Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK

Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: moira on February 08, 2010, 15:47:32 PM

Title: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: moira on February 08, 2010, 15:47:32 PM
Sorry to report that Truman has been very poorly. I had to go to Lancashire last week for 4 days (mother in hospital) and my son looked after the cats.When I got back on Tuesday night Truman ate very well but later had violent diarrhoea and wretching. I took him to the vet who said his heart was OK and his temperature normal. She said she thought it was a tummy bug rather than his CRF but, of course, at his age and in his condition this wasn't good. She said he was a little dehydrated but not to the extent that he needed a drip, thank goodness. I do not believe he is ready to go yet and certainly didn't want to pts  for a tummy bug which might clear up. So we decided to give it a few days, try to get him to eat and reassess. He was drinking OK but didn't eat until yesterday lunchtime (about 4 days). I had just about given up hope having tried him on every flavour of all the most expensive foods, tried warming it, etc. etc. all of which he refused but then yesterday lunchtime he got up and came to me and ate half a small tin of very expensive senior chicken (not Applaws but something like that begining with A). I was over the moon. This morning he also ate about half a tin of the stuff and is still drinking. He still has a bit of the runs but I am a lot more hopeful today than I was last week. I know I am lucky to have had him for this long, but I would just like to have him a little longer.
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Dawn F on February 08, 2010, 15:49:23 PM
oh Moira  :hug: lets hope the little man isn't ready to go anywhere yet
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Kay and Penny on February 08, 2010, 15:54:31 PM
I think he missed you, Moira :hug:

one more summer in the sun would be not too much to ask, would it :wish:
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls on February 08, 2010, 16:03:35 PM
Oh Moira  :hug: Hoping Truman can make a full recovery and has lost of time left  :)
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Christine (Blip) on February 08, 2010, 16:10:49 PM
I bet he did miss you and got himself a tummy upset  :hug:  Fingers crossed he keeps eating and drinking well again now.
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Gillian Harvey on February 08, 2010, 16:18:11 PM
Hope he continues to improve  :hug: its so worrying when cats with chronic conditions go down with tummy bugs on top of everything else isnt it? Its the same with Sam (who has heart failure and early stage CRF) - he's had a couple of episodes like Truman and I've thought it was the beginning of the end - but he's picked up and I can breath a sigh of relief again.   :hug:
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: moira on February 08, 2010, 16:25:18 PM
Thanks everyone for the good wishes. I'll pass them on to Truman.
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Kay and Penny on February 08, 2010, 16:25:56 PM
is it possible Truman pined in your absence and wouldn't eat - and then made a pig of himself when you got back, and upset his system?
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: bunglycat on February 08, 2010, 16:29:50 PM
Hoping Trueman is starting to get better and has a few more years left yet .
Maybe he did pine and then ate too much and overloaded his tummy !?
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: moira on February 08, 2010, 16:32:10 PM
I'm not sure about pining, but he could well have not eatten very much as, without me to supervise, the kittens would likely have barged in and scoffed it. He was certainly very hungry and ate a whole pouch in 5 seconds flat when I got back on Tuesday night. I did wonder.
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Janeyk on February 08, 2010, 16:33:52 PM
It does sound like it was related your absence in some way, glad he's picking up again now  :hug:
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: JackSpratt on February 08, 2010, 16:37:46 PM
Definitely sounds like the poor lad is just showing how terribly wound up he was without you. :Luv: (Obviously that's not meant to make you feel guilty - they do that effectively enough themselves.... ;)) Glad he's improving, Moira. :hug:
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: moira on February 08, 2010, 16:43:54 PM
I think they also react to our stress. It has been a dreadful couple of weeks. My mum who is 87 and has dementia was taken into hospital with heart rate of 37 which at one point went down to 20. We thought she was a gonna. She then recovered but, despite us emphasising to the ward that she had dementia and would try to get out and 'go home' she managed to get off the ward unobserved and unchallenged, fell and cut her head open, which needed gluing, and broke her femur. So, at the age of 87 and after being so poorly she then had to undergo surgery. Touch wood, she is now on the mend and, hopefully, will go back to the care home on Wednesday.
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: JackSpratt on February 08, 2010, 16:45:35 PM
Oh Moira.  :hug: :hug: I think you could do with these. Yet another hospital horror story.
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Janeyk on February 08, 2010, 16:48:39 PM
Sorry about your mum Moira, hope she is soon better  :hug:
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: moira on February 08, 2010, 16:52:00 PM
Thanks JS and JayneK
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Gillian Harvey on February 08, 2010, 17:06:24 PM
You have my sympathies Moira - my mum's the same age and had to have surgery after she broke her hip last summer following a fall - she's been back in hospital since, and suffers from confusion due to UTI's - such a worry  :hug: 
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Christine (Blip) on February 08, 2010, 18:19:56 PM
You have my sympathies too, Moira.  I'm getting increasingly concerned about my own (92 in April) mother's mental health, if I'm entirely honest, so I empathise.
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Shiroi-Neko on February 08, 2010, 18:38:36 PM
Keeping my paws crossed for you and Truman  :hug:
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Millys Mum on February 08, 2010, 20:04:00 PM
Hoping he picks up soon  :hug: :hug:
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Bazsmum on February 08, 2010, 22:27:26 PM
Hope mum and Truman feel much better soon!  :hug: :hug:
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on February 09, 2010, 01:17:34 AM
i had seen your post on cat chat and havent got round to get in touch cos of franta being ill and hope that your mother is ok  :hug: :hug:

would you like me to send you some lacto b podwer cos that would help firm truman up again.

