Run Fast and Fly High

Our kitty Megat went to the bridge today after some days of difficulties eating and breathing. Dr Ly and I gave him a little help at about 6.15 pm as we thought he would not be as comfortable as he should be. I whispered in his ears ,"Run Fast Megat and Fly High."

 I would miss having him on my chest everyday after his lingzhi where we spend time together singing songs. Well I sang the song and he struggled to get away from my singing.

This was one of the last few times he had eating easily with his brother Bujang. I am glad I have at least this one picture.

Thank you everyone for all your advice and loving thoughts.

Run fast Megat and fly high.

Decisions

This is an old picture of Megat - taken in March of this year. We will try to get newer pictures of him this evening.

Megat had one round of vincristine last Thursday as the vet said there may be some tumours lingering in him from before. It seems even if the ultra sound is clean, there is no assurance that he is clear. But he did not do well with this round of vincristine and so we have decided (Megat and I) that we will not do any more vincristine.  

Having spoken to Dr Lalani and other cat parents, I decided that we will just work on the constipation problems as well as the appetite issues. He has just begun to eat a little for dinner yesterday and even this morning, he had tried to eat some. However I had to continue feeding him by hand for the past months and I am so happy that he had finished his kibble last night.

So the plan is to just allow him to 'observe, rest and relax' and enjoy his days in peace. A 17 year  old kitty deserves at least that much :)

Tuesday Escape-ade

No thanks san.  I do not need the meds - no salbutamol or the C-Caps. No, no baby food thanks. 

THAT is what I have to say about the meds and the baby  food. 

       Ok. Maybe they are not so bad. 

Megat behaves very well during meds. It's just a that he needs to be found for the whole thing to begin. Tomorrow this will happen at 4.30 am as it is the beginning of fasting month, Ramadhan. 

Easy Saturday

This is Megat after 1/2 prednisolone and 1 ml of Appelin. He also had about 14 ml of baby food. I had mixed the baby food with a little beef gravy from Whiskers. He did not get any fever yesterday after his vincristine injection which was a surprise to me and did not need the cold compress. This morning he walked out of his cage immediately but as usual had little appetite to eat breakfast.

I will try to get him some kitten food to see if he would eat that. On a very bright note he ate almost all of his kibble last night. Hurray!

      Can I also have kitten food san?

      Bujang hanging out with grandma 

Megat's 2nd Vincristine

Megat went for his review and vincristine injection today. Dr Ly was concerned when he found out that Megat was not eating well but was glad that there was no vomitting. 

He had Betamox 0.50

Depredil injection 0.50

Dexaason injection 0.50

Metomide injection 0.50

Vincristine sulfate injection 1mg 0.10

Vitamin B Complex injection 0.30

When we came home it was nearing dinner and I was glad to see that he ate his food willingly. He had lost some weight but nothing drastic. Last week he was 3.67 and this week he was 3.5. So I am glad he was stable but we will still have to cross our fingers that even if he may not put on weight, he should lost lose anymore. Dr Ly said it was ok to give him baby food as well. Btw his lymph node in his inner thigh is a little enlarged!

He was also given prednisolone which should help with his appetite. 

                    ........zzzzzz.......

Megat on Thursday

Megat's appetite is better these last few days. Last night, he made an effort to eat his dinner and he also ate  his kibble. These days I only give him about 20 gms of kibble to last him the whole night and it was only this morning that I found only a few in his food bowl. He had been leaving about 1/2 of that in is foodbowl uneaten for the past few nights.

He also ate his breakfast, but not much. Still, it was encouraging. For the last few mornings, he did not even make any attempt to eat anything I put before him. I had been feeding baby food - pumpkin, potatoes and beef, using syringes. Since he does not spit this out, I had been giving him this for about 3 mornings already. This morning, apart from the food that he had eaten from his bowl, I had fed him 6 ml of baby food. I just feel that if I leave him to eat such little food, he would get it into his mind that there was no need to eat in the morning at all!

I also made sure that he gets fresh kibble in his food bowl in my bedroom in the mid-afternoon as well as fresh water with ice cubes. 

It had taken him about 8 or 9 days to recover his appetite from his first vincristine. He has still not recovered his appetite fully and eventhough I give him Appelin or B12 everyday, his appetite has not improved much. 

I read from another blog, that CCaps are good for animals with tumours and they also increase energy and appetite. This seems like a good  thing. 

Sunday troubles

Megat had a quiet day. He is still not eating by himself in the morning and he knows if that happens he would be fed by me. So he decided to do a bunk :) and he hid in his litter! When I found him I told him to get out and he did only to disappear again. Woah!

He was finally found behind the cat tree! This afternoon when I came back home from last minute school shopping, he ate some fresh kibble and later for dinner he had a little wet food once we put some treats on top of it but not enough to keep up his strength. 

Tomorrow morning I would have to get up extra early to see if he would eat his breakfast with treats. I had also bought some baby food with pumpkin, potato and beef and if he doesn't eat, I will have to give him that in a syringe. 

I used to be able to get Gerber chicken which all of them like but I can't find any of it now though. 

             Get well bruffer!

                      ...zzzzzzzz.....

     Good night effuryone. Sleep well. 

Osteopathy? If you say so, it's ok.

Megat went to see the osteopath Dr A.L yesterday for his asthma and arthritis and he got that and more. After the very intense session, Dr L said he would either run about like a one-year old or sleep like a log. He did this. 

He did not even get to his mat and he fell asleep ... well at least he got close to it. 

He finally got to his own space later and  had a long rest. 

                        ...zzz...

This morning, Megat looked well after a long rest. 

After his vincristine shot last Thursday, he had about 2 days of fever on and off. He vomited the dinner he ate on that Thursday night and I had to feed him with a syringe the next morning. But later he could eat on his own which is always a good thing. Now he eats on his own although not as much as before and even his kibble, which he loves, does not attract him all that much. But he still eats them at least. 

Megat sitting in his carrier outside the clinic. 

He was very curious about this new experience and behaved very well the whole time Dr L was with him. 

Dr L had assessed him and we discussed his meds, his diet and his history with lymphoma. He found that Megat was low in Vit C and calcium and that his left kidney was smaller than his right. The kidney bit was usual for a senior cat. Dr L had also told me that.

 He had 3 intense bouts of therapy with a 5 minute break in between and took it all very well. Dr L also helped him with his chest so he could take in more oxygen with less effort for which I am very glad. Generally we are trying to work towards improving his immune system so he could fight the lymphoma better. An ultra sound would be helpful with this and so I had made an appointment for ultra sound at a***. 

Dr L said that he felt that Megat was a fighter with an indomitable spirit. I think this is true of Megat as eventhough he is the smallest of the 4 kitties, he does not take bullying lying down and his growl is really as bad as his boxing.

                    WATCH OUT!!

Outside Finally and an update

We went for a walk outside as the haze PSI was lower than 50. It was quite nice after a whole week of being in the house with the windows closed. San took some pikshurs of the two of us outside. 

      This is me snooping about our neighbour's garden. I think there was a lizard but san said I should leave it alone so we went upstairs. 

I do not think this a good garden. It looked very strange as well.

     

         This was much better. 

I ate some offur furry dry grass. San says she has already ordered us some more wheatgrass which will come tomorrow.

      

         I also lazed about outside with san. 

                  It was a good day san. 

And now an update on my bruffer Megat 

         This is an old picture of Megat

Megat has just a slight fever last night from his vincristine and was able to walk out of his cage to sit on the sofa with me for our usual quiet time. But he did not drink as much even when I had put some ice in his water. He did eat a little this morning but spat out most of his lingzhi meds. So later on the evening I would have to ensure that he gets the full dose. 

He seemed much more cheery this time round though which is a good thing. 

One thing that puzzled me is this. His blood test is excellent and so if his lymphoma is back, why was this not apparent on his tests? Now that I am not in a state of shock I am better able to ask these questions. Dr Ly would only be back next Friday and so I would ask then. 

