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Thank you for all the well wishes on my post form last night--I so appreciate it. <3
Saki got through the surgery well--it was a very large wide ranging thyroid mass he took out and everything seemed to be going perfectly when closed her up, but when he took out the breathing tube she started to turn blue, so they put it back in, and the same thing happened later--the arytenoid cartilage in her larynx was not opening, so he put temp sutures in to keep it open.
It got pretty hard to telework as the afternoon went on and they couldn't tell me anything, so I had to stop early and take PTO. A, my downstairs neighbor dropped by for a little while for morale support, which was very sweet and was there when I got the call with the bad news. The vet office told me I could come in at 5 and be with her, so I did. Her breathing was very labored while I stood with her in the hospital a few hours last night, but got better except when coughing up fluid, and her vitals were all good, so I was able to take her home last night, instead of taking her to the emergency clinic for the night.
She is coughing up less now. She had been frustratedly trying to drink and kicking her drinking cups around during the night, and can't drink, so it's affecting the complicated cat drinking mechanism. She started to do a little better when I syringed her water this morning, so I brought her in for subcutaneous fluids today and they took out her catheter, that they left in if she had a crisis last night, so at least we're past that. I'm giving her pain meds every 7-8 hours--that may be affecting her ability to swallow as well, I suspect. She licked a little food, but that's all, but the doc didn't expect her to want to eat this weekend if all had went well. I am continuing to syringe her when she is wakeful to keep her throat from drying.
Monday I take her in and the doc will try to remove her laryngeal sutures, and we find out if it is temp paralysis from the anesthesia or swelling, or if it's perm laryngeal paralysis from nerve damage from the surgery. With the sutures in she can breathe, but she can't drink. So if it's perm, then I'll need to put her down and not make her drag on miserably. The doc has never had this happen before from this surgery.
She meowed weakly on the way home again today from the vet, which was such a heartening surprise that made me blubber--I didn't think she would be able to, so maybe her throat is healing. She does seem to be able to move her tongue a little better when the pain meds--buprenorphine-- are wearing off. This is hopeful. I'm continuing giving her syringes of water when she is wakeful to help her dry throat. But we are so in the woods right now, and my worst nightmare about the surgery is happening and she may be going through all this suffering for nothing instead of dying peacefully while under anesthesia. But maybe we'll get that miracle and she'll pull through to better times.
I'm sleeping on the futon couch in the living room to be with her, since she hasn't been liking sleeping in bed for a few of months now despite pet steps, and she seems to appreciate the closeness--she's been staying close and following me when I have to get up. She is getting around fine and peed in her box when we got home from the vet today, so that was good to see. So we wait and see and stay close all weekend and hope on a miracle on Monday. Moo and Tuxie have so far been excellent and are giving Saki her space. I think they understand the gravity of what we're dealing with and I'm very appreciative.
Please keep those good wishes for us coming--they're very needed.
Also posted at http://lavendertook.dreamwidth.org/182488.html with
comments
Saki got through the surgery well--it was a very large wide ranging thyroid mass he took out and everything seemed to be going perfectly when closed her up, but when he took out the breathing tube she started to turn blue, so they put it back in, and the same thing happened later--the arytenoid cartilage in her larynx was not opening, so he put temp sutures in to keep it open.
It got pretty hard to telework as the afternoon went on and they couldn't tell me anything, so I had to stop early and take PTO. A, my downstairs neighbor dropped by for a little while for morale support, which was very sweet and was there when I got the call with the bad news. The vet office told me I could come in at 5 and be with her, so I did. Her breathing was very labored while I stood with her in the hospital a few hours last night, but got better except when coughing up fluid, and her vitals were all good, so I was able to take her home last night, instead of taking her to the emergency clinic for the night.
She is coughing up less now. She had been frustratedly trying to drink and kicking her drinking cups around during the night, and can't drink, so it's affecting the complicated cat drinking mechanism. She started to do a little better when I syringed her water this morning, so I brought her in for subcutaneous fluids today and they took out her catheter, that they left in if she had a crisis last night, so at least we're past that. I'm giving her pain meds every 7-8 hours--that may be affecting her ability to swallow as well, I suspect. She licked a little food, but that's all, but the doc didn't expect her to want to eat this weekend if all had went well. I am continuing to syringe her when she is wakeful to keep her throat from drying.
Monday I take her in and the doc will try to remove her laryngeal sutures, and we find out if it is temp paralysis from the anesthesia or swelling, or if it's perm laryngeal paralysis from nerve damage from the surgery. With the sutures in she can breathe, but she can't drink. So if it's perm, then I'll need to put her down and not make her drag on miserably. The doc has never had this happen before from this surgery.
She meowed weakly on the way home again today from the vet, which was such a heartening surprise that made me blubber--I didn't think she would be able to, so maybe her throat is healing. She does seem to be able to move her tongue a little better when the pain meds--buprenorphine-- are wearing off. This is hopeful. I'm continuing giving her syringes of water when she is wakeful to help her dry throat. But we are so in the woods right now, and my worst nightmare about the surgery is happening and she may be going through all this suffering for nothing instead of dying peacefully while under anesthesia. But maybe we'll get that miracle and she'll pull through to better times.
I'm sleeping on the futon couch in the living room to be with her, since she hasn't been liking sleeping in bed for a few of months now despite pet steps, and she seems to appreciate the closeness--she's been staying close and following me when I have to get up. She is getting around fine and peed in her box when we got home from the vet today, so that was good to see. So we wait and see and stay close all weekend and hope on a miracle on Monday. Moo and Tuxie have so far been excellent and are giving Saki her space. I think they understand the gravity of what we're dealing with and I'm very appreciative.
Please keep those good wishes for us coming--they're very needed.
Also posted at http://lavendertook.dreamwidth.org/182488.html with
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*snugs hugs*
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And you had to give her every chance. The surgery was her chance. I would have done the same. It's difficult to watch the recovery phase of it but you went with her best option and if it is successful she has more lovely time. If not, you know you gave her every chance and you don't have to second guess yourself.
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May there be peace soon.
My thoughts and prayers are with the both of you, more than ever. My Smudge seems to know that one of his own is suffering. He sends his love to Saki.
I wish I were there to hold you through this night. It is a horrible thing.