Pig 5/8 +8 154 - He did PUURRRFECTLY!

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LuvinThisPig

LuvinThisPig

Member Since 2017
Yesterday's

Well, today is the big day! His appointment is for 9:00 am this morning and we will be leaving the room very soon. He did pretty well last night after the intake and exams. He was pretty chill all night and slept seriously hard for about 4 hours after the visit. At one point he gave this massive belch that I thought was him vomiting, but turns out he just ate far too much... :rolleyes: Apparently they gave him 3/4 of a 5.5oz can after he came too and of course he wolfed it down like the pig he is named after... :p

He has not eaten since 3:00 am this morning and his numbers are going down a bit, but too far. He will be able to eat right after his surgery, but will not get a shot until 8:00pm (WA time). But, I have R I will likely dose on the +10 hour to combat his rise... Then do we just go right back to the 45uL or should we look at shaving a bit more off based on the last day of travel??? @Wendy&Neko Do you think a 42uL would get it or a 41? I know we will not have the uncertainty of the SRT, but like you said, it usually takes a while.... However, I am feeling a 42uL. I think that would be about right.

Pig and I could not be more appreciative or express more gratitude for ALL of your support through out all of this...!! We quite simply could not have done it without all of you and your amazing words give me the much needed strength to fight the anxiety so I can be there for Pig. I have never met a better group of people and a more handsome, gorgeous bunch of kitties. We feel so at home here and although what brought us here was not ideal, I do not think we would ever change it!!! Thank you guys just so very, very much! :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:

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You are treating Pig at the height of his Acro. This is a good time to celebrate. This treatment should knock back the acro symptoms and make Pig more manageable with diabetes.:bighug:

Theresa and I were talking about Leo and his peak usage of 18U/dose pre-SRT. It was a huge relief to see the numbers start to finally go down after the SRT. The vet staff at CSU were all great. I bet the same is true at WSU. I hope you guys got more sleep last night. The whole experience can be very tiring.
 
@Wendy&Neko can I safely give 10u without food if he can have food no later than 3 hours after injection? Lev will not roll in until about +4. He is 201. This is what was suggested, but it seems a bit like a gamble to me..
 
JeffJ said:
You are treating Pig at the height of his Acro. This is a good time to celebrate. This treatment should knock back the acro symptoms and make Pig more manageable with diabetes.:bighug:

Theresa and I were talking about Leo and his peak usage of 18U/dose pre-SRT. It was a huge relief to see the numbers start to finally go down after the SRT. The vet staff at CSU were all great. I bet the same is true at WSU. I hope you guys got more sleep last night. The whole experience can be very tiring.
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Thank you Jeff.. You two have been a huge source of reason for us and I cannot say thank you more!

Yes... This will all be worth it. It is worth it... I think the sleep will come for me once I get him back home safely..
 
LuvinThisPig said:
can I safely give 10u without food if he can have food no later than 3 hours after injection?
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I never had a problem doing this with Jack. I thought the same you did that his numbers would drop without the food but his numbers never crashed. Since it is low carb food, it didn't have much effect on his numbers. Not sure on the dose, haven't been following the SS too closely.

paws crossed today goes smooth for the both of you!!!!!
 
saltycat said:
I never had a problem doing this with Jack. I thought the same you did that his numbers would drop without the food but his numbers never crashed. Since it is low carb food, it didn't have much effect on his numbers. Not sure on the dose, haven't been following the SS too closely.

paws crossed today goes smooth for the both of you!!!!!
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Thank you! I ended up not dosing him this morning.. I did bring the R so I will likely give a heavier dose of that at +10 in this non-cycle... He came down a bit last night until we had to load up to come here, then he jumped back up. I imagine he might see some higher yellows today, but I will most likely pack in another 45u tonight and that should level him out. I have a day or two to stabilize that depot again and then can look at the decrease... But, I think at this point Pig is going to be the one to decide his dose from now on.. :p

Thank you for your support!! It has been about 25 minutes since they took him back, so we will know something very soon... :nailbiting:
 
Sorry I wasn't on when you asked about dose, 10 u would have been fine. Insulin does more than counter the food he's injested. For example, it helps feed cells by getting glucose into them. 10 u was less than half a dose, however, if you skipped, that's OK too. I seem to remember a non deliberate skip during Neko's SRT days (aka furshot). :oops:

If you want to take the dose down a bit for travel back, no harm. You can always adjust back up if you need. Trust your gut at this point. This is where Pig will be relying on you. Be conservative in your dosing decisions. I often "felt" when Neko was telling me she needed less juice. Be alert to that as things can change without notice. You won't need to cut the dose in half but you could be breaking the rules about back to back reductions or larger reductions than normal when the time comes that SRT kicks in. It will feel a bit like being on the downslope of a roller coaster.

