help pleeeeaaase

[andrea meyers]

hi=i'm andrea-kind of new here. and i am WORRIED.
my cat elizabeth is about 6 or so yrs old -i adopted her now about 3 mo ago. she was very thin and a mess. i got rid of her mats and brushed her hair til she was able to groom..and she did start eating about 3/4 wet food a day (she is a relatively small cat)-
dry food: i don't know how much she gets-she swallows the small round nuggets (purina pro plan) and often i find them thrown up whole when i wake up or come home. (i am not out long usually) she needs a dental-never likely had one. i had to cancel last one due to an ear infection (she has those small bluish polyps in hear ear canal-and so wax builds up. she then has to take these drop antibio's for a week. she seems ok ear-wise now-and i am waiting for a dental. i worry too-cause she dose have mild heart disease. my last beloved cat died during a dental (she had mild hcm-no kidney trouble at all-but after dental-her kidneys went into failure and other bad things..it still hurts so bad) i am so protective of elizabeth. i must get her a dental soon tho. asap. i can't wait. i hope this is "why" she throws up her dry food(???) i know stress may be part of it...i am also pretty ill-on/off ill. i have mild crohns and bad infalm. joint disease. i am on high level narcotics-it messed me up-i am now i process of switching things around-also on many hi level immune supp. etc. so i have been stressed about this and about other things too. i try my best to act normal-or to be happy--so elizabeth--well-ikow she senses-even if i try to hide stress-she knows. i kow this. i need to be w her. so i work from home more now til this hopefully in time-we will both be ok.-or better. i am more worried ab. her than me.
Q: please-does anyones cat have a finicky diet and not eat a lot? also-does your cat throw up whole dry food (small round pieces) please-i need help-or any advice..
andrea

[andrea meyers]

i am sorry about your back..it sounds painful. i know the back-and spine can be some of the hardest things to deal with. you are lucky w your parents. my parents are here..but-i haven been on my own for so long (i am 46) so.. i can't live home. i live alone w elizabeth..at times it is scary-if i get really ill etc. my friends care-but live about an hour away. i moved to be in a college area..i am an artist..so.anyway..it's hard..but i do all i can..and always keep on top of things with elizabeth. i love her so very much. how old are your kids?
are you married? is your husband living there too?
i will definitely keep in touch w everyone -esp. after the dental on nov 19. (hopefully all will go well..very scared..wish i were a vet :)
thank for writing--good luck with the drs at jewitt..

[bams481]

When I said babies, I meant my cats lol. I don't have kids (would love some tho) and I'm not married. My ex and I were trying for babies but never happened. Now Im sorta glad tho....don't know if I could handle kids with the amount of pain I am in and unfortunately, I have to stay high all the time. I wouldn't want my kids around that. One day tho :)

I've always lived on my own til now. I'm a very independent person, this took a lot to get used to. And now I have my parents helping me, so that's good.

What happened? What caused your pain? (if you don't mind me asking)

[andrea meyers]

oh no...don't mind :)
first i was dxes w mild crohns-no meds worked-so they put me on remicade-then humira. from there came BAD painful joint pain. -all joints -but mostly my right shoulder. my infalmmatory bloodwork showed i was in major inflammation and my white cells were quite high. i went to a rheumatologist (at this time my dr was giving me vicodin..but was not happy and wanted me to see a dr in pain management. well-once i saw my rhem dr he gave me i high dose shot of cortisone right deep into my shoulder. horrible shot--but compared to the pain of my joints-it was nothing. he then gave me a name of a pain management dr. went from this to that and am not on fentanyl 75 and 360 4mg dilaudid a month. i was staying on/off w my parents at this time-so all my drs were in nyc. recently i shifted all drs to where i live in ct. a few weeks ago met my new pain management dr. he will not give me any more than 90 dilaudid-if that. he will be raising my patch tho. i am scared..hope the pain will be ok..on this new way and likely not much dilaudid. i sort of do want to try tho-as i and my dr feel i am on such a high level of pain meds-esp for my age..even tho i am not 20-i guess i still ..whatever. so-i guess.who knows. i see him in less than 2 weeks (appt just before i bring elizabeth for her dental-i think 2 days before. (bad week) but he and my psychiatrist both think taking mostly the patch--controlled med-will lessen the mood swings..and mostly this depression that came on since i got sick (always had a little depression-and add-but not like this---not major depression-but it is hard on me..and hard to focus.motivate myself..and now-the mood swings-mild manic depression2 (no delusions etc--just minor mood swings) but i at times feel i am losing my mind when manic (this usually happens after the cortisone shot) but lately it goes longer..altho more mild than right after the shot (many get manic from this shot-esp hi doses). i just..my mind is messing me up. i am not my energized active hard working self. and i hate it. my drs think a lot may be due to the dilaudid-some days less some more-all is making me out of balance. i do hope this helps my brain..but i also hope it will be strong enough for my joint pain. it is hard to describe the pain. when all over but mostly in shoulder-it was like knives were being twisted in my shoulder..and -other joints were painful...but..i admit..i may be able to take a little less meds and bare some of the less harsh pain..thing is-when pain hits all of my joints-it also causes bad fatigue. i have-tho-been taking less dilaudid on my own..til this cold weather hit-and my joints are not as good. but still-not nearly as bad as before. so-maybe i can do well on mostly the upped patch and -i hope- some dilaudid-at the very least so i dont go thru withdrawl-but i know my dr is fully aware etc. i just think i could do ok on less. and hope the patch works-and i can get to where i need not many dilaudid at all. my hope is 30-just to be safe..and even lessen the patch in time if i do well. i just have no idea. this disease can be not so bad some days -and then other days-i can be in bad pain-asnd need the extra dilaudid. i just hope i am getting better (there is no cure--but the methotrexate i take-and cortisone-likely could be helping-meaning -maybe lower pain meds bit by bit--would rather lower the shot-and we have-from 70 or 80 now at 50.and even 40. so-maybe the methotrexate is finally working. sorry-this sounds like a huge jumble--just..so many complications. i also have a weird case of..not endometriosis..but something similar-and i had op for huge fibroids in my 30s -but also ovarian cysts (worse) and we need to keep those away. i also had shingles-along the nerve from my left eye to my forhead. not many pimples but extreme pain near the eye-and light killed it. i still have some mild relapses from that--and i get migrains.
but-all in all..pain medsare for crohns cramping and mainly the joint pain--which-before on higher pain meds-i at times couldnt get out of bed..and so on. it was bad. pain. not discomfort. but less now..so--HOPE.
sorry so long..hard to explain as some stuff went back and forth.
thats all..
i do wish you luck w your drs.
god-i just wanna get off some meds (11 heavy-duty meds now) :(
but-elizabeth is doing well now :):)
i think she will do ok w the dental-then i will work on her diet-and she will be fine--which is so so important to me-as you understand..
ok..stop now huh?
:)
andea

