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Project Valkyrie: waterlog
Jan. 19th, 2011 01:18 pm55 minutes, 36 laps. 290 miles, 21 laps.
Nothing makes me hate my fellow creatures more than having to share a lane.
Nothing makes me hate my fellow creatures more than having to share a lane.
Jan. 19th, 2011
saucepan update
Jan. 19th, 2011 11:02 pmThe Elder Saucepan is doing a little bit better. The vet said he ate a little bit this morning, and he's much more alert and friendly. I am going to visit tomorrow to see if I can help encourage him to eat.
The reason he was feeling so terrible is that his calcium levels were extremely high. (The vet said they were the highest he'd ever seen in a cat.) They have him on medication to bring his calcium back down to normal, leaving the question, of course, of what's causing it to skyrocket.
The two most likely hypotheses at the moment are:
1.) parathyroid disease
2.) bone marrow cancer
Since the ultrasound they did on his throat didn't reveal enlarged parathyroid glands, cancer is unfortunately the more likely suspect, although parathyroid can't be ruled out completely until the bloodwork comes back. If it's not parathyroid, we're probably not going to go any farther with diagnostics which will be uncomfortable, stressful, and dangerous for the cat, and will only confirm what we'll already know: this is probably going to be what kills him, and it's down to the question of how long we can keep him happy and comfortable.
As no one will be surprised to hear, between the diagnostics and the three days so far in the hospital, this adventure is getting very expensive. I am considering breaking my long-standing policy of only donating my author's copies to charities and having a sale to benefit the Elder Saucepan. I would be offering sets of the Doctrine of Labyrinths in both hardback and paperback, A Companion to Wolves in hardback and paperback, The Bone Key (trade paper), and whatever other weird stuff my closet disgorges. Everything would, of course, be signed and personalized as the buyer wished, and I would ship anywhere in the world. I'm still thinking about prices--and, indeed, about whether I'm going to do this at all. You are welcome to indicate interest, and it will not be taken as a commitment.
The reason he was feeling so terrible is that his calcium levels were extremely high. (The vet said they were the highest he'd ever seen in a cat.) They have him on medication to bring his calcium back down to normal, leaving the question, of course, of what's causing it to skyrocket.
The two most likely hypotheses at the moment are:
1.) parathyroid disease
2.) bone marrow cancer
Since the ultrasound they did on his throat didn't reveal enlarged parathyroid glands, cancer is unfortunately the more likely suspect, although parathyroid can't be ruled out completely until the bloodwork comes back. If it's not parathyroid, we're probably not going to go any farther with diagnostics which will be uncomfortable, stressful, and dangerous for the cat, and will only confirm what we'll already know: this is probably going to be what kills him, and it's down to the question of how long we can keep him happy and comfortable.
As no one will be surprised to hear, between the diagnostics and the three days so far in the hospital, this adventure is getting very expensive. I am considering breaking my long-standing policy of only donating my author's copies to charities and having a sale to benefit the Elder Saucepan. I would be offering sets of the Doctrine of Labyrinths in both hardback and paperback, A Companion to Wolves in hardback and paperback, The Bone Key (trade paper), and whatever other weird stuff my closet disgorges. Everything would, of course, be signed and personalized as the buyer wished, and I would ship anywhere in the world. I'm still thinking about prices--and, indeed, about whether I'm going to do this at all. You are welcome to indicate interest, and it will not be taken as a commitment.