Hyperthyroid Cat... And I Am Spiraling

[sperry01]

This is long and ridiculous. If you have not yet had the "pleasure" of reading one of my ramblings, I'd probably advise you to move past this one as well, it's probably not pretty Just word vomit at it's finest.

I am fairly new to this site and have a had couple of threads related to one of my kitties, Biscuit (9yo tabby). She's had a few absence seizures a year the last couple of years and things really ramped up starting mid September, when she had head tremors lasting 5 minutes in the middle of the night. The next day we took her to the vet and found her ALTs to be 4x what they should be at 488. Fast forward 5 weeks and she has had two separate stays at the e-vet (one overnight/2 day stay, an ER visit (not admitted) and another 2 night/3 day stay a couple weeks later). At the first hospitalization, by the time we got her there (an hour drive from primary vet), she had low oxygenation and was not breathing well, and she went from stable to scary very quickly.
They did full bloodwork up, chest x-rays, abdominal x-rays, abdominal ultrasound, echo, EKG, and everything came back normal except for the enzymes. No explanation whatsoever for what was causing the elevated liver enzymes or her seizures.
At the next ER visit after another seizure (not admitted) they did another EKG to appease me and that was normal.
At the 2nd hospitalization, it happened to coincide the same week she had a neuro consult at the same facility, they did more bloodwork, urinalysis, brain MRI, CSF tap. Based on all of her symptoms the neurologist prepared us for the likelihood of her having a meningioma. It's unncommon for cats her age to get epilepsy, and especially since she's not having grand mal seizures, it's even more strange. Her symptoms indicate pressure on specific parts of the brain. However, ALL of that came back clean. No tumors, no infections, no autoimmune, nothing. She was diagnosed with Atypical Idiopathic Epilepsy and started on Keppra three times a day.
(unrelated to the diagnosis, but bloodwork showed that her ALTs had gone back down to normal in the 2 week period since the last tests).

This past weekend (2 weeks later) she had a dental cleaning that had already been scheduled. We had planned to cancel it but since her liver enzymes were normal, the vets felt confident that the anesthesia should be fine. They ran new bloodwork (included in her annual exam) and I asked them to run a thyroid test. Every single vet (at least 5) I've seen in the last several weeks have laughed and told me I am crazy because there is NO WAY she is hyperthyroid because cats "that look like her cannot have hyperthyroid". She is overweight and her coat is nice. But she eats constantly, drinks more water now, and she's lost 2.5 lbs since May. I asked my vet to run it anyway because I've already spent an ungodly amount of money, another $40 to rule another thing out is not going to break me.

Lo and behold, her T4 is 6.9. Also her ALTs are back up to 280. They prescribed Methimazole 2.5mg twice a day. However, I've already done a ton of reading on HT and the vet I saw (her usual office but diff vet than my normal one) gave me almost zero information on HT. So I immediately emailed all of the info to the neurologist, to at least ask if the Keppra could cause the elevated T4 or to make sure there would be no interaction with the two drugs. By the time I finished speaking with his nurse last Monday night, I had an expedited appt scheduled for 11/13 to see an endocrine specialist at that facility for I-131 treatment. We will meet with him that day, he will examine her and do another ultrasound and another echo and if all checks out, she can actually get the treatment that day, so we have not started the Methimazole.

I've been spending basically all my spare time reading up on HT and anything else I can find and I am rollercoastering between feeling like it's too fast to jump to I-131 because she's not showing symptoms to feeling like the appointment can't come soon enough because her teeny tiny kitty heart is going to burst at any moment.
Also I am cycling through anger because I've read that another indicator of early stage HT can be mild elevation of ALTs with no apparent causation. Well, why would no one question that, especially after I took the time to question it? Also, I read that liver enzymes don't fluctuate quickly, but then how could hers go from 488 on 9/21, to 130 on 10/8 to 280 on 10/27. I'm not a vet but that seems like a pretty big change to me. And her creatinine is 0.6. I've gone through every single bloodwork she's ever had and it has always been 1.4-1.8 until this year when it was 0.9, 0.7, 0.6 and again now 0.6. How is that not a flag of some kind? Apparently low creatinine can be an indicator of muscle wasting, despite the fact that everyone has deemed her as having no muscle wasting (but has gotten mighty boney for someone who is fat). These two things can very well be completely unrelated, but if they are possibly not, then why dismiss me so easily?

