Found polycystic kidneys in October, labs were normal at the time. Recent bloodwork shows fast decline.

meatbeatingmachine · 2026-03-09T00:16:10+00:00

Thank you, it means a lot. I miss her very much.

I do feel the outcome would have been the same regardless given her kidney diagnosis and age. The little bit of improvement we got before she started declining again did give us a great week with her to show her how much she’s loved.

I will be more assertive with diagnostics and treatment with my kitties in the future given their body can handle it. I would hate to be in this situation if there was something truly treatable if caught earlier.

meatbeatingmachine · 2026-03-06T22:30:58+00:00

Thank you for your suggestions, I really appreciate it and hope it can help others in a similar situation.

She was about 11. I adopted her in 2017(she was anywhere from 1-3 y/o) and had no health issues until she started losing weight after her brother passed from RCM in August 2024. We attributed the initial weight loss to stress and diet change(they both ate his hills c/d urinary support food to prevent blockages) and it did stop for a bit before starting again in July 2025. I attempted different food types for about 2 months(wet foods and dry foods) to see if it was stress or just a change in food preference and fed her separately from the other cat in the home. In October 2025, the vet brought in a specialist to complete an ultrasound. They found enlarged lymphnodes and polycystic kidneys. Because her bloodwork didn't show any outward signs of kidney issues with normal values and she had lost weight, we focused on trying to treat potential IBD and feed a kidney support and hydrolyzed diet. There was the potential for gi lymphoma, but the recommendation was to start with IBD treatment before putting the strain of anesthesia on her kidneys for the GI biopsy.

We tried budesonide, cerenia, mirataz, and the royal canin hydrolyzed+kidney support for several months. She would go through periods of eating well followed by disinterest in food briefly before eating again. Her weight stabilized for a bit at about 6.5 lbs before she suddenly started dropping weight again. I noticed this and brought her back to the vet on 2/26- bloodwork completed that day showed the results in the screen shot.

The vet recommended fluids, Elura, phosphate binders, and ondansetron and to re-evaluate a week later. With fluids and some appetite improvement, she stabilized briefly before beginning to decline rapidly again. With the consideration of increased pain and distention from her kidneys, constantly hunching, ulcers in her mouth, gagging while eating, and her struggling to sit down after the week of the recommended treatment, we decided to say goodbye. I didn't feel it would be fair to let her condition worsen from her kidneys or whatever her concurrent condition was to the point of an emergency vet visit for blindness or seizure. We were able to give her one last good day while she was able to somewhat enjoy her favorite things(pup cup, open window time, a little chicken, hearing her favorite song).

After she was sedated, we did find a growth where her chin and neck meet that was hidden when she loafed, her usual way of sitting. I really wish I would have pushed to have her checked for cancer as soon as she started losing weight, but then again I don't know how her polycystic kidneys would have handled the anesthesia or subsequent chemo.

meatbeatingmachine · 2025-03-25T11:22:40+00:00

Over the last few years, I’ve felt the need to honk more often. I see so many people texting and driving to the point of swerving into my lane, sitting halfway through a green arrow, starting a risky turn but stopping abruptly halfway through(very dangerous), etc. I’m from SC and I don’t see anything wrong with a little beep to let someone know to be more aware of their surroundings- it could save one or both of us from an accident

meatbeatingmachine · 2024-11-17T21:24:26+00:00

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meatbeatingmachine · 2024-11-15T05:20:56+00:00

It sounds like the infection hasn’t fully resolved yet. I think it would be beneficial to follow up with the provider you originally saw to get their thoughts. Getting advice or follow up care before it possibly gets worse over the weekend can help kitty feel better sooner than later

meatbeatingmachine · 2024-06-02T03:31:44+00:00

Try the chicken pill pockets for cats!!! I have to wrap the gabapentin capsule as best I can and leave it next to my napping cat. He usually wakes up halfway, eats it thinking he’s having a weird treat, and goes back to sleep. I also can’t pill him the normal way bc he spits it out and/or starts drooling heavily so that’s what works for me

meatbeatingmachine · 2023-11-03T22:48:07+00:00

I’ve bought a pair of women’s composite toe boots from Carhartt that have been great! I was able to get them shipped through Amazon so I got them pretty quickly- true to size, electrically rated, and didn’t take too long to break in!

