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Last Updated: November 28, 1998
"Biffy on July 14, 1998"
 
Continued from Biffy's Diary, Part 2
July 29, 1998 at 18:17:55:
Biffy is doing a little better today. The diarrhea seems to be improving. His appetite is still stinky though! The vet said that's to be expected though, and we just have to "help" him with force feedings and fluids. His bloodwork showed that he is *finally* no longer anemic! This cat is incredible. I wish I had half his strength. His White Blood Count is still high, but that's kind of normal for Biffy, so they're not too concerned about it. We just have to hope and pray that these gastrointestinal symptoms he's been having are from the chemo doing it's stuff, *not* the lymphoma progressing. Our vet is hopeful for Biffy. Biffy gave this guy a run for his money yesterday. We had to stop his treatment, so Jeff could "take a moment" with Biffy to calm him down. They have a very special bond. It's amazing! Please keep Biffy in your prayers, I know that's what's pulling him though all this. I thank God for all the help he's given us with Biffy!
July 30, 1998 at 10:38:43:
The *good* news is, Biffy's appetite is back! The bad news is... So is the diarrhea!! Ahhhhhh!! We spoke to the vet. He's not concerned, as long as Biffy isn't vomiting! The vet said that Biffy is a *wild* rollercoaster ride (just like Sheila said)! He's up, he's up, he's up, he's down, he's down, he's up....and on and on. Last night (or should I say early this morning at 4am) Biffy's diarrhea started again. And...he *stepped* in it getting out of the box! Then he *flicked* his paw all over the floor, and the wall, then jumped on the bed. We had a very "interesting" time cleanig it all up until after 5 am. Biffy just went and "refuled" while we worked! He really is a *stinker*! I'm just so glad he's eating again!
August 05, 1998 at 23:41:56:
Biffy had his chemo treatment (vincristine) Tuesday morning. He took it very well. His appetite is very good, but he still has that bad diarrhea. :( He lost almost a pound last week. But, the vet thought Biffy looked very good, and that his spirits were good. He's one hungry kitty, and we think he's put a little weight on these past 2 days. His Hematocrit fell though, from 30 to 23. 30 was in the low end of normal....so Biffy is anemic again. *sigh* He doesn't act it though. The vet wasn't worried about this. Although *I* am! Biffy's happy though, and the vet said he's definitely not in any discomfort or pain. So....back on the roller coaster we go.
August 10, 1998 at 12:30:07:
Biffy's diarrhea is getting a little better!! I'm so happy. He goes in tomorrow for his first treatment of Methotrexate. They are substituting that drug in his chemo protocol, for the adriamycin that he had the BAD reaction to. Minni is going in to see Dr Z. for the first time tomorrow, with Biffy. We want him to see that lump (cyst) on her back, and get his opinion on what to do about it. Next week Biffy has another ultrasound to see how he's doing, and if he's going in the right direction. (gulp) I'll be a wreck next Tuesday waiting for the results. If he's doing well, maybe we can go to every other week on his chemo again.
August 11, 1998 at 13:15:18:
What a morning it's been! Biffy had his first treatment of methotrexate. Then Dr Z took the CBC, but forgot the methotrexate in the other room. Biffy was not amused by this. When Dr Z came back in the room, Biffy had "that look" in his eye. I warned Dr Z....but Biffy was too quick. Biffy swatted him, and *good* too! Dr Z thought Biffy looked good, and was *peppy* too. We'll have the results back from his bloodwork later today. Dr Z looked at Minni's cyst. We brought the cytolology report, and her other test results too. He examined the lump, and gave it a squeeze, and it popped. He said tumors don't pop. It will probably come back again, but he said to just leave it alone. He couldn't believe Minni was 14. She looks so young! :) We were there for a while today between having them both seen, and the waiting because of emergencies etc. Biffy does not like to wait! He's got spunk that cat....he really does. He must have eaten about 1/4 of a pound of roast beef since we've been home! He gained about 3/4 of a pound this week. So, he's looking good, thank God!
August 13, 1998 at 10:34:23:
Biffy isn't doing too well....please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. We're taking him to the vet in 20 min. He had a pretty high temp last night, and his breathing was labored. I'm worried...
