Wayne has crossed The Bridge / Wayne-Newly diagnosed 10-year-old pit mix

[pibblesandbits]

Oh, and his skin is mostly just dry now, I think it's in the recovery phase from what was a pretty nasty infection that flared up right around when the pharmacy left us without meds for several days. As soon as he was back on the medication, it was like his immune system kicked into overdrive and went crazy on the infection to knock it out. We had been doing chlorhexidine baths 2-3 times/week, but now I'm just doing it once a week until this has completely gone away, even though I'm pretty sure the infection is gone and it's just dry flakes where the skin is regenerating underneath. Poor guy, he gets a lot of sideway glances for his "dandruff", but at least I know he's no longer uncomfortable.

[pibblesandbits]

One last thing that I am hoping you guys can level with me about... did anyone else feel like they were just watching their dog fall apart piece by piece? Did anyone experience a long stretch of symptom-free, complication-free, worry-free time with their dog(s) after receiving this diagnosis? I guess I just hoped that after suffering for so long before being diagnosed that he'd have some adjustment period where things were a little unstable and in flux but that eventually they would settle down... but now I'm wondering if that was naive of me. Is he just destined to have one thing go wrong after another for the rest of his life? That really frightens me. For the most part he is doing so much better, and I no longer feel like he is actively dying, like I did when he was very sick pre-diagnosis, but I think I may need to adjust my expectations for how much quality of life he is going to recover now that he's receiving treatment.

If any of you can talk some sense into me or give me a realistic outlook for what I can expect, even if it's just based on your own experiences, that would be so helpful, because I am scared sometimes that he's now destined for a life of illness after illness. Is that what life is like even with managed Cushing's?

[Squirt's Mom]

My Squirt was on her journey for 7 years after we first heard the word "Cushing's". For the most part, her journey was non-eventful but her story is not typical. She started out with Atypical Cushing's (meaning the cortisol was normal but intermediate, or sex, hormones were elevated). She remained with this form and on the treatment for it, melatonin and ligans, for about 3-4 years. When her cortisol started to rise we added Lysodren to her regime. And we had no issues with the treatment I chose for her - she stayed on the same dose and did very well on that dose.

She was around 9 when I was told about the elevated cortisol via pre-lab work for a dental. That was followed by testing which showed a tumor on her spleen when she had the ultrasound. Once that tumor was removed, her cortisol returned to normal but the intermediates remained elevated. She suffered a pancreatic reaction after this surgery due to that organ being handled and had to go back to the hospital for 4 more days. When she was 2 she had both knees operated on, one was deformed at birth, and after being diagnosed with Atypical she had to have one of them re-done. As she aged she developed the usual things we see with older dogs - diminished vision and hearing, arthritis, and in her last years, dementia. But in spite of the challenges my Sweet Bebe faced during her journey, hers was smooth sailing.

It is hard to separate Cushing's from other health issues. Once our baby has been diagnosed with Cushing's we tend to contribute every thing going on with them to that disease....and sadly so do many vets. Tunnel vision is one of the worst "side effects" parents AND vets experience with canine Cushing's. We have to understand that very often these babies are older when diagnosed with Cushing's and many of the things that happen would have happened regardless, without Cushing's in play.

And I think all of us cush parents tend to become anxious about every little thing! I know I did! If one hair was different or she gave me an odd look or ANYthing, I flat freaked out. I just knew each those little different things meant the end, that the Cushing's was progressing and that once again I was helpless to do anything about it. If not for my family here at K9C I truly think I would have ended up in a mental institute. It took extreme effort on my part to relax and try to enjoy every minute I had with my Sweet Bebe, to put Cushing's (and all the other wild thoughts on my mind!) in a box and forget about them for a while even as I went about taking care of her and doling out meds. So you are not alone in your feelings. MANY of us here have gone thru the same process. Most came out the other side just fine but I was "off" going in so.....

Just keep talking to us and know any time you have something concerning you or you just need to chat, your family is here to listen. We may not have the answer but we do have strong, soft shoulders to lean on and loving arms to hold you.

Hugs,
Leslie

[Joan2517]

Ditto to what Leslie said. I think once you have a Cushing's dog, that's all consuming. Lena has been gone two years and I can still remember obsessing over every little thing. I still do it with my other babies. If they drink too much, it's CUSHINGS! If they eat too much it's CUSHINGS! Panting, same thing...

Cushing's does a number on our minds. I'm so afraid of going through it again, but keep looking for signs at the same time.