And, what is the likelihood that she really DOES have heart issues and all of the tests missed it, even the echo? (She also had ProBNP done in May to test for HCM and that came back normal/negative). And even if she really was "clean" in September, how quickly could she develop heart failure if she's hyperthyroid? And what are the chances of it being reversible, especially since hopefully we've caught it early enough since she's not showing severe symptoms (ie not very underweight, coat still full/silky, no murmur, I don't even know what else).
I can see her heartbeat at times in her throat, so I assume it's her jugular. I feel like that's not normal, like when she's laying down. My mom's used to do that before she had an ablation done, so I assume if it's not normal for people the same might be true for cats. But wouldn't that be expected if she's HT?

Is there any downside to going straight to I-131 this quickly? To me it seems logical to put a stop to the HT as quickly as possible to stop any damage to her other organs as quickly as possible, but am I not taking something into account?

I doubt anyone is still reading this mess of a post. I wouldn't be. But I just need someone to talk me off my proverbial ledge. I feel like I have no one to talk to. All of the vets can only say so much, and if she does have heart issues I can't keep bringing her in at every tiny thing I read because it's just going to keep stressing her out more. People in my life already think I'm obsessed. My family is understanding but think I'm causing myself more harm than good by reading things. But if I'm not reading then I'm not educated and I have no clue what to ask. I know that Dr. Internet can only tell us so much, but at least I can familiarize myself with concepts and terms and ask semi-educated and relevant questions. And so far it's paid off because my instincts have gotten us this far. For instance, being stubborn on the HT thing.
But I just don't want to fail her now.

I don't really know what I'm looking for in terms of responses. Just had to vent I guess? If anyone has experienced similar, did you catch it early? do you wish you could have treated sooner, or later? did your baby get heart disease way faster than you expected? (ie, had a clean bill of health for sure and then suddenly didn't?) Was it reversible?
Also, what kind of behavior changes did your cats have? I know the big things like being more active, etc. But for instance, when she's laying down but alert (like head up) with her legs out in front of her, she's like constantly re-adjusting her front paws, almost like restless leg syndrome. It's not dramatic jerky movements, they are small & delicate movements but I can't really describe it. And I can't find anything online that matches. Not sure if it's related or just her being finicky as she ages? Now I feel like everything might be a symptom.
And her voice has changed. It seems much more delicate and a little higher than normal, and she's less vocal most days. I miss my annoyingly loud, whiny, demanding, relentlessly yelling cat.

 

[kittyluv387]

I131? Are you referring to the radioactive iodine treatment? If any of my cats had HT I would definitely do that treatment and not bother with the pills. I would not want my cats to get further damaged by the disease. And why put a leaky band aid over something when the radioactive treatment is a very effective permanent cure? The pills wont stop HT and your cats other organs can get damaged in time on the pills. Those are just my thoughts on it.

 

[Kflowers]

I read every bit of your post. I think you are a good cat mom and smart to catch the weight loss and other indications of HT. The vet didn't think a loss of 2.5 lbs in five months was indicative of something if not HT?????

I don't think you're obsessed at all. I think you are trying to make yourself heard in a world that won't listen. You know your cat best, you know how to research. You are your cat's best advocate. Don't let the vets pretend otherwise. Plant your feet solidly apart on their tile floor and refuse to move until they answer your questions. (they are more likely to do this after the first time you follow them into the staff only hall behind the exam rooms.) More power to you and good energy to you and your Biscuit.

