Erik update

Erik is doing better since my last post on the subject. Two weeks after restarting the Methimazole and starting him on Prednisone his weight was back up (6lb 4oz, so still a way to go), his T4 is back to normal (2.8), and his bilirubin is down by half (1.9, still too high but this is progress). In other news, his liver numbers are up when we expected them to be down; SALT was 644 in June, 1035 in July, and 1364 now. This surprised my vet, who thought it would track the bilirubin somewhat. Also, his kidney numbers are up (this is new): BUN is 63 and Creatinine is 3.6 (was 2.4, which is considered normal). Also, he continues to be anemic (18% now, was 20, normal 28). The vet had expected the Prednisone to help with the anemia, but not so far.

We changed two things at once (the two drugs) so we can't debug as easily, but getting Erik back on track trumped engineering rigor. Now, however, the question is: with the stats being basically back to where they were in June before we suspended the Methimazole, is the turn-around due entirely to the Methimazole and the Prednisone is doing harm, or are both contributing to the improvement in his weight, bilirubin, and T4? Prednisone is a wonder drug but it is not without side-effects. My vet will consult with others; I predict that we will end up lowering the dose of Prednisone.

Everything is connected; the body is a delicate system and changing one thing has ripples elsewhere. Erik has a complicated set of conditions and drugs at this point, so there's a lot of veterinary improvisation going on here. Can't be helped.

And through it all he remains a content kitty. I am grateful for that.