Grayson & Lu
Member Since 2012
Good morning all -
It's been quite a while since I've been around, but I occasionally pop on and check in, even if I don't post.
Grayson has been on Lev since May 31, 2012, and he's doing GREAT!!! :mrgreen: Grayson has Acromegaly - caused by a pituitary tumor that messes with growth hormones, creating this "Giant's Disease" - of which the uncontrolled or insulin-resistant diabetes is a symptom, in addition to his larger-than-life size.
Although the Acro affects his dosing, most of the rest of the issues he goes through are similar to what normal dose diabetic kitties have. He went for Stereotactic Radiation Therapy [SRT] in July 2012. This is a special kind of radiation that targets the tumor, located adjacent to his brain approximately between his eyes. The tumor doesn't die immediately from the treatment, it continues to fade over time - the doctors said typically 7-77 weeks to notice a difference. After climbing to unthinkably high doses, we finally reached his maximum dose, and started to see reductions. He’s still a “high doser” compared to most FD kitties, but is on the lower end of the scales with his Acro buddies. Just like with normal diabetics, we continue to test frequently and respond as needed with food, dosing changes, and other treatments. One side effect of the SRT he experienced is hypo-thyroid. He takes a pill each morning with his freeze dried chicken which keeps that in check. And there’s Miralax to keep his poop moving. And daily ear cleaning and drops to keep his ear infection (that was a HUGE influence on his BGs) at bay.
We look at the whole cat – how they look, how they behave, how they play, etc., as well as their numbers. G has improved in ALL categories. His coat is no longer dandruffy or oily, he’s not shedding, he’s not ravenous (up to 36 ounces of food a day!), he plays with toys (I especially like when he chatters with his cosmic catnip carrot!), and has become quite the good traveler. Most impressive, however, is that he’s pretty much been holding in blues and greens for the past month. I did the meter check for 7-14-30 day averages yesterday: 126-137-148. Honestly, I never expected it to get this good – but I’m THRILLED!!! After all, he “swam in a sea of pinks” and hung out at the “pink IHOP” before we got the blood tests that showed a high IGF-1 (indicator of Acromegaly) and high IAA (insulin resistance). It was hard to realize just HOW aggressively we’d need to fight to break the resistance – but it’s paying off - he looks and feels great (which means I feel great!).
Our time here helped me learn about Levemir and how to dose – even at low numbers – by reviewing others’ SSs. Dosing low numbers was scary, and sometimes still is! ... but seeing how others do it and how their kitties responded made a huge difference for Grayson’s well-being. I can’t thank you guys enough for the guidance and support that we received, and helped us get to where we are today. We are frequent flyers in the FB Acro group, and have been able to assist by sharing our experiences there. But it’s nice to pop in and check on our “old friends” here as well, and know that you are continuing to share and learn and help others as they arrive and get settled in here. This group is a great resource for the newly diagnosed and the long-term members. I can’t imagine where we’d be if I hadn’t been introduced here. Thank you for all you do to calm the nervous, stressed out newbies like I was, and helped me feel comfortable sharing what we were going through. It’s nice to know we aren’t in this by ourselves.
Lu-Ann
It's been quite a while since I've been around, but I occasionally pop on and check in, even if I don't post.
Grayson has been on Lev since May 31, 2012, and he's doing GREAT!!! :mrgreen: Grayson has Acromegaly - caused by a pituitary tumor that messes with growth hormones, creating this "Giant's Disease" - of which the uncontrolled or insulin-resistant diabetes is a symptom, in addition to his larger-than-life size.
Although the Acro affects his dosing, most of the rest of the issues he goes through are similar to what normal dose diabetic kitties have. He went for Stereotactic Radiation Therapy [SRT] in July 2012. This is a special kind of radiation that targets the tumor, located adjacent to his brain approximately between his eyes. The tumor doesn't die immediately from the treatment, it continues to fade over time - the doctors said typically 7-77 weeks to notice a difference. After climbing to unthinkably high doses, we finally reached his maximum dose, and started to see reductions. He’s still a “high doser” compared to most FD kitties, but is on the lower end of the scales with his Acro buddies. Just like with normal diabetics, we continue to test frequently and respond as needed with food, dosing changes, and other treatments. One side effect of the SRT he experienced is hypo-thyroid. He takes a pill each morning with his freeze dried chicken which keeps that in check. And there’s Miralax to keep his poop moving. And daily ear cleaning and drops to keep his ear infection (that was a HUGE influence on his BGs) at bay.
We look at the whole cat – how they look, how they behave, how they play, etc., as well as their numbers. G has improved in ALL categories. His coat is no longer dandruffy or oily, he’s not shedding, he’s not ravenous (up to 36 ounces of food a day!), he plays with toys (I especially like when he chatters with his cosmic catnip carrot!), and has become quite the good traveler. Most impressive, however, is that he’s pretty much been holding in blues and greens for the past month. I did the meter check for 7-14-30 day averages yesterday: 126-137-148. Honestly, I never expected it to get this good – but I’m THRILLED!!! After all, he “swam in a sea of pinks” and hung out at the “pink IHOP” before we got the blood tests that showed a high IGF-1 (indicator of Acromegaly) and high IAA (insulin resistance). It was hard to realize just HOW aggressively we’d need to fight to break the resistance – but it’s paying off - he looks and feels great (which means I feel great!).
Our time here helped me learn about Levemir and how to dose – even at low numbers – by reviewing others’ SSs. Dosing low numbers was scary, and sometimes still is! ... but seeing how others do it and how their kitties responded made a huge difference for Grayson’s well-being. I can’t thank you guys enough for the guidance and support that we received, and helped us get to where we are today. We are frequent flyers in the FB Acro group, and have been able to assist by sharing our experiences there. But it’s nice to pop in and check on our “old friends” here as well, and know that you are continuing to share and learn and help others as they arrive and get settled in here. This group is a great resource for the newly diagnosed and the long-term members. I can’t imagine where we’d be if I hadn’t been introduced here. Thank you for all you do to calm the nervous, stressed out newbies like I was, and helped me feel comfortable sharing what we were going through. It’s nice to know we aren’t in this by ourselves.
Lu-Ann
