It all started with Mrs. G. She was losing weight quickly and her belly that hung beneath her was getting smaller. So we decided it was time for a check-up.
Dr. Will decided to do some tests, looking to see if she had hyperthyroidism or other kitty problems. I had convinced myself it was nothing major, just an easily treatable thyroid condition. Our cat has always been in decent health other than bouts with allergies.
However, the phone call later in the day was the worst: beginning kidney failure. Mrs. Kitty was now in Chronic Renal Failure, destined to eat more prescription food. After some tears, I managed to get on with my day knowing that right now my cat was in good spirits.
Mrs. G's problems started a cycle for both of us. Later that night I had my first gallbladder attack. Brian assured me it was heartburn, but I had never felt anything like this. My entire chest ached no matter which way I turned or even when I tried to curl up. After about an hour of intense pain, it subsided.
The next morning I got up and was about to head to the gym. Instead I went to the ER. I ate some Cheerios and milk and ended up writhing in pain on the floor. I was sweating and crying and then proceeded to lose my breakfast. A call to Harrison led us to go to the ER. Once there, the doctor immediately said it sounded like my gallbladder. They pumped me full of morphine and phenergan and hooked me up to an IV. I just laid there while the pain slowly wore off. We were eventually cleared to go home with prescriptions for pain medications and a diet of low-fat foods. I had two more attacks that day, each less painful than the first but still ridiculously uncomfortable.
I was advised to see my primary doctor the next day to get an ultrasound of my abdomen. The ultrasound showed that my gallbladder was not functioning but it wasn't enough evidence for surgery. So they sent me to get a HIDA scan-dye is injected into the veins and is supposed to be sent through the bile ducts. The dye bypassed my gallbladder completely (indicating blockage) so I was referred to a surgeon.
In the meantime, Mrs. G wasn't eating her food anymore. She was becoming less like herself quickly. We took her to see Dr. Will again and this time he found a small mass in her abdomen, likely in her intestines. He told us to feed her Laxatone to see if she could pass the mass. Her one-time treat became her enemy. The Laxatone ended up all over her body, leaving her soft hair waxy and sticky. She still wouldn't eat much. The mass didn't move much after the Laxatone treatment.
I had surgery this past Friday. The removed my gallbladder laparoscopically-through 4 incisions in my abdomen. The pain was terrible when I woke up after surgery. After administering more pain medication and showing I was capable of urinating, they sent me home. Sitting up is more comfortable than lying down, so I spent the day in a chair in the living room. And I took the pain medication every 4 hours as directed. By the end of the day I was walking around the house.
Brian took Ophelia back to the vet on Friday. She had not improved much.
I'm getting better each day, but Ophelia seems to be worse. Sunday night she urinated on the floor and just laid there. We all went to see Dr. Will on Monday. He decided to keep her for the day and then for the night. Her mass is still there and now she has a urinary tract infection. She came home yesterday but hasn't been very active. She urinated on the floor again this morning. I tried to feed her but she was not interested. We're worried.
