Vibes for Bailey please!!!

Bailey's at the e-vet again today for a bone marrow aspirate and some other things, due to the continuing search for cancer. She'll be getting anesthesia (and she's almost 12 years old), so I'm REALLY NERVOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn't stop crying when I brought her in today. It's hard enough for me to leave her at home when I have to go to work! Please send some positive vibes Bailey's way if you can. I'm sure she could really use them, poor baby.

Thank you everyone! You've all been a huge help throughout this ordeal, and Bailey and I are very grateful.

{{{vibes}}} for Bailey!! for you!

Sending many prayers and vibes

Prayers and vibes going out to Bailey and Bailey's mom

As always, sending many vibes for Bailey.

Sending good {{{{healing}}}} vibes your way. Hope your little Bailey does SUPER!

Awww many vibes for your sweet Bailey, it is so hard to leave them at the vet I hope you hear good news.

Hi everyone! Bailey did just fine with the anesthesia. They didn't end up using propofol though, because they had a hard time inserting an IV. The used butorphenol and midazelam for pre-anesthetics, and then they ended up using the gas chamber thingy for induction with isoflurane, and then maintenance with iso a well. They said she was only under for about 15 minutes. The vet said she didn't see any abnormalities on her tongue, tonsils, or throat. The results of the bone marrow aspiration won't be back until sometime this week, and then we decide what to do next based on those findings.

Bailey was pretty loopy when I got her home. He eyes were WIDE open , and she was walking around aimlessly, sometimes in circles. She was in good spirits though, rubbing against everything and wanting everyone in sight to pet her. She even cuddled in my bed with me, and at one point when I was giving her a treat, she tried to grab it out of my hand, which was so cute! Plus, she was all about food and water, so her eating habits returned to normal almost immediately. Her shoulder is still sore from where they inserted the needle for the bone marrow, so she's been limping. She seems to be in a little bit of pain, as she's been hanging out by herself more this weekend. She still gets up to eat and drink though, and she's immediately alert when she hears the bag of treats open.

I wish this was the end of it, but I know there's more. There are pretty much 2 outcomes of the bone marrow test- we find the cancer and start treatment, or we don't find the cancer and keep looking. If nothing comes up with the bone marrow test, I'm pretty sure the only test left that we're going to do right now is a trial with Elspar (L-asparaginase), a chemo drug. If they administer that drug and there is no change in her ionized calcium, then they can pretty much rule out lymphoma. If her ionized calcium DOES go down, then they can narrow it down to lymphoma somewhere in the body and focus the search on that particular cancer. After that, if all of the results are still inconclusive, there's a possibility of referring her elsewhere for a CAT scan or more advanced diagnostics, or we might have to monitor her closely until the cancer advances enough to be able to find it.

I'm hoping we can stop the testing soon. I'm hoping if she has cancer that we can find it and treat it, but my ultimate hope is that she doesn't have cancer. I did talk to the vet about the elevated PTHrP, and she said the endocrinologist told her that there is no known explanation for it other than cancer/tumors. I know it's not a death sentence though, and I'll do absolutely EVERYTHING I can to maintain her quality of life for as long as possible.
In case anyone is interested in the chronicles of Bailey's experiences over the past 2 months, here are links to other posts (newest to oldest). It started as what we thought to be oral issues, and then turned into a search for cancer:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=127214

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=126278

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=125452

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=124832

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=122984

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=122079

I was going to post the link to her pictures, but the pictures got deleted. I thought they were small enough, but they must've been too big.

Anyway, thank you ALL so much for your support throughout this. It has been so difficult, and I'm sure many of you understand what it feels like to have something like this weighing on your mind constantly. I'm sure all of you understand what it's like to have people act like you're crazy for investing so much time, emotion, energy, and money into a cat, especially an older cat like mine. I guess the connection some of us can develop with a cat (or several cats) or any animal can sometimes only be understood by those who feel it. I love Bailey more than anything, and I feel she deserves the absolute best that I can give her. I'm not just her "owner." I'm her mother and her closest friend, and she is my world. She was 8 years old when I adopted her from a family who was moving, and I never imagined she would touch my heart as she has. When I was living by myself for a year, she was always there, and I was never alone. When I was unemployed for 2 months, I was never bored at home, because she was always there to keep me company. Any time I felt down or worthless, she was there to remind me that I had a purpose and that I wasn't alone. If I was crying, she always came up and rubbed her face against mine, as if to say, "Why are you crying mom? I'm here for you." It's a little different now since she's gotten older and keeps to herself more often, but she still doesn't hold back in showing that she loves me, and she's almost always there to greet me when I get home. She still cuddles with me sometimes at night, and she NEVER fails to play when the string comes out to play with her. She forgives me for my mistakes and doesn't hold anything against me. Sure, she hated it when I administered lactulose manually every day and started shying away from me, but after a while, she let it go and doesn't hold any grudges. In a world where I feel small and insignificant, she makes me feel like there's no one more important than me, because to her, there isn't. And when I tell her I love her, I know she hears it and remembers it every time.