 

[molly92]

I think your instincts are probably pretty good! We spend much more time with our cats than vets do, so it make sense we're going to catch some things that they don't.

My cat had hyperthyroidism and we did the radioiodine treatment just 2 months ago. She was kind of the opposite of your cat-she had classic symptoms, but her numbers weren't showing elevated thyroid levels so the hyperthyroid vet didn't think it was likely. We did the tests a third time and got definitive answer that she was definitely hyperthyroid, and then they agreed to do the radioiodine therapy.

It seemed to work really well-I used to hear and feel her heart racing all the time, and that is gone. Her appetite is still a bit all over the place-might be that her thyroid is still stabilizing (it can take 6 months for everything to really settle), and she might also have some food intolerances that I'm working on. But, her vomiting went from being every other day to a couple times a month. It was a dramatic change. The vet has also noticed that her body shape is fuller and more hydrated looking, even though she is drinking less than before. So I definitely recommend it. No reason to do the methimazole if you know you want to do I-131-it works better and it's safer. The cat does need to be off methimazole for a couple weeks before the treatment, so keep that in mind.

That said, there are things I would have done differently. We went to a teaching hospital, so the veterinarian in charge was still a resident. Even though she had done many radioiodine treatments, she still didn't have answers to all my questions. When you are choosing a specialist, I would push for one that does pertechnetate thyroid scintigraphy scan before the radioiodine injection. This is valuable for 2 big reasons:

1. It's a very reliable confirmation of the diagnosis. It shows exactly where the hyperactive thyroid is and how much there is-it's usually all at the thyroid, but sometimes there is ectopic overactive thyroid tissue in other place that can't be felt in a physical exam. Also, if there is a (rare) malignant tumor, this will also be revealed.
2. It allows the vet to calculate a specific dose depending on the size and severity of the tumor, giving you the best possible outcome. Cats with a malignant tumor will need a lot more, and cats with small tumors will need a lot less than your average hyperthyroid cat.

The location I went to did not perform routine scintigraphy scans and I wish they had, because then I would have gotten a diagnosis sooner and been able to get the procedure done sooner, and also because my cat was so difficult to diagnose in the first place, I thought she would probably not need as big a dose as other cases. They do a standard does of 4 millicuries for all cats, which is usually more than most cats need, but the reasoning is that the hyperactive thyroid region "hogs" all of that iodine anyway, so it doesn't really affect the normal thyroid. There's some logic to that, but I would have appreciated the fine tuning that comes with a scan to maximize success. (At the end we did a 3 millicurie dose when we talked it over, but I still would have appreciated the scan.)

If you want to dig deep, I recommend Dr. Mark Peterson's blog: Animal Endocrine Clinic: Hyperthyroid

He's one of the leading experts on feline hyperthyroidism right now and there's a lot of good information there if you scroll through the posts.

It seems like the standard practice of trying methimazole first and waiting to try radioiodine if that doesn't work is mostly done for budget reasons, not any medical need. Most vets want to give pet owners the low cost option first. There's also the idea that doing the methimazole "trial" will show you what happens to the kidneys when hyperthyroidism is controlled (hyperthyroidism masks kidney disease), but if you're going to do radioiodine regardless of the kidney numbers (which I would!), then it's pointless.

Hyperthyroidism affects the whole body, so it's possible that everything you're noticing is a symptom. She will definitely feel better after the radioiodine! I say go for it, be your cat's advocate! I only ever regret it when I don't speak up enough.

 

[Jem]

Hi Sperry01, I read your WHOLE post!!
Just writing so I can watch your thread, I can't really add more than I already did, but who knows, I might think of something.
I'm still thinking of you guys.


P.S. I would get the I-131 treatment.

 

[Diana Faye]

I have nothing constructive to offer, but I read your whole post and holy cow that was a lot of information and knowledge on your part to even be able to advocate for your cat. I understood less than half of that but seriously inspired me to brush up on health topics.

