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Thread: Macroadenomas

  1. #11
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    May 2010
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    108

    Default Re: Macroadenomas

    Macy didn't have a serious appetite problem until the end but very early into things starting to show up as being odd she stopped eating favorite foods. She used to sit with me while I prepared my protein fruit shake in the morning and she'd enjoy frozen strawberries or blueberries but those seemed to start to make her nauseous. She'd turn away from them as though they disgusted her. That was when I first started to talking to my vet about something being wrong. I think it was about a year before the cushing's diagnosis and two years before the macroadenoma diagnosis when that started.

    Kathy
    Last edited by ktzndgs; 09-09-2011 at 07:19 PM. Reason: clarity and accuracy

  2. #12
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    Jan 2011
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    North Providence Rhode Island
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    Post Re: Macroadenomas

    Kathy thank you for sharing your story - My Penny is on trilo and had/has similar problems - when she started the trilo she also shivered thru her shoulder blades and sometimes from her shoulder blades down - also she has like a head tremor - she will be just laying looking around and then her eyelids start to blink very fast - her head jerks a few times and her mouth pulls backs alittle - it last only a few seconds - sometime a couple in a row but way to quick to video tape - she still has an appetite - likes her treats - her drinking is fine - just blew her coat but her legs are weak (she had 2 CCL repairs - and has a injured hock that couldnt be operated on a few years ago) so with the arthritis and the injury and the weaknes from the cushings she is having alot of problems with the walking and climbing - she is only on 10 mg of trilo and she is 82 lbs - but does awful on a high dose - she has stim test tomorrow so we will see where she is at - also lately she has been walking around alot at night like she has a cup of stong coffee - and she like to be downstairs alone alot - she does have a pituatary tumor but we do not know the size - so now I am assuming we need a CT -- I will talk to the vet in the AM - I do believe it is probably getting lager -she was said to of had cushings when she was 7 or 8 but did not need to go on meds till she was 11 - looking at her now I am really second guessing this - we may have missed something - I did have a golden with a brain tumor - he had grand mal seizures - had CT - did radiation but did not help him - thinking of him I do remember he did go off and like to be alone -- if you can comment on anything I mentioned I would appreciate it - thank you again
    xoxo Cindy & Penny

  3. #13
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    Apr 2011
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    17

    Default Re: Macroadenomas

    Kathy, I see that I have written a book here -- probably more than you ever wanted to know! But I do want to tell you that my heart resonates with you over your loss of Macy. And I think you are doing her a grand honor by wanting to help other dogs and parents who may be facing a macrotumor. In this way, you are continuing to celebrate her spirit and her bravery ~ today and everyday.
    I echo this; as someone with a dog who has a macroadenoma who is currently doing OK after radiotherapy I did so much reading online, but there was alot of difference in things like life expectancy and some symptoms, that it really helps to speak to real people with real experiences.

    My boy is now 9 months after radio therapy and I have heard that 1 year is a good life expectancy, 15 months is brilliant; someone else (the only other person I had known who had a young dog with a macroadenoma had said thir vet college had said a couple of years was good).

    One of the symptoms which I never linked for ages was my dog hated climbing the stairs - but he seemed to have problems co-ordinating from his accident so I never twigged with that one.

    He also has tremors, mainly on his back leg; but again he has had these for years and have always associated them with his accident.

    We seemed to get a diagnosis very quickly, within about 4 weeks from me starting to get concerned about his symptoms; but as he already had brain damage and spine damage the vets were quicker to react to a potentially more serious problem? Also as he is a dog they know very well and was nutty they could see how much he had changed in personality... an older dog may in the first instance be attributed to other symptoms related to dementia?

  4. #14
    Join Date
    May 2010
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    108

    Default Re: Macroadenomas

    Don't second guess yourself. Once we believe something is wrong we can only go forward from there. We have to rely on the vets to add up the symptoms and figure out what they mean. Cindy it sounds like Penny's case is very complicated and you've got a good list of symptoms to discuss with your vet. I'm concerned about her walking around a lot at night.

    Since the brain is involved in macroadenomas it's hard to say whether some of the other things are pituiitary tumor related or side effects of her accident but I'd consider a CT scan or MRI.

    You mention that she doesn't do well on too much trilo. Can you explain what you mean? What does too much do to her? I'm asking because too much trilo would make Macy sick. At first too much just left her completely lethargic. Later it killed her appetite completely.

    Kathy
    Last edited by ktzndgs; 09-09-2011 at 10:54 PM. Reason: clarity

  5. #15
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    May 2010
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    Default Re: Macroadenomas

    Quote Originally Posted by EmCHammer View Post
    My boy is now 9 months after radio therapy and I have heard that 1 year is a good life expectancy, 15 months is brilliant; someone else (the only other person I had known who had a young dog with a macroadenoma had said thir vet college had said a couple of years was good).