Relapse

We are sad to report that Megat's lymphoma is back - now in his intestines. He has lost more weight from two weeks ago. He is now 3.65 kg. He has been vomitting just clear liquid for the past week as well. Dr Ly said his intestines are hard and corded. So we are starting again with his chemo protocol, only this time it will only be vincristine 0.1. Dr Ly did say that there is no cure for lymphoma, only remission and it may come back anytime at all.

When he came home, he had some dinner, which is a good thing as he did not eat las night and I had to feed him with a syringe this morning where he had only 6 ml of Waltham's Renal wet food. 

He is now sleeping and has a fever from the vincristine. 

The chemo protocol that had helped him through his first bout of lymphoma is below. This is what we will follow this time round as well.

Sang hwang suppository 1x a day

2.5 sang hwang extract (1 ml in the morning and 1.5 ml in the evening)

2 ml colloidal silver (1x1 twice a day)

10 drops of milk thistle/silymarin (if liver functions deteriorates)

1.5 ml duphalac for constipation. 

He takes all this in a mixture of strained pumpkin and papaya. 

250 ml Hartmann's Solution daily for SubQ
I have to ask Dr Ly about the predisolone next week when he goes for his vincristine jabs.

He would get 8 weeks of vincristine with a 3 - week rest and 1 comprehensive blood test after the 8 weeks. 

I am not as scared or panicky this time round and we will just go through this protocol as we has done before. But all purrayers are welcome. 

Livestrong!





This is me on san's chest. She does this evry tme I have the sang hwang lingzhi suppository. The lingzhi helps me to be clear of the Big C. She gives me the suppository every weekday (if she can make it) or these days as san is busy in school, she manages every alternate day. It is quite uncomfotable and I know when its time as she dons a glove. I usually make a fuss but it take sonly a minute. After that san cuddles me on her chest so I do not get rid of the suppository by going to the toilet for the Big P.

It is a game  we both play :) I wish everyone to Livestrong!

Megat's Review

I think I won't be going again in 2 months san. I do not feel like it. OK?

His blood test for kidneys- all OK!

The reason we did the blood test was Megat has lost some weight these few weeks. He is just 3.91 kg from 4 kg. DrLy said we should see what his blood test can tell us. Megat was very good and allowed Dr Ly to take his after 3 tries! As Dr Ly looking for a good-sized vein from his right thigh, he saw a small lump. My heart skipped many beats but after he saw the lump carefully Dr Ly said it could just be his lymph and it could mean nothing. Hi heart is strong, his lungs clear and his kidneys are ok. His PCV is 38% which is a cause for joy also. Dr Ly said I had nothing to worry about and I should come back in 2 months so he could see how the lump progresses and we will take it from there. So with a cheery shout of "You're well sweetheart and merry Christmas," we were off.

So I will just take Dr Ly's advice and keep cool about it and of course keep watch on his legs as well for lumps. I did not think of doing that all this time! However, I think maybe he lost some weight as he has been playing tag with Bujang almost every day this month. He is the only one who dares to play with Bujang when invited :)

Some thoughts on change...

This was his picture June 2009, when I decided to set up his lymphoma blog

I am thinking of making some adjustments to his meds. His kidney and liver are healthy and his lymphoma is in remission. I was thinking that he need not take so much medication anymore- every day 5 days a week. I thought I might give him his suppository (which he hates) 4 times a week plus his sang hwang liquid extract. These are the necessary meds to help him be clear of his lymphoma. Of cos his meds for his respiratory condition will be given on the same days. He would get more rest days. 4 out of 7 days for meds is not too drastic. I am at present giving him 5 days of meds with 4 days of suppository.

I am still thinking about this though. I might not go though with it as in my heart of hearts I am a scaredy-cat and am afraid that with fewer days, his lymphoma might come back!

PS: I have decided to take the plunge and will begin this week. I think it best to do this for about 2 weeks to see how he reacts to it and take it from there.
(note entered 21/6)

This is a miracle cat!

Megat waiting for Dr L to see him.

He waited for some time as Dr L had an emergency. But Megat was used to waiting and sat quietly. He did not even attempt to get ut of the carrier. I read to him from my book Angelology but he was more interested in the room :) Megat at home waiting to be given his meds for his lymphoma (now in remission), his kidney issues and his asthma. He is used to this and he has been eating the meds intensely for about 2.5 years. It was only after he was in remission that I actually decided to change the number of times he takes the suppository.

