Congratulations Megat

Megat is now a serious threat to the boys...except Bujang...

After his bath and new collar...

Are you looking at me?

Ok...its already 4 months...

Megat resting on Bujang's mattress...

On the 2nd of October, Megat made it past the 4 months that Dr MP gave him on that long day when she said "Your cat has about 4 months." We gave him a bath and gave him a new colorful collar to celebrate the day. It was a good day of celebration for Megat and us and of cos Dr L. I felt that I needed to wait until after the 4 months just to see how he would be and he seems fine and eating well. He still has one more inteferon injection left for Monday and of course the shark cartilage.


Its much harder to give him the shark cartilage than the sang hwang as it sometimes pops out when I am not looking and the next morning he would have white residue on his tail. It is also apt to soften when left in room temperature even for a minute. So now its out of the fridge and into the cat almost immediately. He protests quite alot. I think its because it is cold!


I try to give him 2 suppositories on alternate days as I fear it would stress his anus too much. If he is making a fuss, then I think he is feeling a little sore.

Other than that, I am very glad to see him loud, noisy and temperamental as usual.

Saturday Supplements

For the 1st time, grandma helped me to hold him while I gave him his shark cartilage suppository. Actually tonight was the 1st time that grandma had to hold him for any suppository. Megat was not a good patient as he knew he could mess about with grandma. Usually it would be Cosuin R or me that would hold him for the suppositories. He struggled a little and yelled at us but we managed to get the shark suppository in him without incident. I then gave him the necessary colloidal silver and water. It would be better to be quick and fast so the rest of his supplements (health lingzhi, milk thistle, pumpkin and the Natural Defense) would have to wait until Cousin R can help me.

I had held him for a little longer before putting him in his cage so I will see whether his stools would have the cartilage tomorrow.

Megat's Saturday

Cousin R came by to help me with his Inteferon injection. I am not able to jab him all by myself as I am afraid it would go terribly wrong. So usually Cousin R would hold him still while I push the needle in. She is very kind to come all the way from B just for a few minutes that it takes to do this.

I also gave him his usual sang hwang suppository and now he is in his cage so that they can dissolve in one place. However I think the sang hwang takes faster to dissolve than the shark cartilage as this morning I saw some white cartilage in his stool when I cleaned his bin.

Megat's Review 24 September 2009

Megat's picture taken on the 3rd day of HR

The Feline Inteferon - 7 injections on alternate days

The shark cartiledge suppository to be given once a day at night in addition to his sang hwang suppository which will now be given in the day...

The hospital was as usual very crowded and when we came there was already a crowd of walk-ins. Dr L saw us 1 hour later than our scheduled appointment but Megat was very steady, even when a dog started to sniff at him and chew the strap of his carrier! He is used to all this I think as we have been in this position for 3 months already.

Dr L saw his gums and announced that they were still pale and as such he would not be doing a blood test. Instead he gave us 7 days worth of Recombinant Inteferon Alpha-Mutagen for Cats. He told me that this one is made with feline protein (?) and so Megat should not have any adverse side effects. He also said that as Megat is still anaemic and the vets were not able to ascertain if the depressed system was due to his FIV or his chemo, then we should proceed with some caution.

He also gave us 24 shark cartiledge suppositories. Of course my dilemma was whether I should even use shark cartiledge in the first place as sharks have been exploited to near extinction. Finally my cat won the day and I trust Dr L knows what he is talking about.

"We will beat this cancer!" was Dr L's final words for us and I trust that we will try to the end until Megat decides that enough is enough!

Megat has lost some weight and he is now 3.12 kg! How can a cat lose so much weight in 1 week from 3.65 kg? He feels as heavy as before and his bones do not protrude as much as when he had his fever 2 weeks ago. I would like to think that this was due to the faulty weighing machine as Dr L's assistant had to bang on it several times as the numbers kept disappearing :) Nevertheless I am keeping watch on his diet. He has been eating all of his Walthams Renal and stealing the other boys' kibble when they were not looking.

Dr L also advised that we stop all medication except for his supplements and we would have to come back in 2 weeks.

An Inteferon How-to

This is a delicate operation and so everything must be up and ready

1. The Recombinant Inteferon Alpha-Mutagen for Cats

2. The syringe with the err...liquid that I need to combine with the powdered Inteferon in the bottle. I also needed to pierce the grey rubber stopper with it.

3. The 25 gauge needle that I need to use to inject Megat under his skin

The grey stopper can be seen when the blue protective cap is removed...

The 1st needle that is used to pierce the grey rubber stopper to release trhe clear diluter (?)


