swatting Jack (dog) a few times today (unprovoked, I might add!), he seems to be having a pretty good day. Lounging around, tail wagging, a little play earlier... we should all have his life! :lol: Meanwhile SOME of us will go out in 95 degree heat, before the REALLY HOT/humid afternoon gets here!
 
Well, nice to meet ya' Lu and Grayson! :lol: :lol:

I saw your post and thought - whoa! I AM far behind...felt better after reading it was your first post here. :-D So, WELCOME and thanks for saying me the trip to look for y'all every day! :-D :-D

Stay cool...as if THAT's an option today!!! 100 degrees at 4:30pm...ugh - My sweet boy came home today (He gave up a day of skeet shootin' with friends) to mow the grass for dear old dad - what a guy!! Hated to have him working outside in this heat, but it's what he works in every day at camp - YUCK!

Well, guess I should get back to cleaning up from the shower...before I decide sittin' down feels good! :-D

Libby (& Hershey, too!)
 
Hi Lu!

just wanted to say welcome. scritches to mr grayson - glad to hear he's getting some better numbers. the L insulins last longer and that alone improves things for kitters.

punkin got into my daughter's cat's dry food yesterday and soared up into the upper 300's. yucko. when we discovered where he'd been (we were visiting her) and that he'd eaten all of her cat's food, i thought no wonder he's so very very satisfied.

:lol:
 
welcome to LL! How cool that you'll get to meet Tracy and Leo at CSU. I'm looking forward to hearing the stories. :mrgreen:

I hear ya on the appetite thing. Lucy isn't acro, but when she was unregulated she was eating 4-5 cans of FF per day. She would also steal ANYTHING she could get. I remember her stealing a pizza off the counter, swiping an entire chili dog right off my plate, a turkey breast, taking bacon out of the pan while it was cooking (I turned around for just a second, and when I turned back around my pan was empty!), and finding her on the kitchen counter having removed the lid from my Chinese leftovers and chowing down on my garlic chicken. :o She doesn't do that anymore, luckily. Jazzy, my acro, didn't steal food but she never, ever lost interest in food even when she wasn't feeling well.
 
What they wouldn't do for some dry kibble, these guys!!! I think Grayson would do just about ANYthing! He probably plays "Let's Make a Deal" w/ the other kitties when I'm not home!

Took a nap and missed his +8... he may have seen just a tint of blue today... but I woke up to pink. There's always tomorrow to see it! Thought I'd try 1 can every 4 hours... jury is still out on that one as well.

+10.2 313
 
Welcome to LL! There are a number of Lev kitties here, most of us switched over and didn't want to leave. The plus side is that there is so much more activity here, nearly always some one around to give advice or hold your hand. How cool that you will be at CSU the same time at Tracy and Leo, a physical shoulder to lean on not just virtual.
 
Hi Lu-Ann and Grayson and Welcome! Good to see another big sipper on the board. You'll find there is often someone logged on, and all the people here are extremely supportive.

I'm looking forward to hearing your description of CSU and the stories of meeting Tracy and Leo.

The food thief in our house has really helped us make sure our counters are clear at ALL times. Neko is better now that her numbers are a bit lower, but even before FD she was always very fond of food. It helps that we have pocket doors to the kitchen and can "close the restaurant" as my hubby says.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
The food thief in our house has really helped us make sure our counters are clear at ALL times. Neko is better now that her numbers are a bit lower, but even before FD she was always very fond of food. It helps that we have pocket doors to the kitchen and can "close the restaurant" as my hubby says.
Click to expand...

I too have the advantage of doors to each room, as I live in a 119 yr old house! Keeping the doors closed helps keep the rooms cool when the outside temp is 106 like it's been +/- these past couple of weeks! So locking him in/out isn't necessarily difficult. He's just VERY SMART!!! He hasn't figured out how to open the microwave, where I usually stash things, but I'm sure it won't be long... and those jack-rabbit legs will help him reach it over the stove! :lol:

I always thought that Tupperware was pretty secure. I was sorely mistaken!!! the old-fashioned version he can pop off in less than 5 seconds. :o The cannisters w/ the accordian-pleated like round top - he's figured out that if he drops it from the counter, table, etc., it will pop off. :shock: Of course on a couple of occasions, his game of "Let's Make a Deal" included the dogs (not that they'd EVER misbehave!!!) :lol: The thing that surprised me the most was the old-fashioned clamp-type (giant canning jar-like) glass cannisters. Yes, he's figured them out too! His "indominable spirit" is pretty impressive. He does NOT give up until he figures out how to get it open, cuz CLEARLY I put all the good stuff in the house in some sort of cannister!!! ;-) Maybe I need to use a little reverse psychology. Put a bag of kitty litter in a cannister where he can get it open. Or some canned food... hmmm.... When I'm around, "Mister Green Bottle" (filled w/ water) is quite effective. Pretty much all I have to do is reach for it. But I can't be around all the time, so I need to have an alternate plan. Maybe the canned goods would be something... but then I'd worry that he or someone else would get bonked on their heads w/ cans tumbling all over! And just think how frustrated he'd be if he had a can, and I wasn't around to open it! :shock:

In the meantime, he's taught me not to leave food or wrappers or anything around... and I'm better at keeping dishes out of the sink. It's a shame my diabetic cat had to help me become a better housekeeper - but it's working!!! :lol:

Thanks for all the warm welcomes. Looking forward to checking in & meeting everyone!

Lu-Ann
 
I think Hershey calls it "Pssssssttttt - Let's do SHENANIGANS!!!" They send each other telepathic messages, :o or like Jenn's Baxter, post messages when we're asleep! :lol: :lol:
 
Welcome to LL Lu and Grayson...we're happy to have you all here. We are also lantus switched to lev and stayed here. It was our "home" for a year and we continued TR on lev. And there is so much daily support and help.

We hope the SRT treatment is successful for Grayson and Leo. and your boy is quite handsome!
 
Thanks! I think so too!!!

He had been sporting his "bikini-belly", (from the ultrasound), but it's mostly grown back in! Not everyone can bare their belly these days! ;-) Better him than me! :lol:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top