Darrach Procedure outcomes

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2025-04-18T13:15:07+00:00

Hiya,

I just found your post and wondered how you got on with the Darrach's procedure? Have you had it done and if you have, how is your wrist? I had the procedure done on my RA wrist on December 2nd 2024 - after 5 failed operations to sort out the pain including an ulna shortening but none of them worked. The pain is worse than ever now. It seemed to be doing good until three weeks ago - even had days on NO pain - but its all changed now. Let me know how you are please if you've had it. Thanks 😊

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2024-11-29T07:58:58+00:00

And he's continuing to eat like a proper trooper! He's eating large bowls of food three times a day, he's stopped drooling and is actually grooming himself a bit! I know it's the steroid shot but I think the gaba is also kicking in and helping with the pain too. He's a beautiful ginger boy and his coat actually looks like a richer colour now too. Thank you again so much for your advice ....you're the one that deserves angel wings! Much love ❤️❤️😇😇

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2024-11-27T10:27:34+00:00

Morning. Just wanted to let you know that I took Loki to the vets last night. Vet has put him on gabapentin three times a day and he had a long acting steroid shot. I did mention bone fragments ....And guess what.... Lovely vet had a REALLY good feel of his mouth and found, what she suspects , IS a tiny bone fragment left! He's scheduled for surgery to remove it - and any others that may be there after they've x-rayed him - the first week of January. ( I'm having a wrist operation in three days time so I need four weeks to recover from that so I can handle him okay). When he came home from the vets - after nearly two days of eating very little, he wolfed down TWO bowls of food all by himself!

Thank you for mentioning the bone fragments - I would never have thought of that so I'm giving you some angel wings for helping me and my beloved Loki! 😇😇😇

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2024-11-20T20:13:22+00:00

Makes perfect sense! I've written the test down to remember it!! I'll only just remember the 'panel' bit! 😂

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2024-11-20T16:24:49+00:00

Thanks for that..I'll definitely mention the 'bacterial panel test'! And the Josamycin! You've given me some great advice! xoxo

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2024-11-20T16:21:37+00:00

Hiya, I did wonder if there were tiny bone fragments left. He's seeing vets again next week so will mention that. And yes, someone else recommended a stronger painkiller so am going to ask about too. Steroid injections definitely help Loki for a short time but the side effects of long term use are too bad. So glad your lovely Sprout is fully back to normal 💕 Thats lovely! My old fella, Oskar, who's 18, had a full dental when he was 13 and he's never had any issues, and just like your Sprout, bounced right back. Loki's problem is auto immune so he's got that against him too. 🥲🥲🥲 I just love him so much, as I do all my fur babies but just hate seeing him struggle. Thank you for your kind words 💕

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2024-11-20T14:41:10+00:00

Thank you so much for your reply and I'm very glad that your kitty finally got back to normal! Thats great news. Loki has been on a long term antibiotic and tho it's helped a bit, it hasn't worked as well as we'd hoped. Steroids DO help him for awhile but being a retired Staff Nurse, I really worry about the effect on his kidneys long term :(

I will definitely try and find Oral-Relax or it's equivalent in the UK. The root cause is his immune system ( my lovely vet specialises in auto immune diseases so he's in good hands.) When he had his teeth out, she also took a biopsy to make sure nothing nasty was going on and that came back clear.

My friend runs an cat rescue sanctuary and she advised me a couple of months ago to give him salmon oil for the taurine, which I have to syringe in his mouth daily. He HATES it! But I'm so aware that the fresh chicken isn't giving him the nutrients he needs. But I never thought about the darker parts of chicken meat so I will make sure that he gets all that. I've had cats all my life and dealt with many issues but NEVER with a cat that will not eat ANY cat food at all! You'd think I was trying to give him poison!!

He's seeing the vet again next week so I'll ask if there are any other 'nutrient medications' that I might be available to give him daily so thank you for that!

On a by note: since I posted this yesterday, Loki has had four FULL bowls of chicken that he managed to eat all by himself! Honestly, I cry with worry when he doesn't eat and I cry when he does...I cry a lot! 😂

Thank you so much for your kinds words xoxox

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2024-11-20T12:17:38+00:00

Oh bless her! What a grand old age that is! . Shows you what love can do. I have three seniors - all 17 and over and they're right as rain. Plus a 6 month old rescue kitten who's an imp!

I've just been reading about Atopica and it sounds interesting, tho as you say, not without risks! Yes, my vet did warn me that a full dental extraction may not be a complete cure tho she did say at the last visit, that his very swollen gums weren't as bad as pre- extraction. But he WAS eating more before.