 

[sperry01]

Thanks everyone for the responses, I really didn't expect to get any at all. My mind just tends to get "cluttered" and I have to basically verbally purge my thoughts outloud in order to clear my mind and calm some of this anxiety. I just love this cat so damn much. She's been stable but I have this constant overwhelming fear that she is just going to keel over and it will be because I missed something or dismissed something. And the e-vet is 45 minutes away so it's been hard to decide when to take her or when to talk myself out of it. There are others closer but none with their resources.

molly92 Thank you for the details of your experience!! I am sorry it took so long for your baby to get diagnosed, but I am glad the treatment sounds like it has worked for her so far. Biscuit hasn't thrown up more than a handful of times in the last few months and most times there was at least a small hairball involved. Some loose stools but I think that's because we switched them from Hill's Metabolic to Hill's i/d and also I've increased her wet food 1) because she loves it and if she is near the end I want her happy but 2) also to keep her hydrated.
I don't know if this specialist does the scan, but I did ask if they tailor the dose to each cat and the person I spoke to on the phone told me that they do. I don't know if she was a vet tech or just an office assistant so I'll have to verify at the appointment. I have come across Dr. Peterson's blog and I've actually been tempted to contact his office for an opinion haha. His story and practice are very inspiring and I am glad he has been so dedicated to the field the way he has.
So it sounds like your cat's heart symptoms (racing pulse, etc) have gone away since the treatment already fairly quickly? One thing I'm not sure of is if the strain on the heart is immediately stopped or if it takes time...but I imagine somewhere in-between?

I am so grateful to all of you, thank you! It's hard to sit and wait and do nothing, and I am happy to have a place to come where people can understand the frustration. Everyone in my life has kids. And those who don't have kids, don't have pets. So sometimes I feel a little like Goldilocks trying to find a supportive ear that's just right lol

 

[molly92]

Yeah, I don't think cats always vomit with hyperthroidism, but Wendy didn't vomit too much intially either, it just got more and more frequent as time went on.

I think her heart stopped racing pretty much immediately. Her blood pressure was normal at her month after check up, which was impressive considering she was stressed out by being at the vet at all. There's a pretty dramatic immediate effect for most symptoms after radioiodine, it just takes the body time to fine-tune everything from what I understand. And of course things like weight gain don't happen over night. But yeah, after the intial stress of the vet stay was over, there were some very noticeable changes within the first week. Her appetite slowed down, her thirst slowed down and she stopped urinating as much, and her heart wasn't racing.

More wet food is always a good thing-better hydration helps with every health issue.

I hope the hyperthyroidism treatment clears up a lot of Biscuit's issues. Even if some still remain, then at least you've ruled something out definitively, and the symptoms don't get mixed in and misinterpreted among the hyperthyroidism symptoms. That's the great thing about hyperthyroidism-it's completely curable.

We're big time cat nerds here (at least, I am!). It's nice having an outlet to discuss cat health issues!

 

[ameliashuman]

My cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism last year so I can understand that stress. My understanding was that they like the cat to be on the medicine for a while before pursuing raditarad or surgery. My little guy was allergic to the medication so we had to go straight to the other options. We actually chose to do the surgery. He would not have done well isolated or away from us and we would have to wait for almost two months before taking him to get the radioactive iodine. The surgery went amazing and it we saw improvement right away.

 

[sperry01]

molly92 thanks for the info! Glad her heart rate and BP went to normal right away. Biscuit's BP has been normal so far and I think her pulse is mostly normal, just am noticing that her jugular seems distended more and more frequently which has never been an issue before. I just hope the appointment goes well and they can do the treatment instead of waiting. We have to be out of town 11/29-12/2, and the pet sitters won't come do their meds if she's still radioactive so we'd have to wait until mid December otherwise.


ameliashuman Yeah at first I didn't read anything about vets wanting to wait but now I have read that, in order to monitor kidneys and what not, which makes sense. I am glad the surgery went well for your kitty! I was really shocked to discover that in our state she will only have to be in the hospital for 2 days and then isolated as much as possible for 2 weeks at home. Most information I've read has been 4-5 days minimum in the hospital, so that was surprising.

