a thank you, and the best kitty news
Thank you to those who commented on my last entry. It was great to get perspective from both people who know my family and people who just know me. It was also good to hear that I'm not being ridiculous by worrying and being upset about it, because that was a concern of mine. =)
I was so pent up about all the shit going on that I forgot to post about the good news! MELANIE IS DOING EXCELLENT. You may or may not be tired of hearing about a sick kitty, but this is BIG NEWS.
Melanie had been getting really fussy about her fluid treatments, so I couldn't get the recommended 200-250mls twice a week into her. She'd start whining and moving around and would finally jump away before I was finished, so James started coming over to help me hold onto her and everything. It's easier with two people and we made a little progress, but she was still being especially fussy probably 75% of the time. Now, when she gets really really fussy, I stop the treatment. I am unsure of myself and my skill at times and am afraid of hurting her with the needle, so I stop when she gets bad because there is the off-chance that I'm hurting her.
James and I took her to the vet on Saturday the 10th. We went in together and saw Dr. Edwards and let her know what has been going on. I was initially going to ask her to re-teach both of us to give the fluids, but she said I wasn't doing anything wrong with the injections. She assured me that even if I were to stick her beyond right under her skin, the needle would just go into muscle which would make her sore but wouldn't be a terrible thing. We had a pre-op blood panel run to get her nitrogen levels and BUN, both of which have decreased significantly since her last panel a few months ago.
And her createnine levels, the levels we keep careful track of? They usually hover around a 3.1 and the lowest ever was a 3.1 or 3.0. The highest ever was 14.2 when she was hospitalized this summer, and the highest before that was 6.6. Last week they were 2.6! Normal kidney function is 2.4! This is absolutely INCREDIBLE news!
Now I'm really starting to believe that James and I will move in together and she will be with us. And we'll get married and she'll still be alive. She'll be waiting for us when we come home from our honeymoon. Maybe she'll be around to see us have children. She'll be 13 this May, but that still isn't too old for a cat. This spring will also mark 3 years since her chronic renal failure diagnosis.
She's been my sweet little baby for over half my life. I am so, so glad it seems like she'll be around for longer than I thought. And I know she's got people pulling for her all over the place. =)
I was so pent up about all the shit going on that I forgot to post about the good news! MELANIE IS DOING EXCELLENT. You may or may not be tired of hearing about a sick kitty, but this is BIG NEWS.
Melanie had been getting really fussy about her fluid treatments, so I couldn't get the recommended 200-250mls twice a week into her. She'd start whining and moving around and would finally jump away before I was finished, so James started coming over to help me hold onto her and everything. It's easier with two people and we made a little progress, but she was still being especially fussy probably 75% of the time. Now, when she gets really really fussy, I stop the treatment. I am unsure of myself and my skill at times and am afraid of hurting her with the needle, so I stop when she gets bad because there is the off-chance that I'm hurting her.
James and I took her to the vet on Saturday the 10th. We went in together and saw Dr. Edwards and let her know what has been going on. I was initially going to ask her to re-teach both of us to give the fluids, but she said I wasn't doing anything wrong with the injections. She assured me that even if I were to stick her beyond right under her skin, the needle would just go into muscle which would make her sore but wouldn't be a terrible thing. We had a pre-op blood panel run to get her nitrogen levels and BUN, both of which have decreased significantly since her last panel a few months ago.
And her createnine levels, the levels we keep careful track of? They usually hover around a 3.1 and the lowest ever was a 3.1 or 3.0. The highest ever was 14.2 when she was hospitalized this summer, and the highest before that was 6.6. Last week they were 2.6! Normal kidney function is 2.4! This is absolutely INCREDIBLE news!
Now I'm really starting to believe that James and I will move in together and she will be with us. And we'll get married and she'll still be alive. She'll be waiting for us when we come home from our honeymoon. Maybe she'll be around to see us have children. She'll be 13 this May, but that still isn't too old for a cat. This spring will also mark 3 years since her chronic renal failure diagnosis.
She's been my sweet little baby for over half my life. I am so, so glad it seems like she'll be around for longer than I thought. And I know she's got people pulling for her all over the place. =)