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It is not something I would consider unless there was no alternative. The issue with RI, is they have to be isolated for several days in the hospital - you cannot be with them at all during this time.
The methimazole has brought your baby down from 11 to 6 so far, with no adverse effects. I would stick with that, at least for now.
I131 is curative; Methimazole doesn't stop the growth of the thyroid tumor and the meds have to be increased as the tumor grows. Not to mention, pilling the cat 2x a day, not being able to go anywhere (like even an overnight trip).
There have been adverse effects on the methimazole--skin excoriation being the worst symptom for my cat.
For the 3 to 5 days she'll be in the hospital, it's worth it. She's already scheduled and it's a 'go.'
It was more stressful getting up super early to get the Gabapentin sedative into her, then into the crate 2+ hours later, and then the 30mi drive, than the treatment itself. Fortunately she was out of it enough to not fight being put in the crate. She complained some on the car ride, but not nearly as bad as she would have if she were not sedated. Gabapentin is great for cats--overall safe and effective with anxiety. I'll continue using it for any vet visit and/or car ride, as it definitely takes the edge off.
The vet tech said they did have to put her under full anesthesia for a few minutes since she's fractious even with Gabapentin. But she otherwise did fine and is hanging out in their special radiation area, along with the other cats who got treated today. I put together a care bag with her food and a t-shirt with my scent on it for her cage.
They do their first Geiger counter check on Wednesday. Cats who have had small radiation doses often get released then. My cat will most likely stay until Friday, I'm hoping she won't have to stay any longer than that.
She is much happier without having Methimazole forced into her 2x a day, and I'm a happier and less stressed human. She seems fine, no apparent side effects. Her first follow-up blood tests are in 1 month, at her local vet. I'd already gotten some weight back on her before with very frequent feeding along with the thyroid med; she's got another 1 to 1.5 lbs to go before she starts trending overweight.
Turns out my kitty's thyroid was over-radiated by the specialty vet (last September) and her thyroid levels are not even close to the bare minimum level, let alone a normal/optimal level. It's been 10.5 months now. The goal is 2.5 for her thyroid, and in her latest test her level has decreased even more, and now it's <.4. sigh.....
I'm having to take my cat to her regular vet every 3 months for thyroid and kidney checks, which is an ordeal as she's fractious and fearful, so it requires pre-visit sedation, then full sedation at the vet, every time, even just for blood draws.
During this last visit, the vet forgot to take enough blood to run an optional but often-needed TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test. I found this out because the vet emailed me the clinical results from the blood tests, and casually mentioned she wasn't sure there would be "enough blood" to now run a TSH test. She mentioned I could bring my cat back in for her to get another blood draw.
I emailed I hope there is enough blood left from last week's blood draw to run the TSH test, otherwise we'll just have to wait until my cat's next appointment in a few months, as I'm not going to force my cat to go back and cause her even more stress, as these quarterly visits already cause significant stress to my cat.
Silence from the vet, as I expected.
I've come to the conclusion this vet is not the most organized, and is overwhelmed with the amount of work and volume. Things fall through the cracks. It's a cat-only practice.
I realize to continue with this vet, who is considered excellent, I will have to utilize my "project management skills" and do a bit of micro-managing, specifying in writing on each appointment intake form that they need to withdraw one *extra* vial of blood and preserve that blood for additional thyroid or other tests that may be needed, including TSH. I can't trust that this vet will remember everything, without each item being listed out.
As a business process expert, you can only imagine how this annoys me. But, my job is to advocate for my cat, and that's what I'll do, to the level that's needed to get consistent service.
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