Food for thought while you wait.

I am surprised how quick he will be. The procedure isn't long, but he has to get over the anesthesia. Neko was a little wonky the night of her first imaging. She hid away, not sure if there was pain. But she got over it in a couple hours. The IM vet had given me her cell phone number if I needed. Another good reason to wait until tomorrow before leaving, to make sure there are no immediate side effects. Another acro had some coughing from the intubation.
 
Okay... We are finally back and settled in. He was done with radiation in about 40 minutes, but they did keep him in the back a bit longer to allow him to come to. He did BEAUTIFULLY! There were absolutely no issues and Dr. Fidel said she could not have asked for a more perfect session. She said she was able to get the beam nice and tight and directed right at the center of his tumor. She is also very, very hopeful for really good results. However, she did say again that if he did not show improvement in 3 months that all we needed to do was bring him back and they would handle the rest.

Now, she went over some possible side effects with me, but all of them were pretty rare such as swelling (hand wrote a last resort script for Prednisone just in case) and decreased thyroid - ACTH - ADH. She did give me instructions for if this happened but again, it is rare.

They did literally everything there! It was like the vet visit of my dreams! They checked BW, infectious disease, DNA, abdominal US, echo, CT scan, and radiographs and gave the me the results of all of these. They even clipped his nails and cleaned his teeth while he was under anesthesia!! He is top to bottom and just amazingly perfect!! Now it will just be the waiting game to see when he decides it is time to come down on insulin. I have a feeling I still have quite a bit to learn. @Wendy&Neko when this things starts at what cut-off should reductions be made? Below 70? 80? I like 70...

The cost was not at all exorbitant, either... We did all of that and still came in under 2,000 and that includes the 280$ for the US. From what I can tell on the receipt, the total cost for the procedure at WSU is about 1,550... Mine was a bit more because I had them do a bit extra, but it was not bad. The abdominal US was a world cheaper than anything I had priced in my area, for sure! Their radiation room was smaller than I expected, but it seems like they have a very tight process they go through. Dr. Fidel did mention to me that the Dr. they have on staff actually lives and breaths cat anesthesia and that she specializes in it. That made things a lot easier to stomach from my end.. lol. I was allowed to get video of the SRT room and an explanation of their specific procedure, so I am hoping that this will help as well!!

For now, it is rest...

Thank you so very, very much - everyone - for all of the support!! It has been crucial and invaluable! We will continue to vlog and upload for the rest of the trip! Hopefully, he will not pull any crazy BG stunts on the way home!
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Sorry I wasn't on when you asked about dose, 10 u would have been fine. Insulin does more than counter the food he's injested. For example, it helps feed cells by getting glucose into them. 10 u was less than half a dose, however, if you skipped, that's OK too. I seem to remember a non deliberate skip during Neko's SRT days (aka furshot). :oops:

If you want to take the dose down a bit for travel back, no harm. You can always adjust back up if you need. Trust your gut at this point. This is where Pig will be relying on you. Be conservative in your dosing decisions. I often "felt" when Neko was telling me she needed less juice. Be alert to that as things can change without notice. You won't need to cut the dose in half but you could be breaking the rules about back to back reductions or larger reductions than normal when the time comes that SRT kicks in. It will feel a bit like being on the downslope of a roller coaster.

Food for thought while you wait.

I am surprised how quick he will be. The procedure isn't long, but he has to get over the anesthesia. Neko was a little wonky the night of her first imaging. She hid away, not sure if there was pain. But she got over it in a couple hours. The IM vet had given me her cell phone number if I needed. Another good reason to wait until tomorrow before leaving, to make sure there are no immediate side effects. Another acro had some coughing from the intubation.
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No worries.. I just ended up skipping the shot. He is doing okay on BG, not great, but okay...
I was even thinking as low as 40u to start out with... If not then 41u. I can always adjust back up.
Pig acted weird last night, but has handled today far better. He does have a bit of a chest rattle from the intubation, but that is already resolving itself. He was ravenous when we got home and he ate a good amount of food. For now, I think he just needs some good rest...

My biggest concern now is what and how this thing is going to look when he starts going down.
 
Big sigh of relief! :bighug::bighug::bighug:
LuvinThisPig said:
when this things starts at what cut-off should reductions be made? Below 70? 80? I like 70...
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The CSU IM vet suggested 70 to me and that worked. It gave me a bit of a cushion. I've suggested that number to others too. Over time you will find out if that's too conservative or not for Pig.

Time to chill.
 
