Biffy's Diary, Part 2

Latest Updates: Biffy's Diary, Part 3

Continued from Biffy's Diary, Part 1

June 05, 1998 at 10:37:34:

I'm always so worried what they'll find when they Ultrasound him. I keep hoping he's going in the *right* direction.

He has the strongest drug tomorrow too, and we have to take him to the vet that won't let us stay with him, and he has to be there for a couple of hours too.

We also have to have the urinalysis done, and they're going to ultrasound his bladder and kidneys to see why there is blood in his urine.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. This is going to be one of the tougher days for us all.

June 07, 1998 at 11:53:37:

Biffy's ultrasound showed his lymph nodes were exactly the same as the last time... BUT, the thickening of his intestinal walls was still there, but *improved*!! So, he's still not in full remission, but he's getting even better!

They did a urinalysis too. It just had a trace of blood in it....no stones or crystals, and they ultrasounded his bladder, and it looked fine. They're doing a culture too, just to be sure.

The vet feels Biffy is doing really, realy well. He's pleased with his weight (even said he was geting a little *fat*) :) And he's happy with how he's acting. We're not sure why he has some blood in his urine, but at least it appears to be getting better.

So, I'm happy, really happy about this!

June 11, 1998 at 21:43:52:

I haven't been on-line for 2 days. Biffy isn't doing well. He still has severe diarrhea, and is throwing up. We took him to his other vet (the gastroenterologist) and had more bloodwork done today. Biffy's White Blood count was 94,000. I won't go into it all, I'll just ask for your prayers. I think we may be in trouble here...and I'm scared. This little doll has been through so much, and was doing so well until Monday night. I'm not sure what happened... but they suspect it may have been a stroke, or severe reaction to the adriamycin.

Please pray for us all to get through this. Biffy is a fighter, and I hate to see him so down. I'm so afraid...

June 16, 1998 at 18:28:27:

I don't know where to begin. I haven't been here for days, and so much has happened. I'll give you all the "Readers Digest" version.

Biffy has had a bad week. It started out as neurologic problems, then it looked like either kidney or liver failure, then it looked like leukemia. Throughout it all Biffy has had some vomiting and diarrhea, which has greatly improved, but not totally resolved. Biffy had the highest White Blood Count that most of these vets have ever seen. That's when they started to suspect it was leukemia. But, the Pathologist has pretty much ruled that out! Biffy is surprising everyone once again, and we're *all* learning from him.

There are 6 vets working on this. I called Cornell, and had them consult a pathologist there too. We wouldn't hospitalize Biffy (we thought being home was best for him), so Jeff has been home so we could monitor him around the clock. He's "working" from home for 2 weeks.

Biffy isn't out of the woods yet by any means, but it looks like he's going in the right direction. His WBC was up to 142,000, it's down now to 86,000. High-normal here is 19,500.....so it's still *very* high, but improving!!

PLEASE keep those prayers coming. I want to thank God for all of you, and your help, and prayers, and for guiding us throughout this. I have been so afraid for Biffy, and just wanted to be sure we were doing what's best for him. I'm not sure that he'll pull through this, but we have *hope* now that he will. He's tired, but getting around on his own. He ate some people tuna last night and this AM by himself, and we're force feeding him a/d the rest of the time. We have him on 2 antibiotics, as they really now think this is a severe infection, or abscess. He's more alert today than the past few days. Yesterday I don't think he was feeling well, but today he seems to be better, and resting comfortably.

I couldn't get here to update you all because I needed to be with Biffy. I know Tally (who is my best buddy in the world) was keeping you updated on Biffy.

Thank you all for your prayers, kind thought, calls and info. Biffy is a "Miracle Cat", and I know that you all are a big part of the reason why he is. :)

June 18, 1998 at 20:44:29:

I thought I'd let you all know that Biffy was back to the vet today for another CBC. His White Blood Count went down some more, and his hematocrit went up a little! So, he's going in the right direction, but he still has a ways to go.