I need to change the needle as by now the 1st one would be dull
Its 25 gauge and so the needle is fine and I hope the operation painless for Megat


Cousin R doing the delicate operation of releasing the now-liquid inteferon into the orange needle
and we are all set for the new procedure of giving Megat his inteferon injection for the day

Needless to say I was full of trepidation when I had to inject Megat with the Inteferon. I think the whole procedure gave me a lot of stress and I had to remember what to do first and last [yah the cat is last:]

I had to lay down all the apparatus and then rehearsed how to put the whole thing together. Cousin R said I should take pictures of it as it would enable me to remember the whole thing clearly in pictures :)

However once I actually put them together, it was not so bad and Megat did not complain as the 25 gauge needle was very fine. I gave him a treat and he was very happy with it. I have 7 of these bottles to get through but I am now more confident about it.

After this, I gave him his shark cartiledge suppository and 10 ml of water only as he deserved to rest.

A small step for us...

Yesterday, we decided on a new way to give megat his hepavite - a little at a time, but not too much in case he realised he was being duped into taking the nasty stuff. Since I am still giving him the Milk Thistle, I thought it was wiser to give him just 1/2 a capsule, in various mixtures. Indeed this was the wisest thing to do as Megat ate his supplements quite willingly and did not gag on anything. Although he still doesn't like the taste of Milk thistle, at least he tolerates that rather well in his Natural Defense mixture.


It seems to be getting easier to give him the suppository. I realised that a if I try to push the suppository in with a twisting movement, Megat is less likely to complain and he would not tighten his muscles too much. But of course with Megat, I know there would be many surprises along the way.

Visit with Dr Sh

Hmm...more strange docs

We got to the hospital way ahead of our appt and Dr Sh saw us. Megat got weighed and he has lost some weight - he is 3.68 from 3.74 but the vet didn't think that this was a concern. She took his temperature 38.1 as he was hot and felt his abdomen. The assistant found it a little difficult to take his renal temp as Megat has wisened (??) up to this and had clamped his muscles tightly. Then Dr Sh looked into his mouth and his eyes and pronounced him fit for his 7th chemo shot. She kissed his head twice and told him to be a good boy. It went very well I am very glad to say.


I asked Dr Sh to give Megat his Tuesday suppository as I thought it would lessen my stress this evening when he gets his supplements and obviously it would lessen Megat's stress as well. She first tried to take out some of his poo as she did not want him to poo his suppository. "Woah..phenomenal muscle control!" she said and tried her best to coax him to do as directed. Then with more lubricant she managed to give him his suppository. Thank goodness. She said that after 2 weeks (of letting me have my way), he has become wiser and know what to do to get his way. Aiyah!! THAT is Megat for you.


It didn't take long for the whole thing and we were out in 10 minutes at most. Thank goodness I do not have to coax him to into his suppository today. Yippee!

PS
Megat was very sleepy when he came home and so I put him in his cage until dinner. He sat and napped and after dinner, he pooed in his bins. Of course his blanket was stained by poo and sang hwang. he made many protests until I cleaned him up, shampooed him, wiped him with mango scented wipes and changed his litter. Then he rested comfortably until its time for supplements. He got his treats and is now walking about doing his parameter inspection of the living room :)

Patchwork Cat

Cousin R and I tried to give Megat his suppository today but it was not successful. I was not able to push it into his anus and it crumbled as it is made of beeswax and sang hwang. Aiyah kitty! All that money in the drain...and you would have to take the awful liquid later then. There is nothing for it...sorry. It has been easy as pie the other days...

Solution

I was just trying to get away san...

The solution to our problem..worked rather well...

I used the lining that I still had from last year when I had to bring Callie (the community cat who died of Ataxia in 2008) to the hospital. After the supplements, Megat was put in his lined cage. he very meekly went inside as it is a familiar place and where he feels safe. He sat for the rest of the time on his side, which is important for this exercise to be successful. As he did not ask to be let out and he fell asleep most of the time I did not let him out.



At about 10, which is bedtime for Megat and the boys, I cleaned his cage, got rid of the lining and cleaned Megat as well. I used warm water, some shampoo and a soft cloth. I must say he quite enjoyed the experience and allowed me to clean his butt quite readily. I think its the sensation of warm water. I know he would enjoy the warm water as when we first got him, the vet told me to clean him up with warm water and salt solution everyday until his very fragile skin and the clotted leaves and dirt could be separated. :) After that, I gave him his night snack (Waltham's Renal) and one salmon treat :) This was much easier than all those nights ago for him as well as for me.


I suppose using the liners would be a pretty expensive option so I am exploring the idea of using newspapers.

