9/17-18 mr punkin goes to CSU amps 222 pmps 200

yesterday

i think punkin must've gotten a little low last night - he was 116 at pm +3 and i meant to stay up and test him again. i went out like my switch got turned off . . . and wowser did he bounce this morning!

we're just nearly ready to go, probably another hour and we'll be on our way. it does take a little more to pack for 2 cats as well as the beans!

thanks so much for all the wonderful support. i know we are surrounded by your prayers and good wishes. :YMHUG: i'll probably update daily - after 7 months i won't know how NOT to! :lol: everywhere has free wifi.

we have a reservation in Twin Falls, Idaho tonight. thinking of all of you today!

 

Re: 9/17 punkin amps 331 we're off

Honk as you drive through Boise, guys!!!!

Safest of travels, and may you have great results when you arrive!

we'll be thinking of you...

 

Re: 9/17 punkin amps 331 we're off

Travel safe.

Please update us (and we like photos) about how Punkin is doing. Good luck with the SRT and you know you'll be in our thoughts.

 

Re: 9/17 punkin amps 331 we're off

Have a safe trip :razz:

 

Re: 9/17 punkin amps 331 we're off

SAFE TRAVELS! I will be thinking of you guys - please update when you can, as we all want to know how Punkin is doing. Good Luck!!!

Enjoy Twin Falls - I do so love Idaho. Beautiful country!

Punkin - travel well my friend. Be cool at the vetty's - I hear it is an awesome place and they will take good care of you. Be well my buddy. hey - can we come and visit you? See you !! ~~ Mannie

 

Re: 9/17 punkin amps 331 we're off

You're probably already on the road. Can you see me waving? Safe and happy road trip!

 

Re: 9/17 punkin amps 331 we're off

have a safe trip! Can't wait to hear how things are going.

 

Re: 9/17 punkin amps 331 we're off

Safe trip, and good luck. We'll be thinking about you guys.

 

Re: 9/17 punkin amps 331 we're off

Safe travels and good luck. Please keep us updated. Sending lots of prayers and love for Punkin and all of you!

 

Re: 9/17 punkin amps 331 we're off

Have a safe trip. I've been out of it lately and didn't realize you were on your way. Paws and fingers crossed by all here for a successful outcome.

 

Re: 9/17 punkin amps 331 we're off

we're in twin falls tonight - my computer is being a pain. tried to upload pics (of course, cute ones) but the shockwave player crashed and i've had to reinstall it. good grief. did you ever feel like you spend more time taking care of your computer than using it?

the cats were fabulous in the car. very active and vocal for the first couple of hours, then totally crashed under the driver's seat. both of them - for the next 5 hours! anya was certain that the way out was through the windshield in front of the driver! hahahaha mostly they were very good, though.

anya isn't eating - not since we left home this morning. i don't know why, but i did bring a larger syringe and will get some food into her tomorrow if i have to.

we gave anya just 1 drop of rescue remedy - i'm not sure if that made her sleep or what. at one point i asked DH to please humor me and just check and make sure anya was alive under my seat. he said "how will i know?" i said "is she warm?" he said she was warm and moving, so i was relieved. she was literally 4-5 hours under that seat without a peep, including us stopping twice and changing drivers! punkin was blocking the seat opening in front of her, so i guess they were all snuggy in there.

i had this horrible realization when we were just past Portland - punkin's pupils have been dilated a lot - and i realized today that they are fixed sometimes, ie, not closing down when the light is bright. i wonder if the tumor is pressing on the optic chiasm - i know that is a spot right near the pituitary gland and the tumor & they try to avoid hitting with the radiation. then later in the afternoon i realized that they were reacting normally again - so perhaps it moves. ugh. i am so glad we're doing this, although i still feel full of doubts. but marching along anyway.

thanks for all of your comments - i'll try to get the pics up tomorrow when the computer has restarted and the program is operating right.

