Sick kitty...

[TooPatient]

My sweet Lily is in the vet's office now. Hoping she survives the xrays and they can get what they need to treat her. Should know that in the next hour...

Took her in last week after work for a sinus infection. Time release antibiotics injection will keep giving dose through next Thursday. Last night, she was hardly able to stand. Wobbly and weak. Then trouble breathing. Panting.

I took today off work to get her in first thing for more subcutaneous fluidids thinking she is still dehydrated. Described to vet. Settled on more fluids, B12 complex, and some blood work and UA to check kidneys and thyroid.

Scared the poor (super wonderful) vet as she got excited over fluids and had trouble breathing. Not just asthma. Heart rate up and all that. Concerned if we give her albuterol it could kill her. Got her back to okay and we left. I stuck her carrier in the front seat with me and she had started panting before we even got moving.

Took her back inside. Vet wants xrays to check lung diseases, asthma, kidneys, heart, whatever. She is concerned Lily will go into cardiac arrest of we treat wrong or don't treat.

So.... Hear I am sitting in the car waiting. Hoping she lives through the xrays (vet is worried). After that, we worry about what is wrong and how to treat.

$200 + $280 already. Now xrays at just under $500. We are still recovering from 18 months no income. Grateful this is happening now when we can make it work and not 4 months ago when we just couldn't have come up with the money. I just want my sweet girl back and healthy!

 

[the_mother_thing]

Really sorry to read that, TP! I hope they figure out the cause quickly and are able to get her health back on track.

 

[Gypsy]

I am sorry honey. I've been there. Support and love coming your way with healing vibes.

 

[azstonie]

Oh no, I'm sending lots and lots of healing dust to your sweet cat and to you.

 

[TooPatient]

Finally taking her home now. She did okay with xrays and they got what they needed. Now we wait for results. Blood stuff hopefully back tomorrow. Specialist xray review hopefully back tomorrow also.

She doesn't show any obvious signs of asthma on the scans. Strange since she had before. Eh. Healthy is better!

 

[Rockinruby]

Toopatient, I'm so glad you got to take her home after the tests. She will probably do better after getting some rest in the comfort of her own house. Sending her lots of dust to get better and that she will have good test results. I know it's hard. Hugs!

 

[momhappy]

Oh no! I hope the tests come back with nothing serious and that your kitty is okay. Please keep us posted.

 

[Calliecake]

TP, Sending lots of healing dust to your sweet baby! Please send an update tomorrow. My thoughts are with you Sweetie.

 

[MarionC]

Sending good vibes to you this morning. Just remember, when they say a kitty has 9 lives it's for a reason. They bounce back! Nose kisses to your kitty.

 

[missy]

Sending lots of healing dust to your sweet kitty. And love and hugs. Hoping she has a complete recovery!!!

 

[CJ2008]

Glad she's OK TP and she made it OK w the xrays.

Sending her hugs and hope everything comes back alright.

 

[rainydaze]

I'm sorry to hear she isn't well, TP. Glad you got some good news about signs of asthma, and my fingers are crossed that the news to come is tolerable and easily addressed! Meanwhile, healing dust to kitty.

 

[PintoBean]

Lots and lots of healing dust!!

How is Lily doing today?

 

[TooPatient]

Results back. Not good.

Asthma
Hyperthyroid
kidneys (not sure to what extent yet)
likely polyp in throat/sinus
Infection

So....
Need to get breathing and lungs under control. But to treat them could kill her due to thyroid storms and elevated heart rate.
Need to get thyroid under control but that could take a few months and heart/asthma could be an issue and kill her before then.
Need to get full kidney info back to asses where to go from there.

Now what? How do you treat all that? The dr says she is sick enough she may not survive treatments. I asked what she would do with her cat. She said that she might try the steroid injection (for lungs/breathing) and see if that helps. If so, go to thyroid from there. BUT she is not likely to respond much to the injection and it may cause to to go into cardiac arrest. She hinted strongly at euthanasia. She will come out to our house when we are ready after whatever treatments we feel we need to try.

I am at work in tears. Have to start work now and I am hurting so bad.

 

[mary poppins]

TooPatient, I'm so sorry to hear Lily isn't doing well and you will have to make some hard decisions about how to move forward.

Our furbabies are family and it's hard to see them suffer.

Sending loads of PS healing dust to Lily and strength dust to you.

 

[chrono]

I'm so very sorry; it is very heartbreaking to make that decision and know whatever you decide, you are doing it in her best interest and lots of love. (((Huggs))) I still feel guilt today, wondering whether I made the right decision to have the vet euthanize to my kitty when I couldn't do anything else to save her kidneys.

