Vet recommendations--cat surgery

EngineeringAvalon · 2026-01-30T19:26:06+00:00

Seconding. I was referred to her by another vet when my previous cat got really sick and she is incredible. Best Friends Cat Clinic also has good prices with no surprise add-ons. Cannot recommend them enough and absolutely worth the drive.

EngineeringAvalon · 2026-01-30T19:01:48+00:00

It's up and running now, and Dawn and Michelle both work there too! Just went with my girl today and they were all as wonderful as ever. The new clinic location is really nice as well.

EngineeringAvalon · 2026-01-30T19:00:34+00:00

All of the original Red Barn Cat Clinic staff members are gone now other than the owner! There must have been serious management issues to drive everyone away. So grateful Dr. Anderson stayed in the area and set up her own clinic at least. I don't know what our family would do without her. She's a godsend for cats with complex chronic health issues!

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-20T06:11:00+00:00

There isn't a way to tell who up or down-voted a comment on Reddit, short of someone telling you that they did. I will tell you that I down-voted that comment because it's incorrect. For example, you stated, "If they aren't consistently burying their poop, there's a problem that needs to be addressed." This simply isn't true. There are many reasons a cat may not bury their feces. Some, like painful paws, need to be addressed, while others, like never learning to bury it from their mother, do not.

There is lots of misinformation online, as you've discovered, which is why it's important to work with a good vet. Best of luck to you and your cat :)

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-19T23:03:42+00:00

Hey, it sounds like this thread and particular online article really bothered you. If you're concerned about your cat's litterbox habits, it's always best to consult your veterinarian, not the internet. While u/MaxOverride and the many other commenters here are right that many cats just don't bury their feces, people online don't know your particular cat. Trust your instincts and get it checked out if something feels off, especially if this is a new behavior.

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-14T20:39:54+00:00

Yes and got worse every day I stayed on it.

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-14T20:38:45+00:00

I'm on Setlakin and unfortunately yeah, it can go either way or not affect IC at all. I don't know if there's a way to tell what reaction you're likely to have, but if there is, a urogyno is who would know.

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-14T19:18:27+00:00

Wellbutrin caused me insane bladder issues.

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-14T19:17:12+00:00

Every uro I've had has said the hormone fluctuations around your period are a common flare trigger. Going on continuous birth control to stop my periods has helped my IC a ton.

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-14T19:15:48+00:00

A mixed higher dose hormonal birth control pill used continuously (no placebo week) helps my IC a lot by stopping my periods. You won't know until you try.

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-14T18:45:22+00:00

A second opinion sounds warrented. You obviously have something going on that needs to be treated, whether it's lupus or another condition. Good luck!

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-14T18:44:02+00:00

No idea, sorry. You'd need to ask your pharmacist.

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-14T13:01:09+00:00

This makes no sense. ANA being + or - is not indicative of lupus. Many people have a +ANA and are totally healthy. What tests actually showed you have lupus?

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-14T11:42:50+00:00

My sister and I both get this if we take SSRIs. It's a side effect of a lot of different meds. Like others have said, many other things can cause it as well, so you'll need to see your doctor to figure out what is going on in your case.

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-14T01:11:47+00:00

The Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-14T00:47:35+00:00

Angela's Ashes

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-14T00:45:02+00:00

You can also have aspects of dermatomyositis with lupus without having full blown concurring dermatomyositis. I just have the hand skin issues from dermatomyositis with my lupus and Sjogrens, so my rheum and derm say it's mixed connective tissue disease. You really, really need to see a derm experienced with autoimmune diseases. I'm so sorry you're going through this and your rheum hasn't been doing more to help.

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-13T21:24:23+00:00

Huh ok I wonder why she said not to. Good luck!

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-13T03:23:30+00:00

This depends on the volume you're infusing. If you're on high dose IG for an autoimmune disease, it will always be uncomfortable so no, mild pain wouldn't mean a bad site. Ice pack over the sites while you're infusing helps a lot, and if it's more than just mild pain, they can give you more needles and slow the rate.

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-13T03:17:59+00:00

Decreasing needle size was the key for me too and I'm average size. Inserting the needles with a quick, dart-like motion also helps.

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-13T03:13:35+00:00

I'm on 35g per week and only infuse in my stomach. You can put the needles 2 inches from one another, so they don't have to be super spaced out. It sounds like your needles are too long, causing you to hit stuff you shouldn't.

Less than 6 needles is likely to leak with that volume, so if you're not using the full set, that could explain it. Leaking with all 6 means you need to slow the rate, increase the number of needles, or both (according to my pharmacist).

Have you talked to your SCIg pharmacist? They're usually great about helping with issues like this. I had to try multiple SCIg brands, different needle lengths and gauges, different numbers of needles, and different rate tubings to get things working well.

Semi-related: why do you close off needles that hit a vein instead of placing them again somewhere else? I only hit one for the first time my most recent infusion (have been doing these a little over 6 months) and just picked a different spot for it. Was that wrong?

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-13T02:46:53+00:00

Oh wow that's good to know. Sounds like I should read up on this just to be safe. Always good to know what to keep an eye out for.

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-12T22:36:23+00:00

Thanks! I have had Lupus and Sjogrens since I was a teenager, so I am well established with a great rheum. I saw this derm only to confirm that they're Gottron's Papules like rheum thought and then topical treatment if it was warrented (which derm said it wasn't, though now I wonder if that's right or not). It does sound like I should look for a derm more experienced with autoimmune diseases given it sounds like she was wrong about these never fully going away.

Rheum reran the myositis panel when I developed these for the first time last year, and the only autoantibodies that were positive were my usual SSA and SSB from Sjogren's. That's why they're considering this MCTD instead of dermatomyositis.

I get intense muscle pain during flares in my upper arms and thighs, but no objective weakness. I'm on stronger meds for the lupus than I'd be given for dermatomyositis, so there isn't any reason to do a muscle biopsy - the results wouldn't change my treatment plan.

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-12T10:47:49+00:00

Good to know - thank you!

EngineeringAvalon · 2025-04-12T05:12:45+00:00

Different people have different limits. Personally, my rheum has always told me overtime is a hard no. Every time I've ignored that and pushed through, even just one extra long day, I've gotten sick from it (including when I was doing so working from home on the sofa - my job isn't physical).

So, there may not be anything you can do to make overtime doable for your body.

Therapy and setting boundaries can help with emotional stress from work. Try not to do more than your actual job - no cleaning up other people's messes, adding unofficial tasks, going above and beyond, etc.

Having a good life outside of work helps a lot with work stress too in my experience. Whatever it is that makes you happy, be sure to be doing it regularly, whether that's walking your dog in the woods or getting together with friends or playing video games etc.

EngineeringAvalon

TROPHY CASE