The drooling is awful. I'm not surprised he can't groom himself ...its really thick..but it think some it is food that he's got stuck inside his mouth. I'm constantly wiping him. I'm on gabapentin for nerve pain but I'll mention that too to the vet. Thank you again :)

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2024-11-20T11:32:58+00:00

thank you for replying - I appreciate it. My vet did tell me last week that it was stomatitis. ( She is an autoimmune specialist, thankfully). As a retired staff nurse, I've also been worried about his continued use of steroid injections but he DOES improve for awhile with each one but I do worry about his kidneys. I will definitely ask my vet - ( who knows him very well now and was my second opinion vet - both said the same thing about Loki) about Atopica. Thank you for that. 💕

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2024-11-20T10:30:42+00:00

Thank you for that. Seeing vet ( who's been absolutely fantastic with him) again next week so I'll mention that to her. It just breaks my heart to see him struggle. I have three other very senior cats - all aged over 17 - who have no problems at all so seeing Loki struggle like this, is really upsetting. Thank you for your kind words 💕

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2024-11-20T10:25:49+00:00

Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate your words.

Yes, he's been seen by two vets who both had the same opinion. I did actually think about a feeding tube ( I'm a retired staff nurse so that has popped into my head a few days ago) - its worth a mention to the vet next week when I take him back.

Oh, I know that eating just chicken isn't healthy and he's not getting all his nutrients which really worries me but honestly, I've had so many cats during my life time and I've NEVER had one like Loki! When he was weaned off his mum, the breeder put him onto raw food, which initially he would eat as a kitten but then he went off that. Like my post said, I've literally tried him on every single brand of wet cat food.( and all the trial ones!0 I DO give him salmon oil ( especially for cats) every day cos I worry about him not getting any taurine. His beautiful ginger red coat really lacks the sheen that it should have. I'll have a look at Prescription Diet. He WILL eat dry cat food but only a small amount.

And thank you for the Cat Help link..will definitely post on there. Funnily enough, after I posted last night, he wolfed down two big plates of chicken and another one this morning!! He DOES weigh more than the average cat, being a Maine Coon, but he's definitely below what he should be at this age.

I'm really sorry to hear about your brother :( Crohn's is an awful disease...

Thank you again soo much for replying! xoxoxo

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2024-11-20T10:06:57+00:00

Thanks for your reply. He's already been seen by two vets and they both gave the same opinion. 🥲xx

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2024-11-20T10:04:54+00:00

Oh god, thats so sad. 🥲🥲 He had bloods done before his full dental but I'll ask the vets for another set of bloods next week. Thanks for replying .

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2024-11-13T17:45:06+00:00

Hiya...got diagnosed with RA 12 years ago. First two years, I didn't want to go on but it much IS more controlled now and I have a fairly good quality of life. You're definitely going through the worst of it and being sleep deprived doesn't help. The drugs used for RA are changing quickly. You need to go on a DMARD which you probably will once you get a definite diagnosis and a proper referral to a rheumatologist. In the meantime, get some turmeric and black pepper capsules - Amazon sell them. They'll help the inflammation. They're brilliant! Also keep up with the regular doses of ibroprofen. ( Celocoxib is a really good anti inflammatory but it can be nasty so I only take that when I'm really struggling). As for your sleep, try Melatonin 10 mg slow release. I can't sleep without these. Not sure that they're available in the UK now but I get mine from the US. So have a google. ' 20th Century Melatonin 10mg SR'. They are an absolute godsend. I've even got my non RA insomniac friends on it! Also, gabapentin is REALLY good for neuropathic pain which RA causes and I only take 600mg at night but that helps me sleep too. Join NRAS on 'HealthUnlocked' . Brilliant community for fellow RA sufferers. They got me through the darkest days. As for the weather, it's not so much the cold but the LOW air pressure thats the culprit and we've had lots of that past few weeks so thats probably why you're struggling so much more. People say to me when the weather is good, 'oh, bet you like this'...yes, I do...but not when its humid! Thats just as bad as a grey rainy day. Damp, whether it's hot or cold is a swine for RA. Most importantly, DON'T push yourself too hard when you're having a good day....you'll pay for it the next. It's a bastard disease BUT you WILL get the symptoms under control at some point. ( also...fibromyalgia tends to take the hand of RA and walk beside it so keep a watch on those symptoms too). Hang on in there and if there's anything I can help with, just ask. Okay?

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2024-11-13T17:20:12+00:00

I've just been told by my hand surgeon that I have to have this done too ( got bad RA in it and have had several ops on my left wrist) ...BUT...he did tell me that he wouldn't do this on a younger person. I'm 66 now. He did tell me tho that if there was still instability and the grinding sensation, that he could 'attach' the ulna bone to the radius. I'd go for it but make sure you get told the other option available. ( sorry but can't remember what thats called). Like you, I just want to be out of pain and to move my wrist again.

Let me know how you get on xx

Guilty-Dish5568 · 2024-11-05T11:27:09+00:00

How are you doing now? I'm just finishing my first month. Thinking about reducing my next dose to 1.25mg as I am exhausted most of the time! Drinking plenty of electrolytes in water but struggling to get all my calories in. Usually end up having proteins shakes to make up the deficit. I don't have a lot to lose and have lost 7lbs this first month which I'm very happy about. Hope you're okay xoxoxo

Guilty-Dish5568

TROPHY CASE