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Thyroid surgery



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 16th 04, 05:04 PM
Mary
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Thyroid surgery

Buddha's checkup today revealed that she is indeed hyperthyroid. The doctor
showed me how enlarged her thyroid is now. I'm kicking myself because
another vet saw this a year ago, but because her T3 levels were only
high-normal I did nothing. (Either I misunderstood what this doctor's
partner said about medication, or he didn't tell me about Tapazole.)

Our (the senior one there and founder of the practice 20+ yeats ago) vet
told me that cats do best with radiation treatment, but that his own cat did
well with surgery, which he performed. Because I trust him, if her blood
tests for renal function etc. come back okay, I think we will opt for the
surgery. (We would have to take her elsewhere for the radiation treatment.
Cost is not so much a factor--surgery is about $600 and radiation $1,000,
not such a big difference--as trust. Ever since my friend's kitten came back
from a spaying declawed I have some fears about vets I don't know.) If her
bloodwork is okay, we will have an ultrasound done of her heart to make sure
that it can withstand the surgery.

I would like to hear from anyone who has had this surgery done for their
cat. He explained the risks involved with the parathyroid--apparently they
leave a bit of that in there, but on rare occasions cats who have the
surgery do not recover parathyroid function.

On the good side, our fat girl has lost three pounds since her last checkup.
I want to think it is the canned food, but the vet told me cats lose weight
due to being hyperthyroid. He also told me that Boo is the fattest cat he
has ever seen with an overactive thyroid. She is a small-boned female who
now weighs 13.6 pounds. She is a really sweet and quirky cat, and if my
failure to act last year has hurt her I'm just going to want to die.


  #2  
Old July 16th 04, 05:47 PM
Cathy Friedmann
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Mary" wrote in message
.com...
Buddha's checkup today revealed that she is indeed hyperthyroid. The

doctor
showed me how enlarged her thyroid is now. I'm kicking myself because
another vet saw this a year ago, but because her T3 levels were only
high-normal I did nothing. (Either I misunderstood what this doctor's
partner said about medication, or he didn't tell me about Tapazole.)

Our (the senior one there and founder of the practice 20+ yeats ago) vet
told me that cats do best with radiation treatment, but that his own cat

did
well with surgery, which he performed. Because I trust him, if her blood
tests for renal function etc. come back okay, I think we will opt for the
surgery. (We would have to take her elsewhere for the radiation treatment.
Cost is not so much a factor--surgery is about $600 and radiation $1,000,
not such a big difference--as trust. Ever since my friend's kitten came

back
from a spaying declawed I have some fears about vets I don't know.) If her
bloodwork is okay, we will have an ultrasound done of her heart to make

sure
that it can withstand the surgery.

I would like to hear from anyone who has had this surgery done for their
cat. He explained the risks involved with the parathyroid--apparently they
leave a bit of that in there, but on rare occasions cats who have the
surgery do not recover parathyroid function.


Correct. My (RIP) cat, Debbie, had thyroid surgery when she was 11 or 12.
She was on Tapazole & doing apparently fine, but she also had chronic liver
disease, & Tapazole paired w/ liver dysfunction wasn't advised by either my
regular vet nor the internist vet, long-term. The radiation treatment
wasn't available anywhere in this area at that point, so surgery was the
only option left. My vet was hoping - & thought - she had done fine,
not involving the parathyroids at all during the surgery, but Debbie did
eventually become hypothyroid - a couple of months post-surgery, IIRC.
Otoh, her thyroid levels were easy to manage w/ thyroxin, a thyroid
supplement (which didn't have a potentially negative reaction w/ the liver
prob). The surgery itself & the recovery period went fine. Debbie was
grumpy & hoarse (from intubation, I gather) the day after her surgery, but
she was feeling *much* better by the following day, & went on to have an
uneventful recovery.

Maybe I'm missing something, but how come Tapazole (Vs. surgery) can't be
started now for your cat?

On the good side, our fat girl has lost three pounds since her last

checkup.
I want to think it is the canned food, but the vet told me cats lose

weight
due to being hyperthyroid.


Yes. The metabolism is sped up in one who is hyperthyroid, so more calories
are burned. Result: lost weight.

Cathy

He also told me that Boo is the fattest cat he
has ever seen with an overactive thyroid. She is a small-boned female who
now weighs 13.6 pounds. She is a really sweet and quirky cat, and if my
failure to act last year has hurt her I'm just going to want to die.




