Just call me Snuggles.......

Taz had a nice weekend. He didn't get to go outside much, but I think he is getting used to being inside more. It was kind of cool, so he wanted to wear his new Snuggie. His sides and tummy are still bare and the fur is taking its' time growing back. When he gets his fur back, he won't look so skinny.

We took him to VSH today for chemo. We'll pick him up later this afternoon. We're back on the schedule which is chemo every week, starting today, for 4 weeks. That will take us up to 9/21/10. Then, it will be every other week and if all goes well, his last chemo will be on.......1/11/11. Pretty cool numbers, huh.......

Taz, cure yourself......

I can hear the "Rocky" theme too! Taz is getting stronger every day. The doctor called with the results of his blood test from last Tuesday. Everything looks fine. His red blood cells have decreased some, but they are still in the safe level. She was very happy that he had gained some weight and was "optimistic" that he would gain more by the next time she saw him. Now we're really under pressure to put the weight on.

Yesterday he seemed to be a little more tired than usual and also wasn't eating as well. When we gave him his Prednisolone, we also gave him Cerenia, just in case he was a little nauseous. Within 10 minutes he vomited. The pills had come back up along with some grass, which he had eaten when he was in the yard earlier. He seemed to feel better and started eating normally again. Taz knows best!

Check back later...........

Messy desk, Tazzy!

Taz had an appointment today at VSH. His doctor examined him, weighed him and drew blood to test. He is on his way to 10 lbs. and we're all happy about that. We won't have to bring him back in for another week, so we have that time to work on the weight. Taz is eating well and it's amazing to see such an improvement over what he was like just a couple of weeks ago.

When Taz had surgery, his sides and tummy were shaved, but he will not look as skinny when his fur starts growing back in. One of the technicians call Taz "Long, grey and handsome". That definitely describes him, I think.

We're gaining.......

Charlie weighed Taz this morning and he was a little over 9 lbs. which shows that he's gained a little since last week. We have food available for him all of the time and we try to get him to eat all of the the time!

The doctors think he looks pretty good, but they didn't see the 16+lb. cat that we used to have. To us he's just skin and bones. He's still pretty strong though and very alert.

Taz may get to go outside today. We've been having some pretty weather, so I might sit out on the patio with him for awhile.

Had a pretty good day

Taz was in "his" room most of the day, but we let him out to roam the house in the afternoon. He really didn't insist on going outside like we thought he would, but he moved around and checked things out. It's been over a week since he could do that. The other cats were respectful to him. They seem to know that he is going through something right now. He and Jezibel had a couple of encounters, but it was more like "you don't look at me and I won't look at you" moments. We've always called them our Alpha male and Alpha female. I think Jezibel is the Alpha male sometimes though. :) But, don't tell Taz I said that.

This picture was taken just a few minutes ago. He came up to my computer room and got into his bed. I think the open house thing has tired him out. He has been eating today though and he has had energy. He even played a couple of hide and seek games with me earlier. We're taking it one day at a time and that's about all we can do right now. I may let him sleep in here tonight and I may even sleep in my own bed. More later.......

Back to the grind..........zzzz

We took Taz to VSH for chemo on Tuesday, 8/17. We left him there at 10:00am and picked him up at 6:00pm. For such a long day, he looked pretty alert. Of course, the technician said he slept all day curled up in his blanket. What a life!

He was hungry when he came home so he did eat quite a bit. I noticed that he seemed to have "hiccups" and I haven't seen that before with any of the other treatments he's had. He has not had this one before. It took the longest to administer. No, he wasn't having that done all day. He didn't get the I.V. until 4:30 or 5:00pm. They had to draw blood, get results, examine him, etc. so that's what took all day. His stitches from his surgery on the 5th were removed and the incision looks good.

He was eating this morning and as usual, we'll keep a close eye on him. The doctor said he could go out on his patio if he wanted, but we have decided to just keep him inside. We will probably let him have the run of the house unless he starts hiding under the bed again. More later.....

Here we go.......

We have just loved having Taz here and not having to run to the hospital each week or whenever we are worried that he's not well. Everything has seems so normal. That time is coming to an end though.

Today we got a call from VSH and the doctors would like to see Taz tomorrow to resume his chemo. He may get his sutures out tomorrow if the incision has healed. We thought we'd have until Friday. The surgeon wants to see him and then his oncologist will take a look at him and if everything checks out, Taz will start his chemo again. They are anxious to get back on schedule. We also are to resume giving Taz his Prednisolone today. We haven't missed giving him pills any more than he has missed taking them!

Every life should have nine cats!

Last week we received a call from the surgeon who was asking about Taz and also wanted to let us know the results of the biopsy on the tumor/tissue removed from Taz's intestines a week ago. The lymphoma cells were there and that tumor had shrunken quite a bit, but as for the scar tissue which was causing the most blockage, it was inconclusive as to what it was. It was puzzling. The cells seemed like they could be another form of cancer, carcinoma. Dr. wanted permission (if we would pay) to do a further test on the tissue to confirm whether or not it was another type of cancer, which would be unusual. But, then, Taz has been doing everything in just the opposite way his doctors have predicted things to go.