That's why I do what I do, and most people don't understand, and I don't care whether or not they understand. Bailey and I have a special bond, and I'm glad I joined TCS almost 4 years ago- a place where I can get advice, vent, freak out, and have general conversation with people who know what it's like to love their cats like I do.

Thank you everyone, and I'll post updates as they come. From me to everyone out there who's been thinking of Bailey and/or have been dealing with their own trials and tribulations: - grphug2:

Jen, I've been following Bailey's story, and I'm praying for the best possible outcome. I saw her picture before it got removed, and she is beautiful.

What I personally can't understand is how anyone could question or not understand doing everything humanly possible in these situations. You are a wonderful person, and I'm sure Bailey knows how much you love her.

Originally Posted by JennyJen

Bailey was pretty loopy when I got her home. He eyes were WIDE open, and she was walking around aimlessly, sometimes in circles. She was in good spirits though, rubbing against everything and wanting everyone in sight to pet her.

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You might want to mention this reaction to the vet and see what she says. Swanie behaved the same way when he had anesthesia for his teeth cleaning. Eyes totally dialated, running around, rubbing on things, constantly wanted to be petted, all night long. It wasn't until morning he started to go back to normal. I was terrified he has sustained some brain damage or something from the anesthesia. It was a very long night! The vet said she had no idea why he would react that way, that most cats are more lethargic. They've written on his chart that he might have a sensitivity to anesthesia.

Originally Posted by Misty8723

You might want to mention this reaction to the vet and see what she says. Swanie behaved the same way when he had anesthesia for his teeth cleaning. Eyes totally dialated, running around, rubbing on things, constantly wanted to be petted, all night long. It wasn't until morning he started to go back to normal. I was terrified he has sustained some brain damage or something from the anesthesia. It was a very long night! The vet said she had no idea why he would react that way, that most cats are more lethargic. They've written on his chart that he might have a sensitivity to anesthesia.

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I guess I probably should. I figured it was normal, and since she was eating and drinking, I wasn't worried about it. I figured maybe she was more alert since her body has experienced such deep sleep earlier. Plus I thought she may have been hyper since she really wanted food, since it was taken away at midnight the night before. She mellowed out after a few hours. Hmmmm... I'll definitely give them a call later to mention it. Did your cat end up having any long-term side effects, or did he seem fine after it wore off?

Originally Posted by JennyJen

I guess I probably should. I figured it was normal, and since she was eating and drinking, I wasn't worried about it. I figured maybe she was more alert since her body has experienced such deep sleep earlier. Plus I thought she may have been hyper since she really wanted food, since it was taken away at midnight the night before. She mellowed out after a few hours. Hmmmm... I'll definitely give them a call later to mention it. Did your cat end up having any long-term side effects, or did he seem fine after it wore off?

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No, he was fine after it wore off, and he's just fine now. At first I though he was so hyper because he thought he had been abandoned again and was just happy to get home and be with us. He was marking everything and rubbing on me every few minutes to be petted. I didn't really start to worry until it was way too late to call the vets office. I don't think he slept at all all night. In the morning, I could see his eyes were less dialated, so I felt a little better, but called the vet anyway. She said she never heard of a cat having that reaction, but didn't seem concerned .. so I don't really know if it's normal in some cats or not.

If you call your vet, I'll be interested in what she has to say about it.

Weird, I thought I'd posted another reply. Anyway, I talked to a vet tech about the anesthesia reaction. She said some cats can get hyperactive or excitable with anesthesia/sedatives, and she remembered Bailey being one of them. She said it shouldn't be a big deal as long as it wears off in a normal time frame.

Also, Bailey's bone marrow test came back normal, so that test didn't indicate any type of bone cancer. This upcoming Tuesday, she'll be going back to get a trial dose of Elspar, which is a chemo drug. Her ionized calcium will be tested before the injection, and then tested again 3 days after the injection. If her calcium level goes down significantly, then it's a good indication that she has lymphoma somewhere. If her calcium level doesn't go down, then we can rule out lymphoma. I'm not sure what will happen if lymphoma ends up being suspected. If it gets ruled out though, the only thing we can do beside invasive organ biopsies is to watch her closely and wait.

Otherwise, she's been doing well, and I thank everyone for your support, vibes, and prayers!

Cotinued vibes & prayers for you & Bailey.