It's rather remarkable. If someone told me on Feb. 22, 2013 that Weasel would be alive 1 year later, I would have thought they were hallucinating. Not only is he alive, but he's doing extremely well. In fact, he really isn't showing any signs of wear and tear whatsoever. I knock on wood as I write this though. He has had many down spells over the course of a year but has successfully come through each time. It's been a while since we had the last one and hopefully it stays that way.
Dr. Haghighat and I had originally planned on having his ultrasound done around this time, on the anniversary of the first diagnosis; however due to time conflicts and an upcoming month of work I have to attend to - unable to leave during the day to take Weasel to the ultrasound, it has been scheduled for early April. I have mixed feelings about this since I currently live with the mindset that we have the cancer barricaded from all sides - unable to spread. It would be truly heartbreaking to learn that it has slowly grown, re-opening the nagging fears of 'when is his last day'; however, I think the research that can come of this is beneficial to others, to the medical industry and to Dr. Haghighat who has been treating him for many months now.
I haven't changed any treatment regimes per say. We did add the CAS Options chewable tablets - cut up into quarters since these tablets are made for dogs interestingly enough. This has been attributed to controlling tumour growth. You can read people's personal reviews on this 'miracle mushroom' product on Amazon. Many have found it to be extremely rewarding results wise. I think that on its own, it's not sufficient but with everything else we're providing Weasel with, cancer has a very slim chance of winning this fight - at least that's how I like to think :).
Truth be told, my biggest challenge at the moment is finding a caretaker to come and feed both of my cats if I take a trip to visit my Uncle next summer (I'm assuming he'll still be well by then - Weasel, not my Uncle, but yes my Uncle as well :). With Weasel's finicky nature, his strange habits and taking hours at times to finish a meal, it's not as though we can hire the local 'pet service' people that do house calls, unless they're willing to hang around for oh - 4 hours or so in total for feedings, then come by at night to put Naltrexone on his ear. If they were willing to do this, the fees would be astronomical no doubt.
I hope that all of you who are facing this same ordeal have found equally positive outcomes. If so, please feel free to provide your responses on how you and your kitty are doing and what treatment regimes you've followed to date. This type of information benefits all.
Hi Melissa. I have come across your blog several times in my many research frenzies for my cat with chronic pancreatitis. Weasel is amazing. What a challenging year it has been for you. You are helping others by documenting this journey with Weasel. I plan to read through your posts to see if something stands out that may help my Sebastian. Continued thoughts and prayers for your boy. -Nicole
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! I'm so very sorry your poor kitty has chronic pancreatitis. Yes, many of the treatments I have Weasel on would indeed be helpful for that - look at aiding your cat's digestion at the minimum with items such as HMF Powder. I would also recommend contacting a local holistic vet or Dr. Haghighat from North East Veterinary Clinic as he can provide guidance by phone at the minimum. It is a terrifying ordeal to go through at times, but as we see with Weasel, there can still be 'happy' outcomes. He's doing phenomenally well and hasn't lost any weight that I can visibly see (I don't weigh him terribly often haha).
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the kind words. I'm very happy to hear that this blog has been helpful to others :).
Just finished reading through it ALL your posts! Such a roller coaster! I have bookmarked your blog for future reference should Sebastian's pancreatitis turn into cancer (hopefully not). Due to the inflammatory nature of his condition, he does not do well on immune stimulants, which make up a lot of the protocol for a cancer kitty. However, a holistic vet I consulted with recently recommended quercetin, which I saw mentioned in Dave's update. I did a little research, and there are a lot of promising cases of this helping with pancreatic cancer in humans, but, from I understand, it's not an immune booster. I have not started him on it, yet. It's definitely a challenge when you have a kitty who doesn't like to be poked and pilled. Luckily, Sebastian is a pretty good boy and let's me pill him with gel caps twice a day and sub-qs every other day. Sending lots of well wishes your way for Weasel's continued good streak!
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! Well that's certainly impressive that you read all of the posts! :). Yes a roller coaster is a great description but thankfully it seems those days are over for now and things remain steady.
ReplyDeleteI truly hope that Sebastian's pancreatitis doesn't turn into cancer. It sounds as though you're taking the necessary action at this stage so it's doubtful that it will. What a shame though that he doesn't do well on immune stimulants...that's great that Dave's update offered some info on Quercetin, as did your vet.
I can certainly empathize with the challenges in pilling a cat..it's stressful on both the owner and the kitty. Hopefully Quercetin comes in a dermal version to make your life 100 times easier. I don't know what I would do if I had to pill Weasel each night with the Low Dose Naltrexone. Good for you to achieve such success with pilling twice a day. That's not easy at all. Your dedication is wonderful :).
I hope that in a few months we hear from you again, sharing good news regarding your treatment with Sebastian. I'm sure others would love to hear that Quercetin or other protocols you're following, have had successful results.
Thanks so much for following the blog! Wishing you all the best and well wishes as well :).
Hi Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI came across your blog through Dr. Sasan Haghighat's page (after finding him and only one other holistic vet in all of the GTA - the other would not provide information on the phone while Dr. Sasan patiently listened to me {through my tears}, answered my questions, and I decided I would happily drive more than the one hour it takes to see a vet like him). Thank you for including us on your journey with your baby, and I am so happy to hear that he is still doing well. Unlike you, I am not a cat mom but a doggie mom to two rescued Doberman mixes, and my older boy was diagnosed with a tumour on his heart (hemangiosarcoma), leading two very devastated and distraught people to Dr. Sasan. We are still in the early stages of treatment with the Dr, but I read your blog entry and your concern about leaving your cat and felt compelled to comment... I wanted to mention that we do not kennel our dogs when we go away but use house/dog sitters, and these folks would cater to a cat with special needs (such as meds or feeding etc) as well. I prefer to find someone through word of mouth, and I'm not sure if you know of anyone who's used a house/pet sitter, but often, vets or good pet stores such as Global or local pet groomers might have suggestions.