  #3  
Old July 16th 04, 05:47 PM
Cathy Friedmann
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Mary" wrote in message
.com...
Buddha's checkup today revealed that she is indeed hyperthyroid. The

doctor
showed me how enlarged her thyroid is now. I'm kicking myself because
another vet saw this a year ago, but because her T3 levels were only
high-normal I did nothing. (Either I misunderstood what this doctor's
partner said about medication, or he didn't tell me about Tapazole.)

Our (the senior one there and founder of the practice 20+ yeats ago) vet
told me that cats do best with radiation treatment, but that his own cat

did
well with surgery, which he performed. Because I trust him, if her blood
tests for renal function etc. come back okay, I think we will opt for the
surgery. (We would have to take her elsewhere for the radiation treatment.
Cost is not so much a factor--surgery is about $600 and radiation $1,000,
not such a big difference--as trust. Ever since my friend's kitten came

back
from a spaying declawed I have some fears about vets I don't know.) If her
bloodwork is okay, we will have an ultrasound done of her heart to make

sure
that it can withstand the surgery.

I would like to hear from anyone who has had this surgery done for their
cat. He explained the risks involved with the parathyroid--apparently they
leave a bit of that in there, but on rare occasions cats who have the
surgery do not recover parathyroid function.


Correct. My (RIP) cat, Debbie, had thyroid surgery when she was 11 or 12.
She was on Tapazole & doing apparently fine, but she also had chronic liver
disease, & Tapazole paired w/ liver dysfunction wasn't advised by either my
regular vet nor the internist vet, long-term. The radiation treatment
wasn't available anywhere in this area at that point, so surgery was the
only option left. My vet was hoping - & thought - she had done fine,
not involving the parathyroids at all during the surgery, but Debbie did
eventually become hypothyroid - a couple of months post-surgery, IIRC.
Otoh, her thyroid levels were easy to manage w/ thyroxin, a thyroid
supplement (which didn't have a potentially negative reaction w/ the liver
prob). The surgery itself & the recovery period went fine. Debbie was
grumpy & hoarse (from intubation, I gather) the day after her surgery, but
she was feeling *much* better by the following day, & went on to have an
uneventful recovery.

Maybe I'm missing something, but how come Tapazole (Vs. surgery) can't be
started now for your cat?

On the good side, our fat girl has lost three pounds since her last

checkup.
I want to think it is the canned food, but the vet told me cats lose

weight
due to being hyperthyroid.


Yes. The metabolism is sped up in one who is hyperthyroid, so more calories
are burned. Result: lost weight.

Cathy

He also told me that Boo is the fattest cat he
has ever seen with an overactive thyroid. She is a small-boned female who
now weighs 13.6 pounds. She is a really sweet and quirky cat, and if my
failure to act last year has hurt her I'm just going to want to die.




  #4  
Old July 16th 04, 06:14 PM
Mary
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Cathy Friedmann" wrote in message
...



Correct. My (RIP) cat, Debbie, had thyroid surgery when she was 11 or 12.


I forgot to mention that Buddha is nine.

She was on Tapazole & doing apparently fine, but she also had chronic

liver disease, & Tapazole paired w/ liver dysfunction wasn't advised by
either my regular vet nor the internist vet, long-term.

He mentioned this, too, as another reason why he needed to do more blood
work.

The radiation treatment wasn't available anywhere in this area at that

point, so surgery was the only option left. My vet was hoping - &
thought - she had done fine, not involving the parathyroids at all
during the surgery, but Debbie did eventually become hypothyroid - a couple
of months post-surgery, IIRC.

My vet drew the two lobes of the thyroid gland on the board and showed me
the parathyroid glands at the top of each as he described the surgery. He
stressed that the success of the operation depended in part upon leaving
that small bit of parathyroid, and that it was so very small that it was
easy to take too much of it, and that this may be why some cats do not
recover function. But he did say that only three cats in his 20+ year
practice had that happen and only one died.


Otoh, her thyroid levels were easy to manage w/ thyroxin, a thyroid

supplement (which didn't have a potentially negative reaction w/ the liver
prob).


My mother took animal thyroid for years and then synthroid later, due to
thyroid cancer that had been treated with surgery and radioactive iodine, so
I do know how that works.

The surgery itself & the recovery period went fine. Debbie was grumpy &

hoarse (from intubation, I gather) the day after her surgery, but she was
feeling *much* better by the following day, & went on to have an
uneventful recovery.


