TBA

It's bad, I think, when you can't think of anything to blog about.

Okay, having said that, I've put off writing about my cat, Smartie. Just before New Year's, I got word that the radiation treatment for his hyperthyroidism hasn't worked, he's still got off-the-chart (though somewhat lower) T4 levels. I pretty much assumed that this would be the case, though I was hoping for something better than "low 30s" (she was calling from her car, didn't have his file in front of her), but since he's still skinny as a rail, drinking like a fish and peeing like a sailor (I believe that's the expression), this was no real surprise to me.

So he's back on Tapazole for the moment and I'll bring him in to his regular vets at Animal Kind in about two more weeks. Next week, about the 10th or the 11th, I'll have a conversation with the vet who gave (oversaw?) the radiation therapy, Dr. Peterson. I'm still trying to think of all the questions I should ask. But what they propose to do is to take Smartie to their other facility, in Westchester, keep him for a month, triple or even quadruple dose him--and, oh, by the way, charge me $3,000. In addition to the $1,800 I spent on this treatment before.

Needless to say, while I haven't made up my mind definitively, there's not much chance of that. Maybe not even if they say they'll accept payments over time. One thing I would like to do is get the names of other places in the NYC area that perform this treatment and perhaps consult with other specialists who do this. But I can't but help feel that, while it's probably not a money-grab (at least, I certainly hope not), this may well be a way to experiment with a high-level thyroid case without having to apply for grants and all that. You know, a pushing-the-envelope kind of thing. Anyway, this is a nearly 16-year-old cat who nearly had a heart attack (okay, not really, I don't think, but it was the most upset I've ever seen him) when I took him in to the Animal Medical Center last week to get the blood test, so I can't see taking him on any long trips again, unless there were some guarantee attached that he'd have four more good years left in him or something. Animal Kind is far enough (3 blocks).

I haven't mentioned this to any of the people who were kind enough to lend me (and, in some cases, give me) money to get this treatment, only some of whom I've managed to pay back so far. I suppose I should, but I've been trying to keep this in the back of my mind, to not panic, to take my time weighing all the options. I knew I didn't have to make a decision the day she told me the news and I also know I don't have to make the decision today or even tomorrow. I think I'm being pretty healthy about it, but maybe I'm just being in denial. I suppose I could be both.

Anyway, I haven't done much else today that I planned to do, but, hey, the night's still...middle-aged. Like me!