Tenia!

November 12, 2012 / / 5 Comments

In the beginning I fully intended to write a funny post about tapeworms. But then…Well, to be honest, I couldn’t come up with anything even remotely funny…So my conclusion has to be: there is simply no humor to be found in intestinal worms…Though I did find the following joke (I edited it a bit to make it a bit, er, more “palatable” for the blog…):

A guy went to a doctor because he felt sick and was losing weight. The doctor told him he had a tapeworm and instructed him to bring a muffin, a Twinkie and a cookie with him on his next visit. “Trust me. I know what I’m doing,” said the doctor to his baffled patient.
During the following visit, the doctor gently pushed the muffin, the Twinkie and, finally, the cookie into the patient’s rear end. The patient protested, but the doctor reassured him, saying it was part of the therapy.
This treatment continued for several weeks…
The doctor finally instructed the patient to bring a muffin, a Twinkie AND a mallet on the next visit.
The day arrived, and this time the doctor inserted only the muffin and the Twinkie.
After a few minutes, the tapeworm stuck its head out of the guy’s rear end and demanded, “Where’s my cookie???!!!!”

WHAM!!!

That’s about as funny as you’ll get with a tapeworm (sorry if I grossed you out!!!). And…no, no, no…I don’t have tapeworms. Neither does Stefano. Uhm, I’ll give you ONE more guess (hint: see photo).

Yep, it’s our new kitten, Prezzemolo.

And this is how we found out (no mallets involved, though!)…

Last Friday, after we both got home from work, Stefano asked me to have a look at some, er, stuff he’d spotted on Prezzemolo’s blanket (which, by the way, happens to cover Stefano, too, at night…).

The “stuff” looked very much like sesame seeds. Stefano thought it might just be some dry kitty snot (that is, nothing to worry about), but I thought it looked a bit weird. So I put together a sample, which I took to the vets immediately (by the way, we have two vets, a man and a woman, who work in the same office, just so you don’t get confused when I sometimes refer to a “he,” sometimes to a “she”).

“It’s tapeworm,” the vet said, as soon as he set eyes on the sample.

“Tapewhaaaaaat?????” I repeated, stunned, horrified and totally grossed out.

“Tapeworm,” he repeated (tenia, in Italian)…

Well, there are actually two “positive” things about tapeworms: 1. We can’t catch ’em from our cats unless we ingest a fresh, still wriggly tapeworm segment (full of eggs, bleah) or a tapeworm-infected flea (double bleah)…both scenarios = extremely UNLIKELY; 2. Tapeworms can be dealt with relatively easily—two pills, one administered immediately, another after 20 days.

“Two pills, just two pills. How hard can that be?” I thought to myself. Famous last words.

The two tapeworm pills come together in one box, which is extremely convenient…that is, IF you can get both of them down your cat’s throat. So here follows some advice, based on personal experience: it’s pointless to grind up the pill and mix it with any sort of palatable cat food. It won’t work. We tried not one but TWO types of food that Prezzemolo normally adores. But no, he wouldn’t go within a mile of the tapeworm-medicated food, even though he had been taking his antibiotic the same way for ages (oh, for the record, he’s been off antibiotics since last week…).

Well, we gave up in the end (“tough love” didn’t work!)…threw away both mixes…and bought another box of tapeworm pills…

The following morning I phoned the vet and told her the Prezzemolo pill story. “We are totally inept, good-for-nothing parents!” I wailed. She laughed and agreed to help us.

When we got to her office, she said, “don’t worry, this will be easy. I can do it alone.” She held our little Prezzemolo with one hand, and with the other she gently pried his jaws open and deftly popped a pill down his throat, quickly closing his mouth and keeping it shut. Then she tried to squirt some water into the side of his mouth to make him swallow the pill…

And that’s when things got really ugly. Prezzemolo turned into a kung fu master of every single “squirm, twist, wriggle and spit-out-pill” technique known to cats and cobras. And it wasn’t long before the sharp kung fu claws came out, too. Stefano rushed over to help the vet…

Well, I don’t want to bore you, but it took three attempts to get enough of the pill inside of Kung Fu Prezzemolo…which leads me to ask the obvious questions: 1. why oh why can’t drug companies come up with a super easy system to give medicine of any sort to our kitties? 2. Why oh why do we have to traumatize our furry babies with bitter-tasting pills or impossibly huge, hard-to-swallow pills?

