Geoffrey Small Cell Lymphoma

LTS3

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Digestive enzymes are different from probiotics. They do not contain any bacteria strains and help the gut digest food more effectively. Dr. B is checking in with J and I'm sure she can get a hold of him if needed.
 

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Digestive enzymes are different from probiotics. They do not contain any bacteria strains and help the gut digest food more effectively. Dr. B is checking in with J and I'm sure she can get a hold of him if needed.
Yep. I think of it as a way to "pre digest" food for them to give their pancreas and digestive system as a whole a break.
Digestive enzymes have cleared up many bowel issues in my pets throughout my adult life. They really can do a lot to help.
 
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artiemom

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Digestive enzymes are different from probiotics. They do not contain any bacteria strains and help the gut digest food more effectively. Dr. B is checking in with J and I'm sure she can get a hold of him if needed.
Yes, Dr B will be checking in with J. She told me. He is so dedicated.. I am at the three times a week updates for Geoffrey. Today is an update day..

How are you dosing the digestive enzymes? Is it twice a day? In capsule form, or sprinkled on food?
Thanks...
 

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Yes, Dr B will be checking in with J. She told me. He is so dedicated.. I am at the three times a week updates for Geoffrey. Today is an update day..

How are you dosing the digestive enzymes? Is it twice a day? In capsule form, or sprinkled on food?
Thanks...
Wishing you and Geoffrey a good update and a good day. :redheartpump: :redcat: :redheartpump:
 

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The one I use is a powder. They may all be powders :think: The directions for the brand I use says 1/4 tsp for every 10 lbs of body weight at every meal. I just mix it into the food, Leroy anyways. Emma eats raw bites so I sprinkle her dose over the pieces. It sticks pretty well to the food.
 
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artiemom

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Trying not to overload this thread, until I really need to.

Geoffrey was doing really well last week. He somehow hit a wall, Saturday afternoon, Sunday and today.
He has gone through 3 weeks of Every Other Day Chemo Dosing. I guess, considering the heat and humidity, he is doing as well as possible. He is blah..

His last vomiting episode (5 very violent vomits in and hour) was on July 1... nothing since then. The Pred is helping that, but it is doing a number on his fur. He is having fur thinning along the lower spine. It is from the Prednisolone. Artie had the same, due to the pred.

G is eating more wet food in the morning! 1/3-1/2 of a 5oz can.. and still eating the dry-- not with as much gusto, but still eating it, 3/4 cup per day. He has lost some weight. He had gained about a pound when he began the Pred. Now he is back to his pre-steroid/chemo weight.

I really hate my apartment during this hot and humid weather---what ever happened to nice warm, dry summer weather? Even on the beach, it is too humid, and hot.. no sea breeze. When there is one, it is humid/muggy/damp.

I do not have AC in the bedroom. I have a couple of fans in. there. I can direct the AC from living area and kitchen into the bedroom, so it is not usually so bad. In this current weather, it is impossible. Last night, I pulled out my sofa bed, sleeping on it, in front of the AC.
Despite all of this, Geoffrey still prefers my bedroom. I hate this.. too hot for him. I do not want to close my bedroom door.

Geoffrey is really blah.. mopey.. I do not know what is from the heat or what is from the chemo.
I know, even when I had Artie, and Central AC; the heat and humidity still bothered him. I think indoor cats, even in central AC can feel it. Last night, Geoffrey stayed in the living area with me.. tried cuddling for a bit, then stayed on the rug, next to his catnip pickle..
He is there right now. I will be pulling the bed out again, in an hour or so...

His stools are still a bit hard.. IMVet is not in until Wednesday. I am not doing anything without his approval..
I am giving him some miralax, alternating with laxatone. I do not want to stress him out with laxatone on a chemo day.

This picture is from Wednesday, when he was feeling better.
09EA7F0D-C038-41EB-861D-A69A15308D72_1_201_a.jpeg

Some people say cats do not display emotion on their faces. I pooh-pooh that.. I can tell when Geoffrey is feeling good, and when he is feeling poorly.. I know my cat(s)... Artie also...
 
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artiemom

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rubysmama rubysmama thank you... but, I keep trying to tell myself: God knows who to give the sick ones to... sigh...

