For you Audrey

http://press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/jcem-51-1-144?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dpubmed


I seen this on facebook and thought of you. I found it pretty interesting. I know you do a lot of research on your own you might have seen this already. Hope your doing okay. 
  Kathi

Hi Kathi,

This was very sweet of you to post this for me! Thank you!! I took a quick glance. I will read it thoroughly later on. It looks very interesting!

I am doing ok. I've just been very busy. Having problem with my cats, and now I'm researching their issues. Then we went away this past weekend to watch my granddaughter compete in gymnastics. Seems like there is just too much to do anymore, and my computer time is cut short. Every time I think I'll get on here and catch up with you all, something else comes up. I AM going to post something VERY soon to let you all know what has been going on in my life. I miss you all VERY much!!! I do hope you all are making progress with your specific health issues and working toward being well again! Onward!!

Audrey

Looking forward to hearing how things have been for you, Audrey - we miss you!!

And that looks like a really good paper, Kathi.

Love to you both from Tigerlily xxxx

Well, Tigerlily, I am finally here to fill you all in on my wacky life. I have some positive things to report and some not so positive. I can tell you it is nice to finally have time to sit here and talk to you all. I feel like I'm back home.

Let's see, where do I start. I guess I could tell you that my heels and my feet have improved to the point where I no longer have pain at all while walking!! I do still have a bit of heel pain when standing for more than 5 or 10 minutes, but that too is a big improvement. When I sit with my feet propped up my heels hurt some, but I keep thinking about how nice it is to be able to walk again without feeling excruciating pain and without crutches, and I am thrilled!!! I guess that was all caused from the hyperparathyroidism. I have heard from several people that the heel pain is usually the last to resolve. It's been 14 months now since my surgery. I guess they were right. I am VERY grateful for this improvement!

I also would like to say that I think I have finally figured out how to prevent recurrent UTIs. Well, I haven't figured out how to prevent them altogether, but I am experiencing a huge improvement! I've gone from having 5 UTIs in 6 months to just 2 UTIs in 6 months! I was getting them every 3-5 weeks. My last few have been 9 and 11 weeks apart, and I am presently at 9-1/2 weeks since my last. I am also very grateful for this improvement, as my urologist had told me several times that if I continued having 6 or more a year, I would have to start taking daily antibiotics and using estrogen cream, and I did NOT want to do either of those things. So I kept trying different supplements and changing things in my diet, and I think I will be ok now. My urologist was so thrilled for me, she told me I don't have to come back for a year!!

The adrenal symptoms seem to be at a good place. My blood pressure now stays in the normal range. No more 76/43 pressures for sure!! I no longer feel extremely weak. Most times I am not weak at all. I still take my Florinef daily, and this seems to keep me feeling well.

I had a great nephrology appointment back in December. Oh, I just love that little, nutty nephro. He is amazing! I have asked him to take over with my thyroid issues also because he seems to know a lot more about this than my endocrinologist. I have been trying to get my PA and my endo to test my Reverse T3 for over a year, but they both refuse to order this test. They tell me it's not necessary. I asked my nephro about this. He grabbed his pad and pen and ordered it for me! There were no questions asked. I will be going for this bloodwork very soon. This man knows I'm suffering. He knows I need help, and I think he was impressed that I knew enough to ask about this. I think this is the main reason I like him so much. He respects what I have to say. I also respect all HE has to say! This works well.

I have, however, been having some things going on that are not positive. I am having a LOT of trouble with my cervical spine. I am now thinking all of this neck, shoulder, back, and upper arm pain I've been having, and the tingling in my hands, is not being caused form hyperparathyroidism, which I had blamed it all on for years. I do think there is a serious issue with my spine that will probably need taken care of very soon. Actually, tomorrow I will start searching for a good surgeon. I found the results of an old MRI of 4 years ago. It stated that I had 2 bulging discs and some spurring going on in there. I do believe that has all worsened greatly, because my spine, which used to hurt in that area intermittently, now hurts constantly, and all too often now it flares up and is so painful, I can't move my arms and can hardly more my neck at all. I think it's time to look for help. My neighbor was telling me about the head of spinal surgery at a big hospital here in our city. She said he performs top-notch laser surgery. I think he might be my man. I am hoping after this is taken care of, I will be good to go for a while, but I also have cataracts in both eyes, so at some point that will need to be taken care of too. Is this what aging is like?!!! Geez, when do we get a break?!!

