Update on Puddy; she's gone*9/29* see post #421

[Medusa]

I just now spoke w/Dr. Lee and he said that I could start the injections and then taper off. So expense wise, at least, it would help but I'm still not sure yet. I asked if it would hurt if I gave it a week more to think about it and he said "No, it wouldn't hurt her; you don't have to give her the treatments. She just isn't producing the hormone that produces red blood cells any more". Iron supplements only encourage red blood cells but they don't produce them. Poor little girl is just sick and tired of me jabbing her and shoving meds down her throat. I want to give her every chance but so far I haven't been able to tell if it's what she wants. I ask her directly and there are times when she looks at me as if to say "Enough!" and then there are other times when she looks as though she's saying "You're not going to give up on me, are you, Mom?" Of course, that's my own human thinking getting in the way but I'm human! I can't think like an animal and an animal can't think like a human. Nancy Efrusy got back to me and said that she would try to get to Puddy's reading this week.

As for my own health concerns, the test results came back normal today, so I'm relieved about that. My gynecologist did further testing for ovarian cancer and to say that I was nervous is putting it mildly. I do encourage all my female PTers to get a pelvic ultrasound and a CA125 blood test to put your minds at ease. A pap smear doesn't tell the whole story. So now I've got to figure out why I'm gaining weight around my middle when I have absolutely no appetite. But that's for another thread and another day. Right now Puddy is my main concern. And I can't forget Specs. Gotta get him in for a chest x-ray and an ultrasound. Ka-ching! LOL

[carole]

I am also concerned about you Mary,if you are not well, maybe you have to make yourself the top priority in this case, i am so relieved to hear your scan showed nothing up and the tests came back negative for ovarian cancer,we don't even get offered these blood tests in NZ yet,you maybe can get them but at a huge expense and only if they think something is wrong, i have been told soon their will be a simple urine test for ovarian cancer in the states,which all sounds positive.

I am sorry you are having so much worry with your two kitties at the moment, you have enough on your plate with your own health by the sound of things,have they tested your thyroid yet, however putting weight on around the middle with no appetite does not sound like thyroid either, you are usually hungry and put on the weight, i am worried about you, please take care and you can only do your best for Puddy, so far Puddy has not done without and you have given her every chance possible, take comfort in knowing that,maybe it is time to stop some of her treatment, it is so hard to know as they cannot tell us,just know we are all here to help in anyway we can. HUGS

[Medusa]

I am also concerned about you Mary,if you are not well, maybe you have to make yourself the top priority in this case, i am so relieved to hear your scan showed nothing up and the tests came back negative for ovarian cancer,we don't even get offered these blood tests in NZ yet,you maybe can get them but at a huge expense and only if they think something is wrong, i have been told soon their will be a simple urine test for ovarian cancer in the states,which all sounds positive.

I am sorry you are having so much worry with your two kitties at the moment, you have enough on your plate with your own health by the sound of things,have they tested your thyroid yet, however putting weight on around the middle with no appetite does not sound like thyroid either, you are usually hungry and put on the weight, i am worried about you, please take care and you can only do your best for Puddy, so far Puddy has not done without and you have given her every chance possible, take comfort in knowing that,maybe it is time to stop some of her treatment, it is so hard to know as they cannot tell us,just know we are all here to help in anyway we can. HUGS

I'm going in for testing for thyroid and diabetes on Wednesday. My mother had both conditions so I follow up w/tests every couple of years and, so far, everything has come back negative. I sure would like to get to the bottom of this. I had every single symptom of ovarian cancer, which had my gynecologist (and me) concerned but, as I said, the tests came back normal. As long as my Puddy and the rest of the Fur Posse are doing ok, that's half the battle for me. When someone close to me that I love is ill, I end up getting sick myself; too much of an empath, I guess. Thanx for the concern, Carole. I'll keep you posted. As for the tests for ovarian cancer, I do have health insurance but it's really only good if I get a devastating illness or am in an accident. When you're my age and self-employed, insurance is expensive and lousy. They probably will only pay 10% of the costs for all this testing and the rest I will be responsible for.

[carole]

Good luck with the further tests,i know how it feels to have things not normal and never getting to the bottom of it, so fustrating and very worrying, i really empathise with you Mary, and yes if you are under stress with kitties that will indeed make you unwell too, completely understand where you are coming from on that issue, I am hoping all is well with you and you can find out what is troubling you, and ease the worry,that in itself will make you feel so much better, thinking of you and wishing you all and puddy all the best.

Thank goodness you did not have ovarian cancer, i am so relieved for you.

[Medusa]

I called my local vet to see if they stock Epogen and they don't but she said she could have it overnighted. She'll call me tomorrow w/the exact cost of each injection but she ballparked it today and it came to approximately $30 instead of $50 w/Dr. Lee. That would help and I also would only have a 10 minute drive instead of a 45 minute one and the gas expense would go way down as well. So, if the price stays around $30, then I'm going to give Puddy at least a couple of weeks worth of injections and have her blood work done to see if the RBC count and her energy have improved. Right now it's as though I have a little stuffed animal. She doesn't want to come out of her carrier at all. Before, at least, she would lie in the sun in the patio room. Now, even if I carry her there, she goes back to her carrier. She wants to be left totally alone. I have to bring her food to her or I take her to feed w/the rest of the Fur Posse but, as soon as she's finished eating, she goes back to her carrier. Puddy is just a shell of what she used to be and it's making my heart so sore to see her this way.

[jenluckenbach]

I had totally lost track of this thread ( sorry), but prayers are always with you and Puddy.
If you go the Epogen route, ask about an iron/vitamin suppliment to go along with it. BraveHeart got Pet-Tinic.

[Medusa]

I have a call in to Dr. Lee so that he'll get it first thing tomorrow morning. I'm not going to wait for the Epogen to come in to my local vet's. I want to start her on it tomorrow and get the ball rolling, then call my local vet and tell her to order it. Puddy is fading quickly, which is why I was hesitant to start the Epogen in the first place. It isn't a miracle drug but it can raise the RBC count. Given her extreme renal failure, though, I'm not sure at this point that it will make any difference but I feel that I at least owe her that chance. I'm ready to cry so I'm going to sign off for now.