Artie and his Issues

With my sweet girl Chestnut, pumpkin when used daily had the opposite effect on her, it caused constipation, and the Miralax built up and caused her to do the same thing, it built up and she exploded.

With me personally, Miralax doesn't work and my cousin swears by it.  For me it took too long for work, causing a build up and expanding, making me feel like I was going to suffocate.  And this also had the same effect with Chess, so since the pumpkin and Miralax didn't work, I would give her every other day, Gerber Green Beans, it came in 2 little plastic containers and it worked great, she liked the taste so I'd give it to her as a treat, I would give her a tablespoon size serving.

You had asked me what helped me during my time, and one big thing was (and I had to learn it)  was not to panic.  And again, I can't tell you how following the bad day rule helped me, if it lasts for than 4 days, then worry.

I'll tell you, Simon, as deformed as he was getting and eating & drinking became a challenge, my brave little shadow always showed me that tomorrow can bring small miracles.  

Many people told me, Artie will let you know when he's ready and honestly as sad as it is, you too will know in your heart when your sweet boy needs to let go.

For now, with what you are saying, Artie is just having a rough time getting into his new way of life and it sounds like you too need to get into your new groove.  His poor bum must be aching.  He's been through a lot.

It's never easy taking care of an ill being.  Life as you know it has changed but that doesn't mean you two can't enjoy your time together.  Sweet Artie just needs to get his bowels regular and he needs some good sleep so his body can heal.  I have no doubt that you can use some solid sleep as well.  I know I say it all the time, but you need to make sure you get proper sleep as well.  

Thinking about you guys always.  Fingers crossed you both have a good day.

The weather is grey and crappy down here, and I always factored the weather into Simon's mood as well.

xoHope

I'm sorry about your loss.  The pain doesn't lessen with time, it just gets easier to bear.

Artiemom said:

 
Thank You @2Cats4everLoved  and @Angels mommy

You are absolutely correct!!  I woke up to find 2 more hard small pieces in the box, along with a ton of pudding poop! 

I guess the harder pieces were from when I stopped the Miralax for a couple of days.. that was a while ago, so his transit time is very long.. sigh....

I was just panicking.. sorry..

I did think of how sore his little bum must be.. he went through so much.. 2 enemas, a physical exam down there, and constant diarrhea.. anything more than pudding must be torture for him.. poor baby.. I cannot imagine how I would feel after going through all of that...

Thinking that I am just a bit over anxious.. Today is also my dad's anniversary. It was 5 years ago this morning, just before 3am... I was with my dad an holding his hand. I am certain of the time. 

Strange; I automatically woke up around 3 AM this morning.. it was automatic.. and I did not sleep well.. I am going to church this morning, do an errand, and then home. I may try to take a nap..

Five years sounds so long ago, but it seems so recent. This year, the days of the week corresponded to the same days 5 years ago..or at least I think.. it is all so familiar.. I miss my dad a lot.. I miss talking to him. 

Artie woke me up the same time as the alarm went off. He wanted food. He ate 2 1/4 cans yesterday..mostly juice but he ate.. 

This morning, I gave him some NV Rabbit... he wanted the Pride rabbit.. I will wait a bit and see if he eats it.. right now it is a game of wills..

Oh, @Angels mommy   I tried the pumpkin, years ago.. Artie refused all foods with it..I tried the canned and the baby food squash.. he does not like people food.. sigh

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OK, gotcha on the pumpkin. That's too bad. I guess if it got down to it, & he really needed some, you could always syringe some in his cheek. 

Yes, I bet his little hiney is so sore! I remember back when Angel still went outside, the first two years he was with me, & he must've eaten something really bad. Got a parasite or something because despite a round of antibiotics, & @ rounds of probiotics from the vet, he had diarrhea for a full 30 days!!  It wasn't until Laurie, (LDG) offered to send me some extra Chinese toning tincture she had from her holistic vet, & told me how many drops to put in his food, etc.. It was the ONLY thing that worked!!  After 30 whole days he finally had a semi soft solid poopy!  That was a long month! 

