Tipper - adrenal tumor/breathing issues

Hi Patti,
Sorry I have not chimed in for a day or two...was on eldercare duty with my mother and no internet available. Just now getting caught up with posts.
Wow...just so sorry for what you're going through...the feeling of panic is not a good one. It's all over whelming...all of it. You probably need a good night's sleep but I know that will probably not happen with the worries you have.
Wish I had some kind of knowledge that would give insight. I don't--so for now I'll just say I'm praying for all of this to work out for you and Tipper. Hoping the for the best outcome!
Barbara

I agree with Leslie!

Meanwhile you confused me because you said if it's a pheo he'd die. That isn't true. Trish's dog had a pheo and lived.

Also note he said 'it looks like it is pituitary cushings'. That isn't yet a fact, it's an opinion. You need to find out why he said that. Annie's tests all showed pituitary cushings but she didn't have it - they couldn't rule it out until they did the cat scan at K State on the heavy duty eqpt.

Flip side it is a non-functioning adrenal tumor or a pheo it may be that you can opt out of having it removed.

Remember Tipper needs a healthy mom. You can't skip these appts forever. Take care of yourself so you can take care of Tip and are healthy and strong enough to make the decisions up the road.

When is your meeting with the surgeon? Thanks and I hope you don't see this for a while because you are off relaxing somewhere. HUgs, Kim

Honey, please don't put the cart before the horse. As you have written, these are possibilities and not yet confirmed.

You also know that every dog is different so please don't assume that nothing can be done for Tipper before finding out for certain what is going on with her.

Lastly, find a way to calm down so that you can enjoy your time with Tipper and so that you remain healthy for both of you. Don't give into the panic. You're much to smart for that.

HUGS

Good mornin',

I hope you had a more relaxing day and feel a bit calmer this morning about things. Can't begin to tell you the number of times I have had full blown panic attacks in public...like vet offices. ;) Doc offered to tranquilize me when I took Trinket in to be spayed because I was losing it just thinking of her going under anesthesia again after taking 3 days to wake up the last time she was under. I have some tricks I use that help. I memorized statistical formulas and would recite them out loud or write them down, poems and recite them aloud - a few things that require my mind to pay attention so I get it right....and that usually helps push the panic back.

Of course, today I have NO idea what those stats formulas mean nor could I apply them....but remembering the weird little symbols and the order they have to go in with parenthesis, brackets and so on is challenging enough that it helps my mind remain present - not flopping around on the floor or dashing around flapping in the air. :p I have also been known to use that primordial scream - which my neighbors adore. :D Or using a 2X4 to beat a clothesline pole or making bread and punching the crap outta the dough. These and others are stress relievers for me when things start piling up and I feel that horrible skin-crawlie, shaky, sweaty, mind-numbing fear coming on. I spend time outside every day, not working but simply soaking in Mother Nature and all Her beauty, watching the sunrise while sipping coffee, watching the sun set in the evenings. These times are mine and mine alone - no pups, no humans with me. Just me and Mother Nature. I find these moments very healing. ;)

I hope you and Tipper had a restful night.
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

Hi Everyone:
Well last nite we had a storm. It really got my stomach in a knot even though I was trying to remain calm. I got worried about Tipper's blood pressure rising, and the bleeding in her retinas. I can't say I am calm today, but I am trying to keep my emotions in check. You know I had this very experience with my dad and that is why in the back of my mind I am in a panic. I had the same sick feeling every morning I woke up knowing I was one day closer to my dad passing. It is no different with Tipper. It will be God's will now again as it was in the past. Because I have lost my whole family to tragic deaths it is hard for me to keep sane. I have been through this too many times for my age. Tipper is all I have left, and I need her badly. I have formulated a plan even though I am not mentally with it right now. After researching the outcome of operations on these adrenal glands I called the IMS. She was not in until Wednesday so I asked her assistant to tell her I need the following. Tipper's CT scan from her scoping procedure, and the size of her tumor. I need to know first if there is any tumor found at all on her pituitary. Then I need to know the size of the one on the adrenal gland. If it is 5 centimeters or larger the outcome after removal is not good. If it is the large round object the first Dr. pointed to , I can safely say that it is over 5 centimeters. If this is a pheo it could send a sudden rush from high blood pressure to her heart and kill her. If it is an adenoma, and 5 centimeters or over it cannot be removed without a high death rate. It would seem any route is not a good one, so I will start with the pituitary and go from there. After being in my vets office to get Lucky's medicine after it finally came, I told the receptionist I had to speak to my vet, it was important about Tipper and to have him call me. He never called needless to say. It is not a good feeling when your ship is sinking and all the rats are jumping off. I know he does not want to hear it about his lousy US machine , and the lousy Dr. reading it. I have reached out to Dr. Bruyette again about the mortality of this operation etc. I have not heard back yet to see if he has gone over her blood work. I called Dechra yesterday about Tipper's dosage change, never heard from them either. I hope to hear today. That is where things sit today. I can't help feeling Tipper is a ticking time bomb, and it is taking all I can do to keep going. I do it for her, and if she gives me any sign she wants out I will help her. I though of that all nite. I would never be able to with stand seeing her in distress and not being able to help her or end it for her. God help me I have given though to putting her to sleep before something bad happens to her. I would never want her to have to deal with a catastrophic event. It would kill me. That is why I am very cautious to always make sure she is not suffering with anything. I cannot let her do that because of myself needing her. I would always think of her first. It is different when you have others in and around you in your life to talk this over with and get support from. I have no one but this wonderful forum, so I hope you all understand where I am coming from, as the hole is deep where I am at. I pray nothing bad happens waiting for all these Dr.'s and answers. Blessings
Patti

