Hyperthyroid In My Cat Just Being Diagnosed Worriedi

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Jojo&Tutu

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Have your vets checked your kitty's heart? Elevated T4 could have affected her heart. My kitty's T4 is in the gray area not high enough to impact her heart and she is on blood pressure meds. Maybe kitty needs to see a vet cardiologist or pulmonary vet or internal medicine vet. Hope your kitty is ok!!!!
Prayers sent to you and your kitty
Maybe your vets could do an ultrasound or draw a bit of fluid out of chest to see what it is. Do you think it is from the I 131? It makes me scared to go forward.
 

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Have your vets checked your kitty's heart? Elevated T4 could have affected her heart.
Thanks for the prayers! :thanks:
My vets didn't see anything during the visit that preceded the treatment, but the vets at the facility in Belgium noticed a slight heart murmur, that was what the put them on hold for the treatment, and checked her thoroughly for a day.
This heart murmur disappeared on its own a few weeks later, during one of the ultrasound scans the vets didn't see it anymore.

Maybe your vets could do an ultrasound or draw a bit of fluid out of chest to see what it is. Do you think it is from the I 131? It makes me scared to go forward.
The fluid was present before the I-131 treatment, so it's unrelated.
The fluid was drawn several times and tested, and came back negative to all. Its nature is totally unknown, idiopathic is what they call it...
Here's the complete thread on this issue
Fluid In Cat's Chest - Advice Needed
 
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Jojo&Tutu

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Thanks for the prayers! :thanks:
My vets didn't see anything during the visit that preceded the treatment, but the vets at the facility in Belgium noticed a slight heart murmur, that was what the put them on hold for the treatment, and checked her thoroughly for a day.
This heart murmur disappeared on its own a few weeks later, during one of the ultrasound scans the vets didn't see it anymore.



The fluid was present before the I-131 treatment, so it's unrelated.
The fluid was drawn several times and tested, and came back negative to all. Its nature is totally unknown, idiopathic is what they call it...
Here's the complete thread on this issue
Fluid In Cat's Chest - Advice Needed
My latest: I have decided to do the I 131 treatment but dread Tutu going into dysfunction of all again: flare ups of IBD liver, pancreas and kidney dysfunction following treatmemt. In the meantime her best IM vet is gone for at least a month on medical family leave. I hope she is ok. The new IM vet I saw was not knowledgeable. She would not remark that Tutu has a thyroid adenoma causing her hyperthyroid in her record. If she had bothered researching hyperthyroid before my appointment knowing Tutu has this she would know that 99% of the time a thyroid adenoma causes this condition. If she had bothered reading the radiology vet report stating hyperthyroid secondary to an adenoma on one thyroid she would have been able to remark this on record. For my insurance to pay for the consult with her they need to know what I saw her for. The fact that she is this uninformed makes me lose confidence in her. The other two vets in her office are even worse informed as per my past experience and are not IM vets only internists regular vets. I hope my internal medicine favorite vet Cindy comes back or I fear I will be hunting in futility for a new IM vet. I hope my regular IM vet Cindy is back before Tutu has her I 131 treatment and her body becomes unbalanced again. Maybe she will be lucky and remain stable. Ugh
 
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Now my regular IM vet says they cannot board her after I131 injection first four days. Am trying to find another option one possibly near me. I cannot be exposed with my own parotid gland adenoma at risk. I just feel like crying that they dumped on me. Cindy already approved it. She is out on medical leave. I've been with her for fourteen years. Her associates just dumped on me. Am looking into another 24 hour vet closer to me. And possibly one who could come to my home but with Tutu unstable I'd rather she be in a vet office watching her. She threw up blood just from deworming. I'm scared for the treatment affects on her IBD. At home I'd have to lock her in the bathroom because I have carpet and no doors elsewhere. If she throws up from the radioactive iodine in first two weeks I'd have to get rid of the carpet.
 

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You need a 24h vet who will board and watch Tutu in the first weeks, but must be a place where Tutu can be kept in isolation from other patients, because other cats and dogs cannot stay close to her.
Furthermore, the staff at the clinic must be qualified for this kind of boarding, with dedicated protections for the vets and all what is needed for disposing of waste and all.
That's why there are facilities that are appropriate for this treatment.
 