After having 3 cats with medical issues, Pumpkin-diabetic, Artie-megacolon, IBD, cardiac arrhythmia, etc, and now Geoffrey... this may be my last kitty...It seems the diseases are getting worse with each cat I own.
I do not know if I can financially, emotionally, and physically afford to have another. I am getting older.. and finances.. I always get sick cats.. The only one who was not sick was my childhood buddy: BoBo---who was killed by a car, when I was in the first grade, or so.....
Do not have luck with cats.. and I love them..
 

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Trying not to overload this thread, until I really need to.

Geoffrey was doing really well last week. He somehow hit a wall, Saturday afternoon, Sunday and today.
He has gone through 3 weeks of Every Other Day Chemo Dosing. I guess, considering the heat and humidity, he is doing as well as possible. He is blah..

His last vomiting episode (5 very violent vomits in and hour) was on July 1... nothing since then. The Pred is helping that, but it is doing a number on his fur. He is having fur thinning along the lower spine. It is from the Prednisolone. Artie had the same, due to the pred.

G is eating more wet food in the morning! 1/3-1/2 of a 5oz can.. and still eating the dry-- not with as much gusto, but still eating it, 3/4 cup per day. He has lost some weight. He had gained about a pound when he began the Pred. Now he is back to his pre-steroid/chemo weight.

I really hate my apartment during this hot and humid weather---what ever happened to nice warm, dry summer weather? Even on the beach, it is too humid, and hot.. no sea breeze. When there is one, it is humid/muggy/damp.

I do not have AC in the bedroom. I have a couple of fans in. there. I can direct the AC from living area and kitchen into the bedroom, so it is not usually so bad. In this current weather, it is impossible. Last night, I pulled out my sofa bed, sleeping on it, in front of the AC.
Despite all of this, Geoffrey still prefers my bedroom. I hate this.. too hot for him. I do not want to close my bedroom door.

Geoffrey is really blah.. mopey.. I do not know what is from the heat or what is from the chemo.
I know, even when I had Artie, and Central AC; the heat and humidity still bothered him. I think indoor cats, even in central AC can feel it. Last night, Geoffrey stayed in the living area with me.. tried cuddling for a bit, then stayed on the rug, next to his catnip pickle..
He is there right now. I will be pulling the bed out again, in an hour or so...

His stools are still a bit hard.. IMVet is not in until Wednesday. I am not doing anything without his approval..
I am giving him some miralax, alternating with laxatone. I do not want to stress him out with laxatone on a chemo day.

This picture is from Wednesday, when he was feeling better.
View attachment 426626

Some people say cats do not display emotion on their faces. I pooh-pooh that.. I can tell when Geoffrey is feeling good, and when he is feeling poorly.. I know my cat(s)... Artie also...
Heat and chemo? A double whammy. Yes, he looks wistful there. But he DOES have his beloved pickle. And if you can sleep in the living room by the AC, that should help -- he joins you, yes?
We have HVAC but Elvis knows it's hot. He jumps on my lap while I work. I can't use the cat blanket when it's hot. So it's not as comfortable crouching on my skinny legs. He stays as long as he can, and then it gets too hot and he jumps down. This is his routine all day long when it's hot, even with the AC. We get more humidity recently, too. Not pleasant.
Sounds like Geoffrey is eating fairly well, though. Will he take a little butter or margarine? Maybe that might help in a natural way until you can talk with his doctor.
*PRAYERS* and BEST thoughts/wishes for Geoffrey's health and wellness! *And yours, too, of course!*:vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::redheartpump::redcat::redheartpump::hugs::cheerleader::hangin:
 

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My cat on prednisolone had the thinning top coat, too, right along either side of the spine. Never did go completely bald, but it definitely got thinner.
It's scary when they lose weight, and you wonder from what....but as long as he's still eating that's a great sign.
We have central AC here and at work. The animals definitely "know" it's hot out even if the AC is at full blast. Speaking for my own pets and for boarders, we see a lot more instances of upset GI stuff this time of year. Even the ones who don't go outside somehow seem to know how sweltering it is and it really seems to mess with them all.
Love that picture. He has such a cute face and such an impish little expression :)
 

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After having waiting over 2 weeks, I finally got the full results of Geoffrey's biopsy: Small Cell Lymphoma... dam..
Very very early. In fact, Dr B said that if we did the endoscopy 6 months earlier, it probably would not have shown up on biopsy.
I guess the biopsy came back: first layer--IBD, second layer--inflammation, third layer----lymphoma.

