Sunday, July 12, 2009

Updates on K and Asha

Update on Wonderful K: K's bright red spotting on Friday was followed by a little brown spotting this weekend, which has tapered off. K continues to be ravenous. She told me that her hunger is so bad it's comparable to morning sickness. Today K was just as hungry as she's been, but to top that off she's now feeling nauseated. I wish I could do something for K, but there's not much I can do. I made K some gingersnap cookies and plan to buy her some candied ginger to chew on to help keep the nausea at bay. I had mild nausea throughout the 1st trimester while pregnant with Myles and found the candied ginger to be helpful. Although the symptoms are bothersome to K, they do give me some added reassurance that things are still going well with the babies. I read that often times when carrying multiples pregnancy symptoms are amplified, which I suspect is why K's hunger is so intense. I just hope the nausea doesn't intensify as the pregnancy progresses.

Update on Asha (my sweet little tabby cat): I realized that you might be interested in knowing how my little princess, Asha, is doing. Remember she has chronic renal failure (CRF), which we've been treating since April '08. You may recall that back in late May-early June when Asha's kidney function values were off the charts we assumed (as did our vet) that she was likely in end-stage renal failure and that her life would soon come to an end. I was devastated and spent many nights crying. We decided to remove the IV lines that were providing her daily fluid and began administering daily sub-q fluid again, which seemed to put Asha in better spirits. She began eating well again and was back to her normal self in about 3 days. As I sit here today typing this my little "purring machine" Asha is sitting on my lap!

I took Asha to the vet on Thursday morning because she was acting a bit off and we assuemd that her kidneys were further failing. Much to our surprise her kidney function levels were back down to slightly above the high-end of the normal range (elevated, but good for a CRF cat). It turns out that the poor thing has a UTI, so now she's on antibiotics too. The unfortunate thing about this is that it negatively affects her appetite, which is a constant battle we face with CRF, so I'm doing my best to get her to eat. The good thing is that we still have her and she's enjoying life. We are grateful each day we get to spend with her!

8 comments:

Kelly said...

That's good news on all accounts!! K's symptoms are definitely reassuring and so glad your dear Asha is better despite the UTI.

Meg. said...

A ravenous K = happy babies! Although I *am* sorry for her nausea. Hopefully it won't hang on for the entire first trimester.

I know this will probably sound crazy, and by all means, do your own research, but you may want to consider giving Asha D-Mannose. It's a simple sugar that the body produces naturally, and is expelled through the urine. When taken in larger quantities, it travels to the bladder and prevents bacteria (that cause UTIs) from adhering to the bladder wall. The bacteria are then passed through the urine, and the infection clears.

I take D-Mannose whenever I'm starting to come down with a UTI, and it clears it right up. I know several people who have given it to their cats (they mix the powder in with their drinking water), and it has worked to clear the UTI. Best of all, there are no side effects like with antibiotics. Check it out! http://www.iherb.com/D-Mannose-Powder-3-oz-85-g/531?at=0

I hope your baby feels better soon!

Anonymous said...

Great news all around - I am so happy for you.

I lost my cat Sophie two and a half years ago to the same thing - I still miss her to this day.

Nadine said...

So great to hear that things are going well on the baby front (I am sorry to hear that K feels so ill - but - with you on the happiness that this is a strong symptom). Hope you feel better soon K!

Sorry to hear about AHSA's UTI - everytime I read of her, I think of our cat who passed away so quickly....

Brie said...

Oh I am happy that both K and Asha are doing well. I had to take our cat Beaver into the vet just two days after losing Denise ( my baby) and I was thinking to myself, I can't handle losing two loved little ones!! Turned out he had cellulitus( bad owner, I neglected a puncture wound on his leg!) and is just plain OLD. Antibiotics and ant inflmation meds helped get him back on his feet...but I can sympathize with you on the need to have a healthy kitty!

Kay said...

Glad to hear good things on all accounts! Are you still getting the u/s tommorrow??

Tiffany said...

I am so happy K is sick, hehe well not really, but I am sure that is reassuring for you. I had red spotting with my twins too around 6 weeks too. I found preggie pops to work pretty well for my nausea. We found them at Motherhood and Babies R Us. Mine didn't last long, I hope hers doesn't either. So happy for you guys!!!!

Jaymee said...

sounds like all is going well. sorry that asha has another problem to contend with, hope it resolves quickly.