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Jojo&Tutu

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You need a 24h vet who will board and watch Tutu in the first weeks, but must be a place where Tutu can be kept in isolation from other patients, because other cats and dogs cannot stay close to her.
Furthermore, the staff at the clinic must be qualified for this kind of boarding, with dedicated protections for the vets and all what is needed for disposing of waste and all.
That's why there are facilities that are appropriate for this treatment.
The radiology vet doesn't have staff 24 hours. The radiology vet only stays overnight when he sees it necessary. They have cameras on the cats and facility and security system. So after the first few days when she has to be there I will have no choice but afterwards I choose that she will be transported to a 24 hour facility with instructions from the radiology vet as to her care. I think I found a facility who has a quiet room away from people and other pets but where they can keep an eye on her and they have ER vets overnight and they can handle her emergencies and they are willing to take her in. It is very stressful to find the help I need for her and mostly scary as to how she will be able to handle the I131 exposure on her bowel, liver and pancreas. However even the surgeon I consulted said I made the right choice for her. They have stopped doing surgery on the cats since the 1980s as the I 131 is considered much much safer. We will need some prayers coming up. What happens is beyond my control.
 

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Prayers are on the way to Tutu ;)

When my cat was kept at the facility in isolation, I was told that the staff couldn't interact with her much, only dish swapping (empty bowl with a full bowl) and tray cleaning.
Dirty litter had to be kept in a different bin, as I did when we came back home, for several weeks.

Check with the clinic to see if they are aware of these limitations and guidelines.
 
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Jojo&Tutu

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Yes they are aware. The I131 facility is specialized for this and the 24 hour care facility is aware. She will be at 24 hour care after the initial four days so staff can handle her with limited exposures.
 

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I just saw your thread and didn't read it all completely but wanted to say that years ago I had radiotherapy done on my cat. She was at the lab for one week. When I brought her home I was not supposed to hold her or let her on my lap for another week. Of course the first thing we did when she got home was cuddle up. The cat litter had to be bagged and kept in the garage for three months afterwards, basically an entire summer.

Oddly enough, around that time a newspaper article came out that some radioactive cat litter was found at a dump site and actually traced back to the cat owner. So I guess this is all true that they remain radioactive.
 
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I just saw your thread and didn't read it all completely but wanted to say that years ago I had radiotherapy done on my cat. She was at the lab for one week. When I brought her home I was not supposed to hold her or let her on my lap for another week. Of course the first thing we did when she got home was cuddle up. The cat litter had to be bagged and kept in the garage for three months afterwards, basically an entire summer.

Oddly enough, around that time a newspaper article came out that some radioactive cat litter was found at a dump site and actually traced back to the cat owner. So I guess this is all true that they remain radioactive.
The cat litter found might have been from a more recently treated cat. The litter needs to remain for a couple of weeks as far as what I was told initially then later I was told a much longer time. Better yet you can use flushable litter such as sowheat litter. Then you don't have to worry about it. Cornell recommends precautionary for contact with your cat for three weeks. My radiology vet said there is recent research from Univ of Iowa that indicates two weeks is sufficient. I am not sure but it might depend on the dose the cat is given. I was told that the cat doesn't remain radioactive forever just a few weeks.
 

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What I don't like about using the flushable is that goes into our water supply eventually. It is hazardous material.
And no, the cat is not radioactive forever. A few weeks.
 

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The radiation needs to be taken seriously. It's a serious treatment and, well, it's radiation. You can bet the people administering it are wearing "space suits" and protection. My cat was sent to a lab to have it done. She was away from me for an entire week. I called every day for updates. Nowadays I'm surprised they don't offer you Syke so you can see your cat.
One week is not going to make it OK to handle her.
It's better to bag the litter and keep it some place away from where you live.
 

