Penultimate dose of Chemo

Woo-hoo! Just one more chemo to go!

Went to the Vet Place this afternoon for my penultimate chemo dose...just a Vincristine, nice and easy visit. Stormie's Limousine didn't turn up AGAIN, Meowmie said something naughty and carted us both off to the bus stop - she said something about getting a reliable Limousine for me driven by someone called Lee Addison. And CAN YOU BELIEVE IT...a man on the bus asked Meowmie what I was - AGAIN! Do I not look like a cat or something? This time the person thought I was "some sort of monkey or marmoset"

Look at me, there is nothing monkey-like about me in the slightest - well, maybe my tail, but that's the only thing!

Pigeons!

The days are getting warmer here now, summer is supposed to be coming which, to be honest with you, I am not keen on...I much prefer a nice warm radiator to curl up to. The warmer weather has also brought the pigeons out in force and a family of them has moved onto Meowmie's balcony. THEY DRIVE ME NUTS! I can't get to them, I can SEE them through the balcony door but I can't GET TO THEM. The ultimate torture! Well, not quite the ultimate torture...that would involve not being able to get to a bowl of chicken for some reason.

Here is my brother playing with the pigeons through a glass window...he can be so silly some times :) Meowmie tried to help me sort the orientation of the video out but she hasn't got the right software yet, she said she would borrow a copy from someone when she can...please click the play button and turn your screen on its side - heehee:



Meowmie throws water at them...which gets her in to trouble with the neighbours below cos we live on the top floor of the building up high in the sky. Before you ask about my garden...I don't have one. I used to have one at Meowmie J's but I didn't like going out in it, I just used to sit at the back door and look at the garden...didn't fancy getting my paws muddy and I have all the entertainment I need inside my safe four walls.

I had a dose of chemo a few days ago, this was the Cyclophosphamide...therefore I had an Away Day at the Vet Place. Feeling OK, get a bit of an acidy-tummy every now and then but I am eating really well. New favourite food at the moment is Hills Science Deit Chicken & Liver pate...mmmmmmmm. I make a right mess all over my whiskers - what's left of them. I have about 6 on my right side cheek and 4 on my left side cheek.

I Hate Anti-Biotics

What a rough ride I have had...those anti-biotics made me so sick. I was OK for a couple of days but then on the 3rd, 4th and 5th days of taking them I got progressively worse and was chucking up my food and eventually wouldn't eat. Meowmie gave me the Stemetil injections and they helped...but what really helped was going to see Caroline Vet and her telling Meowmie to stop giving me the horrid ABs. Whilst I was there Caroline Vet did a blood test to see how my WBC stood - it has gone up to 5700 so I can start my chemo again in about 10 days and not take any other ABs too. What a relief. Seems like those horrid ABs did some good at least...

When we got home I went straight for my food bowl - knowing that I wouldn't have a pill shoved down my neck that would make me sick-up my food again. Meowmie J came over with some chicken too *purrrrrrrr*

White Blood Cell count

Bloody Hell! My white blood cell count is low, below acceptable levels and is only 1730 thingies (not sure what unit of measurement Ben Vet used so I am calling them 'thingies').

As a result no more chemo until my WBC is back up again. Ben Vet has given me some anti-biotics called Synulox to help me fight off any infections, he has also given Meowmie some Stemetil anti-nauseau INJECTIONS to give to me should I get sick. Meowmie has never given an injection ever before in her life - Ben Vet said to Meowmie not to worry, cos it doesn't matter if it goes into skin, muscle or veins!!! MEOWMIE BE CAREFUL PLEASE!

Blood Tests and Buses

Ohmygod how do you do it!!? I had to go on a BUS today. I had a check-up appointment at the Vet Place and Stormie's Limousine didn't show up so Meowmie said some bad words and then took me to a Waiting Hut on the pavement where the bus comes to collect you from.

I was quite scared, I didn't like being taken to the Hut in my basket, humans kept staring at me. Seems a cat in Central London is a rare sight judging from all the staring and pointing. Then the big red bus came along...what a noise. The bus was full of miserable big humans, screeching medium-sized humans and squeeky tiny humans. The tiny humans seemed most interested in me, I didn't care much for them though so just turned my back on them.

Then we got off the bus about 15 minutes later and I have never been so happy to get to the Vet Place. I had to have some blood tests today to make sure my White Blood Cell count was ok - chemo can make it low and then I can get infections easily and get ill, so Ben Vet checks these things from time to time. Ben vet shaved my neck (again!) and took my blood away, it was very red. I weighed 3.62kgs and Ben Vet seemed satisfied that I was doing OK. Ben Vet said the blood test results would be back in a few days.

Ben Vet then gave Meowmie an update on the vet bill. Ben Vet said that Pet Plan insurance had paid the first claim of £4500, of which the two Meowmies are paying the £900 excess in installments - so really Pet Plan paid £3600. Meowmie went a bit quiet. We got the bus home. I think Stormie's Limousine has been sacked.

18 weeks on - Remission!

I've been better since my last post - only sick a handful of times and those were all acidy-tummy-up sicks and gorged-myself-stupid sicks. No cancer tummy-up-sicks - which is a huge relief seeing as I am considered to be in REMISSION. Ben Vet said to Meowmie that he considered me to be in Clinical Remission - he sounded very sure about it this time, so I am going to state it here in my blog too - he has said it before now, quite some time ago, but he seemed quite definite yesterday when I was there for my Vincristine so I am confident to share the good news.

Can't remember if I explained this before but basically, chemo isn't a 'cure' for animals like me, it just holds the cancer back. Ben Vet said the only way of proving remission for sure would be to operate again....but he isn't willing to do that, he explained to Meowmie that there was little reason to put me through an big operation again because the physical signs tell him what he needs to know. Plus - my tummy hair hasn't grown back yet from the operation in December - I just have very very short downy hair there now...my poor tummy!

Here is a picture of me begging Meowmie to share her chicken dinner with me - you can only see the Green Foods in this picture but I assure you there was DEFINITELY chicken on that plate!!!

Bad Patch

I had some Doxorubucin on the 27th...I've been sick a few times since, I don't like it very much. I was at the Vet Place all day again for that one too. I'm bit disappointed cos I just had a good run without any troubles.

My appetite has been OK - once I am sick I always return to my food bowl and refill myself up - and I always keep the second helping down. I am also sick sometimes after my Pred steroid - either frothy stuff (tummy acid sick) or food sick; food sick meams I have gorged myself too much though. To be on the safe side Meowmie has been giving me Metaclopramide - an anti-nausea, it works for a bit but sometimes I am still sick.

I feel so bad for meowmie's carpets and sofa. I do, in the main, manage to throw up on some newspaper that Meowmie has placed in the hallway, but sometimes I don't get there in time :(