Sharlene I like the look of that IMS she reads well.
So Molly Muffin is getting the full MOT today. :eek: you will need to work to pay for that little lot will pop back later to see if any results
Printable View
Sharlene I like the look of that IMS she reads well.
So Molly Muffin is getting the full MOT today. :eek: you will need to work to pay for that little lot will pop back later to see if any results
Sounds like you have found an excellent IMS, and you are certainly leaving no stone unturned!
I have found this article, written by UTK Professors, to be interesting: Variability of Estradiol Concentration in Normal Dogs It basically says that elevated estradiol can be found in normal healthy dogs. :confused:
Will be waiting anxiously with the others for sweet Molly's results.
Hugs, Lori
Sharlene:
Hoping all goes well with the results for Molly. Another nice day for the doggies outside! Blessings
Patti
We're back and I had a pretty long meeting with the IMS. Yes I do really like her, and we had a very good meeting of the minds I guess one would say.
She'll be emailing me her discharge write up, which is good, because even though I was trying to take notes, it wasn't working very well. Not sure when we'll get that as she said she normally does discharges from home and she is on duty tonight, tomorrow and the Easter holiday. No rest for the IMS. :)
So.... it could be better and it could be worse. That is what I am telling myself.
Anyone can tell I like to procrastinate the do not want to deal with it stuff in my head. I've so far, browsed and responded on every thread. Went through the facebook group to make sure everything is fine there. Enjoyed a lovely picture of Squirt, which momentarily freaked me out as I worried what had happened. Nothing, Squirt was just having a snooze and looking adorable. And then I could think of no other reason to not come to my thread to update.
So here goes:
The good.
No heart murmer
No back pain.
Liver enlarged but no nodules seen on it.
Bladder stones have passed with no problem.
Her BP was okay, they did 3 tests to make sure. 138 - 144 and they think that she was having some stress reactions so the reality is probably lower than that.
lung xray is good
She doesn't have classic symptoms of cushings.
The Not as good
luxating patella, back left leg, stage two, so no surgery recommended at this time
A kidney stone in each kidney. Left one is small, right one is smaller.
If they don't move, there won't be a problem. If they move to create a blockage, then kidney surgery (which she felt is invasive and often causes other problems) a stint via surgery at University of Guelph, or send us to the states to either Purdue or NYC, AMC to try to have it zapped with sonic to break it up, currently not offered in Canada.
The liver is enlarged, probably more than last time, but hard to tell exact diameters on the ultrasound even though "high res" but as I said, no nodules seen, but it is pressing on lungs, which causing some breathing noises.
The adrenal glands are bilaterally very enlarged more so than the last ultrasound.
Looking at the ultrasound, liver and adrenal glands she would say she is definitely pituitary cushings.
Add to that: Molly now has a left side nodule (tumor) 1.3 centimeters on the adrenal gland. Currently non invasive to the vena cava. She thinks most likely is benign, but of course no way to tell for sure. Since both adrenals are enlarged, she does not think primary adrenal cushings, as one is usually larger than the other in that case, while mollys are just both huge, therefore, likely pituitary and adrenal tumors.
Molly Might just be in that 5% of dogs, where the tumor of the pituitary is in an area that does not respond to LDDS, it is unknown why she would continuously test negative on all LDDS test and we will likely be retesting that. We could do an MRI as that is the only way to know for certain.
She doesn't want to treat with lysodren, as that is very dependent on being able to watch for symptoms that molly doesn't have. No way to tell if she were to go too low during loading.
Trilostane she said, will normally cause the adrenal glands to enlarge, but might let the liver shrink, as the liver is a very resilient organ.
We might try the flax and lignans depending on what the UofT test comes back with.
So there you have it. We have some things to think about and we have some things to keep an eye on. It's not good, but others have had and continue to have it worse.
Molly on the whole, she said, is quite the character, full of life and interested in everything and everyone. She becomes this beautiful dog it seems when I am not around and at which time she becomes very protective of me. (showed the vet tech her teeth when he went to touch her while with me, and was a completely doll in the back when doing the ultrasound) She had a nice snack after her tests. In fact, I went out to the front to wait for them to go get her for me and the lady at the desk looked at me and I said, she'll be out in a minute, she's having a snack and they just laughed and thought that was wonderful and went back to look at her. (vet tech and IMS both said, she'll be out, she has to finish her snack, she's hungry) Molly obviously knows how to win hearts.