 

Re: 9/17 punkin in twin falls, idaho tonight

oh yeah, celi, i waved to you and binks when we went through boise. and on the east side of boise when we saw a field of caterpillar tractors and other yellow truck-type equipment, i made a mental note to ask you if that was art, or what the heck a whole field of dead tractors was about? do you know? :lol:

anya seems to be well-rested from her day's sleep and now is very interested in playing. *sigh* but i have ambien. hopefully won't be able to hear a thing!

nighty night Lantus Land!

 

Re: 9/17 punkin in twin falls, idaho tonight

so far so good!
how is punkins BG?

 

Re: 9/17 punkin in twin falls, idaho tonight

Happy Trails Punkin and Anya!

 

Re: 9/17 punkin in twin falls, idaho tonight

Good night...sleep tight....don't let the bed bugs bite......

Wow...now more than ever that is true :lol: :lol: :lol:

Continued safe travel wishes!!!! HOpefully Anya will eat on her own.

 

Re: 9/17 punkin in twin falls, idaho tonight

Nice report. We've got you guys in our prayers!!!

 

Re: 9/17 punkin in twin falls, idaho tonight

Hi Julie, glad you arrived safely. Can't wait to see the pics. Thinking of you and Punkin and sending hugs and prayers. Cute with Anya wanting to play just when it's time for the human to sleep, very familiar here, too.

 

Re: 9/17 punkin in twin falls, idaho tonight

Morning guys - I am glad that you made twin falls safely. and that the car trip was a success. They sound like great travelers. Continued good wishes for a safe journey. And Anya: eat your fuds.

 

Re: 9/17 punkin in twin falls, idaho tonight

Good Morning, Happy Travelers!!

We are thinking of you and sending good-travels vines. Update when you can. So glad to read that Anya and Punkin are getting used to the trip. Hang in there!

Ella & Rusty

 

Re: 9/17 punkin in twin falls, idaho tonight

Julie- So glad to hear that you had a good first day. Thoughts and prayers and hugs!!! :YMHUG:
Hope day 2 goes as well.

 

Re: 9/17 punkin in twin falls, idaho tonight

Good morning everyone. One more day of traveling? it sounds like they are great in the car, what a relief. Arrive safely!

 

Re: 9/17 punkin in twin falls, idaho tonight

Thanks for the update, Julie. So glad to hear everything is going well. Anya, please eat a bit even if you're not all that hungry or you're nervous. You need that food so you can help Punkin.
Liz

 

Re: 9/17 punkin in twin falls, idaho tonight

Punkin's preferred spot in the car - under the driver's seat. fortunately everything is tightly made and he can't get to the front seat from there.


we stopped to take a picture and i caught punkin mid-yowl. anya, of course, looks like the delicate little angel she is.


anya spent a fair amount of time in the back window, also climbing about the car exploring and watching out the window, before she crawled under the driver's seat forcing punkin to sleep on the plain old floor for the last several hours.


DH cut some fresh catnip and brought it along. punkin loves it, anya ignores it.

oh, and punkin's numbers came down fine yesterday, sandy. he was 170's at nadir and 222 at +3 last night and amps this morning. he's holding fairly steady in teh upper blues, lower yellows.

we're off to hit the road again. 650 miles down, 670ish to go. see ya later!

 

Re: 9/17-18 punkin in twin falls now, ft collins tonight

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

what wonderful pics!

So good to hear you are having such a good trip.
May today be safe and enjoyable for you!

oh, and...yeah...on the White Trash Machinery Art...
I think it is a creative outlet during times when " Dag-nab-It! Thar ain't no Monster Truck Rally today" :lol:
Gotta love Idaho!!

 

Re: 9/17-18 punkin in twin falls now, ft collins tonight

I hope your continued travels are safe and your group is well. ;-)

 

Re: 9/17-18 punkin in twin falls now, ft collins tonight

They're soooo beautiful Julie - I've only ever seen your avatar....these other vantage points really bring them to life. I don't know the whole story, but understand there's some sort of tumor. If it's growing, then yes, it can push in places affecting different cranial nerves or lobes of the brain.