Hi Patti,

If you are like me, I'm like a dog with a bone and I cant let things go, so it is often hard to take my own advice and put Cushings in the drawer and lock it up for awhile.:o:o

I was given some wise advice from Zoe's GP before he left the practice. He told me to pick my battles carefully, that there was so much wrong with Zoe, I could not win every battle. I know you will pick your battle carefully.

Anticipatory grief is a hard thing to deal with, it can cloud our judgment while we weigh the options and it is hard to control. I have to go to work everyday so it was a blessing in a way, I was forced to clear my mind, as hard as it was. I totally agree even just a walk, alone for an hour to sit in a park or near a pond to just breathe and be can help calm the mind and allow us to see things in a different light.

I dont know what God plans for Zoe or for Tipper. I know there are days I feel I am strong enough to handle her death and days I feel I cannot bear it. So I offer you my shoulders too, to lean on, Patti, as you struggle with so much information to decide the best path forward.

Just remember, Tipper is still here today, right now. She has not been taken from you. So each day, one day at a time, rejoice in Tipper, hold her, smell her and just be.

Much love

Ticking time bomb....yes, I know that one as well and live with it on a daily basis with Squirt and Brick. I know in my gut something is wrong with Squirt internally- another tumor, gall bladder or liver disease, something that is ticking away second by second....and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. I can't afford an US to look inside, I couldn't afford surgery nor would I ask that of Squirt at this stage of her life. So whatever it is, will be. And what is to come, will come.

Brick is a little miracle in that his body will drain those pockets in his head, relieving the pressure, preventing horrible effects from the pressure. I live with fear his tiny body will one day no longer be able to drain enough fluid and I will have no choice but to let him go as I will not let him suffer.

I've given all I have financially - there is no more to spare. I have no more to give up in order to make ends meet.

I wish I was in your shoes with options and the ability to meet them somehow but I'm not. If we had options, if we had any hope of addressing those options, I would be so very grateful. All I can do is the best I can for my babies with the little I have and cherish each and every second they are with me and ok. Because the day IS coming when they will not be ok, and I will have only one option - to let them go. :(

Hang in there!
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

You sound like you have given up but I know you are strong and have not. Shake the funk!

I will address the pheo. Yes it can cause a heart attack. I repeat - my Annie lived for two years (or more who knows) with a pheo. It was intermittent. She lost weight, wouldn't eat, had an ulcerated cornea but she was one very happy dog to her last day on earth. She had a strong will to live and you would never have known there was a thing wrong with her EVER. People would see this emaciated hairless dog and be all sad and she'd go running into acupuncture with a big smile on her face as if she was on Cloud 9.

Don't give up. I didn't and I had many happy days with my girl as a result. I know you won't give up. Kim

Kim:
I guess out of wanting to protect her at all costs I keep thinking of what I can do so she does not experience this. I am so scared of the adrenal surgery, especially if there is a pituitary on top of this. Many of these surgeries have fatalities, so the chances of her making it out of the O.R. are not real high. I feel like I would be sending her to a certain death. I am torn this is very hard to deal with after all she and I have been through together. If it is the pheo making her have bleeding in the retinas, how long will she be able to endure that before losing her sight?? There are just so many unanswered questions. I have never been so distraught before. I had a dream her and I went to sleep and neither of us ever woke up, we stayed together. Right about now that does not seem too bad to me. I called my vet's office to find out why he never called me yesterday, she said he was in today and that he got the message, well isn't that just great. I am anxious to hear what you have about the pheos to explain to me.Blessings
Patti

Oh Patti,
I don't know what to tell you other than to take your clues from Tipper. She will tell you what she needs you to do for her. Trust in that! You are connected at the hip, so you will know when the time comes.

Right after Buddy passed, I did not want to go on without him either. It does get better little by little and I know that's not what Buddy would want. He would want me to be happy above all else. The same goes with Tipper. She adores you and wants you to be happy also. Remember, you have several other babies that need you.;) We need you too!:p