It makes no sense…

In my opinion, ALL pet medications should be like Ibaflin 3%, which is a palatable sort of antibiotic gel that you mix with something your cat/pet loves (I mix it with the hairball remedy that my cats love more than anything), then stick on the tip of your finger. My cats will lick it right off my finger. Easy peasy.

Well, as you can see, our sick feline saga continues…Oh wait, and here’s another thing: the vet told us that Prezzemolo’s snotty nose is probably going to be a CHRONIC condition. Lovely. She prescribed lysine for it, which means it’s a herpes-based virus. Great. Super. Fabulous.

Sigh. 😉

But next weekend, if all goes well (= no “sesame seeds” in sight, that is!), we’re going to introduce Prezzemolo to the others…finally! So I’m feeling positive…at least, right now I am… 😉

Absentee voting and pills pills pills…

November 5, 2012 / / 7 Comments

Well, a couple of weeks ago I mailed off my absentee ballot. I won’t tell you for whom I voted, of course…I mean, after all, there are privacy laws and all that. Uhm…let’s just say that if you have been reading my blog for at least 4 years, you can easily figure it out…especially since I voted for him again. 😉

But no, I’m not going to talk about the presidential race today. The only thing I’ll say is that I really hope Cancer Girl’s Barack-oli soup (http://goo.gl/d56aw) helps our mutual candidate tomorrow… 🙂

Okay, enough. Let’s just get this election over with and see who wins, fingers crossed, tightly crossed! In the meantime, I’ll entertain you with a bit of what’s been happening in our large feline household lately. Essentially, after sighing a huge sigh of relief last week, when all the cats seemed fine or on the mend…BOOM!, our eldest cat, Puzzola, came down with a bad cold, too. Can you believe it???

And my recurrent nightmare is that our Puzzola will get sick…You see, administering antibiotics or any other pill to Puzzola in any way, shape or form is virtually impossible. She can smell a pill a mile away, no matter how cleverly you camouflage it.

This is what typically happens: the first day, when she isn’t paying that much attention, she’ll eat the crushed antibiotic mixed in with a her favorite food, and you think “Purrrrfect! This works. Problem solved.” Then the next day she’ll act as though I’m trying to poison her…Same food, same antibiotic, same me, go figure.

But I don’t give up easily. So I switch to an even more palatable sort of food, and my new tactic might work for 12 or even 24 hours, but somehow the kunning kitty figures out there’s a pill somewhere in there. I firmly believe that she would starve herself to death before letting go of her main principle in life: “no human will ever outsmart me with a pill. 😉

Well, I’ve run out of palatable food…This morning I even tried non-vegetarian baby food. Didn’t work.

So this evening, as much as we hate this “plan,” Stefano and I are going to grab her and shoot the pill in liquid form down her throat. We can’t let this high maintenance cat get any sicker than she already is…

And so the sick feline saga continues…Uffaaaaaa!

A new study on curcumin and cancer stem cells

October 31, 2012 / / 5 Comments

I’ve written quite a bit about cancer stem cells, especially myeloma stem cells (check my “Myeloma and Stem Cells” Page on the right), so I don’t need to go over the topic again…

To be honest, though, I hadn’t thought about myeloma or any-cancer stem cells in some time…until this morning, when a very interesting Google Alert led me to an open-access article (oh I just love open access!!!) on curcumin’s effects on stem-like esophageal squamous carcinoma cell lines. Ah yes, the expression “stem-LIKE” stopped me, too. But the study explains that these are cancer cells that behave like stem cells…for instance, they become resistant to conventional treatments and are quite aggressive, as well as being more metastatic…bleah.

Well, we already know that curcumin inhibits some of the crucial cancer stem cell pathways–Notch, WNT and Hedgehog, that is. And we also know that there have been other cancer STEM cell/curcumin studies in recent years (off the top of my head, I can think of colon and breast cancer stem cell studies, e.g.)…

And now here is a NEW study, suggesting that curcumin targets esophageal stem-like cancer cells: http://goo.gl/6Cm8m

Now, truth be told, I have only had the time to glance at this study, so I can’t and won’t comment on it…but I read enough to realize that this bit of news is really POSITIVE…

Now for a quick kitty health update.

