May 6th - Caturday - Ginger's i131 Treatment

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Dyana

Dyana

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Previous Condo - January 28th 2017

The big day is approaching fast, and on Monday, I take Ginger to get her i131 treatment done.
She knows it's coming and if I do anything out of the ordinary, she runs to the basement to hide. It's because a few days ago I was on the computer researching hyperthyroidism or something, and I looked down and Ginger was sitting on the floor in front of me and staring at me and I told her that she would be there for 3 days and 3 nights, and then she ran to the basement.

This morning, when I got up and didn't make coffee (fasting blood test for me for my annual physical) she must have thought that was odd behaviour and as I gathered my things to go to my doctor's appointment, she ran down to the basement.
I also got cash for tolls as it is a long drive to Bedford Hills NY and I don't have EZPass, and I took my car to the shop to make sure it was ready for the 100+ mile trips each way.

When I returned home, I saw her run to the tree outside and climb it, so I grabbed my camera.
She doesn't climb trees very often these days.
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She doesn't have many signs of hyperthyroidism as she is holding her weight, eats normally, and is just as active as normal. She does groom a lot (she keeps her coat pristine) and she does throw up a lot, but she has been doing those all her life. She does drink and pee more than normal, since J.D. passed 2 years ago. Her kidneys values are all great, so I am hoping the i131 does not reveal that she has kidney issues that were masked by the hyperT, and that it does not cause her to go hypoT because she is terrible to pill.
Ginger will be 13 on May 19th.

Please send vines that all goes well for Ginger's treatment, that her tumor is benign, and that her remaining thyroid tissues and kidneys are fine when it's all said and done. And for me, because I am scared as heck of the long drives there and back, and for having Ginger staying at a hospital over 100 miles away from me. She has never stayed at a hospital before except for when she was spayed 12 years ago, and that was just overnight. I can bring things to put in her double condo, so my list is food, treats, catnip, cat grass, toys, a bed, and a blankie.

Meanwhile Jackson will keep me company from Monday through Thursday of this coming week.
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HUGS thoughts and prayers...she's such a beautiful cat, I'm glad you posted all these new pictures.

You're a handsome guy too Jackson...give her lots of purrs....

More hugs,
 
Sending you many well wishes and vines! She is absolutely stunning - cats being cats up in a tree! I love it! Made me smile seeing that! :bighug::cat::bighug:
 
Lovely photos of your lovely kitties. For what it's worth, my sister-in-law's kitty had that iodine 131 treatment for hyerT and it was a success. Apparently the success rate is very high.
 
Thank you, Lyresa and Nicole :bighug:
This hyperthyroid stuff is very new and overwhelming to me, just like diabetes was so long ago.
 
Thank you, Kris. :bighug: I need all reassurance I can get.
It is the only option I want for treatment and has been since I heard her T4 was a little elevated.
 
They are so smart: catching her will be the hardest part. Practice your acting skills. The treatment is pretty standard these days. Best wishes for Monday.
 
MJW said:
They are so smart: catching her will be the hardest part. Practice your acting skills. The treatment is pretty standard these days. Best wishes for Monday.
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I know. Ginger reads my mind all the time.
I could not catch Jackson when he needed a rabies shot and yearly check up earlier this year. He did finally get his appointment. I put his harness on and let him wear that around the house and then the morning of his appointment, I attached the leash. When he ran from me I found him by finding the leash sticking out from under the bed :cat:
 
Dyana said:
Thank you, Kris. :bighug: I need all reassurance I can get.
It is the only option I want for treatment and has been since I heard her T4 was a little elevated.
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I should add that a good friend of mine had this done for her kitty too with great success. :)
 
Dyana said:
Previous Condo - January 28th 2017

The big day is approaching fast, and on Monday, I take Ginger to get her i131 treatment done.
View attachment 28123
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Good wishes! Beautiful pictures ! I have a Calico cat that was diagnosed this year with Hyper T. I gave her the tapazole pills and ended up with her on a low dose of just half a pill a day. Her thyroid went down to 1.0. Now I wonder if she really does have Hyper T at all. But as the Thyroid went down her kidney values looked a little worse. Am wondering if I need to have her tested to see if she actually has a tumor.

She has gone up and down with how she looks and eats. It's hard to figure out. Now she's on just 1/4 pill a day and looks a little worse. Am waiting for another blood check soon.

Pam
 
Sending you the best beautiful bouquet of vines I could find. :bighug: Ginger deserves the best. She is such a pretty girl. I hope she just sails though it and the traffic is easy. You are taking her to the best place.
 
Hi Dyana, We are sending the very best and most beautiful vines for a successful i131 for Ginger. Dr. Peterson is fantastic. I wish that Stu had been able to have the i131. But there were delays (by his vet) and by the time he got to Bedford Hills he was too sick and too weak. Anyway, I was most impressed with Dr. Peterson and with the facility there. Do you know that you can "watch" Ginger in her accommodations on your computer? Please try not to worry. Ginger will be in the best possible hands.
Those are wonderful pictures of your girl (and of Jackson).

Scritches to the kitties and lots of :bighug::bighug::bighug:s for you,
 
Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA) said:
Hi Dyana, We are sending the very best and most beautiful vines for a successful i131 for Ginger. Dr. Peterson is fantastic. I wish that Stu had been able to have the i131. But there were delays (by his vet) and by the time he got to Bedford Hills he was too sick and too weak. Anyway, I was most impressed with Dr. Peterson and with the facility there. Do you know that you can "watch" Ginger in her accommodations on your computer? Please try not to worry. Ginger will be in the best possible hands.
Those are wonderful pictures of your girl (and of Jackson).

Scritches to the kitties and lots of :bighug::bighug::bighug:s for you,
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I'm sorry about Stu not being able to get the treatment done. :(
I know about the cameras and Ginger is getting a double condo so she will have two cameras to watch her on.
I asked about why they don't have like a skype thingy so the cat can see us too, and was told they thought about it and decided it would upset the cats.
Thanks for the vines. :bighug: One more day of Ginger being home :(
 
adding more vines for Ginger. She knows you well enough to know you are worried .... she senses it .... They are just so in tune with us.
hope you can make a shirt smell really strong of you so she'll have that for comfort.
Big HUG
 
As the day begins to turn into night, I am starting to get more upset/stressed/teary eyed. I could use a hug.
I have most of her things packed. I topped off the gas in the car. My GPS is ready to go. I think me and Ginger will go visit my elderly neighbor where I can have a beer.

I may leave earlier than I had planned. And get into more of that commute traffic going towards The City, just so I can maybe get to the clinic earlier and spend some more time with her. She acts like nothing is going on, and just woke up from a nap and is taking a bath.

I have tears going down my face because I'm a blithering idiot.
 
:bighug: You're not blithering or idiotic! It's just a scary situation, and it's so hard to be separated from your sweet kitty! But it sounds like she is in the best possible hands, and you have planned so carefully. Hopefully she'll have excellent results and be back to taking her usual baths and celebrating her birthday! :bighug:
 
Here's a BIG HUG for your trip tomorrow. :bighug::bighug: Ginger will do just fine. Have a safe trip and remember that all your friends are here for support. Ginger, your mamabean is going to be keeping close tabs on you, so do your very best, brave girl!

Yo Ginger, I picked you a beautiful bouquet of vines for your i131.
Your friend,
Rusty
 
Squeaky and KT (GA) said:
We're riding on your shoulder Dyana...ELLA! Leave her hair alone! ....oops sorry Dyana - HUGS and hugs...
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Thanks, I'll try to remember that. It made me smile and laugh.
Her and Jackson were just kissing (licking each other's face).
Thank you, everyone :bighug: and thanks for the bouquet of vines, Rusty :cat:.

I told my neighbor that I might be back for another beer tomorrow, but then I remembered that I get to watch Ginger on the camera, and I told her I may want to do that instead.

I'll report back tomorrow. Maybe with a snapshot from her live video.
 
Thank you.

Ginger slept with me all night long. She hasn't been doing that lately. I was told not to let her sleep on my head or snuggled next to me. Hopefully, sleeping at arms length from me is okay. She does like for me to stretch out my arm towards her and she uses my hand as her pillow, and purrs.

When I got up, Ginger was in the litter box, and upon getting out made one of her painful meows (which she does before she throws up) and proceeded to release a hairball. 1st breakfast has been eaten.

I'm supposed to bring something that smells like me, but couldn't think of any of my clothes to be destroyed because of the radiation, so I slept on her crate pad (bed) and blankie last night to get my scent on them.

Ginger is acting like it's a normal morning. She just curled up in front of me to purr, get scritches, and watch me type.
Here's where she will be staying:
 
Prayers for you and Ginger. Prayers for a safe, uneventful drive and arrive safely with plenty of time. Prayers for Ginger for that the drive isn't too stressful and prayers the treatment is easy and successful :bighug:

Take the towel you use to dry off after a shower. It will smell like you and it is only a towel. :)

Will be following progress and keeping you both in my prayers.

Love the pictures!
 
Sending vines for you and Ginger, that facility looks top notch. They will take great care of her I'm sure. Safe travels to Bedford Hills.
 
Thank you. I will take my towel. Although it is damp now.
@Bobbie And Bubba it does cost a lot, but it is the best place, maybe in the world, for treating hyperthyroid in cats, and it is available to me within driving distance. And he includes the cost of blood work at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. And it was mentioned that maybe she could be put into a research study where he will pay for thyroid blood work for life.
It's just that she doesn't act sick at all. I hope she comes home just fine and dandy and as sweet and precious as always.
Prayers.
 
Ginger is in her carrier and Rescue Remedy has been given. Her bag is packed, and we're about ready to head out the door. I'll report back later this afternoon when I return home.
 
How did the drive/drop off go? I am not familiar with this treatment, so not sure what they are doing. Hope you can give us an update.

Dyana said:
I was told not to let her sleep on my head or snuggled next to me.
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Why? Ever since I read this it has been a burning question in my mind.

Keeping you in my prayers. :bighug:
 
LizzieInTexas said:
How did the drive/drop off go? I am not familiar with this treatment, so not sure what they are doing. Hope you can give us an update.



Why? Ever since I read this it has been a burning question in my mind.

Keeping you in my prayers. :bighug:
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It's because of the radiation. After the procedure one has to be very careful for a period of time.

Dyana, we hope all is going well and look forward to your update.
:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
I'm sorry. I thought I copied and pasted this from yesterday (so it's a little old, and long):

I'm home.

It took about 2.25 hours to get there and a little less to get home. It was a beautiful day for a drive.

Ginger quietly meowed on the way there.

They took her away from me pretty much as soon as I walked in the door. They said she was to get more blood work done and the dye injection for them to do the scintigraphy. And then wait an hour for that.

Several other cat parents came in with their cats, so we passed the time talking. A couple was referred there by Dr. Lisa Pierson.

A really nice lady went into the exam room first and when she came out it didn't sound good. I guess her cat had quite large tumors and so he would need a higher dose, and that probably abate all thyroid tissue.

I kept repeating "Ginger is fine, her tumor is benign" over and over.

I was called into an exam room next, and got to meet the famous doctor, and Ginger was sitting on an exam table naked (no harness or collar). She was growling. I told them she is very expressive. So much for the friendly and confident cat.
Right away they asked about the lump on her back and I said it has been tested and is filled with clear water like fluid and sometimes flattens out and then comes back, and that my vet said there is nothing to worry about just let it be.

Then the doctor showed a picture of the scintigraphy from a normal cat and one from a hyperthyroid cat (pictures I've seen before while "researching"). Then he showed me Ginger's scan and it is not too big of a bright spot one side, so I asked if it was benign and he said it was. I asked about what was next and he said they will give her the radioiodine this afternoon and check her with a geiger counter like instrument tomorrow to see if she needs a "pinch" or so more.

Then the nurse wrapped the growling Ginger in a towel, and I followed them back to see Ginger's condo. Ginger did not want to go in the condo and fought her and then started screaming really loud. We kind of got her in and then she jumped out somehow and ran down the hall. The technician caught her and I tried to comfort her, but she was just so upset.

I figured they probably had lower condos underneath the one they show in the video above, and they do. I'm glad Ginger got one of the top second floor condos as it must be harder to watch the gerbils from below, and if she tries to escape again, it's probably easier to manage her from above.