[bams481]

I followed you, no worries. After my surgery, I was being pumped full of heavy doses of Morphine and Dilaudid...I couldn't open my eyes cause there was three of everything lol. Morphone doesn't work as well as the Oxycotin and Oxycodone...but once I get used to these two and they bump me up to the highest mg, I would be switched to high doses of Dilaudid. I also take a lot of Somas a day, Nurotin, Lexapro, Xanax...I also smoke some herbs to help the pain. Without pain meds, I cannot walk...my legs give out on me, even with pain meds. Its the nerves that go down my legs...they let go or something. Leg just buckles. Its all very depression...I went thru that in Kansas, the main reason why my Dad came up and got me. Hang in there hun :)

[Michael William Shea]

That sounds what my friend goes through. She has fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, asthma, depression, migraines, tumors all over her feet (Inbetween her toes) somization disorder, seeing difficulties, low blood sugar, blood pressure is awful low, bursitis in shoulders, nerve pain, etc. Although, she is sick she still manages to come in and volunteer as much as she possibly can. She is very young and only 35. I wish you well. God bless you

[ELoise A. Payne-Ricks]

Hi Bam481, I too must take many meds within a day also (which includes 3 different Insulin's, ativan for my stomach because of Liver meds, Soma to relax my muscles and Percocet for pain every where). I don't know how I got the Hep-C, except I did not know I was a bleeder with ASA and Motrin, took some for pain after a Laminectomy and almost bleed to death. When the rescuer came to get me I had almost bleed out so I received 3 pints of whole blood (from there anyone knows) had too stop working in 98. Being a nurse I was tested for communicable Diseases every year, now I am in Liver failure but I am still here. I feel that if I get me a baby I will take better care of myself because I will be busy making sure he is well. Now I am fighting a new problem that is very serious it my cost me a leg. I hope GOD gives me the chance because he will be Loved very deeply (and I am getting him from the ASPCA). He does not care if I have no arms or legs all he will know is that he LOVES ME and I LOVE HIM. Wish me luck with my Dr's.

[calico51]

I am so sorry to read about so many of us having chronic pain problems. As I said I too suffer from a similar problem so I do know how very hard all this is to deal with. My prayers go out to you all. Please keep us informed on your health.
Andrea go to your doctor's appointment and take care of yourself. Then your baby will have her dentalwork. Don't obsess about her making through the procedure, she will make it. Just make sure that is the only procedure she has done. Vets tend to try and sell you on vaccinations at the same time, refuse that being done together. It is too much on the cat. And by all means don't let the vet give her any type of steroid such as cortisone no matter what he says. Steroids kill cats and any vet who keeps up with the research should know that, but sadly many don't or don't care.

Ladies take care and despite our pain we are doing the best we can for our furbabies. They give unconditional love to us all, don't judge us and they deserve the most love we can give back to them.

[andrea meyers]

((((((hug0))))))

[bams481]

"Ladies take care and despite our pain we are doing the best we can for our furbabies. They give unconditional love to us all, don't judge us and they deserve the most love we can give back to them."

Yes indeed. My babies are really the only reason at times to hang in there :)

[andrea meyers]

..me too.