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The Tristan Times

Cat of the Day!!

Oh I am so excited to be chosen as Cat of the Day! This is such an honor. Thank you Catster. I will be sure to not get too excited and risk more heart troubles. BUT excites I am. I was happy to see my mom smile about it as she doesn't smile all that much these days. Thanks to all for celebrating with me today. It means a lot.



Doing the Happy Kitty Dance-
Tristan

Cardiology update

First off I want to thank all of our Catster friends for sending me and my family all the wonderful prezzies. We love them all! Thank you!

Well last week I had my check-up with the cardiologist. It did not go very well. She said that the Atenolol did not do the job she had hoped it would. While we got my heart murmur a little better, it did not eliminate its obstruction. I can't have a larger dose of it because it has slowed my heart rate down a lot. She does not want it any slower. I also lost 1/2 pound in only 2 weeks. So the weight loss continues. I know my mom is sad because she was hoping the meds would help me more. I guess they don't always do their job well.I still have weak femoral pulses too. The doctor said to come back in 4-6 months. That scares Mom as she was told that for both Louis & Ethan and neither one made it back. It seems if the docs there think they are doing some good they have you back more often. But once they have done all they can- you get the long wait. She said she still does have hope though. Meanwhile she is gonna keep spoiling me & giving me all the love I can take. Uh Oh mushy stuff.

Love and purrs,
Tristan

My Cardiology Results

Well the news from the cardiologist was not the best. I have Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy. In most heart murmurs the valve does not shut completely and some blood leaks out. With HOCM my mitral valve is not closing because it is obstructed. What has it obstructed is the thickened heart wall. I was put on Atenolol. The obstruction can be decreased or even eliminated with this med. However the disease itself is not curable. I am in early stages and at the high end of normal for the thickening of the heart walls. The grade of heart murmur is slightly varied but is listed as grade 3/6. My left atrium is not enlarged as Ethan's was. I have weak femoral pulses. So not enough blood is being pumped to my legs due to the murmur. My mom said we will stay positive that I will have many years ahead of me. I go back in 2 weeks to see if we should raise the dose of Atenolol.

My cardiologist said she was very sad about Ethan. She talked to my mom about him some. Then she took me back for my tests. They let me loose in the echo room & I proceeded to nose into everything I could find! I was running about the room & checking everything out. That worried my cardiologist as she said usually if we cats do that then we are not willing to be still for the echo. But she said I was wonderful & cooperated fully!

Everyone there was fussing over me! They said how gorgeous I am. It sure makes your day. When my mom opens the top of my carrier for someone to visit me, I pop my head up like a jack in the box. MOL! I am a very curious boy.

Please send a few more purrs that the med does its job for me. Thanks so much. Thanks to my mom for helping me write this as I haven't much idea what it all means.

Love & purrs,
Tristan