Hope this helps you find someone to stay with your furry kids while you're away. :)
Since I'm commenting, I also want to share that at first (in the state I was in, especially), it was hard to trust a holistic vet and alternative therapies (although I believe in this for myself I didn't want my dog to be a 'test case'), but your blog and feedback about him made me feel so much more at ease. And his positivity is infectious. We are so thrilled to have found this vet, and I'm happy that you maintain this blog. :)
All the best to you and Weasel!
Arezoo
Hi Arezoo! Your comments made me teary - I can empathize not only with what you're currently going through and the emotional pain that it's causing, but I was also very touched by your kind words and helpful suggestions. That's wonderful that there are cat house sitters available in our area. It would likely be a much more reasonable solution given how long it takes to feed Weasel :).
DeleteI'm very sorry to hear that your baby has a tumour in his heart. How dreadful. Yes, when the news first hit me, I wouldn't have dreamed about treating something as deadly as cancer, holistically. My first goal was to pursue surgery but it was just too risky and too costly. One's instinct is to remove the 'issue' completely and not necessarily address the entire body - using that to remove or control the issue instead, which is the holistic course of action. I'm so very very happy Dr. Haghighat is in the GTA. As you pointed out, there is a severe lack of Doctors as knowledgeable and kind as Dr. Haghighat in Ontario (I looked into it for family members). I'm hoping that with time he can influence veterinary practices through his success stories.
I'm so happy to hear that my experiences are helping others to feel at ease with alternative treatment plans. It really has paid off in droves.
Hopefully in the near future I read your success story on Dr. Haghighat's blog!
Thanks so much for your post! :)
Hi Melissa,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your quick reply! Yes, that is my dream and our aim to have a positive, long story to share one day. :) :) Our boy Rambo is doing well most of the time, and honestly, were it not for the ultrasound, I would not believe he has this awful tumour. He's mostly himself (other than a few bad days, knock on wood/cross fingers!) and what's amazing is that Dr. H only sees the positive. He sees how full of life and energetic my boy is - and this through the shaking/nervousness of a dog in a vet's office!
I felt the same when I first read your blog in the first week that we found out about Rambo--teary-eyed... I read it sooo cautiously, slowly... lest I stumble across something sad in your posts. But I was thrilled to read your story (and Weasel's) and how far you've come with something that is normally so negative. Like you, I didn't know WHAT could be done holistically. I wanted to try anything, but I also did not want to be taken advantage of by someone that would tell a desperate person anything. And I'm so happy that Dr. H is nothing like that. His care and concern is genuine, and what amazed me was the number of phone calls of mine he took, even wanting to call and check in on us after not hearing from us for a few days. I told him he literally talked me off a ledge - I lost my father a few weeks prior to finding out about Rambo's tumour - my father lost his fight to cancer only 3 weeks after even finding out he had it. I was a mess. :(
You're so right - there are a tons of Naturopathic doctors, but I'm not sure if many are as knowledgeable as Dr. H. He is so passionate and determined, and I told him at our last appt that I would go see him if ever I was ill! I said I would want his advice and positivity for myself. :)
Thanks again for your blog and I look forward to your next post! Hugs to your baby and good luck with the house/cat sitter! You'll find someone - just do tons of references on them. (I'd refer you but the girl that used to watch Rambo got married and stopped housesitting.)
Arezoo
Hi Arezoo,
DeleteWow, your story is eerily accurate to mine. I also would never have believed Weasel had a tumour. He was sick to his stomach for a couple of days and being the 'overprotective' mom that I am lol, I took him to the vet and the rest is history.
Yes Dr. Haghighat is an incredibly positive person. He keeps me in check when I start heading down the path of thinking worst case scenario :). I as well was astounded at how patient he was with so many questions thrown at him and was blown away by the fact that he reached out to find out how Weasel was when he hadn't heard from me. It should be normal for a vet to be so passionate about their patients; however, unfortunately he seems to be in a league of his own...at least from my experiences to date.
I'm so thrilled that what I've written has helped to lift your spirits. That's really wonderful :). It has been a roller coaster as I'm sure you as well will experience but the outcome has been terrific. Weasel is too darn energetic these days and demands to be let in and out through every meal and favourite TV show so needless to say, he's back to driving me nuts like the good ol' days but I wouldn't want to have it any other way haha.
I'm so very sorry you lost your father recently..this particular comment really jumped out at me. Weasel was diagnosed with cancer on Feb. 22nd last year. On May 22nd - two months later, my father who I was very close to, suddenly and unexpectedly passed away as well. Contending with the two cases of traumatic news was more than I could handle..it's amazing I've made it through such an ordeal..each day gets a bit better :). I believe you will feel the same way as well over time - smiling again, enjoying time with Rambo and just generally in life. It's horrible to lose those we love so dearly. My deepest sympathies.
I'll be posting again once the results of the ultrasound come back in early April. Otherwise I don't really have any new news to report on :).
Thanks again for your lovely messages! :)
Crossing my fingers on that ultrasound, Melissa! I'll be checking back. Hugs to you and Weasel.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your condolences, Melissa, and I look forward to a positive story with the ultrasound update. :)
ReplyDelete