I also had a very scary time here with one of my cats 2-1/2 weeks ago. I thought I was losing her! I won't go into detail here, but I can tell you I was sleeping on the bathroom floor because she had a bed in that closet, and I wanted to be near her, thinking she was not going to make it through the night. She stopped eating and drinking for 3 days! She is now doing MUCH better, but a couple of days after she started eating again, she started scratching all over, shaking her head, rubbing her face on hard surfaces, chewing on her limbs, and cleaning herself excessively. Obviously, she was very itchy. A couple of days later, my other cat started doing the same thing, and a couple days after that, I started itching all over!!

Several years ago, something very similar happened here. At that time I had 6 cats. The same little cat who started itching this time, also started itching first several years ago. A couple of weeks later, another cat started. Then 1 by 1 ALL 4 of my other cats started, and about the time the 6th one started itching, I started itching! This went on for months while I went crazy trying to figure out what the problem was! I slipped into a deep depression because I just could not figure this out! I had all 6 cats to the vet to let him examine them to see if he could find any reason for this. He could not. He gave them injections for the itch. He gave them injections to kill any possible parasites, which he never did find. Nothing helped! I even took the youngest cat, who was the first to start itching, to a vet dermatologist, to see if he could help. He found nothing. We all 7 went on itching constantly. I thought I was going to lose my mind! There were no rashes or anything. It just felt like little fibers all over my face and my body, causing constant itching. I assume that was what the cats were feeling too. They had all of the fur rubbed off of their ears after months of scratching so much.

The first time I took the youngest one to the vet, the first thing he asked was, "Is there any fiberglass in your house?" I told him not that I knew of, but I would ask my husband to make sure. I came home and asked my husband. He said there was none. The youngest cat had been spending a LOT of time up inside of our basement ceiling for years since I brought her into our house. We have a hung ceiling down there. She was afraid of the other 5 cats, so she found her way up inside of the ceiling from the back room, which was not yet finished.

Repeatedly, I asked my husband if he was SURE there was no fiberglass up in that ceiling. He insisted there wasn't. Well, months went by, and I thought I was totally losing my mind! I was so depressed, I was crying all the time, and wondering if my cats and I were even going to survive!

One day, I was so frustrated and so low, I went downstairs and started removing all of the ceiling tiles. After I removed about 8 tiles, I found something. Yep, I found some fiberglass insulation!! It was apparent that 1 or more of the cats had made a bed in the fiberglass and had been sleeping in it!! I stood there and cried. I could not believe what I had found! I was so mad at my husband! When confronted about this, he told me he knew there was a little insulation in that area, but he didn't think the cast were going over there!!! I have NO idea what he was thinking!!!

We cleaned out all of the insulation, had our duct work professionally cleaned, and then for months I had to thoroughly vacuum the entire house, upstairs and down, including furniture, drapes, and curtains EVERY DAY!! Months later we all stopped itching!! There is no other way to describe this experience but as HELL!

Now it is 9 years later, and here we are again itching like crazy! Again, there is no rash, just severe, constant itching! Just as before, it feels as though my skin is extremely sensitive, and every little particle of dust or fuzz or anything causes an intense tickling. I also feel little, sharp, prickly, stinging pains that cause constant itching. My cats and I are going NUTS!!!

I might add that my husband was never bothered by the fiberglass 9 years ago, and he has not yet been affected this time by this current itching. I am thinking it is probably because he works 14 hours a day, and is simply hardly ever here. so here I am again, trying to convince him there is a serious problem here!!!

The cats have not been in the basement ceiling for 9 years, since the first fiberglass incident. My husband went around the basement and blocked off every little, possible opening so the cats could not get back up there.

My husband insists the only fiberglass in the house now is the insulation in the attic, which the cats can not possibly get to. They have no access to the attic. They have never been up there.

So we are totally stumped, and my cats and I are in agony!!!!

My sister and my son both suggested we have the house tested for mold. Since I have no other idea what to do, I am going to have this done. My husband thinks I'm nuts, but we have to start somewhere. We can't go on like this!!!

I even asked him if he thought it might be the furnace filter causing the problem. I know this sounds nuts, and my husband thought so too, but I just don't know what is wrong here! I asked my husband if he knows what the filter is made of. Surely it would not be fiberglass, right? That wouldn't make any sense. I asked him if he just recently changed that filter. He said he did. I got all excited. I thought maybe this was IT! Then he told me it was a couple of months ago. : ( Although, could it be possible that it just took several weeks for enough of something to get into the air to affect us? I have no idea!!

Please pray for us all here, because I am totally lost and need help. I am wondering if we will have to get out of the house. If so, I have no idea where I would go. Nobody wants me to move in with my cats, and I will not go anywhere without them. I am very frightened. If any of you have any idea what might be going on here, I would greatly appreciate you sharing it with me.

I am still totally worn out anyway from all of the endocrine issues, and now this on top of it has got me feeling like I just have nothing left to give. I need to figure this out and get my kitties and me comfortable again!! The cats are visibly distressed. This is HELL!!!

So now you know why I have not been on here very often. I have spent MANY, MANY hours trying to take care of my cats and myself, beside the regular things with my family. I've been researching all sorts of things trying to figure this all out.

I do hope you are all doing well with your health issues and in your lives. I have not forgotten about you. I've just been very busy.

Audrey

Hello Audrey - welcome back!

I'm so sorry to hear of your itching troubles, but I wonder if they could be anything to do with your tumble dryer - if you have one - possibly in the basement?

https://uk.toluna.com/opinions/1017423/Does-anyone-else-find-that-tumble-drying-bedsheets-makes

I have something at the back of my mind about itching and tumble dryers - possibly connected with the fact that older dryer filters sometimes have asbestos in them - although most US ones and the newer ones do not, or so I have read.

Perhaps it could be an allergy connected with your washing powder/liquid, if you have changed it or it has been re-formulated recently?

If I come up with any other ideas, I'll let you know, as I'm sure will other forum members.

Your idea about the mould testing sounds promising, too.

Keep us posted on developments - Love from Tigerlily xxxx

Thanks for the suggestions, Tigerlily.  MUCH appreciated!   Our clothes dryer is only about 1-1/2 years old, so I doubt if it's asbestos, but thank you for mentioning that.

When my kitty became very ill 2-1/2 weeks ago, and it looked like something allergic right off the bat, I started trying to think of anything that might have caused it.    When she came into the living room that morning to greet me, she was drooling excessively!   It was hanging down from her face for about 5 inches or so!    It was all across her mouth and chin.  I had never seen anything like this before!    I thought maybe she ate something she shouldn't have.    I had her to the vet's office in 20 minutes!  I was REALLY scared!  
They drew blood and took x-rays and found nothing except an elevated glucose level.   T.C. (Tu Cute) has had this issue in the past with the elevated glucose.  They told me when a cat is stressed, it can cause an elevated glucose level.   Last year when this happened, she had been in her carrier for 4 hours before the appointment!    I was afraid if I didn't grab her when I had the chance, I would not be able to get her at all.     She was terribly stressed that morning!   She was in the carrier crying for 4 hours and trying to get out!     We had her level retested a couple of weeks later, and her level was normal.     THIS time when it happened, they told me it was higher than it was last year, and they didn't think it was stress related.   Now, keep in mind the poor little cat was stressed out enough at home that morning to cause her to drool excessively, she was put in a carrier and taken to the vet, where she was put in a big room with a bunch of other crying cats and barking dogs, had blood drawn from her neck, was held down for x-rays, and had her claws trimmed.    Gee, I don't think she was stressed that morning, do you?      So they told me because her glucose was so high this time, they also wanted to perform a bladder aspiration to check for glucose in her urine.   I felt so badly for this little cat, I started to tear up.   I hated to put her through anything else, but they told me it was very necessary to determine whether or not she was diabetic.    I asked the tech if urine glucose can also be elevated from stress.   She said that usually wasn't the case.   So I agreed to the bladder aspiration, and I sat there and cried while I waited to hear the results.

The doctor called me back into the room and told me that her urine glucose WAS elevated, which meant she was most likely diabetic.  She told me I would have to start giving her insulin injections.  This upset me greatly, because years ago I had another cat who was diabetic, and I had to give him 2 injections a day.  The difference that he was a very calm, laid back, little guy, and would let me do anything.   T.C. is NOT like that, and I don't think there is any possible way she would let me do that to her!    And even if she would let me attempt it, there is no way I could do it myself, because I would need to hold her tight, and I would need 2 hands to pick up the skin with one and administer the injection with the other.   So this was not something I wanted to hear!