Poor Kitty Megat

No..I dun want you to clean me all the time san...

Now that we have found a neater way for Megat to have his supplements, we hit on another difficulty. It has to do with his sang hwang suppository. It leaks out and poor Megat goes about sometimes with a trail of sang hwang following him. Of course I would also have to follow him and clean up after my poor kitty...even after the 1 hour of compulsory immobility. I don't think I should subject him to much more cleaning as he needs to rest after his night supplements. But as he and all of us need to be clean, I have to clean his anus several times after and sometimes I need to give him a wash with warm water and shampoo because he smells of poo. And of course the places that he goes to for respite also smells and sometimes has traces of poo. :( Since he cant help these things, I am not upset nor angry. Its just that I wish it could be easier for him.


He is very patient with all of this but I foresee that I might need to change his bedding daily or not allow him to walk about even after the 1 hour confinement. This kind of stress would freak out his immunity I am sure. I have yet to find a resolution for such a thing so will probably just keep him in his cage immediately after the 1 hour time-out so he could use the bin in there. Then I would clean him up and change the bedding. This seems to be the best option.

Your cat has cancer?

I look too healthy? I hope to get there soon...

The pestle and mortar with the mushroom supplement...

Huh? We now had a little tray? Its much easier that way Cousin R..

Dr L exclaimed. He looks too healthy:) Then he looked at the computer and asked many questions about Megat's health. Although we had to see the doc a little late as he had surgery, the whole consultation took no less than 10 minutes. Dr L kissed Megat on top of his head and whispered that he was a'good boy' :) Megat then had the usual low dose of vincristine, Vitamins B12 and metomide. Dr L then asked me about the suppositories. I told him that apart from my very nervous first try, the rest of them went quite ok. He laughed and told me that he thought I would complain about it :) but he gave me the liquid sang hwang also apart from another 10 suppositories. I am glad he also said that Megat's hydration is 'good,' not just 'quite good.' It does make a difference to the both of us I think.


Dr L also said that Megat will have the 8 injections of vincristine, after which he would get a 3 week break to recuperate. Today was his 6th vincristine injection as we are not doing any Endoxan. I think Megat would appreciate that for sure :)Then he told us we should see him again next week. However we found out that Dr L would not be about and so we made an appointment with Dr Sh. I think maybe it would only be for a blood test. But I made an appointment with Dr L for the Tuesday after that.

While we were waiting for our bill to be processed we met several very kind people who said nice things about Megat. We appreciated all of them as Megat was not really the best looking cat there :) One of the people told us that Megat is an old name for a Malay warrior and jokingly asked where his 'kris' was...It was very funny. She also asked about the names of the amigos and when we got to akira, she laughed and said it was her husband's name and she would tell her husband about the amigos :) Then she told us that her own cat was hurt by someone and he has a hole in his chest! She had taken her cat to a clinic and now was in the hospital to see Dr L. WOAH! I really don't know how anyone can do this to an animal!!

Aiyah Kitty

Megat's new bib so the supplements does not mess up grandma's towels too much...

Congrats Megat! May you have many calm days like this one...

The answer to the question that has been plaguing me about the sang hwang and Megat was finally revealed last Friday. I had given him the sang hwang, waited for 10 minutes and then given him his sub q. The sub q takes a much longer time than usual as I am using the 21 gauge needle which he tolerates much better. After that, I had waited for about 5 minutes before I let him go. All in all it was about 35 minutes.


Of cos my curiosity was still piqued and as he walked towards the bins I followed him and waited. Then after he had done his toilette, I looked into the bins and of course saw his poo and what looked suspiciously like the remnants of the sang hwang...and indeed it was. Aiyah Kitty!


So yesterday after his sang hwang and the rest of his supplements, I had cradled him for about 1 hour. he tried to protest but after some time, had a nap :) Then when he was released, he went to the bins, Aiyoh! But he just peed and then went into hiding ...just in case.


So I guess it has to be one hour when done at home...just like the nurse said :)

Btw today is 2nd August. So that makes it two months out of four.

2nd Day of sang hwang suppository

Oh dear...when will san make me take the nasty fings?

Megat swaddled in preparation for the supplements...

The sang hwang suppository...

Megat in nifty orange - time to rest and relax after the whole ordeal...
He likes being swaddled and would sometimes fall asleep while taking the supplements!

After 30 minutes Megat got to get out but he decided to hang around in the computer room for a little while longer...

