Zombie and Chemo - The Ongoing Saga

[IamtheZombie]

Summer is slipping away but the chemo goes on. Previous thread is here

Please join in. We're a friendly bunch of bananas.

How on earth do you get ear drops into a cat?

A couple of hours ago I would have said "With great difficulty". But on of my FB friends said that if you grab and pinch the loose skin on the back of their neck (like a mummy cat carries her kittens) they will freeze until you let go. It only bloody worked!!!!

Cat on lap. Grab skin. Cat really does freeze. Squirt in first ear, squirt in second ear. Release cat (who jumps down and gives a Death Stare). Job done!

*on = one

Ha! Very well done.

That's brilliant! Would it work to get pills in their mouth d'you think?

I have painful memories of swaddling cats in towels to give them medicine.

Hiding it in meat or cheese worked with some, but some just chewed that off and spat the pill out.

Pleased to hear Maisie is well. Hope you're OK too Z

Blimey Z Could have done with you in the "shove medication in the children" years.

Still have flashbacks to the Great Ear Infection of 1999. Like something out of the Middle Ages with fluids here and yon. And the thrashing.

Sure fire way of getting pill into cat is to crush pill to powder, mix with butter (& a bit of marmite if cat likes marmite) & smear on to front paws. Gets licked off PDQ.

Hope you are having a good w/e, Zombie.

Hope your health has picked up a bit now Zombie and platelets are now behaving themselves ready for next week. Glad you managed to do the cats ear drops. Wonder if your method would work on dogs too?
Zombie the cat whisperer

Evening all.

I'm beginning to think my platelets are the least of my problems.

I feel like absolute shit most of the time now. The worst is when I've eaten. I'm on the verge of sobbing in pain for 3 or 4 hours every time I eat. It's not just the bloating as bad as that is. Parts of my abdomen become almost too sensitive to touch. I'm also vaguely nauseous. The only thing that helps even a little bit is to lie down. That means I'm spending most of my life in bed. This is not good.

I'm going to email my oncology nurse tomorrow. I'm due to see my oncologist on 8th September but I'm not sure I can wait that long.

Oh Zombie, that sounds like shit. What an awful time you seem to be having now. It's not like you not to be charging around either going somewhere or doing something. I hope that you can get to see someone ASAP. You obviously can't continue to be like this until the 8th. Do any painkillers help you at all or aren't they touching it ? Has the food thing only just started ?

I hope they get you in asap and that you're feeling better soon!

I'be never posted on your threads before but I've been having a good old lurk.

Here's a picture of bollocks cat (he doesn't actually have any) to try and cheer you up

lin, I'm only taking paracetamol which isn't doing a lot. The codeine and morphine tend to clog things up which is the LAST thing I need. The eating problem has been going on for a while. At first it was mainly just the bloating but it's gone way past that. I'm also going to get a urine sample next time I go to the loo. When I've finished doing a wee I occasionally get a cystitis type pain and I think my pee is a bit cloudy. Need a better look than just peering into the toilet. BUT there's no other sign of infection. My temperature is absolutely fine.

Ohb0llocks, he is gorgeous!!

Well if for no other reason you need to see someone so that you get adequate pain relief. You can't go on like this. Yes I understand that the last thing you want is to be clogged up. That would just make things worse. Is it bothering you during the night or can you still manage to get a decent sleep ?

What a lousy lousy time you seem to be having zombie, don't know what to say, are you able to eat small amounts say like soup? My thoughts are with you everyday. Hope you get to see someone soon and are able to get some relief xx 🌸🌸🌸🌸

Oh zombie how utterly shit for you
WRT infections, I had a UTI every 3 months when I was pregnant with DD and never had a single symptom. We only found out because I was pregnant, so it's worth checking that out even if you've no other signs of infection.

Hope that you have made that call Zombie and someone can see you ASAP. Did you manage to get some decent sleep ?

Sorry to hear you're feeling shit Z and really hope you can get an appointment very soon.

Maybe a simple urine infection is affecting everything and clearing that up would improve the platelet count.

Sending positive vibes [(((bear)))]

((()))

How has today gone for you Zombie, I hope someone has seen you as a matter of urgency but if not I hope you have had a bearable day.

I have e-mailed the oncology nurse. As today is a Bank Holiday there's nothing open except A&E and this doesn't warrant that.

I have to be at the hospital at 10.00 am tomorrow for physiotherapy. I will call into the Chemo Day Centre to a) cancel Thursday's chemo and b) see if they will take a urine sample (deffo UTI - my urine is cloudy beyond belief) and give me some antibiotics. It's probably no use trying to sort anything else out until I get rid of the UTI . If my oncologist wants to see me before the 8th they'll let me know.

And how has any pain been today ? Manageable for you ? I hope things get better soon so that you get to have your chemo, although seeing as you feel rotten at the moment I expect the thought of that is off putting. How has the pain in your stomach been today ?

Yes, lin, pain has been manageable thanks to paracetamol, hot water bottle and lying down.

Here's hoping you get a good nights sleep tonight

Oh Gawd UTI's are the worst! Can you drink lots of water or does that make the bloating worse?

Hope you managed to get some rest through the night Zombie.

They say cranberry juice is very good for UTI, so maybe worth a try, but I think you will need ABs.

I wonder if they could give you some advice to ease the discomfort after eating, maybe tweak you diet a bit onto more easily digestible foods, I do hope you get some help, it must be horrible for you.

It's been a busy day.

Physiotherapist was lovely. I have some massage and exercises to try and ease the cording and resultant shoulder movement restriction.

The Chemo Day Centre have moved my chemo to next week. Chemo is at 2.30 pm and oncology clinic at 3.30 pm. I'll check in for both appointments when I arrive and then pop around from CDC to Clinic.

I went straight from hospital to my GP and left a urine sample. They've rung back to say that the dip test didn't show anything overtly nasty BUT there is blood in my urine. The Practice Nurse said that could be either because of my low platelet count OR a sign of infection. They are sending the urine sample to the lab for a more detailed analysis.

Sometimes I wish I wasn't quite such an interesting case.