I offered to give Ginger more rescue remedy (she got some before we left home), and when I went back to the condo area, she had calmed down some, but her breathing was still rapid. I was able to open her condo door without her escaping and to hold her close to my chest and hug her, and with tears in my eyes, she let me (she does not normally like to be held at all). I'm know she could hear my heart beating and tell how upset I was. I kissed her on top of her head and told her it would be 3 days and 3 darks. They had a towel in front of her cage, and the word "jumper" hand written on her name plate, already.

She has to stay in the one side of the condo for contamination reasons that I don't understand even though I tried to question it, until after she gets her i131, then they will open up the barrier between the two and she will then have her double condo.

I took my towel from my shower this morning, and when I saw the condo, I asked where it was and they said it was in the wash. It was damp, but still, I hope it was only in the dryer (they told me they might throw it in the dryer), the object was to have my scent on it. I asked about the pink crate pad I had brought because it wasn't in her condo either, and one of the girls went back to another room and opened her hard carrier and started to pull out the pad and said "oh, you want to keep this don't you?" It is a nice pad for traveling. So, I thought with the toys, and towel, and blankie that I had brought that those might be enough. But I noticed the blankie is in the locked up side of the condo in this little 1 foot square "hidey hole" that I don't know if Ginger can fit into, and the toy I brought for her is also in the locked up side.
I told the couple that was there waiting their turn, that I hadn't sat down and told Ginger about what was going on and that she might think I sold her to a laboratory to do experiments on her. They smiled and said they told their cat that she was going on a vacation. I should have told Ginger something.

I wish I had gone back to see her again, before I left, but I didn't. I was a little teary eyed as I left and for the first part of the drive. It was down hill on the way home and people were driving 80 miles an hour. I was thinking while driving home that I could use a massage.

I can see now from the camera that she has calmed down and her breathing is more relaxed. She still has the towel attached to the front of her cage, so can't see the gerbils or the bird/mouse video.

I forgot to say if they give her Mirtazapine, to give her just a little, but they will call me this evening, and I can mention it then.

I don't know if Jackson even knows Ginger's not here yet. He's not the brightest bulb on the tree. I think I will take him out for a walk.

Ginger has not eaten yet. I hope she does soon.
Right now she is grooming herself and looking all right.

Here's her web cam from condo 2
Here's her web cam from condo 1
She has a double condo and keeps going back and forth between the two. There is a little area in between where her litter box is. If you click on the images they move and you can click to see she has a shelf in the back of each condo and in front of her condo you can see the gerbils and cat video.

One of the things I liked about the doctor was he said "how old is she?" and I said she'll be 13 on the 19th, and he said "Oh, she's young then, she'll be fine.".

Today's report is that she ate some food, so they did not have to give her mirtazapine. And they do a geiger counter thing to see how radioactive they are at their thyroid area and if they are low then they may give them a "pinch" more radioactive iodine, and Ginger's was fine, so she did not have to have anymore.

I took these screenshots from the web cam tonight:
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I am so tired. Yesterday was exhausting physically because of the long drive, and emotionally. Top that with almost 12 hours of work today, and I must go to bed.
 
Ginger got her photo on the Doctor's face book page. https://www.facebook.com/pg/Hypurrcat/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1667510829943210 She was mad and confused and growling at the time.
One more day, Ginger. Tomorrow you get to come home. Eat your food.
I don't know if this will work, but when I pick her up, I think once I have her and her carrier seat belted into the back seat of the car, I will sit beside her and let her out of the carrier and just sit there for a while and just talk to her (before the long drive home). I was thinking that after a few minutes, I could bring out a sandwich and start to eat. And then, after a couple more minutes, of opening a can of cat food and dishing some onto a plate for her and hoping she will eat some of it.
 
Dyana said:
I will sit beside her and let her out of the carrier and just sit there for a while and just talk to her (before the long drive home). I was thinking that after a few minutes, I could bring out a sandwich and start to eat. And then, after a couple more minutes, of opening a can of cat food and dishing some onto a plate for her and hoping she will eat some of it.
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My vet will put me in a room alone with Gizmo (if it is available). Be careful with feeding before getting on the road. Gizmo tends to get car sick if he has food in his tummy. Maybe find a half way point and try it there and then take a 45-60 min break and relax with her after she has eaten.

Now to check out the webcams :)

So glad she is doing good. :bighug:
 
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