Tonight was not so bad. I got the suppository in one push although he protested rather sharply. Then I held him for a bit so he can relax. after which he got the rest of his supplements and then another session of just cuddling :) I thought he should have a change of towel, something that doesn't smell of ling zhi or pumpkin :). It was not as nerve-wrecking as last night- thats for sure.


Megat was also very much more relaxed and did not run out of the room immediately but opted to hang around the door, grooming. Then he went out to investigate salmon smells but returned to sit for a very short while with me in the computer room. I have yet to check the bins though but since I held him for much longer than yesterday, I am quite assured that no accident would happen. *cross fingers*

PS
I went to the bins and was quite horrified to see fresh poo. Of course like a good and desperate cat person I scrutinized each one closely and did not see the sang hwang. I asked Cousin R if she saw Megat going to the bins but she said Megat had been with her in the living room all this while and not in the bedroom or toilet. So I guess we are safe :)

Success...maybe

Finally my first effort at giving Megat his suppository was successful. I was very anxious and had to try 3 times as the suppository became very slippery with the cooking oil. I bought gloves so it would be more hygienic for Megat and myself. He was not pleased and moved around alot but finally I took a deep breath and pushed it in gently. Then I cradled him with his blanket for about 5 minutes and then gave him the rest of the supplements. After that, Cousin R helped me to clear everything up while I cradled him again quietly. I was afraid he would rush to the toilet to get rid of the suppository. Dr L told me to hold him close for 15 min and the nurse told me I should distract him for an hour. I decided half and hour would do it :) Once I released him from his blanket I allowed him to walk about in the room and he didn't do any 'poo' actions so all is well. I am really relieved.


Of course I had to check the bins to see if Megat had returned the 'gift'...hmmm...what are these things in the bins....I don't see anything resembling the sang hwang but I did see new poo. I hope he was able to absorb the suppository and not wasted it. Actually I don't even know if the poo was Megat's to begin with as I have stopped giving him the papaya and pumpkin for constipation as he is no more constipated and therefore could not identify po anymore :)

Review Update

I am now supposed to eat Silver? What else? In my butt?No way san_jose!!

Our appointment with Dr L went smoothly and neither Megat nor I was very anxious. We had to wait some time for the doc but when he appeared everything went BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!

He had his usual blood tests - his haematology one as well as his prep profile test. His numbers for his liver is higher than normal but other wise everything else went well. Dr L says the sang hwang also helps with the liver. His weight has gone down slightly from 3.77 to 3.74 kg but the doc was pleased with his progress.

Dr L is going to only give him low doses of vincristine 0.1 only and then we are also doing 1/4 tab of Lukeran every two days. He also gave Megat a bottle of colloidal silver, a tcm supplement as well. he has to take 3 ml twice a day. I forgot to give him his morning 3 ml and allowed him out of his cage. No wonder he merrily scooted off and went into immediate hiding. I did not have time to persuade him at all so that was one chance lost already. I gave him his 3 ml of collidal silver with some pumpkin yesterday and he was quite happy to take it.

Dr L also showed me how to give Megat the sang hwang suppository (ouch). It looks like a small bullet of beeswax and I have to lubricate it with some oil/lubricant. Dr L did it with one gentle push and Megat did not even flinch. Dr L kept telling me that Megat was very 'good' and gentle. Aiyoh! I told the doc that Megat was a very good Pretender and he is always amazingly good-natured at the vet's. :) But once he is home and I have to give him something, its like a small skirmish. (But with Bujang, it would be a 3rd World War!). I was then to hold him close for about 15 minutes for the sang hwang to be absorbed by his body and also it was to prevent him from going to the loo to get it out. :) The assistant held him after that and Megat actually went into some kind of slumber. So the doc and the assistants had quite a difficult time believing my seemingly tall tale about His Fiesty Highness :)

I told the doc I would try especially after he told me that the suppository would ensure he would get 100% of the effects and if I give him the ling zhi orally, 60% would be destroyed by stomach acids! So got 4 suppositories (300 mg each) to try. I would get the capsule if I was not suceesful with them next week.

The protocol is much changed. Now we are doing vincristine only; 1/4 Lukeran every two days, colloidal silver twice a day and sang hwang suppository once a day. With this we hope that he would be able to have a healthy immune system. Dr L says that sometimes if we are very aggressive with the chemo, then the cat dies with the chemo. Although there is no cure for lymphoma, we are working towards the cat dying with the cancer- that is old age and not with chemo. I think this is a wise thing to do for 13 year-old Megat.

Dr L gave him a cocktail of vincristine, metomide and vitamin B complex and so he only had one injection although he had to try 3 different veins. But Megat took everything in his stride to the ring of "You're such a good cat. I can't believe it." :)