Good to know, thank you.


Maybe I'm missing something, but how come Tapazole (Vs. surgery) can't be

started now for your cat?


It is my impression that the surgery produces better results. I asked my vet
the question, "if it were your cat what would you do?" and he said his cat
had hyperthyroidism and he did the surgery and she was just fine.

Is it your opinion (and others please chime in) that the tapazole would be
better to try first, instead of going right in for the surgery? (This is
assuming her blood work comes back NOT showing impaired liver function, and
of course the surgery would only happen if her heart ultrasound comes back
showing a healthy heart.)

I want to give her the best possible chance at a long and healthy life. We
could do the radiation but I would want to be there the whole time--I'm very
wary of strange vets.


  #5  
Old July 16th 04, 06:14 PM
Mary
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Cathy Friedmann" wrote in message
...



Correct. My (RIP) cat, Debbie, had thyroid surgery when she was 11 or 12.


I forgot to mention that Buddha is nine.

She was on Tapazole & doing apparently fine, but she also had chronic

liver disease, & Tapazole paired w/ liver dysfunction wasn't advised by
either my regular vet nor the internist vet, long-term.

He mentioned this, too, as another reason why he needed to do more blood
work.

The radiation treatment wasn't available anywhere in this area at that

point, so surgery was the only option left. My vet was hoping - &
thought - she had done fine, not involving the parathyroids at all
during the surgery, but Debbie did eventually become hypothyroid - a couple
of months post-surgery, IIRC.

My vet drew the two lobes of the thyroid gland on the board and showed me
the parathyroid glands at the top of each as he described the surgery. He
stressed that the success of the operation depended in part upon leaving
that small bit of parathyroid, and that it was so very small that it was
easy to take too much of it, and that this may be why some cats do not
recover function. But he did say that only three cats in his 20+ year
practice had that happen and only one died.


Otoh, her thyroid levels were easy to manage w/ thyroxin, a thyroid

supplement (which didn't have a potentially negative reaction w/ the liver
prob).


My mother took animal thyroid for years and then synthroid later, due to
thyroid cancer that had been treated with surgery and radioactive iodine, so
I do know how that works.

The surgery itself & the recovery period went fine. Debbie was grumpy &

hoarse (from intubation, I gather) the day after her surgery, but she was
feeling *much* better by the following day, & went on to have an
uneventful recovery.


Good to know, thank you.


Maybe I'm missing something, but how come Tapazole (Vs. surgery) can't be

started now for your cat?


It is my impression that the surgery produces better results. I asked my vet
the question, "if it were your cat what would you do?" and he said his cat
had hyperthyroidism and he did the surgery and she was just fine.

Is it your opinion (and others please chime in) that the tapazole would be
better to try first, instead of going right in for the surgery? (This is
assuming her blood work comes back NOT showing impaired liver function, and
of course the surgery would only happen if her heart ultrasound comes back
showing a healthy heart.)

I want to give her the best possible chance at a long and healthy life. We
could do the radiation but I would want to be there the whole time--I'm very
wary of strange vets.


  #6  
Old July 16th 04, 06:32 PM
Cathy Friedmann
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Mary" wrote in message
.com...

"Cathy Friedmann" wrote in message
...


snipped

Maybe I'm missing something, but how come Tapazole (Vs. surgery) can't

be
started now for your cat?


It is my impression that the surgery produces better results. I asked my

vet
the question, "if it were your cat what would you do?" and he said his cat
had hyperthyroidism and he did the surgery and she was just fine.

Is it your opinion (and others please chime in) that the tapazole would be
better to try first, instead of going right in for the surgery? (This is
assuming her blood work comes back NOT showing impaired liver function,

and
of course the surgery would only happen if her heart ultrasound comes back
showing a healthy heart.)


Yes, definitely, trying the Tapazole first, IMO (assuming no liver
prob)! It's non-invasive, compared w/ major surgery. Also, once the
surgery is done, that's that. If her thyroid levels are initially still not
on target - which is common for both animals & people, then the medication
can be adjusted one way or the other by small increments.

The only timess I'd consider the surgery over the medication would involve
the sort of scenario Debbie had, or if the cat was incredibly difficult to
pill & after trying for a while, it was continuing to be a major battle each
day to get the medication into her/him.

Cathy


I want to give her the best possible chance at a long and healthy life. We
could do the radiation but I would want to be there the whole time--I'm

very
wary of strange vets.