So I can imagine how Artie must feel.  I'm happy to hear he is asking for food though! 

I'm sorry you are having a bad day. Anniversaries do that don't they?   ( I'm wondering how it's going to be when Feb. 5th comes. It will be the one year anniversary of Angel being gone.)

I hope you are feeling better now. We are all here for you. 

Just sending (((hugs))) and kisses [emoji]128139[/emoji]  to you and Artie!  I hope he's doing okay and that you're getting some rest.     

[emoji]128149[/emoji]​[emoji]128008[/emoji][emoji]128149[/emoji]​

I am so glad Artie is on the mend. Please relax and be good to yourself, too.

Yes, I kind of rested yesterday, after I went to church. I was up early again. 

Artie did not seem to be eating with as much gusto as he has been; however 2 1/4 cans yesterday. I woke up to 1 1/2 cans eaten during the night.. 

I do wish he would eat more, and put some more weight on. I did not brush him or weigh him yesterday.. 

He is waiting for his food right now. No poops in the box this morning.. 

Artie is getting his fluids this morning. I got the order of the thin walled 18 gauge needles. I will try that today, also try to warm the fluids...I will try doing it today..

Still not feeling like doing any major housework. I keep looking at the Red Christmas Rugs, the wall decorations and thin, and the red tablecloth, thinking they will magically go away.. I have to do a quick swiffer this morning..hopefully before Sarah comes over. I do not have any drive to clean or pick up.. just seem to want to lie down and nap.. I also think my GERD is effecting my asthma.. so I have not been feeling well...  Tomorrow I plan to stay in bed a while longer, wake up naturally, and make the chicken soup. 

Time to feed him now.. 

I do not know why, but I am so exhausted lately.. perhaps it is because I really messed up with my thyroid meds when Artie was so sick.. I kept forgetting to take them.. and I am not eating healthy. I have to get back to all of that.. 

Artiemom said:

 
Yes, I kind of rested yesterday, after I went to church. I was up early again. 

Artie did not seem to be eating with as much gusto as he has been; however 2 1/4 cans yesterday. I woke up to 1 1/2 cans eaten during the night.. 

I do wish he would eat more, and put some more weight on. I did not brush him or weigh him yesterday.. 

He is waiting for his food right now. No poops in the box this morning.. 

Artie is getting his fluids this morning. I got the order of the thin walled 18 gauge needles. I will try that today, also try to warm the fluids...I will try doing it today..

Still not feeling like doing any major housework. I keep looking at the Red Christmas Rugs, the wall decorations and thin, and the red tablecloth, thinking they will magically go away.. I have to do a quick swiffer this morning..hopefully before Sarah comes over. I do not have any drive to clean or pick up.. just seem to want to lie down and nap.. I also think my GERD is effecting my asthma.. so I have not been feeling well...  Tomorrow I plan to stay in bed a while longer, wake up naturally, and make the chicken soup. 

Time to feed him now.. 

I do not know why, but I am so exhausted lately.. perhaps it is because I really messed up with my thyroid meds when Artie was so sick.. I kept forgetting to take them.. and I am not eating healthy. I have to get back to all of that.. 

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You might be getting sick yourself. If you feel you need the rest, take it if you can. Rest can help your body (and your mind) heal.

Yes, I plan to rest later.. After he gets his fluids, I have to drive to the compounding people pharmacy to pick up one med and then to the hospital to get the other.. I could combine them both at the hospital, but this is the way the script came out.

On the way home, I have to pick up a few things, and mail a card.. 

then I am home.. may pick up a salad for supper--too lazy to cook.. and a greek salad sounds good to me.

