Myrna's Lung Scratched at Cardio When Tapped-She Had CHF

From Facebook post Thursday, June 18, 2015:

Myrna at cardio to be tapped. Couldn't get BR down this week despite extra Torsemide here and there.  She almost made two months since April 23 when she was last tapped.  The rainy, cool, then hot and humid weather is making it difficult for her to breathe and to handle the extra fluid in her lungs.  The heavy air is difficult to breathe in, also.  All this despite running fans and portable AC units which may in their own noisy way, cause stress which also leads to CHF.

(Later that day:)  So slight problem at cardio- the lung was scratched when Myrna moved which caused slight bleeding. Normally not a problem except she's on plavix and we are worried she may not coagulate. Blood build up will make breathing difficult and while it could be tapped, if she hasn't stopped bleeding then it will just keep bleeding and needing tapping. Plus loss of blood will weaken her, the heart rate and bp will decline, etc. Good news-a clot has left her heart. Bad news- it's likely showering her body with small clots which may or may not settle somewhere. Currently we think the GI track might have had some given recent issues such as vomiting Monday and Tuesday, restlessness, not eating enough. On the bright side her kidney values are just great!   BUN is 39, down from 52 and creatinine is 2.7 from 3.7 from May 4 after the saddle thrombosis.  We are monitoring her now for problems. If she makes it through the night without any problems then the incident is over.


Facebook post Friday, June 20, 2015

Myrna returned to cardio today because she had a breathing rate of 60 at home. Feared still bleeding.  They put her in the oxygen cage and that calmed her. No longer bleeding but did bleed enough in the lungs and added to what fluid was still in her that elevated her breathing rate.  And she lost enough blood to lower PCV/hemocrit (red blood count) to weaken her and reduce kidney function (she's not going as often.)   This will take her days to recover as red cells reproduce/replace what was loss. Not eating so back to hand feeding. BR still up and pushing extra torsemide.  The cardio did not tap her again to remove the fluid from her lungs.  The blood, which is needed, will not pass through her system using Torsemide but will be eventually reabsorbed into the body. They gave her an injection of lasix and I will give extra Torsemide as needed to help ease congestion.  

Facebook post Sunday, June 21, 2015:

Myrna had an up and down Saturday. Her breathing was 32 in the morning but 40 later then 36 then up again, etc. She didn't eat and was hand fed but I gave her too much and that upset her stomach and she sat around for hours looking miserable. She never vomited. In the afternoon, she began to yowl and tried to get comfortable which seemed impossible. She didn't seem to be in pain due to clots in her legs or congestion and she was walking around fine, just giving me signs of pain. Eventually I gave her extra Valium which quieted her. I also later gave her extra Mirtazapine and by 9 p.m. she had perked up and began eating food. She continued to eat dry food and treats later in the night.

Today, (Sunday) she's better. I only gave her vitamin goop by mouth because she was eating regular food first thing and has continued to eat enough on her own. Her breathing is good at 32-36.

Her blood test shows her iron level is 67 (low normal for cats is 56) so it's a good thing that I give her iron which helps her kidneys because iron helps the body make red blood cells which the kidneys need. I believe that is why her kidney values are stable at BUN 39 and creatinine 2.7 (May 5 after saddle thrombosis-has it already been that long?: BUN 52, creatinine 3.7). I got the idea months ago to give her iron from a blog about CKD cats-Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline CKD. Look it up. It's chock full of information we need to know about CKD since lasix and heart meds affect kidney function and once kidney function begins to decline, as the BUN and creatinine creep up and potassium down, there are many more vitamins and supplements to give a cat to improve kidney function. You can find what we give Myrna here at "Notes" or at the blog under the Medicine tab.