August 14, 1998 at 19:22:50:
This was posted by Jeff after there was some concern about Biffy's quality of life on the Bulletin Board.) We took Biffy in to Dr. Z's office for an ultrasound by Dr. J (the one who used to do Biffy's chemo treatments. He also does mobile ultrasounds). Dr. Z had already left for the day when we got there. Dr. J did an ultrasound on both his heart and abdomen. Biffy's abdomen has been looking a bit "large" lately; looking more "bloated" than just plain fat. We were a little concerned about that. Dr. Z had felt Biffy's abdomen yesterday, and he was afraid that perhaps the chemo treatments weren't working (hence the ultrasound today). The ultrasound shows that:
1) his heart has two enlarged chambers, but they're working just fine; Number 4 means that the lymphoma is NOT any worse. This is GOOD news! Numbers 1, 2 and 3 mean (to Dr. J) that we're giving Biffy TOO MUCH sub-Q fluids. Apparently, we're overhydrating him (or as he puts it, he has "volume overload"). We've been giving Biffy 150 to 300 cc's per day since he started having vomiting and diarrhea problems. The vomiting has stopped, and the diarrhea is getting better, so we should cut back the fluids accordingly. We were hesitant to cut back, thinking that it's better for him to keep getting them, to help flush the chemo drugs out, and generally just to help him. Dr's Z and J will talk tomorrow to discuss future treatment, but the main thing for now is to cut back or stop the sub-Q's. This is probably the easiest treatment possible! *grins* We'll watch him for a few days just a little more closely (if that's possible) to see how he does. Diane has been a great help to Biffy, always watching out for him, and doesn't let anyone at the vet's office (except the vet) do anything with/to Biffy that *I* can do (better!) Biffy sure has taken us on a roller coaster ride, and he never fails to surprise us with something new. His mood ranges from just being tired, to being a very happy cat. FOR THE RECORD: Sure there have been times when he felt lousy, like after the last adriamycin treatment back on June 6th, but otherwise, he's never given us any indication that he "doesn't want to be here". His current favorite food is roast beef (he ate almost 3/4 of a pound yesterday) but I won't let him eat *just* that; he has to eat SOME cat food, too. I'm the guy that has to do all the "nasty" things, like give pills and shots, but I'm also the one who gets the "nuzzles" from him when he wants to eat. He apparently doesn't hate me for all the treatments and medications I have to give him. Twice a day we do the "nasties": a couple of pills and small shots (I use insulin needles that he never even feels), and sub-Q's as needed. That's it. Maybe 10 minutes of "treatments", and the rest of the day he's free to sit in the window or on the kitchen table and watch the birds, or eat as much roast beef (or whatever the favorite is that day) as he wants. Sure, he doesn't like going to the vet; but who's cat doesn't? Generally he goes once a week and gets the equivalent of a blood test. I really don't think that's too much for him. Please believe me, I tend to him constantly, and when he's gotten to the point where his "bad days" outweigh the good ones, I'll be the first to know. Until that time, we are keeping him as happy as possible, and enjoying our time with him as much as we can. Biffy is quite a character, quite a fighter, quite a joy to have around, and I intend to the best of my ability, to have him around as long as is "reasonably" possible.
August 16, 1998 at 22:03:35:
Biffy still is breathing pretty heavily. We have to call the vet if he's not significantly improved by tomorrow morning. They want to try him on a low dose of a diuretic (lasix) then to help get rid of the congestion (fluid). I was hoping it would be gone by now. :( He's eating well, but tired. He's been through a lot this week though.
August 19, 1998 at 19:29:47:
Biffy's doing ok, not great, but ok. We took him back to the vet yesterday. His breathing was still heavy. The vet took some bloodwork. He told us to give Biffy the lasix every day now to help his breathing. It seems about 75% better today. We're not sure what's been causing this. We should know more tomorrow. Biffy is supposed to have another chemo treatment then, as long as they feel he's up to it. He's eating very well, and his diarrhea is improving. With Biffy we seem to trade one problem for another! He seems to be comfortable, but tired. He gave me a nuzzle today! :) He *never* nuzzles me, just Jeff. I felt so honored.