i reckon the poor little man was pining for all the care he usually has from you  :hug: :hug:

Lots pf love to Truman and Tina of course  :hug: :hug:
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: moira on February 09, 2010, 14:43:39 PM
Thanks everyone. Fingers crossed, Truman is much more like his old self today. He is eating again and seems more alert. Thanks for the offer of laco b, Gill. I'll see how he is today and if he is still runny I'll take you up on your offer. Hope Franta is OK. They are a worry :)

Christine (Blip): If not already done, it might be worth having a word with your mum's GP and asking for psychiatric referral. My mum was diagnosed with dementia about 8 years ago. The family  realised that she was becoming more and more forgetful and confused beyond normal old age. She remained in her own flat until 2 years ago when her dementia (coupled with paranoia and delusions every time she got a UTI) made it impossible for her to cope on her own even with nurses/home helps/social worker coming in.

Gilllian: One piece of advice I would give anyone who has an elderly relative, especially one with dementia that has to go into hospital for any reason is be extra vigilent. Our experience and observation has been that there is little to no understanding of the needs or capabiilities of dementia patients on general hospital wards. For example, relying on patients to press a buzzer for help when, in the later stages, dementia patients are not able to understand or remember to do this . This, coupled with poor communication between professionals (in our experience) and lack of nursing resources leaves dementia patients helpless and very vulnerable.
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Christine (Blip) on February 09, 2010, 14:58:21 PM
I'm glad to hear that Truman's episode seems to have been just a blip, to coin a phrase  :hug:

Christine (Blip): If not already done, it might be worth having a word with your mum's GP and asking for psychiatric referral.

Sadly, I don't think my mum's declining mental state is anything more than that associated with normal aging, Moira.  She's pretty compos for practical matters and still does all her own cooking (such as it is) and housework without any outside assistance (even though she's 92 in April).  It's just that her interests, such as they were, are closing down, if that makes sense: she's really only now interested in her great grand-children and one of those in particular.  I recognise that this is quite normal.

Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Bazsmum on February 10, 2010, 04:45:11 AM
 :hug: for all of you with poorly mum's, so glad Truman is getting back to normal!  :Luv2: :hug:
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Janeyk on February 10, 2010, 06:57:52 AM
Glad to hear Truman is more like is old self  :)
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Shirley on February 10, 2010, 09:16:10 AM
Glad to hear Trueman is picking up, Moira, hope he continues!   :hug:

Terrible story about your mom-hope she'll be ok once she's back in the care home. My mom's 81 and has been in a home for over 3 years, originally cos she had a fall, didn't break anything, but hasn't walked since! She was in hospital for 10 weeks cos she caught MRSA and had surgery on a massive haematoma which appeared on her leg (still don't know how that happened!) Her mental state has deteriorated unbelieveably in the last year and i've often wondered if it's the beginning of dementia or just old age.    :hug: to both of you
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Skiddaw on February 14, 2010, 14:09:47 PM
Only just seen this thread- dear Truman, how is he now? He's such a lovely old boy.
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Desley (booktigger) on February 14, 2010, 20:32:07 PM
Fingers crossed his tum is much better - I do think they pine a bit when we go away, Sam barely ate while I was in Jersey for a long weekend, the neighbours resorted to feeding him chicken cos they were concerned. I do think his mouth wasn't great at the time either though, but makes me worry about my plan to go away for a week this year.
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: pappilon on February 15, 2010, 16:00:33 PM
Sending you and Truman big  :hug: and hope your mum is better. :hug:x
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: moira on February 15, 2010, 16:40:25 PM
Happy to report that Truman is back on form eating like a horse. Naughty boy to give me such a scare.
Thanks everyone for good wishes re: my mum. Hopefully, she will be out of hospital early this week.

Shirley: Sorry to hear about your mum. It could be that the fall progressed her dementia. My mum's memory had been slowly deteriorating but she had a fall about 8 years ago and broke her arm and her dementia definitely progressed rapidly after that.  She had to go into care 3 years ago when she could no longer live on her own even with nurses etc coming in. She is at the point now where she is very disoriented in time and doesn't always recognise me or my sisters. She often thinks she is in the past. It is very difficult when people with dementia have to go into hospital as they cannot take in and remember simple instructions. For example, my mum has to put 'minimal' weight on her broken leg but, of course, she cannot remember this and now that she is getting better she is more difficult to manage as she keeps trying to get out of bed by herself. They really need 24/7 watching at this stage.
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Bazsmum on February 15, 2010, 16:53:12 PM
Glad to hear that Truman is okay!  :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2: :hug:
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Baggy on February 15, 2010, 21:22:05 PM
Glad to hear Truman is back on form ;D
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Shirley on February 15, 2010, 22:37:24 PM
So good to hear Trueman is well again and your mom will soon be out of hospital   :hug:

(My mom just seems distracted a lot of the time, but still knows me. My Aunt had dementia and it was terrible to see her decline in a few months-it's an awful illness, isn't it?   :hug: )
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: Desley (booktigger) on February 16, 2010, 08:08:26 AM
Glad to hear he is back to normal
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: clarenmax on February 16, 2010, 09:36:10 AM
Glad he's back to normal again  :Luv:
Title: Re: TRUMAN - poorly
Post by: CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls on February 16, 2010, 10:56:33 AM
I think it could of been a case of Truman missing his mummy  :Luv2: