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  • Harley PoMMom
    replied
    Re: Barney

    Cheryl, that's great news, so happy to hear Barney's eye is healing.
    Harley and I are over here doing our Happy Dance!!

    Leave a comment:


  • barney's mom
    replied
    Re: Barney

    Barney's eye is looking MUCH better. And the improvement seems to be sustained, overall. He still squints quite a bit, but the eye is opened probably more that it is closed. I am sooo hoping that he is finally healing!

    Happy day here!

    Cheryl

    Leave a comment:


  • barney's mom
    replied
    Re: Barney

    Thanks guys
    I need to get his chart from his former IMS. I thought I had enough of a paper trail here from prior vet visits to pull it together, until I started searching for my paper work.
    The old CC.net site was almost Barney's diary. I used his thread to look up lab values I had posted, etc.....
    I am so lost with out it. My fault entirely, I should have kept the numbers on my computer as well. I had very little documentation, everything was phone calls.

    I will get the chart and THEN make the appointment.

    Cheryl

    Leave a comment:


  • ladysmom06
    replied
    Re: Barney

    Hi Cheryl,

    Just checked in to see how your appt. with the IMS went and saw that you had to cancel it. Hoping you can get there soon and she can help him. Hugs to you and Barney.

    Leave a comment:


  • Harley PoMMom
    replied
    Re: Barney

    Hi Cheryl,

    Was just catching up on the forum, I was sick, I am so sorry to hear about Barney and having to find a new IMS. Hopefully, Dr Martinez will be the one for Barney.
    I'll be praying for you and Barney, and watching for your post.

    Take care,
    Harley and Lori

    Leave a comment:


  • barney's mom
    replied
    Re: Barney

    I had to cancel todays appointment with the IMS. There was no way I could get his medical records from the vets that quickly. Actually I am feeling pretty positive about this IMS. (I know, I always say that.........rofl) Actually I still think Dr/uncle Rick still has a place in Barney's care, just not managing his cushings or his eye.


    Cheryl

    Leave a comment:


  • Truffa's Mom
    replied
    Re: Barney

    Here will be crossing paws and fingers, not just for a fast recovery (eye, back pain, high cortisol, car sickness), but also for a good doctor for real and not just on paper....

    Lets see, a compassionate vet who is up to date on hyperadrenocorticism....
    well that is the best offer that I have had yet
    .

    Barney we will be sending you tons of GOOD ENERGY. And to mom Cheryl another ton probably topped with choco-kisses

    Marcela & The Choco Labs

    Leave a comment:


  • LuvMyMunchie
    replied
    Re: Barney

    I am truly growing weary from the fight and constantly finding vets, only to find a new vet again and again.
    From one weary Mom to another...boy, do I ever hear ya' Cheryl! The search (in Munchie's case anyway) seems to go on, and on, and on.....

    Dr. Martinez sounds wonderful. Hope she lives up to the "blurb" and you're able to get things sorted out for Barney.

    Louise

    Leave a comment:


  • barney's mom
    replied
    Re: Barney

    Originally posted by Squirt's Mom View Post
    Hi Cheryl,

    I've been following along even tho I haven't posted. I certainly hope the IMS can help him. Are you sure we can't trace Barney's problems back to that hair cut?
    Hugs and prayers,
    Leslie and the girls
    ROFL! I wish we could! Poor John will never be allowed to live that down.
    He is seeing Dr Martinez tommorow. It's an hour drive, so I guess it could be a lot worse.
    Here is a blurb about her from the vets website:
    "She conducted research on the pathophysiology of hypertension in canine hyperadrenocorticism as part of her graduate studies. During her residency, she was awarded the Bente Flatland Memorial Award in recognition of her clinical abilities and compassion toward pets and owners."

    Lets see, a compassionate vet who is up to date on hyperadrenocorticism....
    well that is the best offer that I have had yet

    Leave a comment:


  • Squirt's Mom
    replied
    Re: Barney

    Hi Cheryl,

    I've been following along even tho I haven't posted. I certainly hope the IMS can help him. Are you sure we can't trace Barney's problems back to that hair cut?

    Hugs and prayers,
    Leslie and the girls

    Leave a comment:


  • barney's mom
    replied
    Re: Barney

    So I called his IMS in MD and she won't treat him, she told me to find an IMS in PA.

    So I have an appointment tommorow in Towson for an IMS. It is an hour drive for my poor carsick dog. I am truly growing weary from the fight and constantly finding vets, only to find a new vet again and again.

    Leave a comment:


  • Lulusmom
    replied
    Re: Barney

    Hi Cheryl,

    I think calling the IM is a great idea and we'll have fingers and paws crossed that she can get your boy back on track. I am going through a similar ordeal with Lulu at the moment. About three months ago, her post stim was 11.4. Because she is so tiny, her IM did not want to do a full blown reload so we did a half load for four days. She originally loaded with 50mg twice daily but this time we loaded with 50mg once daily for four days and then upped her maintenance dose the following week from 50mg twice a week to 50mg three times a week. We stimmed her four or five weeks ago and her post was 6.4. Because she has multiple issues, including a continuing unknown skin problem, her IM felt that we need to get the post down below 5 so we upped her maintenance a bit to 60mg three times a week. I had my doubts about whether we would be successful with the half load routine so I was pleasantly surprised to see the 5 point drop. I'm not convinced that the 30mg increase was enough but we'll find out in a few weeks. I am so tired of stim tests!

