Holly's health - update

On 1/22/2013 8:52 PM, mlbriggs wrote:

What are you doing for your back? I'm in the same state myself and feel yoir pain.
Best wishes and please keep the updates going. MLB

I wonder that too, as you know I'm a back patient. What's going on with
that where you can't stand for a few minutes?

On 1/22/2013 10:51 PM, MaryL wrote:
As to my back: My doctor sent me for physical therapy, and they gave me
a series of exercises to do every day. That has helped a great deal.
When Holly was in the hospital for 5 days, I visited her for an hour
each day. The only way I could be with her was to sit on a stool while
she was on the table. That really exacerbated the pain--the stool was
entirely the wrong kind of surface for sitting. I have some pain
medication that I could take when it is really needed, but it does not
seem to help at all. On top of all this, I fell head first off a step
ladder a few weeks ago and landed on my forehead. I looked like someone
had punched me in the eye, and I sprained my wrist and fingers. Even
so, I was very lucky--that type of fall could be far more serious or
even fatal.

So your back got worse when you fell? What kind of PT are you doing?
I'm about to start aquatic therapy next week for my back surgery. I'm
seriously thinking about water aerobics after this if I feel better. Do
you have that available?

"Cheryl" wrote in message
.com...

On 1/22/2013 10:51 PM, MaryL wrote:
As to my back: My doctor sent me for physical therapy, and they gave me
a series of exercises to do every day. That has helped a great deal.
When Holly was in the hospital for 5 days, I visited her for an hour
each day. The only way I could be with her was to sit on a stool while
she was on the table. That really exacerbated the pain--the stool was
entirely the wrong kind of surface for sitting. I have some pain
medication that I could take when it is really needed, but it does not
seem to help at all. On top of all this, I fell head first off a step
ladder a few weeks ago and landed on my forehead. I looked like someone
had punched me in the eye, and I sprained my wrist and fingers. Even
so, I was very lucky--that type of fall could be far more serious or
even fatal.

So your back got worse when you fell? What kind of PT are you doing?
I'm about to start aquatic therapy next week for my back surgery. I'm
seriously thinking about water aerobics after this if I feel better. Do
you have that available?

~~~~~~~
Actually, the fall did not affect my back. I looked like I had been punched
in the eye, my glasses (which I was about to replace anyway) were damaged,
and my wrist and fingers were sprained. I even found an enormous bruise on
my inside thigh, although I don't have any idea how I could have hit that
area. But my back did not seem to have any additional damage. No, the
cause this time is that I spent over an hour every day visiting Holly when
she was in the hospital. To do so, I had to sit on a high stool while she
was on the table, and that position was one of the worse I could have taken
for such a long period of time. By the time I brought her home, I was in
intense pain. I'm not doing any PT right now, but I'm continuing with the
exercises I was given when I had PT. They seem to be helping a lot. I
could hardly get out of bed the first few days, but that has now improved
greatly. We do have water aerobics here, and I have been considering it. I
was an expert swimmer in my youth (and earned money for college as a
waterfront director at various summer camps), so I would add in some easy
lap swimming if I try it. Of course, I have not been in a pool for many
years.

How are you doing, Cheryl? Are you seeing any improvement?

MaryL

"Cheryl" wrote in message
eb.com...

On 1/22/2013 8:52 PM, mlbriggs wrote:

What are you doing for your back? I'm in the same state myself and feel
yoir pain.
Best wishes and please keep the updates going. MLB

I wonder that too, as you know I'm a back patient. What's going on with
that where you can't stand for a few minutes?

~~~~~~~~~~~
It's not my legs. If I stand in one position for only a couple of minutes,
it sets off intense pain in my lower back and sacroiliac. Walking will do
the same thing after a few minutes, and the wrong chair hurts after I have
been sitting for awhile. However, I don't have any pain if I am sitting in
my recliner chair, and I'm fine when lying down as long as I can change
positions. I have deterioration of several discs in my lower back, and the
sacrum seems to be pinching a nerve. I'm not sure how to describe it, but I
also end up with severe pain in the outer area of my upper hips. My mother
may have had some of the same problems. She had spine surgery at least 3
times in her life.

MaryL

"Cheryl" wrote in message
eb.com...