Then the vet told me there was 1 more test she wanted to run to better determine if T.C. was diabetic.    She wanted to fun a fructosamine test.   This would show us what her glucose level has averaged over the past 2 or 3 weeks.   She said she thought she had enough blood left over from the first blood draw, but if she didn't, she would have to draw more blood.   Oh, my gosh, I sure as heck didn't want to put T.C. through that again, but I really wanted to rule out diabetes, so I agreed to this, and I prayed there was enough blood left over.    I was told to wait out in the waiting area.

The tech came out with the results for me.   T.C.'s fructosamine level was as low as it could possibly be without being below the normal range!!     I was SO relieved!!!     But then the tech told me the doctor wanted to recheck T.C.'S glucose the following week.  ????    We were there at the vet's office for 3-1/2 hours this day.   T.C. had been through heck!   Did they really think she would not be overly stressed if I brought her back the following week to be retested, causing another elevated glucose level?!    Would this really prove anything?    And if I had them recheck her frustosamine, which shows where her glucose level has been over the past 2 or 3 weeks, THAT too would be elevated because she was so very stressed out at this marathon, hellish appointment!   So, again, what purpose would this serve?  

So I called them when I got home and told them I will bring her back in 2 months when I bring her to get her claws trimmed.   I told them they could check her glucose level at that time and also check her fructosamine again.

I'm sorry, I got a bit off track there!!     Now, back to the itching!   So when T.C. started itching a couple of days later, I thought of my laundry detergent.  I have used the same detergent for a couple of years now.  So I didn't think it could be that, because I've been using the same bottle for quite a while.    It dawned on me that I had used fabric softener to wash their bedding and all of their blankets a day or 2 before she got sick.   That was a stupid move, I know, but I have always used fabric softener for this, and we've never had any trouble.    So I gathered all of their bedding and blankets and even my afghan on the couch, and I double washed and double rinsed everything!    Still she was itching, and by this time Chewy (my other cat) was also itching.  : (

I thought it might be their food, but they have been eating the same food for years!    Still, I wondered if maybe the cat food company had added something new to it.  So I went shopping and bought all new food!

Then I started wondering about their litter.   I remembered filling their boxes (they have 3) around the time T.C. got very sick.   I remembered that the litter had a VERY strong, piney scent, and I was wondering if the cats were going to like this or want to use it!    Thinking this might be the problem, I went back to the store and bought a fragrance-free litter.   STILL the cats were itching, and now so was I!

 I started researching cat litter, then I hit the store again to buy different litter.   I found a new natural littler made from wheat.  It contains no chemicals or fragrance.   I started laughing as I was paying for it.   I told the cashier it would be my luck one or both of the cats will have a gluten allergy and get sick from THIS now!!    

The new litter bag suggests pouring about 3" of it into the litter box and then topping it off with about an inch of their regular litter, so they would gradually get used to the new stuff.   After reading that the previously used litter contained 2 ingredients that can cause itching, I chose not to add any of the old litter.  Bad move!    Fifteen hours later, there was just 1 small pee spot in the new litter!  This was NOT normal!!   I didn't see any 'accidents' anywhere in the house, so I figured the cats must be holding everything in!    I got scared and completely emptied 2 of the boxes, refilling them with the old litter.      I left 1 box with just the new, wheat litter.    I am very happy to say that there has been 2 more pee spots in that box over the past few days!    So it IS getting used.   I am going to start mixing a very small amount of the wheat litter to the other stuff in hopes of getting them very comfortable with it.

So now you can see why I have not been on here much lately.  

If this is not from their food or their litter or the fabric softener, and my husband says it can't possibly be from fiberglass, I will now be looking into the mold.   I will be calling today to make an appointment to have our house tested.    I have been researching this now, and it seems the cats and I have quite a few symptoms of mold exposure.   I have been blaming these symptoms on aging.   Maybe I'm wrong.     I could even deal with most of the symptoms, but this constant itching is not bearable!   I keep telling my kitties that I WILL fix this problem for them.    I sure hope I can!

Audrey

Oh, you poor things, Audrey - you and the kitties. You must be a true cat lady to be suffering with them so!

I do hope something comes up in connection with the mould. Well, I hope it doesn't really, but at least it might be an answer to the problem.

Let us know how things progress - paws crossed here that you get some answers soon.

Love from Tigerlily (and Tiger-Cat and Lily-Cat) xxxx

Oh my gosh Audrey when it rains it pours. Are little animals become such a big part of our family that we will do whatever it takes to get them well also. I would have thought that laundry detergent or softener could be it to. Boy sure wish you good luck on that.

I'm glad the little nutty neph is still doing a good job for you. Kathi