    Jojo has chronic keratoconjunctivitis requiring optimmune twice daily. If his cortisol is too high, like Harley, the condition worsens big time. His eyes have been really runny and redder in the last week so I am wondering if he may be running high too. I guess I better take him in with Lulu. I am so tired of stim tests!

    Glynda

    Leave a comment:


  • stardeb55
    replied
    Re: Barney

    I guess I peeked in at the right time. Harley's eye kept re-ulcerating, partially due to the elevated cortisol, & the immune system suppression that we all know comes with Cushing's. If I remember the sequence of events correctly, the eye infections/ulcer started prior to the Cushing's diagnosis. We had actually had it cleared up at one point which was either right before or right after the first time he was loaded in the Spring of '08. His first post numbers were horrible, I had argued with the IMS for 3 weeks about this before they finally agreed I needed to bring him in. I remember sitting in the exam room, looked at Harley, & went, "Damn, your eye is all goopy, again." I re-started all of the eye meds, called the GP for a 2 week follow-up. Things looked ok, so we started decreasing the eye meds. Follow-up in another month, & his eye looked like it had never been treated. At this point, we got sent to the vet eye Dr. which I believe was early last fall. Now, to get to the point, the vet eye dr. put him on an antibiotic ointment with a very tiny amount of steroid in it which she felt would not be detrimental to his Cushing's. She did explain that due to the amount of corneal scaring, the steroid was an absolute necessity to try to thin & clear out some of that scaring. This ointment was given in the morning. Same antibiotic ointment, no steroid was given at night. Cyclosporin eye drops 2-3x per day, & in between all of this the "Refresh" drops. This has actually all worked since Harley has not had a re-ulceration in about 10 months. His tear test is still not ideal, but better. We are due for a recheck at the eye Dr. in the next week or so, & I will know more then. I never saw any issue with the steroid containing eye ointment aggravating his Cushing's or increasing his stim results that I can recall.

    The only other thing I can say is Mom, here, hasn't been as diligent as I should be with the cyclosporin eye drops, but I'm trying to change that. Unfortunately, I, now, have found out that my other boy, Chewbacca, is "allergy boy", so I'm having to manage a huge round of medication for him, along with Harley's regular meds. I have my day job to make money which is to pay for my night job which is taking care of 2 "medically needy" pups!

    Debbie

    Leave a comment:


  • barney's mom
    replied
    Re: Barney

    Thanks Alison!
    It was hind leg weakness that had me test him for cushings in the first place.
    I am calling his IMS in Maryland. She was a bit overbearing and definitely not a people person, and we did clash, but she loaded Barney perfectly........she did an amazing job. I am going to call her tommorow. She is now two hours away from me, but I wonder if she won't do a phone consult and maybe be in charge of reloading Barney and I can have him tested here in PA. He gets car sick and that is one long ride.

    I talked with my husband when he got home and he thinks he is drinking more, and he has awakened him to pee in the early morning twice in the past month or so....That is something he never does.

    Elevated cortisol does interefere with the eye healing. They won't give steroid eye drops with an active eye ulcer for that reason.

    I guess I can't say for certain that he isn't symptomatic, this may be sequelae from elevated cortisol??????

    Leave a comment:


  • AlisonandMia
    replied
    Re: Barney

    It does sound, if nothing else, that his cortisol is on the rise and that his present maintenance dose is not adequate to hold it even where it is. A compromise could be to up the maintenance dose a tad to at least keep him where he is now especially if eye surgery is in the offing - you don't want him becoming raging symptomatic two days before scheduled surgery! You could discuss that option with the vet. I wonder what (if any) effect elevated cortisol could be having on his eye ulcer? Debbie may have some useful input in that regard.

    Humans with Cushing's just about universally report horrible, unremitting muscular-skeletal pain presumably as a result of soft-tissue weakness. I know people and dogs are different and humans are much bigger and heavier which is probably a factor when it comes to muscular-skeletal pain - and cushingoid humans are almost always grossly overweight but I do wonder if some cushingoid dogs aren't in similar discomfort - especially the larger ones. I have read at least one account of a woman who had her cortisol lowered by pituitary surgery and interestingly she began to feel much better almost immediately - rather like a lot of cushdogs responding to successful treatment.

    If you do reload at some point and it causes problems with pain when the cortisol lowers there are always other pain meds and if the worst comes to the very worst there is always a little dose of pred. I wouldn't be so sure that he isn't suffering some muscle weakness as a result of the high-ish cortisol already - what symptom is the most bothersome seems to be an individual thing and maybe, for Barney (particularly with his history of a back injury) muscle weakness is first and worst symptom. When Mia was put on pred briefly during her final illness I saw absolutely no cush symptoms at all - except she started wetting her bed again almost immediately. Her water consumption didn't go up appreciably though.

    Alison
    Last edited by AlisonandMia; 05-04-2009, 07:05 PM.

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