He ate a little deli turkey today by himself, and Jeff's been giving him the a/d by force feeding too. I think he *might* be feeling a little better today. He hissed at the vet 4 times today, and tried to swat him too. He's still got spunk, and that's a good sign.

Thanks for all the food suggestions. We're trying a lot of them, but this is one fussy cat! So far the turkey is our best bet.

June 20, 1998 at 12:33:58:

Dr Z thought Biffy looked even better today, brighter and more alert.

He spoke to the head oncologist that was from the Animal Medical Center (AMC) in NYC, and they think that Biffy had a BAD reaction to the adriamycin. And that it caused a histamine overload in his body that sent his system into shock. At least there is comfort in knowing what must have done this to my little doll, and that with our help, and prayers, that he should pull through this! That is such a relief. He still has a ways to go, but it looks like there IS a light at the end of this tunnel.

We should have the bloodtest results tonight, or tomorrow. They are monitoring his White Blood Count and RBC very carefully. They also want to start up his pred again now, to hopefully make him feel better, and get his appetite up, and help the lymphoma not to progress.

Biffy ate a little 9-Lives tuna by himself twice today. Dr Z said to just let him eat whatever he wants to for now, to help his spirits continue to improve. All in all, I'm encouraged! I was so worried we might not make it through this one, and putting Biffy through all this, without any hope, was not the right thing to do. But, I know all the prayers have helped guide us once again to help him.

They do plan on restarting his chemo again, as long as we see a continued improvement. It will probably be in about 10 days, or so. They will *never* use the adriamycin on Biffy again though!

June 23, 1998 at 12:42:12:

Jeff is working from home on the 'puter all the time.....so I'm sneaking on-line while he goes out to get Biffy turkey. Biffy said he wanted some! ;-))

Yesterday, for the first time in 2 weeks, Biffy didn't have to be force fed. He ate all day by himself! We have to bring the food to him, he's a *little* spoiled. He can get around fine, he's even jumping up on the chair. Last night he jumped on the bed, and slept up there with us! :)

We go back to the vet tomorrow evening for his recheck, and bloodwork. I think the vet is going to be pleased! :)

June 25, 1998 at 12:49:18:

It's not good news. His White Blood Count (WBC) is getting higher again, and his Hematocrit is getting lower. Which means that the infection and the anemia are both getting worse. They think his lymphoma may have infiltrated his bone marrow.

Our vet is calling the oncologist from the Animal Medical Center (AMC) to see what they think we should do now. They might want to restart his chemo soon, in case the lymphoma is in his bone marrow. With this infection though, this could be very dangerous.

He's eating and acting ok. Please pray that we make the right decisions for Biffy. I'm really upset!

June 28, 1998 at 10:47:14:

Biffy is doing much better! His *high* WBC went from 79,800 on Wed., to 32,000 on Sat. His Red Blood Count is a little higher again too, which is good. On Wed. they saw a small amount of "atypical" cells in his blood. I didn't even post about that. It had us very scared, because it could mean that the lymphoma had spread to his bone marrow which would be *very* bad. It was only a tiny percentage, and the pathologist said that it could be just his bodies response to fighting off this bad infection. It's not always a sign of cancer. So, we had to repeat the bloodwork yesterday. And we breathed a sigh of relief because these strange cells were no longer there.

Biffy is taking us on a roller coaster ride. I feel like a yo-yo, as "tucats" put it.

Biffy is still pretty anemic, but it looks like he's going in the *right* direction again. I'll tell you, we never give up on Biffy, because he is *full* of surprises! Even the receptionist remarked on how we take care of him, and how remarkable Biffy is.

Jeff has been working from home for 3 weeks now. It looks like we're going into the forth week, but we'll do whatever it takes. Biffy deserves as much. He's sitting in my living room window now, just like the pic I always post of him. His temp is normal, he's eating on his own, and sleeping with us, and seems to be becoming a happy cat again. :)

I just *love* this little doll!

July 02, 1998 at 23:17:12:

We got some *good news* tonight. Biffy's White Blood Count (WBC) is getting even lower. It's 24,000 now! It was 32,000 last time. High-normal is 16,000. Biffy's had been *up* to 142,000...so this is really a blessing!

