From:
Stephanie
Date: 2001-06-27 02:51:00 UTC
Subject: Hacking update and even more ??
Thanks again to everyone who wrote me regarding the coughing
Icabod was having. We went to the vet today and it was indeed
pulmonary related. His lungs were not as clear as they should
have been and his heart was a bit enlarged. His respitory rate
was also increased. He is now on four medications for all his
problems.
My questions are:
1) How long can I expect him to live seeing as he has
Insulinoma, Adrenal and the pulmonary problems?
2) His only real symptoms are being tired all the time and
hind end weakness (even on the pred and all the chicken gravy
and duck soup). At what point do you say he's suffered enough?
I mean do you let him get to the bottom of the barrel and in
pain before you let him go? I don't want to lose him, but I
have no idea if he is in a lot of pain or just miserable and I
don't want to put him through that. My heart is breaking
having to think about him leaving. Do you wait for the
seizures to start up while he is on the meds? I want to do
absolutely everything within my power to make him well and
keep him alive, but I'm feeling that I may be selfish in this
endeavor and am asking when other people say "that is enough."
(Please note that I'm not at that point yet because we just
started these meds, but I am trying to prepare for the
inevitable and I want to make the right choices for him.)
Thanks for all your sharing and experience,
Stephanie
with Maggie, Bullwinkle, Shasta, Emeline and Icabod