This has been a long day and I don't even know how much I've taken in. There was one point when I said something to the IMS and just stopped and had to catch my breath and start over.
She said to relax for the next bit and we'd see what the tests show and go from there.
Thanks for being around today everyone. I might be a tad bit emotional at the moment, and I'm sure I have written a book and yet still feel like there is more to say and yet nothing to say.
hugs
Sharlene and molly muffin
You know how out of whack I am, that I typed all of that and then had it in the preview pane and never clicked submit. I then went and laid down, took a 15 minute nap, took molly for a walk because she was bugging me and then thought hmm, wonder if I posted that. No reason to even think that other than, my mind is elsewhere I suppose.
The thing that is bothering me is that molly has No signs of cushings other than what the ultrasound shows. None, doesn't over eat, doesn't over drink, no potty accidents, urine isn't dilute, not lethargic, eyes bright and interested. And yet she might have Both a pituitary and adrenal tumor??!!! That is blowing my mind. How could she have both and no signs of either.
I know I need to chill out, but it's all so confusing and it shouldn't be. I've been living, breathing cushings, every single day for years now on this forum and yet it is my own dog that is going to surprise me and be the one that is completely different from all the textbooks. Even the IMS said, Molly doesn't appear to have read the text book at all.
arrrggghhh
Sharlene and molly muffin
Wow, wow, wow!
What a day, what a day.
Sorry, repeating myself. I can imagine you must be incredibly overwhelmed with your head spinning Sharlene.
I am sorry about the bad news. LP is not so terrible. I went through LP surgery on my Ichiro as he was grade III. Kidney stones, Tobey has those as well, but they have remained as they are, and no vet here will even discuss kidney surgery to remove kidney stones. Of course, she has numerous small ones, not singular stones.
About the cushings.... hmm. That is a true stumper. I wonder if Molly (and I don't even know if this is possible), is just the type that her body can and does process the excess cortisol without issue (no excessive symptoms), except for the stress it causes on her liver? Just like some people can be 'carriers' of certain diseases, and so they never display many symptoms, but it's still there? Is that possible? I'm just thinking out loud at this point of course.
I "second" what Renee just said!!Quote:
Wow, wow, wow!
What a day, what a day.
I would be exhausted and my head would be swimming, too. It is so much information to think over and process. But thank you so much, Sharlene, for giving us such a full report tonight. There have been so many of us all around the world, awaiting your news today.
I've got to think things over a bit, myself. And then I'll come back again to post any new thoughts. But first and foremost, it sounds as though this new IMS has taken so much time to try to help sort things out. That is a huge gift. And we will all be here alongside you, to work things through and come up with the best plan possible.
In the meantime, try to get some rest tonight. And give Molly a huge hug for being the brave special diva that she is!! ;)
Many hugs,
Marianne
You are so brave Sharlene. So much to process!:o You'll make the right choice when it comes to Molly's care. You always do.:p
I think a glass of wine, chocolate and a nice hot bath is in order.
Big loving hugs my dear,
molly is just an extraordinary girl! as long as she is doing fine, despite of everything, i won't be worrying too much. she is a medical miracle i guess.
maybe vetoryl will destroy her cortisol balance and make her really sick.
i would be afraid of that.
at the moment her body seems to cope well with all of this.
I know exactly how you feel and there's just so much to think about. I was worried sick for several days until I could come to terms of what was going on with Keesh. You are far more knowledgeable about things then I could ever hope to be, so I know that you will make all the right choices for our "Diva".
You and Molly had quite a day yesterday.... and she seems to be none the worse, it's us that takes the brunt of the news while they seem to just carry on in all their cute little ways. Maybe Keesh and Molly are two of a kind after all.
I'll be interested to see what course of action you take, but whatever it is, it will be the best.
Give Molly a huge hug for me, and there's one also just for you.