September 01, 1998 at 18:36:33:
I'll try and make this brief, (at least for me). Kelli has not been well. We've taken her to the vet about 6X over the past few months. She's still losing weight. Tomorrow we have an ultrasound scheduled for her abdomen. They want to see if there is something wrong inside her. She has a high White Blood Count too, and has for a month, even after being on antibiotics. This sounds too familiar....and it really scares me. Now, for Biffy. *sigh* We have suspected for about 2 weeks that he is becoming diabetic. Today's bloodwork confirms this. We have to start him on insulin (NPH I) 2X a a day tomorrow. The vet had been hoping this would correct itself, but it's just getting worse, and his blood gloucose is now too high for us to wait. It will be hard to regulate Biffy with all the medications he's on, and the chemo. He seems to be acting and eating well, but he's losing too much weight. Between the two of these babies, I am just so worried. Tomorrow will be a tough day. I can't even go with Jeff to have Kelli's US done, since I want to stay with Biffy. Especially since it will be his first day on Insulin. We've had a diabetic kitty before. We took care of Crazy Mama's diabetes for 7 years. I wish we had that long with Biffy...*sigh*
September 08, 1998 at 19:01:46:
Dr J spoke to us Sat. evening about Kelli. Dr J. did the ultrasounded aspirate on Kelli's mass. He said he thought we should have the mass removed, since he feels it could be cancerous. Dr Z. (our current vet who is also an Internist) said he didn't think Kelli could withstand the surgery. So, we are going to try and treat this with medication and see how Kelli is doing, and feeling, before we make any decisions. I find this all very hard to deal with. We have had so many decisions to make for Biffy, and each one, each step of the way, is so hard. Going through something so similar now with Kelli is very difficult... Biffy had his chemo this morning. He took it very well. He's still losing weight though. Dr Z. feel that once we get his diabetes under control that Biffy should gain some weight. I have been spending as much time as I can re-learning as much as I can about diabetes. We had a diabetic kitty, Crazy Mama, that we treated with insulin for 7 years. They have made a lot of progress with diabetes since we lost her in 1994. We just bought a "Glucometer" to monitor Biffy's Blood Glucose from home. That should help us to get this under control. If any of you have diabetic kittys and don't know about the Diabetes Message Board, there is a wealth of info there. Biffy's WBC is higher today too. In spite of all this, he seems to be eating and acting well. He is really an incredible cat. I wish I had half his strength.
September 11, 1998 at 10:55:44:
There's not too much new with Biffy and Kelli. We are having a hard time geting Biffy's diabetes under control. It usually takes a few weeks to gradually get to the correct dose of insulin. Biffy is losing more weight still. :(( I hope this is corrected when we finally get the diabetes under control. We are having another Pathologist look at Kelli's aspirate slides. Our vet requested that the Head of Pathology look at them, and see if he can shed any light on this. As you can probably guess, I'm pretty worried about them both. This waiting, and not knowing is very hard.
September 19, 1998 at 12:31:29:
Biffy seems to be doing better! :)) We had a long tough week.
Last week I was very troubled about Biffy's quality of life. His diarrhea was very bad, and twice he pooped on the kitchen table while he was sleeping. And the last time he just laid in it. *sigh* We spoke to the vet on Thursday about this, and Biffy's prognosis. But with Biffy, he's so full of surprises, that we have learned to expect the unexpected. In any case, we decided to try and help Biffy by eliminating a medication (actigall...for his cholangiohepatitis) instead of adding anything new. And the actigall is known to cause diarrhea (even though Biffy had the diarrhea before we started this med again last month). So, we stopped the actigall on thursday, and then I posted for prayers for Biffy that night. The next morning....Biffy had a "normal" poop. It was tiny, but *normal*! I think this was a combination of the stopped med, and all the prayers!! We have been battling this awful diarrhea for over a month. Thursday morning Biffy had a bath...he was so messy. Jeff and I have done a lot with (and for) these cats, but we've never had to bathe one before. Biffy took it rather well after the initial shock! I have been threatening to bathe him for a while. Now when I look at him and say "you need a good bath"....he knows what I'm talking about! Let's hope we don't have to go through that again. Biffy's appetite was down yesterday. No more roast beef! And Jeff just bought him 2 lbs to get through the weekend. So, it looks like *we'll* be eating well. But Biffy is back to solid white people tuna ONLY for now, plus the w/d that Jeff makes him eat to make sure he gets some kitty food. Biffy seems happier today, and was just laying in the sun and even cleaned his face. He's weak, but I hope will be back on the right road again. I do have some *hope* again now. Kelli's cytology report from the head of pathology essentially just echoed what the other pathologist said. No cancerous cells, but "atypical" ones were present. We'd need to do surgery to have this biopsied since it can't be done with an ultrasound assisted biopsy. We all feel we're just going to up her pred for now, and see how she does. She's eating better, and has even gained a little weight. So, I'm not as worried about her for now!
September 23, 1998 at 20:13:45:
Biffy had his chemo (vincristine) on Tuesday. The vet thought Biffy looked better this week. He seemed pleased. The diarrhea has been gone since I posted for prayers last Thursday night, and we stopped the actigall. Biffy's WBC is still high (70,700), but lower than it was last week (88,000). Normal is up to 16,000....but at least it's going in the right direction. The BAD news is that Biffy is very anemic. His PCV has been about 24-25 for months. Normal is 28-45. This week it was down to 19. That's the lowest it's been except for one week in June. Please keep praying for Biffy. He's acting, and eating and pooping fine....but he's pretty tired.