I know my sister gets really messed up if she misses her thyroid meds.  A few years ago she had a lump on her thyroid.  A biopsy came back "suspicious."  They said they could remove the lump and, if it was cancerous, risk another surgery or just take go ahead and take the whole thing.  She opted for the latter.  Good thing she did - it was full of cancer.  So, now she has to take meds to replace the hormones her thyroid used to make.  And the doctor told her she'd never get pregnant again because of it (she already had 4 kids, so no big) and birth control was unnecessary.  Then she got pregnant and Little Johnny was born.  Number 6 is cooking right now.  She said she's getting her tubes tied after this one.  Normally, I wouldn't recommend making that decision at the age of 24, but I think she's got enough kids at this point.  LOL

Sorry for the babbling.  I'm very tired and still trying to get past the adrenaline rush caused by a blood covered 4 year old.  Get to feeling better.  You won't be any good for Artie if you get too sick to take care of him.

Yes, get yourself a salad, eat some protein.  

I think we share similar weather, and as I said before, I took it into consideration with Simon and Chestnut, if it was rainy and grey, then I didn't expect them to be too active, they liked sleeping in on days like that.

Is it possible to feed Artie a high calorie food to get his weight up?  He's still eating so that's good.

You've both been having a rough time.  Go easy on yourself - again, easier said than done, I know, but try.

That's what we're here for, to support you and take a bit of the anxiety off your shoulders.

Be well my friend.  Rest up and check in when you can. 

Warmest regards - Hope

Waiting for Sarah to arrive.. I hope she does.. 

I just brushed and weighed Artie.. he is down to 10.1 lbs...he lost 2 ounces.. he needs to eat 3 cans a day, but I cannot force him to...

No, he cannot have a high calorie food because he is supposed to be on a novel protein.. he refuses the higher calorie novel protein food. He is just addicted to Natures Variety.. 

No poop, yet..hoping he will, if not, a bit of lactulose.. and if he does not eat well today, it will be the cyproheptadine.. sigh...he is so alert.. 

just hanging around.. washed a couple things, in dryer now.. 

waiting.. if by chance, she does not arrive by 9am, I will attempt the sub-q's on my own.. shudder.. I have the needle in the freezer, the bag warming in water..

I'm sure Sarah will show up, and I'm sure it will ease your mind a little when she does.  But if you attempt the sub-q's on your own, fingers crossed all goes well.  I have faith in you .    Hope the rest of your day goes well and Artie is able to poop.  Please check in with us later if you have a minute.

Sarah came.. She tried picking up Artie, He immediately hissed in her arms!! We yelled at him. 

I tried doing the sub-q's.. had the bag warmed, a towel ready to wipe any spills, the needle in the freezer. I wanted to give it a go.. Well, it did not go well at all. I forgot to hang the bag so we could read the measurements, Artie was wriggling all over, and the needle slipped out! First time it slipped, I saw it.. The next time it slipped, it went underneath him. 

We were doing it in the smaller cat tree. At that point I gave up.. I asked Sarah to do it. I held him, man is he strong.. and she got the fluid in.. 

We were chatting and she said she could not do this permanently, but she would work with me to see if we can figure out a better place and an easier way to do it. 

Artie freaks out with any closed doors, so confining him to the bathroom with the door closed, will not work..

Sarah suggested that since he is so comfortable on the sofa, that I try it there.. I can hang the Bag, from the curtain rod..

Or I can sit in my recliner and attempt it kind like the way I give him his meds. I sit him the back corner so my body is blocking him, and I calmly but assertively hold his head and give him his meds.. That is kind how I trim his claws also.. 

But I have no place to hang the bag.. I can put a hook into the wall-- one of those 3M kind of pull off hooks. I have them all over the place, so one more would not matte to me.. Then I would just have to turn the chair around..

I am planning on calling both the S Vet and the R Vet tomorrow for updates and ask if this is going to be a forever thing. I think it will. I have to try to find a place to get the lactated ringers and the IV tubing a bit cheaper than the Vets, but for now, I will be using what they supply.

