Update On Cricket

[Guest Tenderhearts]

Crying tears of joy here for you! :clap :clap

[3greys2cats]

Many prayers to you and Cricket, I just read most of the story and wanted to add my encouragement, one of my greys, Sara was dignosed w/GME @ the Ma. Vet Referral Hospital in Woburn in March of this year and she is still having cytarabine injections, she was on the prednisone and phenabarbitol for 6 months. She is doing great, may be ending the cytarbine and hoping the symptoms don't return as GME is not curable. I think I may have run into you when you were coming in w/Snickers and I was leaving w/Sara. I know how painful it is to go throught the emotional roller coaster ride, it's o.k. to feel crazy, hang in there!! Love the candy corn clollar.

 

I do remember meeting you while I was there freaking out when Snickers's remaining front leg was seeping blood. Not my best moment. Usually I am a little calmer. We ended up losing Snickers just before her fourth chemo -- either a seizure or a blood clot. I have been at the vet referral hospital a little too often this year. It sounds like Dr. Troxel thinks it's something like GME because the spinal tap didn't show any signs of cancer. It's been five days since the cytarabine and Cricket is a little better, still very wobbly. Did it take your Sara a long time to bounce back? How old is she? Cricket doesn't have seizures, and the inflamed areas were only in her spinal cord as far as what was visible on the second MRI. I am feeling a little more hopeful today. When I went to take Aero and Kanga Roo for a walk today, Cricket stood up and came to me as if she was going too, but then she fell. I am going to take her to her favorite place where the squirrels run all over the pathway soon. I bet it would really boost her mood.

 

How is your Sara doing now? I just made an appointment for swimming so Cricket can build up her muscles and strength again. The prednisone really wastes her muscles and it's been well over a week with very little activity. Who is Sara's doctor? Cricket's is Dr. Troxel, who has been great. I was really impressed at how sweet the vet techs were to Cricket when she stayed there overnight.

 

Do you drive to Woburn for the cytarabine injections? I guess you have the option of administering them at home too, but I was a little leary of my ability to do it right.

 

Thanks for your words of encouragement!

 

 

 

Hi,

 

I am so sorry that Snickers didn't make it, I read here daily but don't post ofen, I cried the day I saw her at Ma Vet, she is at peace now. Sounds like Cricket is doing better, the Techs are so nice there, they treated Sara w/the same kindness, she was a patient for a week there, in the same corner (Suite) the largest they have.Yeah I have had some of my worst and best moments at MVRH in Woburn, when I 1st brought Sara to see them, I was referred by my regular Doctor in Hudson , NH, she went from walking wobbly, to having seizures, to falling and having body tremors. After 2 days on prednisone, my husband who travels almost every week came home before flying to Mylasia and insisted we take her home, she could barely walk on her own so I carried her up and down stairs to go to potty every 2 hours, in snow, she proceeded to have 4 seizures in a row and screamed in pain the whole way back to Woburn. Dr. Silver is her neurologist and was not in, Dr Troxel put her on phenabarbitol, valium, she was on 2 antiboitics before they ruled out viral and they started her on Cytarabine too. It took only 3 days on cytarabine before she could get up on her own but she needed help to walk, towel and I used a harness, she quicly within day of coming home, walked without help. She had fallen down deck stairs so would not attempt them, within 2 weeks she would walk down them, had to put treads on them. Sara turned 6 in June, she had multiple inflammation in her brain and spinal column, diagnosed as multifocal GME, her cerebellum which is her balance was the area of most of the inflammation. She has made a miraculous recovery, she still has ctytarbine injections, every 5 weeks, waiting for Dr Silver to call me today to possibly discontinue them. I never would have believed that she would walk or run and chase my other grey again but she does. I was a basket case when this started last March and now soo grateful that I made the decision to treat her, it was really a difficult place to be in, we had adopted her only a year and a few months before she got sick but she is the joy in my life, loves her toys and walks every day, a true miracle!! I am praying for Cricket to have the same miracle Sara has, she is in the right hands and sounds like you and your family really love her, it makes a huge difference. I live in Pelham, Nh about a half hour from Woburn, please let me know if there is anything I can do to help, robertaac@comcast.net

[Guest vahoundlover]

 

My apologies if this has been mentioned before, how about rubber back mats for the slick floors? We use the ones from Lowes that you put outside your door, Boss hasn't slipped once since we put them on all of our slick floors.

 

Keeping your baby girl in my prayers!

[Aerosmom]

Cricket continues to make progress -- this morning she heard me getting breakfast and she walked all the way into the kitchen area to eat. After breakfast (she's standing independently throughout the whole meal too, although her back legs sink almost to the floor), she walked back into the family room. She still needs help getting outside, but the frequency of bladder accidents is much better because she's able to stand up by herself. Before I had to lift her so she could stand and every time I'd apply pressure to her bladder, we'd have some leakage. Her muscles are getting a little more toned, but I hope with her increased movement and the aquatherapy scheduled for next week she'll get stronger and stronger. I think her weakness is holding her back a lot.

 

 

 

 

[Aerosmom]

 

My apologies if this has been mentioned before, how about rubber back mats for the slick floors? We use the ones from Lowes that you put outside your door, Boss hasn't slipped once since we put them on all of our slick floors.

 

Keeping your baby girl in my prayers!

 

I have some rubber backed rugs that I bought when Snickers had her amputation, but I might buy some more. Cricket is handling some of the "open" stretches okay, but she definately likes the flat rugs for traction. Poor Cricket, our first floor except for the living room and computer room is all tile or wood. I think it gives her mroe confidence to have her rug islands.

Edited October 27, 2007 by Aerosmom

[galgrey]

That emotional roller coaster is so hard. {{hug}} I'm glad to hear she's showing progress and I will continue to send you both healing thoughts and prayers.

[Guest Tenderhearts]

Your latest update made me smile even more!!!!!!!!!!! :)

 

Continuing prayers for sweet Cricket, and hugs for you! :hope :hope

[Remolacha]

so glad to hear how she is improving!

[Guest vahoundlover]

Checking in, I hope Miss Cricket is doing even better.