My dear Michelle- I am sorry that Lucy is still not eating - I don't know if this will make you feel a bit better or not.. my Ginger who is Felk positive have gone through a period that she did not eat anything at all over 3 months.. but the weird thing was, she did not act like she was sick or feeling sick.. just did not want to eat anything - she has done this for a couple of times for the past three years I have had her - and eventually she started eating - thank god..- obviously this is not the same situation with Lucy's case. I don't know if Lucy actually does have FIP.. if she does indeed have FIP, anorexia is a common symptom, and almost to be expected as part of the symptoms...all of my kitties with FIP stopped eating way before they got really sick, usually they feel nauseated due to the liver problem, but I don't know if this is what's happening to Lucy, either-
Michelle, this just has been the first day, but even if she does not want to eat tomorrow - don't be in despair..see if you can assist feed her - sometimes, they just forget to eat (I know it sounds weird- that's how it was with Ginger).. I have been syringe feeding Ghandi and Ayumi for over 3 months now as they cannot eat on their own for different reasons.. but I keep my hopes.. and take one day at a time..and I do pray and keeping my hope for your baby Lucy.. she is going to overcome this somehow.. she always has... I don't know what's the best thing to give for Lucy - as I have asked for Nina for advise as to what I should do for my babies in the past.. and she would tell me her suggestion.. and I went ahead and did what I was going to do anyway against Nina's suggestion...:-) I am just that way.. If I were you, I might just let her body recoup and give it a break from all the drugs a bit.. but I am not there to see her.. I don't know for sure either... Please know that you and your baby Lucy are in my deep thought and prayers... Hugs, Hideyo.. _____ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nina Sent: Friday, January 19, 2007 11:02 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Lucy--what to do? Dearest Michelle, As I wrote before, I just went through this same push/pull anxiety with Spencer. It's enough to give you a nervous breakdown. I'm feeling your pain right through the computer. I know Lucy is in bad shape, but it does sound like she's at least comfortable for the most part. When you talk about worsening symptoms, are you referring to her not eating? Today is the first time she hasn't eaten on her own, is that right? Stress will put her off her food, perhaps she's just regaining her strength. The thought of her enjoying a sun bath is encouraging. She may be strong enough to wait for the experts to decide a treatment protocol. I wish I had the answers for you Michelle. I'm afraid that no matter how much support we have from others, it always comes down to our call when dealing with so this sort of quandary. All I can tell you is that after I calmed my spirit and communed with Spencer, (my last experience with what you are going through), I felt a little more at peace with the circumstances. Unfortunately, Spencer did not have a long time left to share with me. I never gave up hope, but I did find a semblance of acceptance and peace. The benefit was that the time we did share was full of unconditional love, and I don't know how else to put it, full of quality. It didn't keep him with me in the physical, but it allowed us to bond in an extraordinary way. It was an incredible gift that we shared, at a very costly price. I'll always be grateful to him for the lessons learned during that heartrending time. I have no idea what I would do in your place. Missing the pieces of the puzzle make it so very difficult to make these sorts of decisions with conviction. I would never take the advice of anyone over what my own gut was telling me though. The specialists may be well meaning, they may even be sympathetic, but to them Lucy is a medical case, to you she is your heart. The way I see it is we are responsible for interpreting the wishes of our fur children and making sure that our decisions are based on love and not fear. You are the one that has to live with the consequences, no matter what those consequences may be. Clear your head. Sit quietly with her, your next move will come to you. All my love, Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Red Bank called to say that now I do not have a return appointment for tomorrow, that the cytology reports won't be back until tomorrow, and that I will get a call tomorrow morning after the oncologist and internist look at the reports, with a plan. Meanwhile, this morning Lucy is not eating at all. I syringed her a little food, but am concerned at the worsening of symptoms. Her back end seems ok now, but she is drinking more. her fever went down last night with fluids and ice packs, but she is warm again-- but can't tell if this is because she is lying in the sun (her choice). She can walk to litter box and jump up on 1 foot tall cardboard box without problems. Her pads and gums are still a little pink, though light pink. Thanks to Hideyo, I now have feline interferon and epogen. The oncologist is insisting that I not start her on anything until they look at all the test results. If she has an infection or heart disease, steroids could be harmful. If her blood cells are regenerating but then dying, epogen won't help and she could have a reaction. I have not heard back on any particular reason not to start the feline interferon. Do you think I should start her on something, against the advice of the oncologist and internist? I generally trust specialists, but it seems clear she is going down hill and days are passing. Plus, a friend's dog had neurological problems and saw specialists at a big hospital in Boston for a week before they tested for lyme disease (which I had suggested immediately)-- they had had him on steroids, then when finally saw he had lyme put him on heavy doses of antibiotics and stopped the steroids, and when he got worse they put him back on heavy doses of both and he pulled through. Obviously it would have been better if a) they had tested him immediately (they had not thought the neuro symptoms matched lyme) and b) absent the test if they had just loaded him up with both abx and steroids. So I am wary of specialists waiting for test results that take a while before starting treatment when an animal is going downhill. At the same time, I don't want to harm any possible treatment she could ultimately get if they figure something out. Do any of you have strong opinions or thoughts on this? Thanks, Michelle