Artie's next sub-q's is for Saturday. We may have a snowstorm on Saturday. I do not want Sarah to drive over here in a storm. no matter if it is an inch or two of snow. If something happened, I would feel terrible. So I may have to do it on my own.

sigh...

Had to pick up a couple of Artie's meds this morning. I am so tired.

When I finish this I am going to write out a card and a bill, drop them off at the post office, and pick up a Greek Salad for supper.. 

I may boil an egg to put in it.. for protein..

Artie did poop, after Sarah left.. He had diarrhea again, a good bunch this time. He is not eating as much as he was. He is back to his regular not much food bit.. thinking of giving him a 1/2 pill of cyrpohepatadine, but I will wait until tonight to decide. 

I am not used to getting up so early.. it has been quite a few days of getting up early for one thing or another.. I am looking forward to sleeping in for a couple of hours tomorrow. I am getting up early to make sure Artie has all his morning meds, before I have to leave the house.. or someone comes in or I have to take him to the vet..

I did a quick swiffer around the house this morning. I did was a small load of laundry. 

Artie just came out of his 'tent' walked over to me and shook his head, like a dog!!  Then he promptly went over to the quilt to lie on top of it, instead of "in' it...I call him "money face"...

It's always harder when mom tries to give sub-cu fluid. For some reason strangers are allowed but we are not. I had the same problem giving Sammy his fluids too!

If you are having a hard time with the fluids because of the bag, there is a way to give them using large syringes. Maybe that's something you could look into or ask Sarah about. I much prefer the syringe method myself. That way you can give the fluids wherever you need to and not worry about if there's a place to hang the bag. I also find you have a lot more control with the syringes. For me it's just a lot easier handling wise using a syringe. You would draw the fluid from the bag into the syringe and you can fill them to whatever measurement you need so you don't have to watch measurements as you administer. The only downside is depending on the amount of fluids he needs it may take a few syringe fulls which means a couple extra needle pokes. But if the needle is slipping out anyway from struggling then it's not much more then he's getting now. If your willing I would definitely give this way a try, it might work out better for you. Especially if this is going to be long term.
You can also get the fluids in faster rather then waiting for it to make its way down the fluid line. You still have to go at a decent slow pace but again, it's all under your control.
And the fact that he's struggling against you guys is actually a really good sign. It means hes still got a lot of fight left in him!

Poor little Artie, It really upsets me to hear that the little guy is having a tough go of it. I am glad to hear that you are not giving up on him and doing everything you can. Get better Artie !!!!

I was gone yesterday, and worried all day long.  Sorry about the small setbacks, but glad that Artie is doing as well as he is overall!  HUGS to both of you!

I have not read every post, so am not sure if you have tried a top-loading hard plastic cat carrier when you give him his sub-Q?  I put this on bathroom counter and put bag of Ringer's on a coat hanger, which I hung on shower frame, right across from bathroom counter; put carrier on bathroom counter, and put cat inside.  This is a comfortable height for you, and you are looking down on Artie, so you can easily "tent" his skin to slide the needle in.  We had great success with this method, with our beloved Moti angel.  She was very good and patient! 

*PRAYERS* ongoing for Artie 

I was thinking of taking his carrier in the bathroom, placing it on top of the sink..(I do not have a large counter) and giving him the fluids while he is in the carrier.. I was not thinking of taking the top part off. I would just go through the top loader part. 

wonder if that would spook him? 

or even putting him in my bathroom sink and doing it there. 

I would advise against the sink, because if it is slippery like most sinks are, he could panic and thrash around in there.  If the countertop is wide enough to stably support the carrier, I would use that.  I didn't remove the top grille on  mine, just opened it.  It's a nice small, confining space and that is what most cats like.  I always talked to Moti soothingly and stroked her before we had our sub-Q sessions.  She never panicked and was probably a lot less stressed by it than I was.  Bottom line, it bought us 7 months of overwhelmingly quality time, for which I will always be very grateful.