  #7  
Old July 16th 04, 06:32 PM
Cathy Friedmann
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Mary" wrote in message
.com...

"Cathy Friedmann" wrote in message
...


snipped

Maybe I'm missing something, but how come Tapazole (Vs. surgery) can't

be
started now for your cat?


It is my impression that the surgery produces better results. I asked my

vet
the question, "if it were your cat what would you do?" and he said his cat
had hyperthyroidism and he did the surgery and she was just fine.

Is it your opinion (and others please chime in) that the tapazole would be
better to try first, instead of going right in for the surgery? (This is
assuming her blood work comes back NOT showing impaired liver function,

and
of course the surgery would only happen if her heart ultrasound comes back
showing a healthy heart.)


Yes, definitely, trying the Tapazole first, IMO (assuming no liver
prob)! It's non-invasive, compared w/ major surgery. Also, once the
surgery is done, that's that. If her thyroid levels are initially still not
on target - which is common for both animals & people, then the medication
can be adjusted one way or the other by small increments.

The only timess I'd consider the surgery over the medication would involve
the sort of scenario Debbie had, or if the cat was incredibly difficult to
pill & after trying for a while, it was continuing to be a major battle each
day to get the medication into her/him.

Cathy


I want to give her the best possible chance at a long and healthy life. We
could do the radiation but I would want to be there the whole time--I'm

very
wary of strange vets.




  #8  
Old July 16th 04, 06:51 PM
Mary
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Cathy Friedmann" wrote

Yes, definitely, trying the Tapazole first, IMO (assuming no liver

prob)! It's non-invasive, compared w/ major surgery. Also, once the
surgery is done, that's that. If her thyroid levels are initially still not
on target - which is common for both animals & people, then the medication

can be adjusted one way or the other by small increments.


Thanks. I will discuss this with our vet as soon as the blood work results
are in (he said tomorrow, as they are open on Saturdays), and see what he
says.


  #9  
Old July 16th 04, 06:51 PM
Mary
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Cathy Friedmann" wrote

Yes, definitely, trying the Tapazole first, IMO (assuming no liver

prob)! It's non-invasive, compared w/ major surgery. Also, once the
surgery is done, that's that. If her thyroid levels are initially still not
on target - which is common for both animals & people, then the medication

can be adjusted one way or the other by small increments.


Thanks. I will discuss this with our vet as soon as the blood work results
are in (he said tomorrow, as they are open on Saturdays), and see what he
says.


  #10  
Old July 16th 04, 07:39 PM
m. L. Briggs
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Fri, 16 Jul 2004 16:04:55 GMT, "Mary" wrote:

Buddha's checkup today revealed that she is indeed hyperthyroid. The doctor
showed me how enlarged her thyroid is now. I'm kicking myself because
another vet saw this a year ago, but because her T3 levels were only
high-normal I did nothing. (Either I misunderstood what this doctor's
partner said about medication, or he didn't tell me about Tapazole.)

Our (the senior one there and founder of the practice 20+ yeats ago) vet
told me that cats do best with radiation treatment, but that his own cat did
well with surgery, which he performed. Because I trust him, if her blood
tests for renal function etc. come back okay, I think we will opt for the
surgery. (We would have to take her elsewhere for the radiation treatment.
Cost is not so much a factor--surgery is about $600 and radiation $1,000,
not such a big difference--as trust. Ever since my friend's kitten came back
from a spaying declawed I have some fears about vets I don't know.) If her
bloodwork is okay, we will have an ultrasound done of her heart to make sure
that it can withstand the surgery.

I would like to hear from anyone who has had this surgery done for their
cat. He explained the risks involved with the parathyroid--apparently they
leave a bit of that in there, but on rare occasions cats who have the
surgery do not recover parathyroid function.

On the good side, our fat girl has lost three pounds since her last checkup.
I want to think it is the canned food, but the vet told me cats lose weight
due to being hyperthyroid. He also told me that Boo is the fattest cat he
has ever seen with an overactive thyroid. She is a small-boned female who
now weighs 13.6 pounds. She is a really sweet and quirky cat, and if my
failure to act last year has hurt her I'm just going to want to die.

We do tje best we can with the information we have at the moment.We
are purring that things work out for the best. I am sure that in 20
years (or maybe even 5) treatment may be better and decidions easier
to make -- but that is not "now".
Best of luck. MLB
 




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