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- Sep 24, 2019
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I'd normally check other threads first but I don't seem to be able to do word searches right now for some reason, so... I guess I'll do my own thread.
Background
It's long so here's the short version: VIF+ 16-year-old rescue, diagnosed after some neurological (woobliness, falling, twitching) and random symptoms on late 2019 but got better, and stayed better, for almost two years until start of 2022 when front legs started woobling and twitching even when standing up, and mid-year when his kidney readings shot up.
Important recent developments
0.
Then on june he had this episode where (he had new type of troubles walking, seemly neurological and/or intermitent loss of sight). Lasted for about a week (steroid antiinflamatories like Dexametasona didn't seem to make a difference, but I did give him a cream containing betametasona (antiinflamatory)+gentamicine (antibiotic) +miconazole (antifungal) the day previous to his sudden recovery.)
1.
Then he started having troubles drinking water: he drinks, needs to take a minute... then repeat. At first, he even vomited the water (with some flem) and now has gagging reflexes but most times manages to keep it down. It doesn't help that the kidney thing has him drinking a ridiculous ammount of water (bad mix: he has been dehydratated some times).
2.
Soon after, he started having breathing problems. It's not constant but he whistles as he breathes, but only sometimes. X-ray showed two things: bronquial inflammation (think asthma), and a mass in the chest (think diafragm). Three specialists agree it doesn't look like a tumor, and it's not touching the lungs or heart... yet. [Vets wanted to puncture but position of the mass make it extremely dangerous so it's been ruled out.]
Also of note
Kidney stats kept going up and down (even in weeks of difference) and looming threat of that neurological episode repeating (might have been CVA or meningitis, both extremely worrying and with tendency to come back) kept me seeking vets. As per recommendation of users here, we tested for cryptococus, and he tested positive for contact (protein test) but negative in latex aka current infection. And since punction diagnosis was a no-go, and crypto treatment is horrible for kidneys, we didn't treat all these months...
Then he started hiding. Recent urine analysis revealted streptococo infection, and he was treated and new analysis came out clean. However, instead of going down, all kidney stats shot up. It also didn't have any effect on the mass in the chest (could be an enrofloxasine-resistant bacteria, or not bacteria at all.)
Today
Now he's hiding again and exhibiting other signs of pain (a different type of woobly walking where he can still jump, and stretch). Vet also thinks he's going blind (maybe intermitent too)... He also developped some skin thing where chunks of hair seems to be falling off (looks like wounds, but they are in places he does not reach scratching), but I don't know if at all related to anything...]
And all his blood panels shot to hell, kidney especially... Also: low plaquetes + shows adenopathy/lymphs inflammation. Also the mass is growing.
Treatment notes
Vet has him on cannabis oil for pain and asthma puffs, on top of his usual medicine (interferon, vitamins, drinkable vaccines made esp for VIF+ cats and a forth thing).
With the looming threat of the mass being a fungus -and upon my I bet very-annoying insistence- we are giving him itraconazole too.
I give him the steroid-antifungal-antibiotic cream whenever he hides...which now is way too often for my liking. (I also added an antiparasitic anti-flea over-the-counter once-applied thing just to be safe.)
Additional notes:
He has a bad tooth and we have been giving him an antibiotic: clavamox, to good results. This we detected because it was the first time ever he rejected food. In his life. (Malnutrition survivor: as I mentioned, Gremlin is a rescue. He's now, as somebody else elegantly put it in his own thread, a plus-size model.)
I actually don't know what I'm asking particularly and I'm wondering if I just need a place to... not rant but rather put down all ideas, in hopes of gaining some clarity.
That said, I of course would appreciate it if somebody here told me this sounds similar to any other thing you experienced. Anything helps if it can tell me where to look. It's the difficulties drinking, the noisy breathing and now the sudden symptoms of pain that are boggling my mind.
I know I probably sound calm and composed. But my stomach is in a knot, I've been in pain for days, and it's probably from worrying alone. I also cry like a baby, or want to cry. I'm not keeping it together, at all...
Thanks for reading, or anything you can tell me, in advance.
I'll add a second note just to clarify on the title: The mass' appearance is granulomatose, which means it could be fungus. And cardioligist vet says the mass shouldn't cause disnea. But could it cause troubles drinking water?
Also, the disnea/sounds breathing is caused probably by whatever is causing the bronchial inflammation... But those (the bronchi) are right above the mass so it could be related...
The adenomegalia (reaction to infection) is on the chest cavity too. An infection inside the torax can cause pain, even all over the body (that checks out, seems like it).
And I know some fungi attacks the kidneys too...
Itraconazol is effective against most fungi (albeit with different dosages) except one (that I know of, which is not saying much). But there's also the possibility of parasites or an enro-resistant bacteria.
(Not gonna lie, it would really help if I had a list of enrofloxasine-resistant bacteria so I could crossreference it with respiratory affecting bacteria and get treatment-based diagnosis from it. I haven't found that online as much as I look. -__- Also, antibiotics are worse for the kidneys than itraconazol, which is eliminated hepathically. So I'd rather try that first.)
Sorry for ranting. I just... I feel a bit orphaned in this. I'm playing detective while my cat hides under the bed. I've a, pardon my French, sh*ton of reading in medical articles looking for something that helps, and that last blood panel... I feel everything went to hell and I'm scared out of my mind.
