Lester: Wednesday Update

Just spoke to the surgeon.

Lester is allegedly looking better than yesterday. No indication of
discomfort after 30 hours off the painkillers. The liver tests came back and
showed "slightly" elevated levels of whatever it is they measure. Whether
that's the start of a eventually fatal trend, or just a plain old slightly
elevated reading is something that won't be known until tests are repeated.
But she doesn't want to pull any blood out of him at this point - the reading
doesn't indicate any imminent emergency.

He goes home this evening after I get lessons in tube feeding. If he throws
up, no food until Friday (they've decided to open Friday due to a high number
of current cases) because the tube could potentially end up down in the lungs,
where food would be Bad News. He hasn't thrown up yet, and they are playing
it very conservative...a cat can normally take 15-20ccs of food without
danger, and they've been giving Lester 5 cc. He's down to 8 pounds (from 13
a couple years ago), and was 10.3 two days before I brought him in, but the
surgeon pointed out that a fair amount of that was the tumor and the fluids
they drained from his chest cavity. She feels he's holding his own right now
with the amount of food they're giving him, but of course we have to
eventually get some meat on those scrawny bones.

If nothing disasterous happens, he will have a Saturday morning appointment
for a recheck. Unless there's an emergency, my wife will have to handle that
one, as I won't miss my bicycle club for anything routine.

I'm told I can pick him up (if supported, not dangling) so that will help
moving him around at home.

She says he's not out of danger yet, but the odds are certainly with him now.
A lot better than 25% Saturday.

Art

She says he's not out of danger yet, but the odds are certainly with him now.
A lot better than 25% Saturday.

Art

That is *such* good news! We're keeping our fingers crossed and
remembering Lester in our prayers and meditations, and the Highland Fab
Four are purring up a storm on his behalf.

On Wed, 26 Nov 2003 18:30:10 GMT, (Arthur
Shapiro) wrote:

Just spoke to the surgeon.

Lester is allegedly looking better than yesterday. No indication of
discomfort after 30 hours off the painkillers. The liver tests came back and
showed "slightly" elevated levels of whatever it is they measure. Whether
that's the start of a eventually fatal trend, or just a plain old slightly
elevated reading is something that won't be known until tests are repeated.
But she doesn't want to pull any blood out of him at this point - the reading
doesn't indicate any imminent emergency.

He goes home this evening after I get lessons in tube feeding. If he throws
up, no food until Friday (they've decided to open Friday due to a high number
of current cases) because the tube could potentially end up down in the lungs,
where food would be Bad News. He hasn't thrown up yet, and they are playing
it very conservative...a cat can normally take 15-20ccs of food without
danger, and they've been giving Lester 5 cc. He's down to 8 pounds (from 13
a couple years ago), and was 10.3 two days before I brought him in, but the
surgeon pointed out that a fair amount of that was the tumor and the fluids
they drained from his chest cavity. She feels he's holding his own right now
with the amount of food they're giving him, but of course we have to
eventually get some meat on those scrawny bones.

If nothing disasterous happens, he will have a Saturday morning appointment
for a recheck. Unless there's an emergency, my wife will have to handle that
one, as I won't miss my bicycle club for anything routine.

I'm told I can pick him up (if supported, not dangling) so that will help
moving him around at home.

She says he's not out of danger yet, but the odds are certainly with him now.
A lot better than 25% Saturday.

Art
The purrs are still coming for your Lester . Do you have to travel
very far to the hospital? It will be a happy day when all the tubes
are removed -- poor little guy. Best of luck. MLB

We're all delighted with the encouraging news and are making all the
assorted zoo noises for his continuing improvement.

Best wishes

Exocat and his bosses:
Bandit, Pericles & Snowball

--
Feline family viewable at:
http://community.webshots.com/user/exocat


"Arthur Shapiro" wrote in message

Lester is allegedly looking better than yesterday.

In article , m. L. Briggs wrote:

-- Do you have to travel very far to the hospital?

Not particularly, although I really dislike driving. It's only about 12 miles
away, but it is adjacent to a major airport (John Wayne) with associated
traffic problems - I'm worried about this holiday-eve evening - and the
reality of large jetliners coming right over the building at a couple hundred
feet or less in altitude.

I wonder if I should ask for a family discount when the (massive) bill gets
paid tonight. This is the same surgeon who took the sewing needle out of
Watermelon, who removed Banana's ears, and (no story yet on the web site)
treated Sludge with chemotherapy for cancer, giving her 4-6 months to live and
somehow keeping her happily going for 2 1/2 years. You can see why she was an
automatic choice for Lester.

