Day 23 Home 13 - Blood Test
- BUN (10 - 30 normal): Off the chart (Sat 14 Jun 08); 180 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 70 (Mon 23 Jun 08); 25 (Sun 6 Jul 08). There has been quite an improvement in this area. According to a website, we need to bring it down to 60 - 80 for a kidney patient.
- Creatinine (0.3 - 2.0 normal): 19 (Sat 14 Jun 08); 10.9 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 3.3 (Mon 23 Jun 08); 2.2 (Sun 6 Jul 08).
- Phosporous (3.4 - 8.5 normal): 8.7 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 6.1 (Mon 23 Jun 08); 5.9 (Sun 6 Jul 08).
- Calcium (8.0 - 11.8 normal): 12.0 (Wed 18 Jun 08); 11.9 (Mon 23 Jun 08); 11.5 (Sun 6 Jul 08).
As long as we keep her hydrated everyday and she takes her kidney medicine, she should be do ok. But we can expect good days and bad days for the rest of her remaining life.
She has a heart murmur and will have it forever. Her heart beat is still fast at 200 to 240. In medical terms, she has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), something similar to what those supposedly healthy young men who drooped dead while they were jogging.
Research indicates hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may have a genetic component and can affect cats at any age. However, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is most common in young cats more than one year old and in middle-aged cats. It bears repeating, though, this disease can strike any cat at any age. That is a sickening thought, isn't it?
Symptoms can be extremely variable:
- lack of appetite
- gagging
- difficulty breathing
- increased respiratory rate
- reluctance to move around
- pain or paralysis to the hind legs when blood clots gets stuck in the distal aorta back in the back limb where the aorta splits. In human terms, it is something like DVT (deep vein thrombosis)
Once pain or paralysis sets in, there is going to be no cure. We will then have to let her go peacefully so that she will not suffer anymore. Our vet's cat suffered a blood clot a month ago as well and he could only reduce its pain by letting it go. I think that may be the most humane solution. We would not want to have her suffer any unnecessary pain.
Prognosis for HCM is not good. Patients typically last 3 to 6 months, though there are cases whereby some lasted 2 years with diligent medication and a stress free environment.
We'll just have to take each day as it comes.
posted by KXBC at 1:45 PM
4 Comments:
Congratulations xinxin. You are doing very well indeed.
It is SO good to hear that XinXin is doing well.
It cheered us as our 14 yr old cat is going thru chronic kidney failure right now. Over 5 days the creatinine was 7.9, 9.2, 9.5, 9.4 and 10.1. BUN was from 119 to 180. We hope our cat would respond well like Xin Xin though we are not given much hope. And yes, cat has heart murmur too ; (
Although she is getting better, I know we are just delaying saying our goodbyes to her. Her heart is not doing well and I think that is not really "treatable" compared to CRF. I believe CRF cats can live much longer with proper medication and hydration.
But whatever the case, we'll do our best to give her the best medical care and love we can until we have to let her go when she starts to suffer pain.
Dear Anon, we understand the blood test result is affected by the hydration level of the cat. If well hydrated, the numbers will show up better. We did the blood test every week or so for the past 3 weeks to monitor as daily drawing of blood means more stress for her. The vet mentioned that it is more important she appears alert and is eating and maintaining weight than the results of the blood test. I don't think there will be any blood test for her in the next few months unless otherwise advised by the vet. Best of luck to your cat in her treatment.
I am pleased to read that Xin Xin's levels are better and she is still eating and being alert. I think you are very wise to concentrate on giving her a stress free period without extra tests right now. Sending purrs and love to you all.
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