September 28, 1998 at 23:45:18
Biffy and Kelli are both going to the vet tomorrow. Biffy is supposed to have his chemo tomorrow morning. The vet is going to check his PCV beforehand, to make sure Biffy is up to this. Please say a special prayer for him, if you can. I'm pretty worried about his anemia. His diabetes is fairly well controlled now. I'm hoping and praying that we can help get Biffy built up again. Kelli has to have her bloodwork done too. She had a high WBC too. And they want to monitor the "mass" in her abdomen. I always worry more when they both have to have bloodwork done. These cats are full of surprises!
September 29, 1998 at 11:52:07:
Biffy's PCV was about 22-23, so it looks like he's going in the right direction. We have to wait till this evening to get their WBC and other results. The vet thought he looked pretty good, and that if things looks better on his bloodwork....that we might be able to go to *every other week* with his chemo!! This would be great. Please keep your fingers, toes, and anything else you can crossed for us. Biffy could sure use a break, and so could we! Going to every other week w ould give him a chance to build himself up a little bit more...but we need to make sure that the cancer doesn't gain any ground by us doing this. Kelli gained about a half of a pound! :) We're waiting for her results too. Pray like crazy for us today...please! :)
October 02, 1998 at 18:49:17:
Biffy is doing ok. His hematocrit came up a little, but not as high as we had hoped. It was 19%, and it went up to 20.9%. Low-Normal is 29%. His WBC came down a little. It was 79,000, and now it 73,000. But high-normal is 16,000, so he's still pretty high. But at least going in the right direction. Biffy took his chemo ok, but he's had diarrhea again ever since it. *sigh* We're cutting out the roast beef now, to see if maybe that is contributing to it. Biffy seems to be feeling a little better though. He was just clawing the scratch pad in the hall. He's eating well too. The plan is to skip his chemo this tuesday and see how he does with it every other week. I'm hoping that will help him. He's one tough cookie, this cat. Now if only we could fatten him up again. Please keep the prayers and good thoughts coming!
October 13, 1998 at 18:45:58:
The good news is that Biffy's hematocrit went up from 20 to 28!! He is almost NOT anemic. Low normal here is 29. That must be why he seems to be feeling better. The bad news is that Biffy has lost over one pound in the last 2 weeks. He has been steadily losing about a half pound a week, and that's with a pretty good appetite. The vet wants us to go back to the weekly chemo treatments again. Biffy has spunk! He jumped off the vet's table, and into the window in the exam room. That was a pretty good jump. He's never done that before! Maybe those fatty acids are helping?? We gave our vet all the info that chat mechant was kind enough to mail us that her vet received from a Holistic vet confrence. Our vet is not really into holistic medicine...but he was interested in reading this, since it came from a very well known Oncologist. I'm hoping that he can get some new insight in this area that we're just now starting to explore, and that it will help Biffy, and a lot of other kittys as well.
October 22, 1998 at 18:24:43
Biffy could use some special prayers again. He went to the vet on Tuesday, and the vet thought he was doing well. So he postponed Biffy's chemo. That night Biffy threw up, and last night too. He hasn't done that in a while. We spoke to the vet before, and he thinks maybe Biffy picked up a "bug" on Tuesday. With all the drugs he's on his immune system is pretty suppressed. When they have lymphoma, anything can be very serious.
October 24, 1998 at 12:16:17:
Biffy seems a little better today, but he's still not doing well. He ate a tiny bit on his own today, and we're supplementing the rest. Biffy is such a fighter, but we can't allow these bad days to outnumber the good ones. We *need* more good days. Please pray that we get them. I'm very worried about him, and the decisions we might have to make soon, if he doesn't improve. I'm trying to think *positive* thoughts. I need this little doll to get better. I really do...
October 26, 1998 at 22:27:54:
I think he's feeling a little better. He wanted some chicken today. He's been eating fairly well on his own. He's still not up to par...but he's doing better. We're supposed to do his chemo tomorrow. We'll see what the vet thinks. I'm still pretty worried about him...but I think he's *feeling* better.