Today we got back the results and there is not another form of cancer to deal with! Hallelujeh!!

Taz is doing fine. To keep him from getting too bored, we have 3 rooms in which he occupies. One is my computer room where he has his bed, food and water. Then we have the room next door which has his bed, food, water and the day bed for me. He now also has the family room which has a corner bed so he can watch the birds outside, his food, water and of course the couch for me to sleep on. He's not allowed to go outside and today when he was downstairs in the family room, he got a little too anxious because he wanted out. We brought him back up to the computer room for the afternoon. He did fine and calmed down. Now he's in the room next door where we will sleep tonight. Yes, he is playing this to the hilt.

The silence of a cat speaks volumes

Taz was doing so well for the past couple of days. We were finally starting to feel normal in our daily lives. He didn't get up to eat very often last night though. This morning he seemed more listless than before. He wasn't interested in food. We weighed him to see if he'd gained weight since he had the surgery last Thursday. He was just under 9-1/2 lbs. then. Today he was down to 9 lbs.

Taz (R) shares his bed with Kaci (L)


But then, we thought, maybe he lost weight while he was at the hospital and on those couple of days he wasn't eating, etc. He may have dropped below 9 lbs. then and now has gained back up?

Anyway, we're waiting for the doctor to call because we have several questions for her. We also would like to know what his weight was last Saturday when he was discharged from the hospital. That will be in another post later.

The cautious good news is, he feels a little more frisky right now this afternoon at 3:15pm. He's on my desk in front of me, grooming himself, kneading on the little blanket, and he has been eating his kibble and drinking plenty of water.

He is truly an amazing little fellow.

Just as cats can see through the darkness of night, they can also see straight through to your heart

Taz has been eating and doing all the normal stuff that cats do. He's feeling a little like a "shut-in" because he's used to having the run of the whole house and backyard. For the next couple of weeks we're not taking ANY chances with him. He spends his days in my computer room. When he's not asleep in his bed by the window, he sits on my desk in front of me and helps me with his blog. It takes quite awhile to put a new post together since he likes to edit. After all, it's all about him.....then in the evening we move him to the room next door which has a bed by the window for him and also has a day bed for me. I gather up my magazines, books, journals and catalogues for the night and I stay with him so I can keep an eye on how he's doing. I actually sleep pretty well, and he mostly sleeps on the bed with me. He gets up several times during the night to eat and I hear him. But, he seems to be feeling better. We haven't had to give him any of the Tramadol for pain and that's good because he stops eating when he gets that taste in his mouth.

We're both happy to have him feeling better after the way we've seen him. This is what it's all about........more later.

So far........so good

Taz was eating and using the litter box early Sunday morning. We have liquid Tramadol to give him for pain, as needed every 8-12 hrs. He seemed to need some around 6:30am. It's impossible to give it without him tasting it and apparently it tastes awful. So, he drooled a lot and then for the rest of the day didn't eat. We gave him another dose at 4:00pm when he started to appear like he was uncomfortable. Still no eating, but then he seemed hungry later in the evening, but then would pick up his food and drop it without eating. We tried to tempt him with several different types of food, and again, he appeared hungry, but wouldn't eat. I stayed in the room with him all night. We have a day bed in the room. He slept on the bed with me and he got up several times and went to his food dish during the night. He worked and worked on his food and managed to get some in his mouth after several tries. At about 6:30am today, Monday, he was still trying to eat. We didn't give him any Tramadol because he didn't seem to be in pain. We spoke with the doctor at VSH and she said that the Tramadol might be the taste that lingered in his mouth and he thought the food tasted like that, so wouldn't eat. Bottom line now, at about 11:00am, Taz has been eating fairly normal, and has used the litter box (#'s 1 and 2!). Now if we can just keep him busy and give him attention to keep him from wanting to run around the house, he may start feeling better. I know we will!

Over one hurdle....on to another

We checked on Taz today. He is not eating and has nausea. The doctor thought maybe because his stomach was so bloated yesterday, it takes some time to pass through. We're hoping everything is okay. We went to see him this afternoon and spent an hour or so with him. He purred, but he was obviously tired and at times would gag like he was nauseous. He's on I.V. for fluids. We're hoping he can come home tomorrow, but the doctor will probably not let him until he eats and hopefully has a bowel movement.

Cat tree--from top to bottom: the twins (Jason & Kaci), Taz, Ellie

He will be taken off of Prednisolone at least for a week because that slows the healing process and the doctor is concerned about that. He's still on Cerenia for nausea, but the doctor is also considering whether to change that or not.

Tazzy has surgery

Taz had an appointment with his Dr. today. He has not been eating and we thought for sure his blood count would be too low to continue chemo. His vitals were normal and his red blood count was up to 30%, which is good. But, the ultrasound showed that although the original mass has shrunk way down, there was still some kind of obstruction which was keeping his stomach from emptying and that was why he had stopped eating. Dr. Phillips suggested that he probably felt very bloated and full and so, uncomfortable. Like us when we eat too much before it digests. We talked to the surgeon about performing surgery on Taz to remove the blockage. It was our last resort.