    One of the symptoms which I never linked for ages was my dog hated climbing the stairs - but he seemed to have problems co-ordinating from his accident so I never twigged with that one.

    He also has tremors, mainly on his back leg; but again he has had these for years and have always associated them with his accident.
    Wow! Congrats on the 9 months! If you did radiation you must know how big the tumor was. The vets do even if you don't. Would you let us know? Just for reference sake so folks know how big it was when you started radiation. I've heard of some dogs having a very nice number of years after radiation so keep that thought.

    His weakness climbing stairs might well be from his accident so it might not be related. If it was new that would be different.

    Kathy

  6. #16
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    May 2010
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    108

    Default Re: Macroadenomas

    Quote Originally Posted by frijole View Post
    Kathy, I am sorry about the problems you had. While my dog didn't have a macro, she has a pheo (adrenal tumor) and I too had problems illustrating/conveying what was going on with my vet. I ended up videoing the episodes. That helped a great deal. Hugs, Kim
    Kim,

    I just reread this and wanted to respond. I got enormously frustrated with going from vet to vet to try to get a diagnosis for Macy. What I ended up thinking was that if the records had been kept differently Macy might have been diagnosed earlier. If there had been a column with a list of symptoms in it that were ticked off as they were satisfactorily explained I think the vets would have seen that there was an accumulation of symptoms that were not being ticked off that were adding up? Does that make any sense?

    I discussed this with Dr. McDonnell and hope to get the chance to talk to him about it again. Vets have enough to deal with in trying to read the minds of their patients who, try tho they do, don't speak! I think if the charts were easier to read it would help.

    Kathy

  7. #17
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    Apr 2011
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    Default Re: Macroadenomas

    Just a quick reply but I know from when thevets showed us the MRI they said was 1.5 cm . He went onto steroids before radiotherapy which can shrink it he was like a newdog overnight was amazing.

  8. #18
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    May 2010
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    108

    Default Re: Macroadenomas

    Well that's good news! While it was a macroadenoma it wasn't huge! )

    I don't have any knowledge of how much radiation can shrink a tumor but they said I'd get another year with Macy but her tumor was way bigger than that! Has predinsone been prescribed at any point to shrink the tumor before treatment? Would you mind relating how the radiation treatments went? Were they difficult for your dog?

    Kathy

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Chandler, AZ.
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    2,589

    Default Re: Macroadenomas

    Kathy, I'm not sure if you've seen this member's thread about her Tessie. Tessie underwent successful radiation treatment for a macro around 2 years ago.

    http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/showthread.php?t=894

    Debbie
    Mom to 2 Cushing's angels

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
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    17

    Default Re: Macroadenomas

    He went onto steriods beforehand, we didn't knwo what was wrong with him he had all the behaviour changes but on a thursday he went downhill, crying not settling, getting stuck in the spare room corner.

    He was due in at the vets on the monday for x-rays (which if showed nothing the mri was the next step). on the friday he was much worse and was having problems standing up so took him to my vets.

    She was worried about him but as he was booked in on the monday anyway for the x-rays and she knew was something to do either with his neck/spine injury or head (as mentioned he already had some brain lesions from his accident) she gave him a steriod injection to see if it would help, and then a two week course of steriods.

    He was like a different dog the next day bouncing off the walls.

    The steriods were obviously working to shrink the tumour, but he was given them not necessarily for that purpose at the time.

    The Xrays showed nothing, so on the friday h e went for his MRI, then started radiotherapy about 2-3 weeks later.

    He started off on 20mg twice a day (or was it once a day?) then down to 10mg and then maintained on 5mg a day (he weighs about 19kg) which we tailed off when he was undergoing the radiotherapy at the oncologists advice.

    He didn't seem to have any side effects from the radiotherapy at all; he was on limited excercise as he had had a spinal mini stroke diagnosed at the same time as his tumour, vet said 10 mins lead walk twice a day but he was unbearably hyper on that! so we did do a little more.

    He went once a week every week for 5 weeks and can't recall any change in him.

    The only thing we had was about six months after it had finished he had a funny turn, was like he was drunk he couldn't stand or co-ordinate, was light sensitive and was sick - lasted an evening and right as rain the next day - vets thought might have been a mini-stroke they didn't think was vestibular.

    I can easily see how his symptoms could be passed off for something else in an older dog; I think because he has a chequered medical history and is a young dog they acted quite quickly in realising something was wrong.

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