Little Prezzemolo is still sneezing and has a bit of a clogged nose, BUT he has been eating like a horse, nah, like a couple of horses!, AND he has also started playing again, which are both incredibly positive signs. Indeed, when you look at this photo (oh he loves playing in his cat tunnel), you wouldn’t think this is a convalescent cat, eh? Yet just a few days ago he wouldn’t even glance at his toys…he was so incredibly weak (slept most of the time)…What a difference from today, when he just wants to play play play, but I have to be super careful not to tire him (and moi!) out too much…

As for Peekaboo, after a difficult, feverish weekend she has made an almost full recovery. Today her voice is back, and, like Prezzemolo, she is showing interest in her toys and has quite an appetite…

Soooooo…a few more days, and we’ll all be fine…(We need a few naps, though, let me tell ya! 😉 )

And just in time for Halloween, too! By the way, Happy Halloween, everyone…

P.S. My thoughts go to those who have been hardest hit by the recent hurricane…Really awful…so sorry…

Domino effect…

October 27, 2012 / / 1 Comment

Early Wednesday morning, I was lying in bed, more than half asleep, with my arms wrapped around a loudly purring Priscilla (our 7-year-old tiger cat), when suddenly she sneezed. Violently. A spray of cat sneeze-snot hit me right in the face. I think there might still be a dent where my head hit the ceiling…

😉

Needless to say, I put Priscilla immediately on an oral antibiotic. Two daily doses in her food. Actually, for preventive purposes, I decided to do the same for our two eldest cats, too.

So here is the current situation:

1. two cats, Prezzemolo and Peekaboo, are still quite ill and have to be taken (by yours truly) to the vet every day for shots of antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory somethingorother to keep down their fevers. Yes, they both have a fever…especially Peekaboo. They are both quite languid but eating, which is always a good sign. Peekaboo, our chattiest kitty, has completely lost her voice due to her tracheitis (inflammation of the windpipe) and is still coughing and sneezing;

2. one sneezing cat, Priscilla, also has a bit of a sore throat (we can tell by the way she gulps when swallowing) and is on an oral antibiotic, as I mentioned. Like Peekaboo, Priscilla has also lost her voice;

3. our two eldest cats, Piccolo and Puzzola, are being monitored carefully and are also taking an oral antibiotic…Thus far, fingers crossed!, they seem to be okay. Uhm, Piccolo did sneeze ONCE in the kitchen this morning, but I hope it was merely in reference to my recent lackadaisical housekeeping 😉 ;

4. Pinga was on an oral antibiotic palatable paste BEFORE any of this happened, so I’m keeping her on it just to be cautious. Together with 12-year-old Puzzola, she’s the most active of our cats.

–The good news: they all have an appetite. This means that I will soon be able to administer the antibiotic orally to ALL of them, without having to go through the stress (for the cats AND me) of taking two of them to the vet every day…Since winter is supposed to hit Italy tomorrow (temperatures are going to drop considerably, etc.), my current goal is to keep the cats at home and warm…

–The bad news: this situation isn’t going to end overnight, I fear. The infection isn’t just bacterial but also has a viral component. And, as we know, viruses can be stubborn beasties…

Now, the obvious question is: since we’d kept the new kitten completely separate from the adult cats from the very beginning, how did the latter get infected?

Well, here’s what happened: a few days after we brought the kitten home, before he’d shown any signs of illness (apart from the gastrointestinal infection), Peekaboo managed to open my parents’ tightly-shut (but unlocked) bedroom door. You know, we really should have named her “Charlize,” not Peekaboo…Have you seen the movie titled “Italian Job” where Charlize Theron plays the role of an expert safe-cracker? Well, that’s our Peekaboo…She can get into ANY room, unless it’s locked, of course (and even then, hmmm, I wonder…). Well, anyway, at the time of the break-in, I was working at my computer in my study, next door. All of a sudden, I heard some loud hissing and growling…I was so engrossed in what I was doing that it took a few seconds (a minute?) for me to get moving…

By the time I reached the bedroom, I found our three youngest girls–Priscilla, Peekaboo and Pinga–glaring and hissing, from a distance, at Prezzemolo, who was in a Sphinx position underneath the bed…absolutely terrified. I don’t know if the cats had had enough time to have any actual physical contact before I arrived…but they must have had some sort of contact, since two out of three are now sick (in addition to Prezzemolo, of course). Oh well. We should have known better and kept the door locked at all times. As we do now. Too late, of course!