His hematocrit is up to 24 now! He's still anemic, but he's going in the right direction on both counts!

Dr Z is calling the Oncologist from the AMC on monday, and they'll discuss when we should restart his chemo. He's scheduled now to go in Tues., to be rechecked.

My little doll is getting better! All those BB prayers and good wishes are working. Thank You all so much!

July 07, 1998 at 12:28:56:

Biffy was scheduled to go to the vets today for a recheck. But, yesterday Dr Z spoke to the head of Oncology at the AMC and he said that we should get Biffy back on his full does of pred (5mg 2X a day) for about 2 weeks, and then reassess his situation, before we restart his chemo. So, since Biffy is doing so well, we pushed his recheck off until Thursday. Then we'll probably recheck him the following Thursday. Then both the Dr's will speak again, and decide when to restart his chemo. NOT starting it makes me nervous, but so does re-starting it. I guess we have 2 really good vets working on this, so they should know what's best for my little doll.

He's stuffing himself with turkey...and sleeping on the table a lot, and watching the birds. We're happy that he seems to be doing so well. Please keep those prayers and good wishes coming.

July 09, 1998 at 21:41:10:

Biffy went back to the vet today for more bloodwork, and a recheck. The vet thought Biffy was looking good, and he has gained a half pound since last week!

His hematocrit is up a little to 26. He's still anemic....but only slightly now! But his White Blood Count went up too to 44,000. :( The vet doesn't seem too concerned about this since he thinks it can be from the increase in pred, or stress.

The plan is to call him om Monday, and if Biffy is still doing ok, we'll probably recheck him again next Thursday, and then restart the chemo on the following Sat. (the 18th). *gulp* Our vet will consult with the Oncologist first though.

Biffy hissed at the vet today. He's getting spunky again! The vet seemed pleased with this!

July 13, 1998 at 13:52:42:

Biffy went to the vet this morning... Biffy threw up again this morning, so we called the vet and took him in at 9:45. The vet took a full CBC/SMA and we should know the results of that tonight. He fears that the lymphoma is coming out of remission. So, we scheduled an ultrasound with the vet that started his chemo in Feb., for tomorrow. They are the "experts" around here, so we should know more tomorrow afternoon. Please pray that Biffy is doing ok, and that we caught this in time. We couldn't have resumed his chemo any sooner, because of his reaction 5 weeks ago. But, we were scheduled to restart it on Sat. But it looks like we might be starting it sooner.

I'm really worried about my little doll. His appetite is down. :( He's still eating, just not that great. He comes and sits down next to us, and "bonks" Jeff's leg (that means he's hungry)...but when we put the food down, he just sniffs it and walks away most of the time. Jeff just bought some fresh turkey and roast Beef for Biffy, and he seemed to like the *new* turkey.

About that bump. It's strange!! The vet said it's not ringworm. He said it looks like there was a trauma to that spot. But, unless they hurt him when they held him for his bloodwork, I don't know what could have caused this. The vet said it looks like a big burn. It's about 2cm in diameter. They shaved the spot. It's pink around the perimiter, and yellow throughout the center. Biffy doesn't get any shots or meds there, and he's on pred, and an antihistamine, so I don't think it's an allergic reaction to anything. The vet said that all the skin died in that spot, and that Biffy doesn't feel anything there, so it's not hurting him at all. It just looks *nasty*. We have to put bacitracin on it 2X a day.

Please keep those prayers and good wishes coming for us all.

July 15, 1998 at 00:10:20:

Biffy had the ultrasound done today. It looks like his lymphoma has spread. They think it's in his kidneys now. I've been too upset all day to even post this.

Dr J (who does all the ultrasounds around here) was supposed to call us tonight after he compared this to Biffy's last US, but he never did. So, we'll have to wait till tomorrow to see how much worse it has gotten. He was supposed to call Dr Z (the vet we've been using for the past month or so), and they were going to discuss this, and then Dr Z will talk to the head of Oncology tomorrow at the AMC to see what he thinks. It looks like we have to start up Biffy's chemo again soon, even though his WBC is still very high.