He had surgery this afternoon and it lasted just over an hour. The surgeon called and said that he found scar tissue in his intestine in the area around the lymphoma. It was an intact area that blocked most of the intestinal area. The upper intestine and the stomach were very dilated (bloated) because not much was getting through. He removed 5 cm (about 2") of intestine and believes he got all of the scarring and the cancerous mass. Taz is in recovery at this time (6:27pm) PDT. He will be monitored to insure there is no leakage from where they sutured his intestines together. They want him to get a good night's sleep and they will call us in the morning or earlier, if necessary.

More later.....

The Journey continues.......

We picked Taz up from the hospital yesterday, Tuesday, 8/3. His red blood count was 26%. The doctor was a little surprised. She said they expected it to go up because of the blood transfusion, but it doesn't always increase by that much so quickly. So far, he's doing everything that is surprising or puzzling the doctors. I'm sure he is going to be in their case histories and maybe the one good thing about this is that they can look back on his symptoms and problems and it might help another cat get well one day.

He was happy to be home, but we have put him in his own room and doctor's orders say "no outside" time right now. So, he doesn't get to sit in his favorite patio chair for now. We'll probably let him roam the house today for awhile because he's allowed to "choose his own exercise".

However, he's still not eating on his own. No interest in his food. We don't know why that is. His breathing is better. He is on antibiotics for another day or so. I'm feeding him high calorie food by syringe about every three hours or so. That's what they did in the hospital. He doesn't like it, but he's actually pretty easy to feed. They gave us some smaller and easier syringes to use. I first offer him his regular food in a dish and only if he refuses, I feed him. But, so far, he's refusing to eat on his own.

That's it for now!

Taz Takes Charge

Taz Takes Charge

It's hard to believe that it's already Tuesday and Taz is still in the hospital. The news we got on Monday morning was guarded. We got the positive news first - the ultrasound showed that the mass in his intestines was as much as 50% smaller than when it was first discovered. The rest of the news was not so good. Taz was still congested and having trouble breathing through his nose. His red blood cell count was dropping, falling to 15% by morning, which was into the danger zone. Additionally, his stomach and the intestines around the mass were dilated, which was an indication of at least a partial blockage. If the obstruction becomes a total blockage, surgery might be required.

The most immediate concern was the red blood cell count. A drug was administered to help Taz make more red blood cells, but it did not stop the percentage from falling further to 12%. We agreed to give Taz a blood transfusion. The procedure was simpler than we expected. He was placed in an isolation room to minimize the chance of any further infection. No blood was taken from Taz. New, fresh blood from a donor kitty was added to Taz's blood through an IV. It took about four hours, but Taz remained alert and calm. After the doctor was sure that there were no complications from the transfusion, they administered Asparagenasee, which is a quick acting chemo which we hoped would help further reduce the size of the mass more quickly and reduce the obstruction.

Taz got to see us Monday night in his isolation room. He also made fun of the fact that we had to wear protective gear to keep from leaving any germs in the room. He tried not to show it, but he was very tired. He put on a good face, though, and let us fuss over him. Then all we could do was wait.

This morning the doctor called with an update. Taz's red blood cell count was up and remaining steady between 18-20%, which was very good. He had been syringe fed small amounts of food several times in the late evening and had held down the food, another good sign. We are waiting on another red blood cell count to determine whether he is ready to come home and resume his regular treatments.

I'm guessing that right now Taz is lording it over the doctors and staff, having moved from outpatient to taking over the dog wing to having his own private room. And of course he's going to get a private room when we get him home. We are really hoping that's today.

Where is the Geritol when you need it?

We took Taz back to VSH on Saturday because he wouldn't eat at all. His nose was still totally blocked. The antibiotic, Clavomox, doesn't seem to be working. It can also cause nausea, especially if he's not eating. After examination, the doctor suggested that we increase the Cerenia (for nausea) to 1/2 pill, up from 1/4 pill a day. He was hydrated and sent home.

On Sunday, he refused to eat and was still very congested, worse it seemed. I managed to get a little food in his mouth and he swallowed. We thought we had seen him drinking some water earlier too. He seemed to be more listless than usual. We called VSH and doctor said Cerenia should have worked on him within a half hour of dose. We took him in for examination. His gums were pale and a blood test showed he was anemic. He stayed at the hospital for observation. Later, we went back to see him and to bring his meds that he needed to take. He was in with the dogs because of his upper respiratory problem. But, it was very quiet, no barking. He was laying there on his blanket with an IV hooked up. He looked so comfortable and was breathing through his nose. He was glad to see us though and tried to get up, but actually he was being very calm. They said they would check his red blood cells at 1:00am and if the number was not up, they would try meds to help. They don't know why he's anemic. They are treating symptoms of the URI in order to make him feel better and eat.