Background
It's long so here's the short version: VIF+ 16-year-old rescue, diagnosed after some neurological (woobliness, falling, twitching) and random symptoms on late 2019 but got better, and stayed better, for almost two years until start of 2022 when front legs started woobling and twitching even when standing up, and mid-year when his kidney readings shot up.
Important recent developments
0.
Then on june he had this episode where (he had new type of troubles walking, seemly neurological and/or intermitent loss of sight). Lasted for about a week (steroid antiinflamatories like Dexametasona didn't seem to make a difference, but I did give him a cream containing betametasona (antiinflamatory)+gentamicine (antibiotic) +miconazole (antifungal) the day previous to his sudden recovery.)
1.
Then he started having troubles drinking water: he drinks, needs to take a minute... then repeat. At first, he even vomited the water (with some flem) and now has gagging reflexes but most times manages to keep it down. It doesn't help that the kidney thing has him drinking a ridiculous ammount of water (bad mix: he has been dehydratated some times).
2.
Soon after, he started having breathing problems. It's not constant but he whistles as he breathes, but only sometimes. X-ray showed two things: bronquial inflammation (think asthma), and a mass in the chest (think diafragm). Three specialists agree it doesn't look like a tumor, and it's not touching the lungs or heart... yet. [Vets wanted to puncture but position of the mass make it extremely dangerous so it's been ruled out.]
Also of note
Kidney stats kept going up and down (even in weeks of difference) and looming threat of that neurological episode repeating (might have been CVA or meningitis, both extremely worrying and with tendency to come back) kept me seeking vets. As per recommendation of users here, we tested for cryptococus, and he tested positive for contact (protein test) but negative in latex aka current infection. And since punction diagnosis was a no-go, and crypto treatment is horrible for kidneys, we didn't treat all these months...
Then he started hiding. Recent urine analysis revealted streptococo infection, and he was treated and new analysis came out clean. However, instead of going down, all kidney stats shot up. It also didn't have any effect on the mass in the chest (could be an enrofloxasine-resistant bacteria, or not bacteria at all.)
Today
Now he's hiding again and exhibiting other signs of pain (a different type of woobly walking where he can still jump, and stretch). Vet also thinks he's going blind (maybe intermitent too)... He also developped some skin thing where chunks of hair seems to be falling off (looks like wounds, but they are in places he does not reach scratching), but I don't know if at all related to anything...]
And all his blood panels shot to hell, kidney especially... Also: low plaquetes + shows adenopathy/lymphs inflammation. Also the mass is growing.
Treatment notes
Vet has him on cannabis oil for pain and asthma puffs, on top of his usual medicine (interferon, vitamins, drinkable vaccines made esp for VIF+ cats and a forth thing).
With the looming threat of the mass being a fungus -and upon my I bet very-annoying insistence- we are giving him itraconazole too.
I give him the steroid-antifungal-antibiotic cream whenever he hides...which now is way too often for my liking. (I also added an antiparasitic anti-flea over-the-counter once-applied thing just to be safe.)
Additional notes:
He has a bad tooth and we have been giving him an antibiotic: clavamox, to good results. This we detected because it was the first time ever he rejected food. In his life. (Malnutrition survivor: as I mentioned, Gremlin is a rescue. He's now, as somebody else elegantly put it in his own thread, a plus-size model.)
I actually don't know what I'm asking particularly and I'm wondering if I just need a place to... not rant but rather put down all ideas, in hopes of gaining some clarity.
That said, I of course would appreciate it if somebody here told me this sounds similar to any other thing you experienced. Anything helps if it can tell me where to look. It's the difficulties drinking, the noisy breathing and now the sudden symptoms of pain that are boggling my mind.
I know I probably sound calm and composed. But my stomach is in a knot, I've been in pain for days, and it's probably from worrying alone. I also cry like a baby, or want to cry. I'm not keeping it together, at all...
Thanks for reading, or anything you can tell me, in advance.
I'll add a second note just to clarify on the title: The mass' appearance is granulomatose, which means it could be fungus. And cardioligist vet says the mass shouldn't cause disnea. But could it cause troubles drinking water?
Also, the disnea/sounds breathing is caused probably by whatever is causing the bronchial inflammation... But those (the bronchi) are right above the mass so it could be related...
The adenomegalia (reaction to infection) is on the chest cavity too. An infection inside the torax can cause pain, even all over the body (that checks out, seems like it).
And I know some fungi attacks the kidneys too...
Itraconazol is effective against most fungi (albeit with different dosages) except one (that I know of, which is not saying much). But there's also the possibility of parasites or an enro-resistant bacteria.
(Not gonna lie, it would really help if I had a list of enrofloxasine-resistant bacteria so I could crossreference it with respiratory affecting bacteria and get treatment-based diagnosis from it. I haven't found that online as much as I look. -__- Also, antibiotics are worse for the kidneys than itraconazol, which is eliminated hepathically. So I'd rather try that first.)
Sorry for ranting. I just... I feel a bit orphaned in this. I'm playing detective while my cat hides under the bed. I've a, pardon my French, sh*ton of reading in medical articles looking for something that helps, and that last blood panel... I feel everything went to hell and I'm scared out of my mind.
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but I honestly can't imagine his quality of life is good.