What a big journey you are on and by the sounds of it, you are doing the right thing. I'm going to be thinking of the 4 of you on this adventure and will be sending you our thoughts and all of the positive, healing, loving, juju that we have!

Carry on journeymen - lots of important work to be done!! ;-) ;-)

 

Re: 9/17-18 punkin in twin falls now, ft collins tonight

Great pics- I love the one of Punkin yeowling!!!

 

Re: 9/17-18 punkin in twin falls now, ft collins tonight

Oh my God Julie, are you torturing poor Punkin? I'm sorry, that picture was laugh out loud funny!

Hey, you out there. HELP. Yeah you. Help us, help us!!!! We're being kidnapped. Help!

 

Re: 9/17 punkin in twin falls, idaho tonight

:lol: :lol:
Safe travels today, and thanks for the updates. We wish you all well.

 

Re: 9/17-18 punkin in twin falls now, ft collins tonight

Hi guys! I LOVE the caption that Caroline added - you can just see it on Punkin's face. :lol: :lol: The photos are great.

Goodluck wit the rst of the trip. It is great to read that the BG's are remaining ok through out this whole thing. that is awesome!

 

Re: 9/17-18 punkin in twin falls now, ft collins tonight

Best of luck....love the updates and the pictures.....the kidnapping caption is hilarious!!!!

Travel safe.....

 

Re: 9/17-18 punkin in twin falls now, ft collins tonight

Best of luck. You are all in my thoughts. I know it's going to be a tough road, but hoping so hard for an excellent outcome for Punkin.

 

Re: 9/17-18 punkin in twin falls now, ft collins tonight

Oh my God those photos are priceless!!!!!! What a road trip. Wishing everything continues to go well.

 

Re: 9/17-18 punkin in twin falls now, ft collins tonight

What I wouldn't give to have Willie curled up under a seat when we travel. he screams like a banshee unless he is in my lap while I'm driving. occasionally, he'll sit with DS if she is along for the ride, but she just doesn't get how to calm him down and then they both get worked up.

thoughts and prayers for continued safe travels and for wonderful results with the radiation treatment!

OMG, the pics... woke up Willie with my chortling!!!

 

Re: 9/17 punkin in twin falls, idaho tonight

LMAO!

Love the pictures. You are very brave, letting them free-roam the car while you are driving. I can't imagine what would happen in my car, with my heard.

When is the procedure? As always, we're thinking of you!

 

Re: 9/17-18 punkin in twin falls now, ft collins tonight

wonderful pics, Julie. So glad to hear that the trip is going well. Have a safe journey today and best of luck with the treatment. We are thinking of you and sending all sorts of good-luck vines to Punkin.

Hugs,

Ella & Rusty

 

Re: 9/17-18 punkin in twin falls now, ft collins tonight

bwahahahaha oh carolyn, that killed me! :lol: :lol: :lol: what a perfect caption for punkin!

we've arrived in Ft. Collins. oh, that is one long drive! it would've been a mistake to try to drive it alone with punkin.

they have been absolutely awesome in the car. like for HOURS they don't make a peep - either together under the driver's seat or anya under there and punkin moving about. we get out and switch drivers and they aren't even coming out anymore. punkin sat under my feet in the passenger's side for awhile - he's decided the way out must be under the driver's feet, but fortunately it's easy to keep him from going there. some cars there would be all sorts of ways to get there, but in the camry they have to go over the center console and over the driver's lap - so the co-pilot nabs him before he can get there.

anya's eating some - not much, but i think enough. however tonight she dutifully covered her bowl, punkin's bowl and the water bowl with washcloths! :lol: the hotel room has carpet, and as we all know, somehow canned cat food sprays bits all over the place when they eat. little crunchie bits everywhere. so i set all the bowls on washcloths. which she managed to work out from under the bowls and totally cover up the food and water. it looked like a restaurant table after you're done with dinner and the napkin's on your plate! silly kitter.