 

[kittyluv387]

Thanks everyone for the responses, I really didn't expect to get any at all. My mind just tends to get "cluttered" and I have to basically verbally purge my thoughts outloud in order to clear my mind and calm some of this anxiety. I just love this cat so damn much. She's been stable but I have this constant overwhelming fear that she is just going to keel over and it will be because I missed something or dismissed something. And the e-vet is 45 minutes away so it's been hard to decide when to take her or when to talk myself out of it. There are others closer but none with their resources.

molly92 Thank you for the details of your experience!! I am sorry it took so long for your baby to get diagnosed, but I am glad the treatment sounds like it has worked for her so far. Biscuit hasn't thrown up more than a handful of times in the last few months and most times there was at least a small hairball involved. Some loose stools but I think that's because we switched them from Hill's Metabolic to Hill's i/d and also I've increased her wet food 1) because she loves it and if she is near the end I want her happy but 2) also to keep her hydrated.
I don't know if this specialist does the scan, but I did ask if they tailor the dose to each cat and the person I spoke to on the phone told me that they do. I don't know if she was a vet tech or just an office assistant so I'll have to verify at the appointment. I have come across Dr. Peterson's blog and I've actually been tempted to contact his office for an opinion haha. His story and practice are very inspiring and I am glad he has been so dedicated to the field the way he has.
So it sounds like your cat's heart symptoms (racing pulse, etc) have gone away since the treatment already fairly quickly? One thing I'm not sure of is if the strain on the heart is immediately stopped or if it takes time...but I imagine somewhere in-between?

I am so grateful to all of you, thank you! It's hard to sit and wait and do nothing, and I am happy to have a place to come where people can understand the frustration. Everyone in my life has kids. And those who don't have kids, don't have pets. So sometimes I feel a little like Goldilocks trying to find a supportive ear that's just right lol

You're not alone. A lot of people on here don't have or particularly care for kids! See this post:
Something Wrong

You sound like a great cat parent. Good luck with your cat. I hope the treatment goes well.

 

[sperry01]

You're not alone. A lot of people on here don't have or particularly care for kids! See this post:
Something Wrong

You sound like a great cat parent. Good luck with your cat. I hope the treatment goes well.

It's not so much that I HATE kids. I just don't want any....and I generally prefer they not be around especially if they are crying or whining. I like kids who are basically small adults.
And I don't get it. I don't really think all babies are cute. I don't get "baby smell" or "puppy breath" smell. but give me a (clean) kitten and god I will love it. I love the way my cats smell, which sounds crazy, I know.
I love that my bosses and coworkers are all family oriented. It just is really hard that I feel I am already way overworked (paid well and appreciated for it), have a lot on my plate, but when I have been late with some deadlines recently because of Biscuit, there are particular people who don't understand because it's not a human child.
For instance -- the week of the 2nd hospitalization, Biscuit had 6-7 seizures in one night. She has had like 7 in 2 years prior to that. She was put in the hospital for 3 days and we were completely prepared for her to have a brain tumor and I was beyond distraught. That same week, my colleague's son had a mild seizure lasting maybe 20 seconds and was home that night, they think it was a side effect of a vaccine and not an ongoing issue and has not had another since.
Now I'm not saying that was not scary for his family. Of course it is --- but for all intents and purposes, we were preparing to potentially put her on a table and cut her brain open or say goodbye. But if one of us had to be at work, it would have been me, because what kind of heartless witch says her cat is more important than a human child?
No one at work made me feel bad and that colleague and I are good friends and there was no malice. But it's just hard in those situations that I would have to by default take a backseat back my "kids" have 4 legs instead of 2.