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Oddly enough, around that time a newspaper article came out that some radioactive cat litter was found at a dump site and actually traced back to the cat owner. So I guess this is all true that they remain radioactive.
Same thing here :lol:
A week before we were scheduled for the treatment, the news told af a radioactive alert at the local incineration plant due to some I-131 contaminated material :lol:

My cat was treated in August, we came back home on August 11. I was told to keep the used litter in a separate bin away from home for not shorter than 3 months, so it was until mid-November last year.
Well, that litter is still there, in a bin at the bottom of my backyard :lol:
 
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Jojo&Tutu

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Same thing here :lol:
A week before we were scheduled for the treatment, the news told af a radioactive alert at the local incineration plant due to some I-131 contaminated material :lol:

My cat was treated in August, we came back home on August 11. I was told to keep the used litter in a separate bin away from home for not shorter than 3 months, so it was until mid-November last year.
Well, that litter is still there, in a bin at the bottom of my backyard :lol:
I don't know how long it stays active in clay vs wheat or biodegradable litter. It is just the scoops and poops that go down the toilet of biodegradable material only after the cat goes home after the initial one week or so period when the cat is less radioactive. The vet facilities store the litter and dispose of it when ok again. When people are treated they get much higher doses and go home that day and use the toilet right away. With the cats it is a lesser quantity and is after they have been in a facility for the initial more contaminatable period of time. Tutu will be at background level radioactivity after two weeks. There is still some radioactivity we all on the planet are exposed to. Background level is not free of exposure. We are all rad people!
 
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You can watch your cat on skype or the Internet from the rad lab during daylight hours. Each kennel has a camera with a special code. The vets who administer the dose do not wear space suits just keep limited exposure time with the cats. You can watch some on utube or if you look up the I131 facilities. There are few labs that do the I131 treatment -are specialists radiology vets.
 
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Tutu just had her I 131 treatment. She is doing well. They told me there are no known side effects. I saw her through their cameras last night but all I saw was her tail. Then her tail disappeared into her little tent house. So I know she is alive. She was sleeping. I hope to see her on camera today. She will be relocated by a mobile vet to a 24 hour facility near me once she is cleared from the initial heavy exposure in a few days. It is weird not having her here. A couple of times I felt like she was here. I wonder if she dreamt she was here and our minds were in sync. Here I am awake thinking of her now and thinking she is awake wondering where she is. I miss her.
 

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Tutu just had her I 131 treatment. She is doing well. They told me there are no known side effects. I saw her through their cameras last night but all I saw was her tail. Then her tail disappeared into her little tent house. So I know she is alive. She was sleeping. I hope to see her on camera today. She will be relocated by a mobile vet to a 24 hour facility near me once she is cleared from the initial heavy exposure in a few days. It is weird not having her here. A couple of times I felt like she was here. I wonder if she dreamt she was here and our minds were in sync. Here I am awake thinking of her now and thinking she is awake wondering where she is. I miss her.

Glad to hear it went well!!!
I am sure you miss her!! Just remember it's only for a short while! Then things will be better for her! I am glad to hear the camera is working out for you! Now you can see your baby!
 
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I hope you get to see her on the camera. How lucky you are. I was in pins and needles when my Pickles was gone. I drove my co-workers nuts!
 
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She is eliminating the low dose I 131 so she will be able to leave the radiology facility tomorrow and a mobile vet will transport her to a 24 hour vet facility where they will be able to keep a closer eye on her and pay more attention to her. She is getting sub q fluids every other day so her kidneys are protected but I am concerned that she hasn't eaten and they have not given her an appetite stimulant to get her going. I will insist they get her meds to get her eating today. I would bring her home but I cannot be exposed as I have an adenoma (precancerous tumor)in my parotid gland and I have to be careful of exposures until she is more fully cleared. I don't know how long to remain distant from her as it could be a total of 16 days according to the radiology vet and research from univ of Iowa or a total of 21 days according to Cornell university. That includes the time at the radiology vet clinic. A lot of her beds are not fully washable so I ordered a couple extra beds for her as she is so scared or depressed she is peeing in the beds rather than her litter box. The beds won't come back home anyway as they have been exposed. Praying she snaps out of it and eats today. On top of this I am having to see my own doctor on the day she transfers to the other vet facility and my appointment is up at UCLA a two hour drive or more with traffic so I might not even see her. I could not get another appointment until July. I am trying to get four cases in to the ADA (disability division) of the Justice department to remove the smart meters on my block which I am sensitive to and which contributed to causing our tumors to begin with. Two cases have to be in by beginning of June and it is a big rush. Tons of stress in my life. My hip swelled up just before my kitty went in for her treatment causing me excruciating pain and I was screaming for hours. Could this month be any more difficult?!
 
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