Yesterday, Scruffy went to our regular vet for xrays of his lungs (to look for possible metastatic disease) and blood work. I couldn't imagine how they were going to get him to cooperate for the xrays, but was actually spared the agony of knowing - they took him off into the back room - which I don't remember Dr. G. ever doing before, but of course, the xray machine is back there somewhere..... I did hear a huge amount of hissing and spitting, but apparently they were able to do what needed to be done. He got the blood, too, at the same time.
Results were fine for both. He said there were some changes in something about the heart touching the sternum. (? I have no idea.) Blood work was fine. All in all, pretty good, I guess for a cat of uncertain age who was a totally uncontrolled diabetic for three and a half years.
We started the eye drops this morning. Flurbiprofen. (Doesn't that sound like something from a tv cartoon?) Every 8 hours, one drop in the left eye. Scruffy was NOT delighted. I assume he'll have all sorts of drops after the surgery, too, so he might as well give up and get used to it. Useless protest does seem to be a cat's most kneejerk response, though. After biting and scratching.....
I posted on FDMB last night about the cone, and learned, to my relief, that it's not the enormous plastic umbrella-sized thing I had in my mind. I couldn't even figure out how I was gonna get him in the carrier to bring him home with one on his head. But, I saw a picture of a cat cone, and it was small and manageable. Well, manageable for me; I'm sure Scruffy won't be thrilled. Anyway, that was one more thing I'm not going to stew about any more. The significant thing was that he has to have something to prevent him from being able to rub that eye against anything - furniture, the floor, the walls, his foot, whatever - until the tissue has healed. Three weeks. Gonna seem like a looong time, I'm afraid.
I'm worried about this whole thing, but hopefully, when it's over, that will be the end of our Iris Melanosis tale. (At least, until the one in the other eye does whatever it's going to do.) I hope that Scruffy's one of the cats who only needs to have the procedure done once.
SCRUFFYPUMPKINPATTYPAWS An emaciated unneutered male of indeterminate age who wandered into my sister's garage in 11/03 ~~~ diagnosed with diabetes on 10/29/04 ~~~ had laser surgery for iris melanosis in 9/2008 ~~~ diagnosed with glaucoma in 6/2010 ~~~diagnosed with kidney failure and lymphoma of liver and spleen on 1/23/12 ~~~ My beloved Scruffy left us on 3/5/12.
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