October 27, 1998 at 19:01:03:
Biffy didn't have his chemo today. We took him to the vet's this morning and we had a long talk with him. He thought that the drug we were scheduled to use today was too strong for Biffy in his present condition. He is calling an Oncologist (he's one of the 2 Dr's that made up this protocol years ago) and will speak to him tomorrow about Biffy. Our vet wants to alter Biffy's protocol to be less agressive. We spoke about whether Biffy was up to chemo in his condition, and he thought he was. He said he didn't think Biffy was in any pain. That he might feel tired or have transient gas pains, but nothing more than that. We are concerned about what Biffy is going through and feeling, and want to make sure we're doing what's best for *him*. We are scheduled to have whatever treatment they decide is best for Biffy done this Thursday. Our vet will be away for over a week after Thursday, so we have to do it then. I have a Dr's app't too that day, but it looks like I might have to reschedule mine. Biffy comes first. He seemed to be feeling and eating better this morning. Please keep those prayers and good wishes coming. They're helping him, I know they are.
October 28, 1998 at 18:38:49:
Biffy has a new chemo protocol. Our vet spoke to the Oncologist and they are completely changing Biffy's protocol. Tomorrow he will get Elspar. And they want to start him on oral Chlorambucil (Leukeran) 2X a week. He's supposed to get the Elspar every other week for 2 treatments, then we go to every third week for 2 treatments, then every month. The other chemo drugs will no longer be used. Please pray that Biffy can tolerate this new protocol well.
November 20, 1998 at 12:46:22:
Biffy is hanging in there. He has his chemo on Tuesday (Nov. 24). We give him his oral chemo drug (leukeran) twice a week too. He's still on a lot of other meds too. He maintained his weight this week! It's the first time he hasn't *lost* weight in months. He was losing about a half pound a week. This is the most encouragement we have had in a while. Biffy's appetite wavers. Jeff has been "assisting" him with w/d and some a/d when Biffy doesn't think his food tastes right. He eats some chicken, and we even started the roast beef again. I don't even want to comment on his diarrhea, for fear that I will "jinx" it. But let's just say, I'm not complaining. Mia is still on the baytril for her bronchitis, andI haven't heard her cough in about a week. The vet wants her on it for 2 weeks, just to be safe. Kelli is sniffling up a storm (chronic URI) but is eating ok. I think the pred for her IBD is making the URI worse, but what can you do? She's on baytril too. Please keep those prayers and good wishes coming.
November 24, 1998 at 22:26:39:
Biffy's White Blood Count (WBC)is *very* high again. It's 141,000. High-normal here is 16,500. Our vet is very concerned that Biffy's lymphoma may have gone into his bone marrow. This would be very bad. I'm so surprised by all this, since he seemed to finally be stablizing. Our vet put in a call to the head of Oncology, And to the Pathologist that ran the bloodwork, to have it looked at more closely. He's afraid that we may have to wait for answers until after Thanksgiving. The waiting is awful. I'm pretty upset by this.
November 28, 1998 at 16:18:32:
Our vet spoke to the pathologist, but he hadn't received Biffy's bloodwork yet. They discussed Biffy's high White Blood Count (WBC). The pathologist should be reviewing the blood on Monday, and then we should know more. But, just based on Biffy's values, the pathologist thought that Biffy could have one of 3 conditions. (I'll try and explain them as well as I can, considering that I don't really understand all this that well myself.) 1) Mass tissue necrosis (dying of cells) 2) Chronic Leukemia 3) Para-neoplastic Disorder: The lymphoma could be creating hormones and secretions that stimulate the creation of too many White Blood Cells. Our vet then called the head of Oncology that has been helping to decide what's best for Biffy. They feel it is a combination of numbers 2 and 3, something they call a myloproliferative disorder. The Oncologist said he suspected that Biffy might have a chronic form of leukemia because Biffy has had such a high WBC for months. I fear now they are fairly certain that he does have this. In essence, I think this means that they feel the lymphoma has gone into his bone marrow. *sigh* This is all so very confusing and unexpected, since Biffy has been acting and eating better than usual lately, and finally maintained his weight these past few weeks, as opposed to losing any. He seemed to be improving to us! So, I am very taken back by this. The plan now is to add another drug (Cytosar) to his chemo protocol. This drug is helpful in cases where the bone marrow is affected. The oral Leukeran that they started him on with this new protocol is supposed to help that too. We are planning to do the Cytosar this Tuesday, but we are going to talk to our vet first, and see about doing a blood test first, before we get too aggressive with Biffy. We don't want to hurt him by putting off the treatment, but we sure don't want to hurt him by being too aggressive either. We'll see what the pathologist thinks too. Our vet said there is *no* protocol written for Biffy! That he is such an unusual case, and he is constantly amazing them. He said he's come to expect 70,000 WBC's as "normal" for Biffy, as he would a 14,000 WBC for most cats. He said Biffy is not a textbook case. He is encouraged by how well Biffy's spirits are. |