Anyway - not the point. Kids are great, just don't want any. Give me fur and hairballs and litter boxes over diapers and potty training any day

 

[kittyluv387]

It's not so much that I HATE kids. I just don't want any....and I generally prefer they not be around especially if they are crying or whining. I like kids who are basically small adults.
And I don't get it. I don't really think all babies are cute. I don't get "baby smell" or "puppy breath" smell. but give me a (clean) kitten and god I will love it. I love the way my cats smell, which sounds crazy, I know.
I love that my bosses and coworkers are all family oriented. It just is really hard that I feel I am already way overworked (paid well and appreciated for it), have a lot on my plate, but when I have been late with some deadlines recently because of Biscuit, there are particular people who don't understand because it's not a human child.
For instance -- the week of the 2nd hospitalization, Biscuit had 6-7 seizures in one night. She has had like 7 in 2 years prior to that. She was put in the hospital for 3 days and we were completely prepared for her to have a brain tumor and I was beyond distraught. That same week, my colleague's son had a mild seizure lasting maybe 20 seconds and was home that night, they think it was a side effect of a vaccine and not an ongoing issue and has not had another since.
Now I'm not saying that was not scary for his family. Of course it is --- but for all intents and purposes, we were preparing to potentially put her on a table and cut her brain open or say goodbye. But if one of us had to be at work, it would have been me, because what kind of heartless witch says her cat is more important than a human child?
No one at work made me feel bad and that colleague and I are good friends and there was no malice. But it's just hard in those situations that I would have to by default take a backseat back my "kids" have 4 legs instead of 2.

Anyway - not the point. Kids are great, just don't want any. Give me fur and hairballs and litter boxes over diapers and potty training any day

Oh I'm with you 100%. Some kids are awesome but most are just ok. Which is how i feel about people in general. I dont put all of them up on a pedestal. I'm kind of an anomaly here in Texas as a 31 year old woman who does not ever want any kids. I've had health issues with my cats and my coworkers just don't get the concern. Oh and I love smelling my cats too. There's a post on this forum about cat huffing even lol. So you're definitely not alone here.

 

[sperry01]

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good high protein wet food?
Since she is still overweight I don't want her to necessarily GAIN weight, but I want to make sure she isn't losing muscle. She seems like she is getting smaller yet staying the same size all at the same time. And since her liver enzymes are high again, we are keeping them both on the Hills i/d dry food (they won't eat the wet version), but I'm trying to find a good quality protein dense wet food for just once a day with as few calories as possible. She'll get most of her vitamins from the dry food but I want to make sure she gets protein. Should I just make like basic baked chicken and shred it for her? Or a canned food?
I've never been one to buy like grocery store pet food, I try to at least buy the "nicer" brands and try to stay away from soy, but I am really kind of clueless since they have been on prescription diets for so long.

 

[kittyluv387]

You can order Dr. Elsey's chicken or turkey clean protein from chewy.com. It's a really good brand. You can give her pieces of plain chicken as long as it doesn't go over 10% of what she eats since it's unbalanced.

 

[Jem]

Hi sperry01,

Check out this link, it gives details for protein, carbs, fat, phosphorus and overall calories on lots of different wet food options.

https://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

 

[sperry01]

thanks for that link Jem ! I've only skimmed through this, but... it looks like Fancy Feast Naturals actually has some of the highest protein % with no carbs, lower calories than I'd expect from them. Phosphorous seems kind of high which I dont think is good, but for just once a day... that might be a good choice. Am I reading that right?
The other ones I'm seeing with high protein % seem to be seafood based which I've read can actually cause HT to get worse, which is a shame because she loves seafood. Not sure if that's true or if it will be relevant after the treatment, I'll have to check on that...

 

[molly92]

My cat went home after 2 nights at the vet hospital because her radiation levels dropped below the minimum state required levels so quickly. So it depends!

