Missy 10/07

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Maresydotes

Maresydotes

Member Since 2011
Just popping in to say I started using R with Missy, in addition to Levemir. Missy has been a really bouncy girl. We hoped the Lev would help with that. It does seem to be. I was using the R to help bring her down. Lately, it seems to be helping her a LOT. :-D with a nudge of R, she is staying out of pinks :thumbup and has been surfing blues more and more. Don't understand it at all, but the R seems to sensitize her to the Lev, as the effects seem to linger for a day or two, contrary to logic.
I was really nervous about using the R, but I think it was a good call for Missy's case. I had her retested for her Lyme disease and her slightly low tli numbers. Lyme came back clean and still waiting to hear on the tli values (pancreatic exocrine functions).
I cannot advise anyone on the use of R, but if you are thinking of it, she is an example of a good reaction to it.
 
Yes, Missy has been through the whole gamut of tests. :roll: She is negative for both acro and IAA. I always forget her IGF number, but it was solidly in the normal range. Her IAA was a 1, where < 20 is normal. That is why I have been racking my brain over why she had to go back on insulin after 4 months of being off of it. You would think there would be some sort of discernible reason, esp since she has been so unregulated. She had an ultrasound and everything was normal....no evidence of pancreatitis (blood work was neg as well) no evidence of IBD, no evidence of Cushings (no skin issues, either), no toxmoplasmosis, no internal parasites......nothing but an overweight, unregulated kitty. Well, there WAS the Lyme.....
I have NO idea why the R is doing what it is doing, but it sure seems to help her......so far.
Oh, interestingly enough, today was the first day I ever heard anything on the news about pets and Lyme disease! So, everyone should be aware it is a possibility in our kitties, too.
 
I knew that dogs got Lyme - makes sense that cats can too, but we don't think about it. Did she have any symptoms? What made you check for it - or did you just find it in all the testing?

When I got Jeddie, it was a month after his diagnosis and 1u bid of vetsulin, but no further blood tests. I gave him one .5u shot and was finally able to test him about 4 days later and he was in the low/mid 100s, so I didn't give him insulin. He was OTJ for four months and then just started climbing. Also, when I got him he was 8 lbs (or just over), but that was way underweight (Maine Coon mix) and he gained weight over those first months (and beyond). Maybe the weight had something to do with him needing to go back on insulin, I don't know. He was never overweight. He didn't even ever get back to his old normal weight of 13 lbs. So I wonder if Missy's weight has something to do with it. Excess weight can contribute to insulin resistance, which is not the same as IAA where the antibodies destroy beta cells.

All this endocrinology is very complicated and looking for single causal factor probably blinds us to other causes - so the big picture is actually "blurry" and not black and white, or even logical - although logic is where I always want to start.
 
I had a full tick panel run on her, because I was convinced her eating dragonflies had something to do with her going back on insulin. She was eating 4-5 of them a day. They show up in force in July here and she went back on insulin the beginning of August 2011. I researched dragonflies as a vector for disease and found that cats and dogs also get Potomac Horse Fever. Dragonflies are suspected carrier. So when we did the other blood work and ultrasound, I insisted on her being checked for PHF. That involved the tick panel. She was negative for PHF but positive for Lyme. Kind of a fluke that we found it, but fortunately the full panel tested for it. I never ever even thought of Lyme. I don't think I have ever seen a tick here, but I guess the deer tick are very tiny.
I am positive her weight is a factor, but she was heavier by 4 pounds when she went OTJ and was losing weight on a regular basis while she was OTJ. Once she went back on insulin, she stopped losing, but apparently that is very common in humans. Levemir is supposedly the best insulin for humans as far as gaining the least amount of weight, so maybe getting her to lose will be easier on it. (please!)
I also think there is something I am missing because she is so unregulated. There has to be a reason. As the vets say, she isn't really 'resistant', she is just inconsistent in her response, because she does respond. Just not consistently. I have wracked my brain, pathetic as it is, for a reason for the inconsistency. Her food is always the same and her brother eats it as well, no contraband (except dragonflies :cry: ) because she is in a fenced yard and our daily routine rarely varies. I have gone over my injection technique and vary her injection sites. So I cannot figure out why some days she has good numbers and many days she does not.
That lead me to think it was internal.....that's when I did the ultrasound, acro/IAA tests, toxmoplasmosis, Fpli and tick panel. (her tli came back today and she is in the normal range). I would do more tests if I knew what else to test for. :sad:
The R has been helping, but today she was kind of flat, despite using it. The vet checked out her numbers and we talked today. She is wondering about glucose toxicity. Had an internist friend who she has been discussing Missy with. She hopes to speak with him about her reaction to the R and get his ideas. I was so happy with where she has been lately, but today was a little underwhelming. I guess I just have to see how it plays out.
Whatever we find, I will be sure to share. After this ride with her, I will do whatever I can to help anyone who is dealing with FD. It sounds like Suze and Pumbaa are having some issues, too, although not quite as wild and wooly as Miss, who
does nothing by the book. ohmygod_smile
I definitely agree with you that the endocrinology is complicated and blurry and NOT logical at all! I don't want to give up looking for a reason for her relapse, but my main goal is to get her regulated and feeling good.
 
Wow, you certainly have tested for everything under the sun. Seems like you have access to some quite knowledgeable vets where you live.
I am not so fortunate, as I will more than likely be educating them. I too have considering trying the "R", but first want to rule out anything that may have been missed prior to getting him.

I will definitely be following your story....thank you so much for sharing all this info.
 
Sheri,
I sure feel I have had her tested for everything! I am sure there are things I am missing, but I don't know what else, at this point. My 'original' vet was awesome, she had me trained to home test, gave me the URL to Binky's list and here all before I left her office at dx. I love her. But she referred me to an internist because Missy is such a high dose cat with no discernible reason. She didn't feel comfortable caring for her FD as she hadn't dealt with a kitty like her before. :cry: so we went to the internist, who did nothing but tell me to increase her dose every week. Grr....I can do that myself! I pushed to they another insulin and have her tested for acro/IAA. When he told me he didn't know of a lab that did the test for IAA, I left him. If I can find the info on that, surely, as a specialist, he should be aware of MSU, esp since they do the test for acromegaly!
My current vet is not totally up to date on FD, even tho she has an FD cat. But, she is willing to learn and that counts for a lot to me. She didn't know about Lev, but asked an internist friend and finally switched us over. She actually thanked me for doing the research on PHF and pushing for the tick panel that found the Lyme. So, we are learning together, but at least she is open to that.
If I find out anything more, I definitely will share.....thankfully all the people and kitties before us did the same or I cannot even begin to imagine where Miss and would be today!
 
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