From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2002-05-27 11:59:00 UTC
Subject: end of life Pred increase for Warp
I have heard back from Warp's treating vet and from some very kind
ones here on the FML, who have Steve's and my thanks, that since Warp
is so close to passing away but still able to enjoy life with some
help we can buck a normal and logical rule. You know how it is: in
most of the stages of an illness (depending on the illness and
individual) you try for either quantity of life (if a short loss of
quality means a lot of quantity that later will be good again), or
for a combination of quality and quantity, but when the end is close
it becomes all about quality of life. Warp is 8 years old; she has
one life threatening thing that she's had for years (her autoimmune
problem), has had a second (insulinoma) for around a year, and
recently has shown multiple signs that she has joined the lymphoma
clump we have here. (Her fourth problem, her R adrenal neoplasia is
in the noise at this point.)
Anyway, I had asked about the idea of bucking up her Pred above what
normally would be the max, given that she now does not appear to be
long for the world (numerous factors taken into account) but still is
very capable of enjoying life. The consensus so far is "Go for it,
but monitor carefully for signs of trouble." so that is what Steve
and I are doing. Many of the signs like lethargy are also
explainable by her illnesses so would be easy to spot, but we could
see edema or fungal infections, if they begin.
Meeteetse had something similar at the end for her. It is not
something that would be entertained as a possibility otherwise and
not to be taken lightly, but for those who need to discuss and
consider it (with experts or by experts) it's an option. Meeteetse
was helped during her last bit of time on Earth. We'll see if Warp
is as fortunate. Hopefully, she will be. She is darling and very
special, treasured little girl.