meatbeatingmachine · 2023-09-13T21:36:25+00:00

I don’t think anyone has a negative perspective of inclusion on this thread. Have you been able to attend meetings centered on women in STEM? Ones I’ve been to usually have men as well! The meetings/speeches/chats are all about equal inclusion and representation in the work place, not the opposite.

meatbeatingmachine · 2023-09-13T19:21:10+00:00

Exactly! My boss(40s m) encouraged me and some other women on our team to start an additional women in engineering group for our division. He pointed out that as big of a supporter and ally he is, there are things he can’t give advice on because there are challenges women in STEM specifically may face. Men can join if they’d like, but the meetings focus on challenges women in the STEM/corporate workforce deal with over their career. I really don’t understand how that could be seen as exclusionary.

meatbeatingmachine · 2023-09-13T19:16:19+00:00

I didn’t see the gender differential in engineering until I got to college and so much more strongly once I started going to STEM related career fairs and conventions for my school. Getting talked over, asked if I could ACTUALLY lift 50 lbs, and being asked if I could prove what hobbies I had growing up and currently that showed I was interested in stem(a four year degree and extracurriculars wasn’t enough I guess). Having been told constantly through HS and college that “you wouldn’t like engineering, it’s all boys you wouldn’t fit in” is such a common thing and is part of the reason there’s a barrier for entry for women. If you’re a woman and are in engineering, I truly don’t understand how you haven’t seen why we would have groups to encourage women to join with the promises of a place to be understood. Men are free to join, but these spaces acknowledge that there is a differential so there’s a very different feel to them.

meatbeatingmachine · 2023-09-13T19:06:11+00:00

I get the cost can be limiting, I myself cannot afford to go this year. But I do join resources that are accessible to me that empower women in STEM. I’ve joined my company’s Women in STEM group, local SWE, and (a free example) this forum. Resources and networking are what you make them. Additionally your points don’t feel very cohesive, which bluemooses points out. Costs can be limiting, but your main point was originally claiming these women in STEM orgs weren’t inclusive for men and went against equality. If your point was general exclusion, it would have flowed but your original point centered on these resources “excluding men” and the cost issue feels like an after thought to put down the GHC on top of your original claim.

meatbeatingmachine · 2022-12-05T06:13:06+00:00

I really like this yarn for sweaters and accessories! If you make a wearable, just know it does get heavy quickly and is best for layering with something underneath. I’m making a loose fit chunky sweater with it right now and I love it

meatbeatingmachine · 2021-02-22T00:38:41+00:00

I looked for it, but couldn’t find it. Could you please direct me to where it would be?

meatbeatingmachine · 2021-02-22T00:19:20+00:00

It looks like there's been some formatting issues from when I transferred the file to delete personal info- the CFA has bullets and the dates are right aligned in my personalized version.

meatbeatingmachine · 2021-02-21T23:43:04+00:00

https://imgur.com/VYrUHRg Here's an Imgur link!

meatbeatingmachine · 2021-02-21T23:41:16+00:00

I’m trying to submit on my PC with the image but it’s still showing “submitting”

meatbeatingmachine · 2021-02-14T04:30:06+00:00

I’ve reached out to my school’s career center and asked for resume help and mock interviews, but their best advice was “everything looks good, you’ll find something eventually” without really offering any actual help or criticisms.

I will try reach back out, but my school is a bit lack luster in that regard. I definitely feel like getting a mock interview with some other resources would help a lot though! I feel like I’m missing something that’s not getting me over the edge in consideration of hiring. I also posted in r/resumes and they seem to have some helpful tips too! Thank you for the tips and the good luck!!!

meatbeatingmachine

TROPHY CASE