After reading all your posts about the "wound" I think you all may be right and this is a bug, or spider bite. That could account for the appetite loss and the vomiting he's been having since Sunday. I first noticed the wound Sat. nite. Biffy seems to be eating better today, and holding the food down. So, *maybe* it's not the lymphoma making him sick now, it's the bite?? He is on antibiotics for his high WBC, so I hope that helps him to fight this. BTW, it doesn't seem to bother him at all. They said he has no feeling in it.

We should know more tomorrow. Please pray for my little doll. He's very special, and we really want to help him to feel well again.

July 15, 1998 at 12:08:05:

We are going to restart Biffy's chemo tomorrow morning... It looks like the lymphoma has gone into his kidneys now, and that his lymph nodes are larger again, and intestinal walls are thicker.

We don't really have a choice here. We'll lose him if we don't do this. *sigh*

Please say a special prayer for Biffy tomorrow, that he is strong enough to take the vincristine. I'm scared...

July 16, 1998 at 12:56:40:

Biffy had his chemo this morning. He took it very well. Now we have to wait and see how he's doing over the next few days. They took another CBC bloodtest, and we should have the results of that later today. Please keep those prayers and good thoughts coming!

July 18, 1998 at 15:56:02:

Biffy isn't feeling very well...*sigh*

His appetite is not good. He eats a little, but not enough on his own. We spoke to his vet early this morning, and he said that it's not that uncommon. Jeff is force feeding him to help Biffy along. We've been keeping a close eye on him.

Dr Z spoke to the Oncologist at the AMC and they want Biffy to have another chemo treatment this Tuesday, to help get him back into remission. Then they want him to go weekly for 4 treatments, and then have another Ultrasound done to see how he's responding to the chemo. If he's doing well, we should be able to go back to every other week treatments. If not, we'll have to stay with the weekly treatments.

I'm pretty upset because sweet Biffy seems to be unhappy since his chemo on Thursday. I worry a lot about him.

July 21, 1998 at 12:26:17:

Biffy had another chemo treatment early this morning. Jeff was the last one at the vets last night with Kelli, and we were first this morning. Biffy took it pretty well. He ate a little turkey when we got home. He's starting to like it again! He's sleeping on the table now.

Please continue to keep him, and Kelli too in your prayers. We waited a litle while longer today with Biffy to make sure he din't have an allergic reaction to the Elspar. The oncologist from the AMC thought we should do that. We have to watch him closely now today.

July 25, 1998 at 23:05:43:

I'm really worried about Biffy. His appetite was OK this morning. But, as the day has gone on, it's gotten progressively worse. He's had very watery diarrhea for the past few days, and tonight he threw up. He seems rather "down" now.

I always get so scared when he doesn't feel well. I know Biffy's a fighter, but I also know that he's fighting a tough battle, and that one day, he's going to lose it. I just never know (and always fear) when that day will come.

I know a lot of you are praying for Biffy, but we could really use those prayers, and any you can spare for him now.

July 27, 1998 at 22:27:31:

Biffy's supposed to have his chemo tomorrow. I haven't been here too much lately. Biffy had a bad day yesterday. He's somewhat better today. We spoke to the vet first thing this morning, and since Biffy was able to hold most of his food down since yesterday afternoon, he didn't want to see Biffy today. He's going in first thing tomorrow. If the vet feels Biffy's up to it, he'll do his next chemo treatment then. They're not sure if the diarrhea, and the vomiting are from the last chemo treatment, or from the lymphoma. We're supporting him with fluids, and force feedings. His spirits were better today. I'm very worried about him. Thanks you all for the prayers. Please* keep them coming.

Kelli is going in tomorrow with Biffy to have her bloodwork rechecked. She had a high WBC last week, and has been on Baytril since then.

It's been a tough week!

Biffy's Diary Part 3 continued...

Biffy's Diary Part 1