Megat's meds.

He eats this combination 5 days a week with Saturdays and Sundays off after his remission. So we are now on maintenance doses.

from arvc he has:

1. 2 ml of collidal silver (the dark bottle)

2. 0.8 ml of sang hwang liquid extract 6.5L (the bottle with the gold label)

3. 1 sang hwang suppository (in silver foil)

The syringe on the bottom right is 1 and 2 combined with mashed and sieved papaya pulp. If not, he would not swallow it at all. No 3 is given in his butt before the rest of the concoction as it needs about 30 minutes to melt. If not he would run to the litter and pop it out again. This is the most expensive combination in this arsenal. The sang hwang is a linzgi/mushroom that directly deals with the immune system and lymphoma. I give him the suppository 4 times a week. he gets 2 rest days from all of his meds. When he gets his Sub Q every Monday, he does not get his suppository or he would be very unhappy and would spew out all the rest of the meds.

4. Nature's Sunshine FOUR for asthma

The 3 bottles on the top left are supplements from Petsalive, the same as Toro's -

5. Immunity and Liver Support,

6. Kidney Support

7. Runipoo Relief.

8. Amaze Pet for his asthma. ( not in picture)

His blood test that Dr L ordered as I told him Megat was not eating as much as he used to. Dr L said "But he is FAT!". Dr L said it could also be a liver or kidney problem but as we can all see, his liver and kidneys are just as right as rain :) His PCV is 36%!

Megat slept quite early last night as he was rather tired from his vet visit. "He is a miracle cat," was the final verdict. Dr L also said that unlike in humans, the lymphoma in cats is due to a virus. But they have no for lymphoma yet. However, he added that once a cat has remission from lymphoma for about 2 years, there is a likelihood that a cat may die from old age or other diseases and not from lymphoma itself. "I'll see you in 4 months" Dr L sang out and he went to see another patient!

All is well in our household. We hope that all is well in other cat households also :)

Our Only Advice

Our advice to anyone who reads my blog and wants to know if they should do as Dr L says is ALWAYS DO IT. If you are going to a*** and given sang hwang for a cancer kitty, the best thing to do is always try and if you can't bear to put in the suppository, go to the nearest vet and ask them to help you with it. Then after you think you have done all that you can, do some more. It is worthwhile if you can get your cat a good and fulfilling life. THAT is our advice. However, you need to discuss with your vet if you plan to deviate from the given protocols. God Bless Y2. May you get better sooner than later. M experience with Megat has always been this - Listen to your cat, your vet and your heart and you will know what you need to do.

We have been very lucky with Megat and he has been cancer free for ONE whole year. I take heart from the fact that there is a cat who has been cancer -free for 7 years! Megat is already 15 years old. I do not know how long more he has with us but I hope its long. All I know is I would try to help him along as much as I can.

At Long Last...

I know I am well. There is really no need to prod me anymore Dr L...

Megat's blood test looked very good. Actually his kidneys are so much better than Toro's. I told Dr L maybe I should give Toro the Sang Hwang also. Dr L laughed and said in that case I should get a second job! Hmmm..

Sleep innocent sleep...

Dr L said I should consider writing about Megat in Facebook so that owners with senior cats with lymphoma concerns would take heart that there is something that could be done for their cats. He said that I should just talk about the meds and not the clinic nor the vets concerned as he wanted them to concentrate on the possibility of getting their cats some help. I could just link megat's blog to Facebook I guess as I know people would also want to know where they can get the same help if they want. Dr L said only about 70% of his lymphoma patients do well and at present the oldest one is 7 years in remission.

Megat is much more able to move about these days. he has new found confidence and would climb all over the cat trees and high spaces which he did not do before his sang hwang. Dr L said the sang hwang has rejuvenating properties. so I guess he is 15 years young :) Here is a cat with renal failure (now better), lymphoma (now in remission) and asthma. We have yet to better his asthma condition although he does not wheeze too badly and only has coughs about twice a month on average.