On 1/22/2013 2:02 PM, MaryL wrote:
I am trying to learn how best to care for my little angel. I have
medication that I give her twice a day. She doesn’t like it, but that
is going well. The difficulty is that she also needs fluids
(electrolytes) twice a day, and my first attempt set the stage for
disaster. I cannot stand at a counter long enough to administer the
fluids because I am in intense pain if I stand for more than one or two
minutes. So, I set everything up so the bag would hang from the top of
a door, and I sat with her on my lap. I thought it might help to have a
friend with me the first time in case I needed to have her hand
something to me. I had the fluid going fine, when my friend reached out
to pet Holly’s head. Disaster! Holly jumped, and I think the needle
scratched or poked her. I quickly removed the needle. At that point,
she showed all the signs of a very angry cat–fangs bared, growling, eyes
glowing, ears turned back, tail swishing. It was clear that I was not
going to be able to continue. She certainly was not going to let me
insert the needle again.

So, I waited a day before trying again. This time, I did it alone in
case she recognized the two of us together. That did not help–she
instantly recognized the setup, and all the signs of anger returned
(something that I have *never* seen in Holly until her reaction when I
tried to administer fluids for the first time). My next step was to
take her in to the vet clinic for more fluids, but carrying her twice a
day really set off the pain in my lower back and sacroiliac. I was
almost crying from the intensity of the pain, although I asked someone
at the clinic to come to the car and carry her for me. It’s clear that
I can’t continue to take her to the clinic twice a day (and I soon would
not be able to afford it).

Now, we’re on the next step. I arranged for a vet tech to come to my
home to give me more instruction. We started yesterday evening. She
gave fluids to Holly yesterday evening and today at noon. This evening,
we will change to the chair I will need to use since I can’t stand for
so long, and the tech will use that the first time to get Holly adjusted
to it. Tomorrow, it will be my turn to try again. This time, I will
have the vet tech with me to watch and advise. She is very good, and I
hope this will be the solution to my problem.

I am trying my very best to do everything Holly needs, and I just hope
she will start to cooperate. It’s clear that she will need fluids at
least twice a day for the rest of her life, so it’s very important that
I learn how to control her so I can administer them.

*Lots* of purrs will be appreciated!