So that’s the story…thus far…

Setback…

October 22, 2012 / / 3 Comments

Just a quick update on our feline situation (mainly to explain why I might not be answering emails and so on…).

A few days ago, it seemed that the worst was over: Prezzemolo had begun eating and drinking and seemed to be recovering well.

Well, since then we’ve had quite a setback. Yesterday Prezzemolo didn’t eat a single bite of food. He did have a few sips of water, but that was IT for the day. And he was very lethargic, of course. There was nothing we could do but keep him warm and wait till this morning. We were extremely worried, since this meant that he didn’t have his antibiotic (it was supposed to go into his food, all crushed up, of course)…yes, very bad, I know! Anyway, first thing this morning we took him in to the vet who gave him a shot of antibiotics. Poor little thing…

But that’s not the end of it. Last night, out of the blue, Peekaboo, our five-year-old, began coughing a rather weird, raucous cough…So yes, she’s sick, too. This morning we took her (separately from Prezzemolo) to the vet who told us she has tracheitis (inflammation of the windpipe, or trachea, which can be really dangerous if not treated), luckily with no fever. Antibiotics for her, too. Another miserable cat…

Are the two illnesses connected? Probably…(In spite of all our precautions, hand washing etc.) I mean, Peekaboo has never been sick before. So this is too coincidental. Tomorrow I’m going to see if the vet can run some blood tests and/or sputum cultures on both cats. I’d really like to know what we’re dealing with, here…

At any rate, for the next 8 to 10 days I’ll be taking the cats to the vet (two separate trips, mind you…) for their shots. Stefano will help me whenever he can (today, e.g., he took the day off work…), but I’ll be doing most of the caregiving, since I’m the one who is at home the most.

As long as the others don’t get sick…yikes…Sandy, please send some of that universal energy our way, will you? Thanks!

Well, we will get through this, of course. And Peekaboo and Prezzemolo are going to be fine…It’s just…really hard to see them suffer like this…I mean, just ten minutes ago, the little one turned his head away when I put some yummy wet cat food under his nose to see if I could get him to take just a little bite…

Funny Friday

October 19, 2012 / / 4 Comments

Warning: today’s joke has some sexually explicit language…but it made me laugh out loud, and I think it will make many if not ALL of you laugh, too! 🙂

But first, a quick update on Prezzemolo’s state of health. Yesterday he was doing very poorly indeed. But today, when I got home from work, he was at his food bowl, EATING. I almost cried with happiness. He hadn’t had anything to eat or drink in 48 hours, you see, and we were super worried, even though our vet was positive that he’d be fine (evidently, she was right, I’m happy to say). Then he went over to his water bowl and had a nice, long drink (together with a few sneezes…). Well, he’s still sick, but he is definitely feeling better. And he’s breathing with his NOSE! Relief! Joy!

Okay, here’s the joke, sent to me by a blog reader, now a real-life, good friend:

Sex and Grammar

For all my grammatically correct friends.

On his 74th birthday, a man got a gift certificate from his wife. The certificate paid for a visit to a medicine man who was rumoured to have a wonderful cure for erectile dysfunction. After being persuaded, he went to see the medicine man and wondered what would ensue.

The medicine man handed a potion to him, and, gripping his shoulder, warned, ‘This is a powerful medicine. You take only a teaspoonful, and then say ‘1-2-3.’ When you do, you will become more manly than you have ever been in your life, and you can perform as long as you want.”

The man was encouraged. As he walked away, he turned and asked, “How do I stop the medicine from working?”

“Your partner must say ‘1-2-3-4,'” he responded, “but when she does, the medicine will not work again until the next full moon.”

He was very eager to see if it worked so he went home, showered, shaved, took a spoonful of the medicine, and then invited his wife to join him in the bedroom. When she came in, he took off his clothes and said, “1-2-3!”

Immediately, he was the manliest of men.

His wife was excited and began throwing off her clothes, and then she asked, “What was the 1-2-3 for?”

And that, my friends, is why we should never end our sentences with a preposition, because we could end up with…

a dangling participle.