Tipper - adrenal tumor/breathing issues

Everyone;
I just emailed Dr. Bruyette and asked him about the hospital and surgeon I am meeting with as she supposedly came from his hospital. I asked him for any help he can offer me as far as advise, what he knows about this surgery, and any way he can help me decide what to do. I have some people already looking into places I could possibly stay with Tipper for about a week that would be clean and cheap, as I will hardly be able to come up with all this money. I may have to go to the bank and ask for a personal loan, if I decide to do this surgery, they may say no because my income is so low now. I had a complete stranger, a woman email me and offer me her house, where we are welcome to have our own room, for Tipper to recuperate. What a wonderful human being!! She is 30 minutes away from the hospital, that may be too far so I will see . Peoples generosity toward animals never ceases to amaze me. God Bless her heart of gold. Blessings
Patti

That is great that someone offered to help you and Tipper! :cool::cool::cool: I was talking to another member here just a bit ago about how wonderful our cush family is and how amazing it is that so many dog folk who never met can come together to help each other out when needed. Total strangers reaching out helping hands simply because they love dogs and their parents who work so hard, like you, to do their very best in spite of what are often challenging circumstances. Things like this help keep my faith in our all-to-often horrible species from completely failing. ;)

Leslie:
It does give you hopes for humanity doesn't it??

Everyone:
I just received an email back from Dr. Bruyette. This man is so busy and he always answers me promptly. He said he personally knows the surgeon I am scheduled to talk to, and he said do not worry about a thing with her. That is such a relief to hear from someone of his stature. I am crying right now typing this. He wants all Tipper's initial testing to see if he can determine if she also has pituitary dependency. He expressed that he was sorry to hear of this mess up with her. He may use her test results in his studies of this disease also, so my Tipper may be able to help another dog, and that is wonderful. My world just has fallen in in the last week with all this going on with my baby. I am forging on and doing the best things I can to get knowledge and gain power. I am reaching out to every source I possibly can, for any help/information. I have said it many times before, I will not let this disease take my Tipper, I will not. Blessings
Patti

Patti, sending you great big hugs. Dr. Bruyette is a gem. He has helped so many and always seems to take time to go that extra bit to make us feel better.
This is certainly an unexpected and unwelcome surprise, when everything seemed to be showing straight out pituitary and her other ultrasound had been okay. (if I am remember that correctly)
Waly has an adrenal tumor and is being treated I think with lysodren and it has shrunk a little bit.
You have probably read over that thread already, but just wanted to mention it. I hope they can distinguish whether this is a pheo or a straight out adrenal tumor that you are dealing with, so you will know what you're options area.
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Patti,

I'm so happy that you're getting answers!!!!

Hi Everyone:
This has not been my best weekend, with that being said I need to change Tipper's meds. I am going to call Dechra as soon as I get home from my urologist. I have gotten together a 25 page fax for Dr. Bruyette on the blood work and testing on Tipper to date, and I am emailing him the report from the IMS. I hope he can give some insight into what exactly is going on with Tipper. He did tell me 10% that have adrenal tumors will also have pituitary tumors. My fax broke, wouldn't you know it. I cannot get it to stop saying paper jam, I think it is in the computer cause there is no jam. I am taking the papers to my vets and have them fax them. They better not give me any trouble as I am not in the mood for crap. After all I could have called their office and had them get all this ready, but instead did it myself. Tipper was ravenous last nite. My only solution is 20mg @ 7am, and 10 at 5pm as she starts getting hungry then. This will cost a fortune this way and I am already worried about money. I will have to buy 3 packs of 10mg a month which will over double the cost. I am so far down in that deep hole right now, but I am still functioning for her sake. I just don't want to get up in the morning and think about the consequences of all this. My neighbor called me yesterday and asked how I was, and that she hasn't seen me in over a month. I almost had a breakdown, but kept it together and told her I was just spending time with Tipper. I don't even want to go to the urologist today and have to have a sitter for Tipper. I will just hurry and get back asap. Blessings
Patti