My other cat is overweight, and I have had the most success with high protein wet food (versus low calorie foods). Protein keeps them fuller longer. Most are not going to be as low-calorie as fiber packed foods, so you do have to feed less, but protein and fat don't contribute to weight gain nearly as much as carbs do. I like Dr. Elsey's or Wellness CORE, but my cat likes pates. Tiki cat's non-fish flavors might be good-they're basically shredded chicken and egg in broth, and very low calorie. They're really expensive for the amount of food that's actually in a can, but if you're just doing a little it might be a good option.

I would not do just plain chicken unless you're confident it's less than 10% of their total food intake-more than that and you risk throwing off the nutritional balance.

Fancy Feast is perfectly fine, although they are going to have lower quality meat and by-products-whether that's acceptable or not is kind of a personal decision. Definitely stay away from fish. I would stay away from fish even after hyperthyroidism treatment, because fish is also potentially linked to other health issues too. If you're going to do fish as a treat, try to get smaller fish like minnows. Big fish like salmon, whitefish, and tuna are going to have higher toxin buildup.

 

[sperry01]

Update:

Took her to the specialist yesterday for evaluation and I-131 treatment. I asked them to run another blood test and they said her T4 was now 8.0 (up from 6.9 just two Saturdays ago).
They also did a new echo. The one she had done 6 weeks ago was completely normal but I told them I was fine with paying for a new one since her heart has been racing more than it used to. Glad I did because they told me they found some enlargement on her left atrium. No meds or treatment needed at this time, but said I need to have another done in 3 months to monitor it. I asked if it was because of the hyperthyroid and they said most likely not. This was after I spent over an hour waiting for the results and was already trying not to have a panic attack in the busy lobby (same lobby as the ER and they were suuuuuper busy). So by the time they told me this I was actively trying not to cry and couldn't really think to ask any questions. Not sure why they don't think it's not related to the HT, except that I guess they normally would expect it to present more as HCM/muscle thickening instead but I am beyond crushed. The whole point of this is to keep her heart safe and to not have to give her more meds and meanwhile her heart is maybe not safe anyway. Everytime I think we are making progress we find something else.
I know we have gotten so lucky and I hate to sound selfish but I feel like it's just been one thing after another. I've spent enough time and money to feed god knows how many people for a year and everyone is judging me and somehow it's still not just enough apparently.

Ugh. Anyway. So she got the I-131 treatment yesterday. We get to bring her home tomorrow night. She's doing well, but she's not eating they said. They've now put like half a dozen food options in her kennel tonight and if she doesn't eat more by morning I guess they will prescribe an appetite stimulant.

Can't wait to bring my baby home.

 

[Antonio65]

Wonderful, you've been so quick in having your cat treated with radio-iodine.
Sounds like you had some hard time finding a vet who could understand what was going on, it sounds like most of them were misled by other symptoms or they didn't aknowledge other signs.
Thanks to your stubborness your Biscuit has been able to get what she needed.

Anyway, you did the right thing!
I treated my cat with I-131 last year. The facility where she was treated ran the scintigraphy as well, so they were able to dose the right amount of radio-iodine for the treatment, but they didn't release the cat for 4 days after the treatment, and asked me to follow some precautions at home, for our own safety.
Some of those precautions were observed, others weren't.

My cat also had a slight heart murmur and elevated liver levels, those levels further raised a few months before she being treated. Unfortunately, those levels never went back to normal even after the therapy, and eventually my cat died from liver failure exactly 365 days after the radio-iodine treatment...

I'm damn sure that the methimazole the vets gave my cat prior to the I-131 caused her to get sick.
That's why I'm so glad that you skipped this step. Furthermore, the dosage of 2.5 mg was too high for starting.
Usually the beginning of therapy is at 1.25 mg twice a day, so that if something goes wrong, it isn't too bad, and there's still room for increasing if it is not working.
Some damages from that drug are not reversible.

Best of luck to your Biscuit!