MaryL


Mary, I have faith you will get this worked out. Many purrs for you
both. I'm sure the tech will get you on the right track. I know words
mean so little when you're so worried about your sweet girl.

~~~~~~~~~
Thanks, Cheryl. We had another appointment with TED yesterday. I was
prepared for the worst, but the blood values were actually slightly
improved--very slight, but still in the right direction. I had a long
discussion with the vet. Holly still acts fine, and she has been spending a
lot of time in my lap. But she struggles so hard, even now, that I am
afraid of injuring her when I administer fluids. I hold her on my lap while
sitting to do it, and that is not the best way, but it's the best I can do.
She also fights the medicine I push into her mouth, but that is over in a
matter of seconds. She has been going into hiding into a closet for long
periods of time, and she "cringed" when I went to pick her up for fluids. I
don't want to make her life a bad one. I realize it's only for a short time
each day, but it seems to be having an effect on her quality of life. That
is not fair to her. So, the vet and I decided to eliminate the fluids for
the time being, and we discussed medication that I should mix in her food.
We will do another blood test in 10 days to see if she has been able to
maintain the improved blood values. I did as I described last night, and
she ate all the food with the medicine in it. She also woke me up in bed
and spent time purring loudly with her front legs draped over my arm. I
desperately hope that we can continue with this routine. She has always
been my happy little princess, and I want to keep her that way. I don't
want to do things that may prolong her life but destroy her happiness and
trust in me.

MaryL

On Tuesday, January 22, 2013 2:02:30 PM UTC-5, MaryL wrote:
I am trying to learn how best to care for my little angel. I have

medication that I give her twice a day. She doesn’t like it, but that is

going well. The difficulty is that she also needs fluids (electrolytes)

twice a day, and my first attempt set the stage for disaster. I cannot

stand at a counter long enough to administer the fluids because I am in

intense pain if I stand for more than one or two minutes. So, I set








everything up so the bag would hang from the top of a door, and I sat with

her on my lap. I thought it might help to have a friend with me the first

time in case I needed to have her hand something to me. I had the fluid

going fine, when my friend reached out to pet Holly’s head. Disaster!

Holly jumped, and I think the needle scratched or poked her. I quickly

removed the needle. At that point, she showed all the signs of a very angry

cat–fangs bared, growling, eyes glowing, ears turned back, tail swishing.

It was clear that I was not going to be able to continue. She certainly was

not going to let me insert the needle again.



So, I waited a day before trying again. This time, I did it alone in case

she recognized the two of us together. That did not help–she instantly

recognized the setup, and all the signs of anger returned (something that I

have *never* seen in Holly until her reaction when I tried to administer

fluids for the first time). My next step was to take her in to the vet

clinic for more fluids, but carrying her twice a day really set off the pain

in my lower back and sacroiliac. I was almost crying from the intensity of

the pain, although I asked someone at the clinic to come to the car and

carry her for me. It’s clear that I can’t continue to take her to the

clinic twice a day (and I soon would not be able to afford it).


Hi Mary,

One of the cat lists I am on has been discussing CRF, and the admin of the group sent in a link to a homeopathic page for CRF:

http://www.felinecrf.org/holistic_treatments.htm

Hope this info helps!

Purrs for you, Holly and Duffy!

Mishi and crew

Mishi wrote:

Hi Mary,

One of the cat lists I am on has been discussing CRF, and the admin of the group sent in a link to a homeopathic page for CRF:

http://www.felinecrf.org/holistic_treatments.htm


That list wouldn't be "wholecat," would it?

--
Joyce

A clean house is a sign of a broken computer.

On Monday, January 28, 2013 4:20:13 PM UTC-5, Bastette wrote:
Mishi wrote:



Hi Mary,



One of the cat lists I am on has been discussing CRF, and the admin of the group sent in a link to a homeopathic page for CRF:



http://www.felinecrf.org/holistic_treatments.htm





That list wouldn't be "wholecat," would it?



--

Joyce

No, Joyce. It is the Feral cats list on Yahoogroups.
Patti

Mishi wrote:

On Monday, January 28, 2013 4:20:13 PM UTC-5, Bastette wrote:
Mishi wrote:



Hi Mary,



One of the cat lists I am on has been discussing CRF, and the admin of the group sent in a link to a homeopathic page for CRF:



http://www.felinecrf.org/holistic_treatments.htm





That list wouldn't be "wholecat," would it?



--

Joyce

No, Joyce. It is the Feral cats list on Yahoogroups.
Patti

OK, that's good. The "wholecat" list is also dedicated to holistic and
alternative approaches to veterinary medicine - and diets. They have all
drunk the koolaid regarding raw food diets. I joined the list several years
ago, trying to get information about how to give my cats the proper
supplements with a cooked-food diet. But because they were so dogmatic
about raw, I was unable to get a useful answer. Another time, I asked on
the list about alternatives to Advantage, because that didn't seem to be
working very well anymore. The only answer I got was, "Why would you want
to put pesticide on your cat?" sigh

It's a cult of personality. Everyone appears to fall in line behind the
woman who runs the list. Whenever I walk into a situation like that, I'm
not inclined to jump right into worship mode. This usually results in the
"queen bee" person not liking me. Oh, well...

--
Joyce

Loneliness is comforted by the closeness and touch of fur to fur,
skin to skin, or -- skin to fur. -- Paul Gallico

On 1/28/2013 7:03 PM, Bastette wrote:
Mishi wrote:

On Monday, January 28, 2013 4:20:13 PM UTC-5, Bastette wrote:
Mishi wrote:



Hi Mary,



One of the cat lists I am on has been discussing CRF, and the admin of the group sent in a link to a homeopathic page for CRF:



http://www.felinecrf.org/holistic_treatments.htm





That list wouldn't be "wholecat," would it?



--

Joyce

No, Joyce. It is the Feral cats list on Yahoogroups.
Patti

OK, that's good. The "wholecat" list is also dedicated to holistic and
alternative approaches to veterinary medicine - and diets. They have all
drunk the koolaid regarding raw food diets. I joined the list several years
ago, trying to get information about how to give my cats the proper
supplements with a cooked-food diet. But because they were so dogmatic
about raw, I was unable to get a useful answer. Another time, I asked on
the list about alternatives to Advantage, because that didn't seem to be
working very well anymore. The only answer I got was, "Why would you want
to put pesticide on your cat?" sigh

It's a cult of personality. Everyone appears to fall in line behind the
woman who runs the list. Whenever I walk into a situation like that, I'm
not inclined to jump right into worship mode. This usually results in the
"queen bee" person not liking me. Oh, well...

Exactly why I stay away from moderated groups of any kind. You're
subject to the whims and moods of the moderator. If they decide they
don't like you, watch out!

Jill