Steve,
I'm so sorry to hear this news. I was hoping everyone was wrong about a tumor. Loki is still very lucky to have found someone to love and take care of him like you have done. I was hoping he would beat the odds. I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers, and hope that Loki has some good days left before you have to make a decision. I know how hard it is, but you have done your best, and as much as this hurts you, Loki has been given love and security in his short time with you that many cats never have at all.
Take care,
tonya
Steve Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Steve Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
First off, in addition to the other nice notes, thank you Jen, Hideyo and
Terri for your prayers and healing vibes... and I am so glad Thor is coming
around.
I did take Loki in to the vet. It was difficult to get a spot, but
eventually found a vet very near my house so as not to upset Loki with a
long ride. The initial prognosis did not look good, so I had x-rays taken.
The x-rays showed that Loki's lungs were only expanding to half their normal
size which means something else was taking space within the cavity. In
addition, the Trachea was pushed up to the spine, which suggests the cavity
did not just have excessive fluid, but that a tumor was taking the space. I
was given lots of options, but I can't do most of them or put Loki through
hell. In the end, I asked for, and will probably take the doctors opinion,
which is to make him comfortable and take the weekend to say my goodbyes.
He is living with the pronounced lung action just okay, but I know it is
hard to be perfectly comfortable for him with the distressed breathing. I
don't think he has pain per se, but letting him go on too many more days
like this, I think gets to the point of becoming painful.
I hadn't mentioned it before, but Loki's left eye sometimes dilates much
more than the right. This is a sign of a viral infection, FeLV+ or
otherwise. Once again, not a good sign, especially with everything else.
The doctor gave me some meds to try to alleviate things, for the short term.
I'm giving him Furosimide, a diuretic to help with the excessive fluids (I
will not subject him to the trauma of extracting the excessive fluid with a
needle), and antibiotics to help with a slight, but lingering URI. All this
should help his breathing a tiny bit.
When it gets worse, or I feel the happy days with him no longer offsets the
lingering lack of comfort, I will PTS.
This has been a long hard road. I tried, but it was difficult to maintain
composure at the vets office. I know I will crash hard after Loki goes. I
just can't stand what this disease does.
Steve