 

[CJ2008]

Oh

So sorry TP...

There are no easy clear cut decisions here - they all have pros/cons.

Whatever you decide will be the best you can do for Lily. She knows you love her.

So sorry TP.

 

[december-fire]

TooPatient,

I'm so sorry. What a heartbreaking, painful place to be in.

This is one of those awful times when a choice must be made without knowing the outcome.

You obviously love your kitty and want to do what's right.

Doing what's right doesn't always mean doing what's easy.

Try to make the choice that you think is best for your kitty.

I'm very sorry.

Sending you hugs.

 

[TooPatient]

I have this ongoing nightmare where I am holding one of my fur babies while the vet injects and I suddenly realise there was something we didn't try or that maybe there is no treatment but they could have been happy and comfortable for many more months and I made,the call too soon.

But I don't want her to suffer.

So how do I know she won't just perk up again when the sinus infection is gone and go back to her normal happy self? Maybe with these other issues, but she has always been fine between sinus flare ups.

But I don't want to go home one day and find she died a slow or painful death scared and alone...


I am in my delivery can in tears. Can't reach DH yet. So broken.

 

[december-fire]

TooPatient,

I wish I could tell you the answer.

You did the right thing asking what decision the vet would make.
Of course, the vet can't tell you definitely what will happen.
But knowing what the vet would do is a bit of information.
That's all you get in this situation; a bit of information, no guaranteed outcome based on treatment options, and the requirement to make a very difficult decision (whether its do nothing, try some combination of treatments, decide its time for Lily to pass on).

Talk to your DH.
Talk to your vet again, if you feel the need.

But know that your decision is based on love for Lily.

You didn't create her health issues.
All you can do is deal with this horrible situation in what you think is in the best interests of Lily.

Sending big hugs, dear. I'm so sorry.

 

[PintoBean]

Toopatient

{{{hugs}}}

 

[azstonie]

You are doing every single thing just right for dear Lily.

It's been my practice to take some time when I don't know what choice to make. I know that in Lily's situation the top priority is the breathing. The rest would come after.

Lily is in excellent hands---yours. Love and dust to you both.

 

[TooPatient]

Finally got to talk to DH. His phone is broken...

Talked to vet
Have a plan.

Steroid injection for breathing. Will help quickly if it doesn't kill her. Take from there. If it helps, long lasting steroid for breathing. Also have them compounding thyroid meds to stabilize heart rate and breathing. Will take a few days due to her special need for different compound.

So.... We do the steroid injection thing tonight around 5:30. Hoping for the best. Just want her comfortable...

 

[CJ2008]

We'll be thinking of Lily xoxox

Sending dust - (is it ok to send even though you didn't request it?) - so that the injection goes smoothly and Lily's breathing normalizes.

 

[TooPatient]

We'll be thinking of Lily xoxox

Sending dust - (is it ok to send even though you didn't request it?) - so that the injection goes smoothly and Lily's breathing normalizes.

All dust, good wishes, healthy thoughts, etc welcome! Thank you!

 

[PintoBean]

Glad you have a plan. dust dust dust to kitty!!!

 

[CJ2008]

We'll be thinking of Lily xoxox

Sending dust - (is it ok to send even though you didn't request it?) - so that the injection goes smoothly and Lily's breathing normalizes.

All dust, good wishes, healthy thoughts, etc welcome! Thank you!

Sending you and kitty ALL of the above. (((hugs)))

 

[tyty333]

Lots of dust for Lilly and you...Glad you have a plan. Not having a direction can be the worst part. I hope tomorrow brings
her better breathing.

 

[hay joe]

O boy TP. High hopes for the best reaction possible. She knows she's loved and being loved is very comforting.

 

[NOYFB]

Oh sweetie. I am so sorry to hear that your baby is sick. I will keep her in my thoughts and am sending her healing vibes and PS dust. Just an FYI, since you're planning to do the steroid injection and you said she's very weak and not moving a lot, be aware that it will probably cause her to urinate more frequently and she may not make it to the litter box, and she may just urinate wherever she is sitting/laying. We treated our best buddy, Peanut, with injectable steroids for a few weeks and couldn't figure out why he was urinating inappropriately until another vet told us that that could happen with the steroids. We stopped them immediately and the inappropriate urination promptly stopped. I'm telling you all of this so that you can make sure that Lily is in an environment where it won't be an issue if she urinates inappropriately. Trust me, you don't want to deal with trying to get the smell of cat urine out of your bedding/mattress.

Please keep us posted. And can you post a pic or 2 of Lily?