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Thread: clinical symptoms combined with ACTH results - Sammi is now in heaven

  1. #111
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
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    rural central ARK
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    Default Re: clinical symptoms combined with ACTH results-please ANY suggestions/feedback welc

    I am so glad she is still trying to eat and especially glad she is taking some nutrients in on her own! YAY Sammi!!! Keep it up, baby girl!
    "May you know that absence is full of tender presence and that nothing is ever lost or forgotten." John O'Donahue, "Eternal Echoes"

    Death is not a changing of worlds as most imagine, as much as the walls of this world infinitely expanding.

  2. #112
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
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    Default Re: clinical symptoms combined with ACTH results-please ANY suggestions/feedback welc

    For the first time in a week...

    SAMMI ATE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF SOLID FOOD ALL ON HER OWN!!!!!!!!!

    She devoured the ground chicken breast up this morning. I chopped it up in tiny pieces and she loved it. I should've measured how much she ate, but it was the usual full amount that we would normally feed her, probably even more.

    I'm still afraid to get excited but I'm happy she wanted to eat and most happy we didn't have to syringe feed her (even though I think she actually liked it or liked having warm food in her belly). She came into the kitchen like her old self just waiting to eat.

    She took all of her meds (prilosec, anti-nausea, and prednisone). She walked to the door when Adam took Taylor out.... like, "hey, what about me".

    The other thing I'm noticing that she did last night and has been doing the past few nights and some days, is lying down and wanting to put her head up. It's more like she wants her chin up which would make her head go back. She also keeps repositioning, moving forward, staying there for a little bit and then does it again. And sometimes her ears will be back (not flat back but more flat and backward than usual). I just don't want to ignore if she's in any pain.

    She isn't doing it right now (she's just resting comfy on her flat bed) but she def has done it the past few nights. It's unusual for her, especially the moving around.

    I've noticed since her hearing has deteriorated that her ears sort of stay twisted in a different direction but they have been laying flatter during the night, more so when she keeps repositioning.

    Going to pray for her progress and improvement but as I've noticed this has been a roller coaster so I don't want to get my hopes up.

    Go Sammi, keep up the good work lil munchkin!

  3. #113
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Georgia
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    Default Re: clinical symptoms combined with ACTH results-please ANY suggestions/feedback welc

    Awww, this is great news! Keep it up, Sammi, keep it up!!

    Marianne

  4. #114
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
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    Canada
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    16,150

    Default Re: clinical symptoms combined with ACTH results-please ANY suggestions/feedback welc

    That's an excellent report today. So glad she ate a normal amount and got some protein. I feel like that might be the prednisone helping.

    Hmm, well if she has something bothering her stomach, the bleeding, that might make her uncomfortable and restless. Not able to settle. Are you still seeing any dark stools?
    Sharlene and the late great diva - Molly muffin (always missed and never forgotten)

  5. #115
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
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    122

    Default Re: clinical symptoms combined with ACTH results-please ANY suggestions/feedback welc

    Sammi is still eating on her own. She only wants ground chicken but I'm just happy she's eating.

    Today, for the first time in a while, she started rolling around for about 30 seconds after she ate, trying to itch her face, which is what she always does. Unfortunately that's from the yeast infection on her face, but to see her go from listless to rolling around and wanting to itch her face makes me feel better. She's getting treated for that with chlorhex. wipes.

    She still hasn't gone poo poo since her bout of diarrhea (which was dark brown-black) two days ago so hopefully she'll go today.

    It does look like her belly might be bothering her a little but anytime we take Taylor she wants to go out too.

    If she does have an ulcer I would hope that the Prilosec will help with that but when we see the vet I'm going to ask.

    So being that she got the steroid injections and the daily prednisone does that mean her cortisol level is increasing (even though it's not "HER" cortisol... possibly)?

    I guess, like you said, we'll have to see when she gets her test but that's scary to think that we hold back the prednisone so we can test, and after the test they can see if SHE is producing cortisol on her own.

    I'd hate for her cortisol to go way down and she starts getting sick again but I guess we also would want to know if she's getting TOO much and her cortisol would be too high.

    Well, at least today and yesterday I feel Sammi is coming back on line.

    She's so cute that she climbs all the way up and down all the pillows we set up for her to get off of the couch and then walks all the way to the bathroom by herself to go pee pee.