tomorrow morning we take punkin to the vet hospital at 9am for checking in and deciding an anesthesia plan. then they bring him back out to us and we meet the vet, Dr. Timian, and her student assistant at 10am. They'll do a CT scan and if he's doing ok with the anesthesia they'll do a MRI as well. i don't know when the echocardiogram happens.

jessica, he has acromegaly, which is a benign tumor growing on the pituitary gland. the tumor does a couple of things - for one, it is "pulsative" meaning that it turns on and off. It puts out chemicals that prevent the insulin from getting into the cells and doing its thing with the carbs. we keep giving more and more insulin so that enough gets in to keep him in decent numbers. at any point the tumor can shut down its production of hormones, so the dose has to be responsive to the cat's needs. so far we haven't had any "shutting off."

just fyi, the latest thing coming out of the researchers is a speculation that as many as 1 in 3 cats who end up with a larger than average dose might have acromegaly.

it also causes an increase in growth hormones, causing the cat's body to grow. the soft tissue grows first - so big feet, tongue, muzzle; the organs grow - megacolon, enlarged heart, liver, etc. and eventually even the bones will try to grow, like the forehead and jaw end up jutting out.

apparently pain is a part of all of this, although i don't think punkin's having any/much yet.

so what we're doing this week is called Stereotactic Radiotherapy - SRT - they aim concentrated radiation at the tumor, trying to avoid that optic chiasm. they'll make a mold of punkin's upper jaw so they can position him the same every time. Tuesday, wednesday & thursday he'll get about 20 minutes of radiation each day. small fractions, carefully targeted. the hard part of this entire thing is that he will be under general anesthetic 4 days in a row. he gets 1/2 dose of insulin in the morning and then we try to deal with the nausea and get him to eat in the evenings. no food after 10pm.

i brought the baby food, pepcid, high carb foods, karo, everything i could think we might need. i just hope he handles that anesthesia (wow i hate having to keep spelling that!) ok. that's the main concern i have.

Susan & Lanky did this just about exactly a year ago. Lanky's come way down in dosage since then. We're hopeful. even while i think i'm positively crazy to be doing it.

but sometimes the way opens up in front of you and you just keep going. this was one of those things. all the stars aligned and here we are. i'll open a new condo tomorrow so this doesn't get forever long!

 

May your road be gentle & may everything Go exceptionally well--Prayers for a successful treatment..
Hugs & Lub from us!!

 

i was going to say...that pic deserves to go on Icanhazcheezburger.com!

 

Re: 9/17 punkin in twin falls, idaho tonight

FOR THE 10TH TIME...
I SAID 2 CHEESEBURGERS,
EXTRA RARE!!!

 

Paws crossed and everything else that tomorrow goes well and Mr P handles the anesthesia like the champ he is. Will probably be a piece of catnip after the car trip! All our best!!
:YMHUG:

 

I'm glad you and the family arrived safely. It sounds like you are as prepared as you can be for the next several days. You and Punkin are in my thoughts.

 

julie, i've been thinking of you all day. i'm sure everything will go smoothly over the next few days. they know what they're doing and so do you. :mrgreen:
sending hugs and tons and tons of support...

 

I love all the captions! Thinking of you tomorrow!
Come on Punkin- Show em your stuff!

 

LOVE the photos and all the funny captions. The look on Punkin's face is priceless!

What a trip and I'm so glad you made it safely. Anya and Gracie are so alike in the "bury the plate" department. Gracie tried to bury hers with a nanner the other day :lol: :lol: :lol: I would have loved to have seen Anya's.

((((Julie)))...thinking of you every second the next several days. Keeping you all in our prayers. I pray this will help PUnkin immeasurably. Please keep us posted.