Art

"Arthur Shapiro" wrote

He goes home this evening after I get lessons in tube feeding.

Purrs that Lester perks up when he gets home, and starts eating on his own.

--
Marina, Frank and Nikki
marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi

Purrs for Lester to continue to get better!
I bet he will love to come home.
Elisabet and Hugo Katt


Arthur Shapiro skrev i meddelandet ...
Just spoke to the surgeon.

Lester is allegedly looking better than yesterday. No indication of
discomfort after 30 hours off the painkillers. The liver tests came back
and
showed "slightly" elevated levels of whatever it is they measure. Whether
that's the start of a eventually fatal trend, or just a plain old slightly
elevated reading is something that won't be known until tests are repeated.
But she doesn't want to pull any blood out of him at this point - the
reading
doesn't indicate any imminent emergency.

He goes home this evening after I get lessons in tube feeding. If he
throws
up, no food until Friday (they've decided to open Friday due to a high
number
of current cases) because the tube could potentially end up down in the
lungs,
where food would be Bad News. He hasn't thrown up yet, and they are
playing
it very conservative...a cat can normally take 15-20ccs of food without
danger, and they've been giving Lester 5 cc. He's down to 8 pounds (from
13
a couple years ago), and was 10.3 two days before I brought him in, but the
surgeon pointed out that a fair amount of that was the tumor and the fluids
they drained from his chest cavity. She feels he's holding his own right
now
with the amount of food they're giving him, but of course we have to
eventually get some meat on those scrawny bones.

If nothing disasterous happens, he will have a Saturday morning appointment
for a recheck. Unless there's an emergency, my wife will have to handle
that
one, as I won't miss my bicycle club for anything routine.

I'm told I can pick him up (if supported, not dangling) so that will help
moving him around at home.

She says he's not out of danger yet, but the odds are certainly with him
now.
A lot better than 25% Saturday.

Art

On Wed, 26 Nov 2003 18:30:10 GMT, (Arthur
Shapiro) wrote:

Just spoke to the surgeon.

Lester is allegedly looking better than yesterday. No indication of
discomfort after 30 hours off the painkillers. The liver tests came back and
showed "slightly" elevated levels of whatever it is they measure. Whether
that's the start of a eventually fatal trend, or just a plain old slightly
elevated reading is something that won't be known until tests are repeated.
But she doesn't want to pull any blood out of him at this point - the reading
doesn't indicate any imminent emergency.

He goes home this evening after I get lessons in tube feeding. If he throws
up, no food until Friday (they've decided to open Friday due to a high number
of current cases) because the tube could potentially end up down in the lungs,
where food would be Bad News. He hasn't thrown up yet, and they are playing
it very conservative...a cat can normally take 15-20ccs of food without
danger, and they've been giving Lester 5 cc. He's down to 8 pounds (from 13
a couple years ago), and was 10.3 two days before I brought him in, but the
surgeon pointed out that a fair amount of that was the tumor and the fluids
they drained from his chest cavity. She feels he's holding his own right now
with the amount of food they're giving him, but of course we have to
eventually get some meat on those scrawny bones.

If nothing disasterous happens, he will have a Saturday morning appointment
for a recheck. Unless there's an emergency, my wife will have to handle that
one, as I won't miss my bicycle club for anything routine.

I'm told I can pick him up (if supported, not dangling) so that will help
moving him around at home.

She says he's not out of danger yet, but the odds are certainly with him now.
A lot better than 25% Saturday.

Art

Purrs continuing, and hope the odds continue to go up
--
Steve Touchstone,
faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky

[remove Junk for email]
http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html

Arthur Shapiro wrote:
Just spoke to the surgeon.

Lester is allegedly looking better than yesterday. No indication of
discomfort after 30 hours off the painkillers. The liver tests came back and
showed "slightly" elevated levels of whatever it is they measure. Whether
that's the start of a eventually fatal trend, or just a plain old slightly
elevated reading is something that won't be known until tests are repeated.
But she doesn't want to pull any blood out of him at this point - the reading
doesn't indicate any imminent emergency.

snip


Great news. We'll all keep purring for him.
Helen Wheels

I hope he gets better quickly now that he is home








~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vincent 6/27/01
Dorothy 6/4/03


Quitters never win, and winners never quit, but those who never quit AND never
win are idiots.