Patti,

I do feel for you and Tipper. Do try to keep your appointment, I felt the same with when Lulu was sick. You know I just got upset. Now with Stanley things have calmed down, though we want to get a professional trainer for him. He just isn't good with strange men coming to the door, so we are hoping with training he can be made to feel that his home isn't threatened. :)

Hi Everyone:
I had to leave the urologists office before seeing him. I waited over an hour only to find out they did not have my Xrays showing if I had passed the stone, and did not have my blood work. I have never had a panic attack in my life, but felt I was going to. I told them to call me with the results as I have a very ill dog at home and have to go back home asap. I though about my Tipper the whole time I was sitting there, and was so nervous I wanted to leaven anyway. I just got home and got bad news from Dr. Bruyette he said it looks like Tipper has pituitary dependency with either a non active adrenal tumor or pheochromcytoma. I have to email him and see if he picked that up from the report from the IMS I emailed him or the 25 pages of testing and blood work I had the vets email him. I am so frightened I can barely deal with daily things that need doing. This means she would have to have the operation or she could have a bad death if it is a pheo. I have to get money together and figure out where I can stay and how I can do all this, and have someone take care of my critters at home. I called Dechra and am waiting for them to call me back about what to do on Tipper's dosage. Mean while what will happen if she gets the adrenal tumor out, and they give them prednisone for a while, and she can't have it because of the pituitary tumor and taking Vetoryl for it?? I need some help so please give me some advise. How could this precious loving baby have two of these tumors? I cannot understand this. It is bad enough for people to deal with one. I am just off the charts with this. Sorry but I need to let it out. Blessings
Patti

Ok, sweetie....I want you to sit down somewhere comfortable, rather dark and quiet, close your eyes, fold your hands in your lap loosely, then take a deep breath through your nose and slowly let it out through your mouth - repeat....do it again....and now again. Continuing to breath in through your nose and out through your mouth, slowly roll your head around in a circle first to the left, then to the right. Roll your head in both directions, remembering to continue the slow breathing, several times. Now, continuing the slow breathing, your hands loose in your lap, lay your head back and just relax. I want you to allow all these emotions a release. They need to be expressed fully. In your more relaxed state, let all your grief and fear surface then come roaring out of you with a vengeance. Don't listen to that little voice who will try to tell you that you are wasting precious time - this is precious time for you. Cry til you cannot breath; scream a primordial scream; whatever possesses you, allow it to come. Flow with it, ride the waves until there are no more for now. When you have no more to give right then, get up and go take a long hot soak in a soft perfumed bath, or take a walk alone, or take a short nap. Let your emotions out, then let yourself respond to the lightened load as best works for you.

For the remainder of the day and night, do not look at lab reports, emails from vets, studies or internet pages, this site....nothing connected to what is going on with our sweet Tipper. As Addy says, put all of that in a drawer, shut the drawer and lock it just for the rest of today. Instead, do something you used to enjoy but have not given much time to lately like a hobby or watching soap operas or reading a book you've wanted to read - anything that brings you joy and fulfillment. The single most important factor in ensuring our babies get the very best care is us. So we must tend to ourselves first and foremost always. If our bodies fail from stress, our babies will pay the price as much as we.

Nothing will be done today, no decisions must be made today...but Tipper and we need you to be as strong as you possibly can when the time comes to make decisions and take action. So you must take care of yourself and allow yourself to feel all the emotions that are flooding your Soul. Otherwise, they will destroy you and none of us want that. I know so well that feeling, and belief, that if we let ourselves go, everything will fall apart. For years, I would not allow myself to feel the emotions that were killing me, literally. I had become an expert at building walls around them, thinking I was protecting myself and others. What I learned, and the hard way, was that by bottling things up I was creating a tsunami that eventually came crashing in with a force that was unbelievable. Now, I do allow those feeling a life, a right to be expressed whenever they appear. It was a hard lesson to learn but one that saved my sanity.

Please listen, do as I ask just for today. I only ask because I care so much about you and Tipper.
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

Amen Leslie... Patti please do this. It's so important for you and in the long run benefits Tipper too.