I will order the chemo from Wedgewood---it is extremely expensive. And I will pick up the Prednisolone tomorrow at Angell.

Dam.. I am in shock.. not fully comprehending it.. yet, I am not surprised. I knew there was something more to his vomiting. I was thinking IBD---never thought it would be SCL---- neither did Dr B...
Dr B was telling me that I was so right on insisting on the endoscopy. He would have let this go.. It is way too early to see any effects on testing. Geoffrey is acting so healthy.. The only sign is the vomiting...

I have to bring Geoffrey in for a follow-up in 5-6 weeks...

Meanwhile, He woke me up at 2am, with tons of vomiting.. Everywhere. He ate another Always pad plastic covering.. Thank God he got it out. But it was tuff on him. Dr B said starting the meds, may improve his PICA a bit.. who knows.. gut feeling is no...

Now I know why God gave me Geoffrey.. I will be broke from him and Artie.. never mind me.. dam.. two cats in a row... and Geoffrey is much younger than Artie was when I adopted him... and much younger than Artie when he got the endoscopy results.. dam..

Gotta go... laptop battery is very low.. more to follow.
God bless u! thats why he sends u the SPECIAL ONES
 

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The cats here have been dropping a lot of fur this year. It seems to go on forever and I do think it is the weather. I cleaned up three hairballs yesterday and someone threw up their supper last night. I can’t figure out which kitty did it. That has happened on the last couple of super hot nights. I think it was Callie but can’t be sure. Kodiak has dropped some weight in the heat and so has Lady. Hmmm. I think I have too! This has been a very humid and hot year here too. I do as you do and blow the AC into the other rooms with fans. Last year I bought a bag of ice and put it in a kiddie pool behind the fan. The cats seemed to enjoy that. Callie kept dipping her paws in the cool water from melting ice. I can’t say it cooled the air much except by , maybe, a degree where Callie laid in front of the fan. When the kitties were outside ferals I put ice in ziploc freezer bags and a pillowcase beside that. Often I saw kitties laying beside that. If Geoffrey is losing some fur, maybe he is cooler than you think. It might be a blessing in disguise? I totally agree that you know your kitty and that they have facial expressions. Geoffrey and his pickle are adorable. He does love that pickle! Precious! I am so very grateful that Geoffrey has you. I can’t imagine his life if he had ended up with someone else. You are his human. :catlove:
 
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artiemom

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Since I have been sleeping right in front of the AC, Geoffrey is staying with me during the evening for cuddles and during the night, on the floor. As soon as I move, he moves away from me. But he loves cuddling while I am watching TV..

He is back to eating.. a normal, if not excessive amount of food. He is begging for wet food for breakfast. Does not care if it is cold. He is now up to 1/2 of a 5 oz can in the morning, and a cup of dry during the rest of the day and night.
I free feed. He seems to respond better to nibbling.

Yesterday, he bit me!! The little Sh**... I was so mad at him. I was brushing him. Usually he grabs my forearm, licks my arm, or rubs his face on my forearm.. sometimes, he will give a love bite.. This time, I must have hit a sensitive spot. He bit me! He broke skin, and it dragged down a bit as I was pulling away. I washed it out with soap and water, put antibiotic ointment on it, covered it with a cut down piece of gauze pad, and tape.
Dam Cat...

I am very careful with cat bites, scratches. I have always been. I wash them out with soap and water, immediately; and use antibiotic ointment on them.
I ended up in the ER, with IV antibiotics and a biopsy, 10 days after a bite from Artie. They take animal bites, especially cat bites as an emergency.. no waiting around ..
It was not Artie's fault as he was high and hungry from a dental.. pain meds, He was going in and out of my legs as I was preparing his food. He just hauled off and stabbed me with his canine tooth! Puncture wound through my sock, onto my instep.
I learned through that.

