Tryroid Senior kitties - Experiences?

As some of you know, I have adopted Gracie, a 12 yr old cat whose owner due to Alzheimers forgot she belonged to her... Gracie was left outside of my apartment building and was in pretty bad shape when she got here a month ago; she had been out of her thyroid medication for 6 months, was living outside even though she was declawed, eating meow mix, covered in fleas, skin and bones.... She was also having some difficulty breathing - I am not sure if I should call difficulty, but her breathing was weird, not smooth, per se.
Now she has no fleas, is back on her meds, is eating good food, has gained weight, her fur is getting shiny... Her breathing is back to normal.
She is still freaked out, extremely defensive, but in time I think we will get there... She is very loving towards me, looooves a good loving and to be combed, and with me, she is just as sweet as she can be
The reason for my thread is her health... What should I expect from her thyroid problems?
All my cats have insurance, and I am a firm believer in insurance... I was looking into insurance for her, and I found one Company who will insure her, just not the thyroid issue as that is a pre-existing condition. It is going to cost $37/month, covers 90% of the bill, and I pay the consult. I am inclined to get it...
I guess my question is, with Thyroid, do I expect a heart condition, kidney failure, or diabetes to come next?
I know that the treatment for it is not without a cost.... and that's my fear... She is on Methimazole 7.5mg 2x a day.
Does anyone hear has a cat with the condition for a while? Anyone with the experience to share? What the future reserves me?
Her senior panel is pretty good, and that is pretty much her only problem this far, so if I get her the insurance, the time is now...
Thanks!

My Arthur has HT and my old friend, Baby K had it also.

So far, the only expenses are blood tests every now and then to check his level. If we need to adjust the meth at all. If Arthur is holding his weight well, he does not go in. Any weight loss, and he will. In fact, he is skinnier than usual lately. So he will be going in. Of course, him being on wet food could be a factor in that weight loss.

I think as long as the medication is keeping the levels within the good range, the chances of other probs is lower. If it gets hard to control, then IMO, you will see involvement of other organs. Since HT speeds things up, kidney and heart probs may come into play.

Baby K was pts two years ago due to nasty, runny stools all the time. He was getting very old and was extremely thin. It was hard to control at that point. But he had a long time of normalcy, as does Arthur.

Hope this helps a bit.

Both heart and kidney problems may go along with thyroid issues--sometimes the thyroid problems can masking existing renal failure because the thyroid levels can increase blood flow through the kidneys. The heart may end up working harder when thyroid levels are high, and murmurs are pretty common in hyperthyroid cats.

Did the vet start her on 7.5 mg, twice per day, or has she been on that dose for a while? That's a very high starting dose--2.5 mg twice a day is more in line with what most start with--and blood tests will be needed to make sure her levels are staying in the normal range.

For what I can see on her records, she's been on that dose for a while, except for the time she was out of the medication, may-november... I will take her to the vet in a few months time, for a new blood work, as I do not trust the vet who was seeing her at all... I was also told that is a very high dose by someone else... She is definitely doing better, so I want to wait a few months before bringing her in again.

Originally Posted by cloud_shade

Both heart and kidney problems may go along with thyroid issues--sometimes the thyroid problems can masking existing renal failure because the thyroid levels can increase blood flow through the kidneys. The heart may end up working harder when thyroid levels are high, and murmurs are pretty common in hyperthyroid cats.

Did the vet start her on 7.5 mg, twice per day, or has she been on that dose for a while? That's a very high starting dose--2.5 mg twice a day is more in line with what most start with--and blood tests will be needed to make sure her levels are staying in the normal range.

Click to expand...

(in bold) Regular blood work is very important. Dose may need periodic adjusting, and the kidneys need to be watched.

I understand regular blood work is very important- she just had a complete senior blood panel last month, the day she came to me... All numbers were good, except for thyroid. As I said, I do not trust the vet she was with, and I am getting feedback that the medication is too high. That's why I want her to go to my other vet, who I trust. As far as having tests done, that she was having often- more often then every 6 months- I have her records with me.

Ok, So I was out of town and didn't have Gracie's records with me.... Now I am Beyond confused!! I got her records, and I read and re-read, and her T-4 Snap Test levels are completely normal on the last test, actually on the lower end, and I can not understand for the life of me how come she is on this high levels of Methimazole.
Sounds like I am going to break the bank this month with Gracie AND Bugsy at the Vet, since he still has diarrhea, and if it last untill Monday he is going himself for further diagnostics.

ok, so here are her lab tests since Jan:
Jan 13 -T4: 7ug/dL - Range 1-5 (H)
Feb 3 - T4: 7ug/dL - Range 1-5 (H)
Mar 9 - T4: 7ug/dL - Range 1-5 (H) Adjusted Meds to 7.5 mg 2x/day
Jun 21 -T4: 7ug/dL - Range 1-5 (H) (I Know for a fact her last pill was May 18th)
Aug 24- T4: 7ug/dL - Range 1-5 (H)
Nov 1 - T4: 2 (Less than 2) Range 1-5 (This is the day she was transferred to me; she had been out of medication since May 18th (I checked the last bottle, and outside since August.
Dropped 1.8lbs since June 21.

The only # that is high on her blood test is ALKP, which is 135 U/L, normal range 14-111. All others are normal. The vet noted Tachycardia.

How can she be on this high of medication with normal T-4 #s?
I don't get it....
How can the #s be up so much on medication, and after she goes off for 6 months, it goes back to a normal range? What can I be missing on this picture?

:

I would have to know the levels prior to the first pill... It looks to the casual eye as if that Miss Gracie may be over medicated but it could also be that the original tests dictated a high dose and the "normal" read s are from the pills ( Yes I see and understand the gap which throw s a small issue into my hypothesis