[pibblesandbits]

Your responses have literally moved me to tears. I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am for this feedback. I think you're both right that it's really hard not to see everything now through the lens of Cushing's. I need to try not to make *myself* sick over this, but it's hard. He has really regained so much quality of life since starting treatment, and I am so happy to see that, but the fact is that he's still an older dog, and I have to wrap my head around that separate fact too. It's so hard. The words I would've used to describe him 1 year ago are joyful and buoyant (he seemed so much younger!), so it's been really tough to watch his decline. Of course it's probably also been almost a full year since he was himself completely, and in dog years, that's a lot of time, so I can't separate out what's aging and what's disease. I will return to your words again and again when I need to chill myself out over the hiccups in his recovery process.

Thank you both so so much!

[molly muffin]

I definitely agree with Leslie and Joan. Cushings is an all consuming diagnosis. I think it is because, we are always aware of it, always having to test to check cortisol levels, adjust medications, so the worry is constant. Then we know that there are other things that we have to watch out for, like liver and kidneys. But that might have been a worry without cushings as she got older, who knows for sure.

I know that I worked from home at least 2 days a week and often would leave the office at noon and come home and work the rest of the day from home to be with her. That I scheduled ACTH and other tests at the IMS on Wednesdays, and if I could get by without going once a month it seemed a miracle, and that after work I took her to the vet near my house for her BP checks and that with all that, my days, my nights, my vacations and life, revolved around my Molly and how she was doing. When we lost her, to kidney disease, it felt like there was such a hole, not only because she was gone but because suddenly cushings or something involved with cushings and her health wasn't going on all the time.

The thing is that I'm not abnormal in what I did, I'm really much the normal for what we see on here. Cushing does become a lifestyle of worry for our furbabies.

[Joan2517]

I think we all wind up with PTCD....Post Traumatic Cushing's Disorder. I know I have it.

[pibblesandbits]

I have been thinking it's actually really good to be on high alert for complications since they are so prone to them. Wayne now has his third infection since diagnosis. This time... it's his prepuce (penis), with a little brewing UTI too. Poor guy He's in a cone to let it heal, and they're blasting him with both systemic antibiotics and topical antibiotics/antifungals.

The vet visit in our new neighborhood to get this very obvious thing diagnosed cost over $450! We literally spend more on his healthcare than on all 3 human family members combined (soon to be 4), including one with type 1 insulin-dependent diabetes (and insulin is not cheap)! I think it's too late for pet health insurance though now that he's got his Cushing's diagnosis. I would urge anyone who is new to these boards and suspects their pet has Cushing's to consider getting health insurance for their pet *now* so that the condition and its treatment is not excluded from coverage the way that pre-existing human conditions often are. This is a very expensive disease to treat and stabilize. We literally cannot afford anything else. We looked into the Human Society's clinic in our city for more affordable care, but they don't really deal with complicated conditions.

Does anyone have any other suggestions on keeping costs down? My contribution is to use a compounding pharmacy if you're using trilostane, because the brand name stuff is obscenely expensive, and to call around for quotes on the ACTH stim testing, because there is an unbelievable range of prices out there, and there are certainly vets who will take advantage of you and charge as much as they think the market will allow.

[molly muffin]

You're right and it's worth it to have pet insurance from the beginning. I let mine drop before molly got cushings and kidney disease and definitely paid for it out of pocket.
The things you mention are the best things to do to keep cost down, use the compounding pharmacy, Diamondback is a reputable one, and make calls around for best pricing.
We were very lucky to have an IMS who also would help with cost, by running in house tests when outside lab tests weren't needed, and who charged recheck ultrasounds after the first one (instead of full price) I never paid more than 70. for a follow up ultrasound and sometimes when she would check something, as she said, her hand might slip and just take a run over those kidneys, liver, pancreas, adrenal glands with the US wand. I loved the way she would say that, my hand slipped and the kidneys haven't changed any btw LOL

I'm so sorry that your boy now has another complication to deal with and oh the dreaded cone of shame too. Poor guy.

[pibblesandbits]

Just wanted to update in case anyone comes across this thread later. Wayne is doing so well! I feel like I've gotten my dog back! I know we might be dealing with infections more frequently than we would if he hadn't gotten Cushing's disease, but it feels truly miraculous to me that a dog who seemed so close to death could bounce back as well as he has. I am so thankful for the vet who figured it out and to this community for helping me through what has been a really challenging time. We are still struggling to deal with the expenses of treating all these infections, but the reference I got here for a compounding pharmacy has been a huge help and has saved us quite a bit of money (that we can now spend on antibiotics I guess). Anyway, thank you all so much. And if you're in the boat we were in 6 months ago, know that there is hope!