More Trouble (Good Thoughts Needed)

We had a vet appointment today to re-check Layla's ALT liver enzyme levels.  The appointment initially started out well, and my vet was happy with how Layla looked as well as my description of how she was doing (eating well, drinking well, peeing, pooping, etc.).

However, when it came time to actually draw blood, they encountered a problem.  Layla's always hard to draw blood from, but this time, she formed a hematoma instantly at the puncture site and started bleeding a lot.  I'm embarrassed to say that I had to leave the room because of how dizzy and light-headed I got at the sight of a huge pool of blood on the inside of Layla's thigh.

They were able to get the bleeding under control fairly quickly, but my vet was concerned.  He said that such a reaction was pretty much indicative of a worsening liver problem.  They got enough blood to run the ALT test, so he will call me tomorrow with the results.

I'm horribly nervous.  Once again, the big C word was mentioned, as well as hepatitis, cirrhosis, etc.  I am just NOT ready to deal with something so serious.

Layla's doing fine, outwardly.  She's acting pretty much normal; in fact, the only differences I see in her are an increased appetite and less vomiting than usual, which are both the opposite of what you'd see with a liver problem.

Yet, my vet seems very troubled by the diagnostic signs.  Her ALT was originally tested to be 134, and then increased to 181 on retest.  100 is considered the highest for normal.  I have read about some cats having values in the 1000's and not showing clinical signs, but my vet said he does not want to see that ALT number even slightly high.

I guess we will see what the test reveals and proceed from there.  I'm honestly not very optimistic - my gut feeling says that the value is going to be similar or the same, even after taking the Denosyl for 3 weeks. He mentioned ultrasound as a possibility, to see whether there are any masses on her liver.  I think I'd be alright with doing that - at least it's not invasive.  More blood testing would probably be an option, too, but that will be complicated if losing blood is going to be an issue.

This cat has had such a rough year.  Ever since that stupid food changed, we've been rolling downhill.   First it was the vomiting and lack of appetite from changing foods.  Then, it was the stumbling and falling over.  Now, something's wrong with her liver.  All I want is my little girl to be OK and live with me happily and comfortably for many years to come.  Is that too much to ask?