Gotta take a shower, and check out that area..
 

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Since I have been sleeping right in front of the AC, Geoffrey is staying with me during the evening for cuddles and during the night, on the floor. As soon as I move, he moves away from me. But he loves cuddling while I am watching TV..

He is back to eating.. a normal, if not excessive amount of food. He is begging for wet food for breakfast. Does not care if it is cold. He is now up to 1/2 of a 5 oz can in the morning, and a cup of dry during the rest of the day and night.
I free feed. He seems to respond better to nibbling.

Yesterday, he bit me!! The little Sh**... I was so mad at him. I was brushing him. Usually he grabs my forearm, licks my arm, or rubs his face on my forearm.. sometimes, he will give a love bite.. This time, I must have hit a sensitive spot. He bit me! He broke skin, and it dragged down a bit as I was pulling away. I washed it out with soap and water, put antibiotic ointment on it, covered it with a cut down piece of gauze pad, and tape.
Dam Cat...

I am very careful with cat bites, scratches. I have always been. I wash them out with soap and water, immediately; and use antibiotic ointment on them.
I ended up in the ER, with IV antibiotics and a biopsy, 10 days after a bite from Artie. They take animal bites, especially cat bites as an emergency.. no waiting around ..
It was not Artie's fault as he was high and hungry from a dental.. pain meds, He was going in and out of my legs as I was preparing his food. He just hauled off and stabbed me with his canine tooth! Puncture wound through my sock, onto my instep.
I learned through that.

Gotta take a shower, and check out that area..
it is a situation that challenges u! my placide was diagnosed w/FGESF 5 yrs ago. i learned fr the onco that cats vomiting is never normal.(i thought it was hair balls!) i get her meds from BCP pet pharm in tex. they r cheaper then wedgewood. and fast. they overnight everything. i hope u r using an rx antibiotic? stronger than otc. i had an infection once fr placide and had to go to urgent care. they gave me script for ointment that worked! i now have my primary care refill it for me to keep it around. i dont take any chances anymore.i cannot risk getting sick or the ability to take care of my placide. she is a 24/7 commitment. bless u for taking care of the kitties. and take care of yourself. nobody can do it like u!:goodluck:
 

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God bless u! thats why he sends u the SPECIAL ONES
Whether cats or dogs, I feel the same way. I may or may not have mentioned in the past but someone once told me God does not give us more than we can handle. We were going through a lot at the time with one of our children who was very ill and the dog we adopted per her special request who also ended up being very ill. I felt like telling the person who said that to me I would send God their address but you're absolutely right, that's why he sent Geoffrey to Cindy. :catlove:

Some people say cats do not display emotion on their faces. I pooh-pooh that.. I can tell when Geoffrey is feeling good, and when he is feeling poorly.. I know my cat(s)... Artie also...
I completely agree! :agree: People tell me Carleton looks grumpy but it goes along with the Persian characteristics. I know he's the farthest thing from grumpy. He's an affectionate, happy and content ball of fur. The pic of Geoffrey with his pickle is precious. I'm happy to hear he has some good days and hope you do too.:heartshape: As for the weather, you're spot on again. it's been extremely hot and humid here and not just Carleton but all the cats before him hated this weather. They lay elongated to air out their belly and are miserable as am I. I sincerely hope you get a break from the heat soon and G gets some much needed relief too.:hearthrob:
 

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Digestive enzymes are different from probiotics. They do not contain any bacteria strains and help the gut digest food more effectively. Dr. B is checking in with J and I'm sure she can get a hold of him if needed.
can they be an additive? is it a medicine? "digestive enzymes"?
 

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Oh no. Poor guy, I'm sure never meant to hurt you. Hopefully it heals quickly, without issue, but glad you know to keep an eye on it. 🤗
i have a precious feral ginger cat that my feral Franco brought home for me t take care of they r both still feral but i take care of them. i do think one of the reason it seems like the gingers have a lot of issues is that they r usually rescued/adopted so they dont have a good beginning. but my 2 luv each other and r a joy to behold! i will never know why franco rescued ginger but i am grateful!he grew up to be a handsome boy!
 

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