LuvinThisPig said:
hand wrote a last resort script for Prednisone just in case
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I had one of those too, but you want prednisolone, not prednisone (which is for dogs). I was told that headaches are a possibility for something like 5 days after the radiation. I think that may have been what Neko had that first day, then she was fine. Never gave pred.
LuvinThisPig said:
and decreased thyroid - ACTH - ADH. She did give me instructions for if this happened but again, it is rare.
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Not so rare. CSU recommended getting the T4 checked quarterly for the first year. I know of at least a couple kitties here who went hypothyroid from the radiation. Typically you get a full thyroid panel done and if confirmed hypo, you go on a daily thyroid med. Not a big deal.
 
LuvinThisPig said:
Yesterday's

Well, today is the big day! His appointment is for 9:00 am this morning and we will be leaving the room very soon. He did pretty well last night after the intake and exams. He was pretty chill all night and slept seriously hard for about 4 hours after the visit. At one point he gave this massive belch that I thought was him vomiting, but turns out he just ate far too much... :rolleyes: Apparently they gave him 3/4 of a 5.5oz can after he came too and of course he wolfed it down like the pig he is named after... :p

He has not eaten since 3:00 am this morning and his numbers are going down a bit, but too far. He will be able to eat right after his surgery, but will not get a shot until 8:00pm (WA time). But, I have R I will likely dose on the +10 hour to combat his rise... Then do we just go right back to the 45uL or should we look at shaving a bit more off based on the last day of travel??? @Wendy&Neko Do you think a 42uL would get it or a 41? I know we will not have the uncertainty of the SRT, but like you said, it usually takes a while.... However, I am feeling a 42uL. I think that would be about right.

Pig and I could not be more appreciative or express more gratitude for ALL of your support through out all of this...!! We quite simply could not have done it without all of you and your amazing words give me the much needed strength to fight the anxiety so I can be there for Pig. I have never met a better group of people and a more handsome, gorgeous bunch of kitties. We feel so at home here and although what brought us here was not ideal, I do not think we would ever change it!!! Thank you guys just so very, very much! :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:

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LuvinThisPig said:
Thank you!!! :bighug: The video should be up no later than tonight... Right now he is just chilling on the bed and dreaming!
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so happy for you guys and so happy he did so good!!!! Get some rest now
 
Yay, Pig! I'm glad it went so well and how awesome that he got a full tune up and even a dental cleaning while he was out! That's very impressive.

Now that journey is coming to a close and the next one is just beginning. Operation decrease insulin budget and increase happy Pig can now commence! :):cat:

Lots of rest for you both. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Yay Pig! Recovery time and a short trip home. Then you will start healing.:bighug:

What a great price. Now we have a first hand report on WSU. May I request you post a summary in your Pig-Acro thread, including cost? That way we have it on reference for other kittehs down the road.

You guys are probably already having a Pig Party in the hotel tonight! Carb treats all around!:D
 
AWESOME NEWS!!! so happy for you both. Now rest and healing can begin. Thank you for the play by play! It will be beneficial to so many kittehs going forward. Big hugs!! Extra (light) head bumps for your little Pig! So exciting.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Big sigh of relief! :bighug::bighug::bighug:
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Oh my gosh! You can say that again. We came in and I fed him and then I crashed out. I do not think I have slept more than 3 hours at a time since last Thursday. Pig crashed right next to me and did not budge. He is pretty clingy right now, not wanting to budge from my side. He seems altogether normal, just really lovey.
Wendy&Neko said:
The CSU IM vet suggested 70
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Yes. I remember you saying that number for when the IAA broke if it was there. I tend to agree with this. If he does not hold a decrease I can always move it up like half of the reduction...
Wendy&Neko said:
I had one of those too, but you want prednisolone, not prednisone (which is for dogs)
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Nope. You are right. I read it wrong. She wrote out one for prednisolone, not prednisone. I hope we do not have to use it. She said she only ever had one patient need it and that was a dog whose tumor was so large that there was no way to avoid radiating surrounding brain tissue. She also advised against the procedure, but the owner insisted.
Wendy&Neko said:
Not so rare. CSU recommended getting the T4 checked quarterly for the first year. I know of at least a couple kitties here who went hypothyroid from the radiation. Typically you get a full thyroid panel done and if confirmed hypo, you go on a daily thyroid med. Not a big deal.
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Okay. I could have heard her wrong, but this is good to know. I will just have Stropes run those at his check ups.
 
Stacy & Asia said:
Yay, Pig! I'm glad it went so well and how awesome that he got a full tune up and even a dental cleaning while he was out! That's very impressive.

Now that journey is coming to a close and the next one is just beginning. Operation decrease insulin budget and increase happy Pig can now commence! :):cat:

Lots of rest for you both. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
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When they told me they had cleaned his teeth I was jumping to the ceiling happy! I just could not believe all of that! I was very, very impressed!
 
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