    My husband calls her "the land rover" because our living room looks like mountains and valleys of pillows. We have a hard time getting up and down and sliding and tripping, but whatever keeps Sammi safe!

    I also just realized something something else. Sammi is not walking around confused at all. Granted, she just started walking around the past 2 days but she's had plenty of opportunity to "wander" and she hasn't.

    Keep it up Sammi!

  6. #116
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    Mar 2017
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    Default Re: clinical symptoms combined with ACTH results-please ANY suggestions/feedback welc

    So far so good.

    Sammi ate some more ground again (we're trying to feed her small meals and more of them) and I was actually able to get her to eat some sweet potato - i added a little bit of butter and brown sugar and hated doing that but she ate it.

    Finally made a semi solid poo poo (a little dark) but she has some vaginal discharge which is a little mucus -y and sometimes watery. It's not a lot but enough to notice the past day or so when I pick her up.

    Does anyone know what that could be?

  7. #117
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    Jun 2012
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    Canada
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    Default Re: clinical symptoms combined with ACTH results-please ANY suggestions/feedback welc

    I'm not sure, as molly never had that kind of problem (vaginal discharge), but I wonder if a UTI, yeast, etc. Has she been scooting or licking?

    Great she has a bit of a poop. Normal eating should get that back on track. Might take a few days though to get her system back to what it should be.

    I know it's scary to think about, but you will want to know that her body is able to make it's own cortisol. You usually taper down the dosage of prednisone and give it a couple days and test and see where she is at.

    When was it they wanted to test her again to see how she is doing?
    Sharlene and the late great diva - Molly muffin (always missed and never forgotten)

  8. #118
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    Mar 2017
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    Default Re: clinical symptoms combined with ACTH results-please ANY suggestions/feedback welc

    Still... so far so good.

    The vet said she may be getting a UTI and we're taking her in this week.

    She is now wanting to eat all the time! I'm sure it's the steroids.

    I swear she's seeing and hearing better because when we talk to her she'll sometimes look up, and she's responding as if she's seeing and hearing better. Maybe?

    I think she still has a little belly ache and maybe (maybe) nauseous because I catch her licking her lips sometimes. Still a little bit of diarrhea and I'm hoping that goes away. The color is not black-brown anymore it's more of a semi normal color but my husband is the one who cleaned it and sometimes I think he sees what he wants to see.

    All she wants to eat is ground chicken and sometimes I can sneak in some sweet potato. I'm trying to sneak in some fiber and some rice.

    She's also a tiny bit restless in that she doesn't want to sit in one place for too long or when she's resting she'll move around a lot and that's no like her.

    I just want her to feel good and I guess we'll know more when she gets tested. I'm wondering if they'll want to test her without withholding the prednisone and then do another test a couple of weeks later where we'll hold back the prednisone???

    Keep getting better my little Sammi, everyone is rooting for you ;-)

  9. #119
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    Apr 2009
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    Georgia
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    Default Re: clinical symptoms combined with ACTH results-please ANY suggestions/feedback welc

    I'm so glad she's doing better!!

    As far as the testing, if you all are worried about stopping the prednisone, one thing they might do is switch her to taking dexamethasone tablets or give her another dexamethasone injection during the couple days before the test. Dexamethasone does not register on the test in the way that prednisone does, so dex does not skew the results. The reading will only register the natural cortisol level. So you may want to ask your vet about that now, so that you can be prepared in advance of the test.

    Marianne

  10. #120
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
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    Default Re: clinical symptoms combined with ACTH results-please ANY suggestions/feedback welc

    Great advice!

    I think it's better to get her in asap.

    Can't do any switching of anything until the vet gets back in and that's tomorrow - he's been out and not taking any emails until until the 25th).

    If we have to end up taking her in again a couple of days later we'll just have to do that because I really think she has some kind of vaginitis or UTI and I'd hate for her to wait another couple of days. I just left a message on his vmail.

    She's gone poo poo a few more times and it's getting a little better and the color is also getting back to normal. Gave her some GasX last night and today and I see a difference in that she's not as restless.

    I vaguely remember reading something about steroids and being MORE prone to infections or antibiotics not working as well or something???

    I may be wrong but I hope they can give her something as I'm sure she has something going on with a UTI or vaginitis. Ugh... poor lil thing!

    She is still wanting to eat but it has to be chopped up really small and crumbly and I'm trying to think of a vegetable to get some fiber in her.

    I'll keep you posted and thank you as always!

    Tracey

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