Cardiology appt.

There hasn't been any improvement with the episodes so they worked Mia in this afternoon at 11:30. We will post more information once we come home.

The only positive thing is the fact she is recovering pretty quickly but in total she has now had 10 syncope episodes in the past 5 days. This morning at 4 AM she had a really bad one. I am not sure what they will be able to do but I pray they come up with some plan that can prevent these from happening so frequently. I can't think of anything at all that has changed that would have started this all.

Thanks so much for all the love and support once again.

Pulmonary Hypertension

After a neurology consult and several more cardiology tests they found out she also has pulmonary hypertension. They sent in a prescription for a vasodilator that will hopefully help reduce or eliminate the syncope episodes. We just have to wait a few days for it to arrive.

I'm happy we seemed to have found the answer and now I just pray the medication will help the symptoms. Poor Mia seems to only receive bad news but luckily we have a way to try and treat it.

Thank you all for the love and prayers.

PS - on a bright side, her lungs were clearer than they have been since this all started. You always have to look on a bright side

The new medication has arrived!

Wonderful news! The new medication has arrived and much faster than we had expected. She has already had her first dose and now we just have to hope it not only helps her lung function but also will result in helping to prevent the syncope episodes she has been experiencing. Overall she has been doing well so if this medication will work as we are hoping it will, she can continue to have a great quality of life. She is a really strong girl and we are doing what we can on our part to keep her that way.


Thank you for the prayers and thank you God for watching over our little girl.

Bad reaction to the new medication

Mia started to have a deep chested terrible cough just hours after receiving the vasodilator. I talked to her cardiologist first thing this morning. We have stopped the medication to see if it is truly a side effect or if she has gone back into CHF. I believe it is a side effect. I don't want to believe she is back in CHF. She is still alert and seems to be doing OK otherwise. I'm just very disappointed this medication doesn't seem like it will be the answer. The cardiologist wants her to take an extra dose of lasix this afternoon and we need to call the office again this afternoon to give an update.

Still no improvement

Mia has been off the vasodilator for a few days now and there is still no improvement with the coughing. She also had another syncope episode this afternoon. I'm not 100% convinced she is in CHF because the other times during the day she still seems to be doing fairly well. She hasn't been very active but she is still eating some and occasionally wanting to play. Perhaps the coughing had nothing to do with the new prescription. I'm not one to believe in coincidence but I would think being off the med would have at least shown some improvement if that had been the trigger. I just hate to believe there is yet another medical issue she has to deal with.

We did post a short video of the coughing spell. This is not the normal cough she had been experiencing from heart failure, this is a very deep hoarse cough.

We're going back to the U

They think there might be something else going on so Mia is going back to the U in a couple hours. We just seem to be fighting a losing battle and right now don't think we can handle any more bad news. I'm just hoping it isn't terrible. We love Mia so much but right now we're not sure we are being fair to her. Praying for a miracle

Newest update, back from the U

No terrible news but no answer for the coughing either. They do no think it is contributed to taking the vasodilator for the pulmonary hypertension so they want us to start her back on that today to help prevent the syncope episodes. I'm honestly scared to death to give it to her again but they feel is isn't connected with the new cough. She is not back in CHF and the lungs are still clear but I didn't think she was simply because she is still eating and bright eyed.

To combat the cough they have started her on hydrocodone. Oh my gosh, I hope this works. Yesterday was an awful day for her so I hope today is better.

Brrrrrrr it's cold and a pupdate

Temps plummeted again today and put us back in the deep freeze. We will be lucky if we even reach zero degrees tomorrow. I am beyond ready for spring, I am not a winter kind of gal. Luckily it should be a short lived cold front.


As for a pupdate, things are holding steady. I haven't had a syncope episode since Monday so that is promising. I still have the cough though. The hydrocodone is helping some so at least now when it starts, it doesn't seem to last as long and they are a little less severe. Guess it is as good of news as any.

Muah! Muah!
Mia

PS - the hydrocodone makes me sleepy ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Holding steady

I'm so glad it is February! January ended with me having 13 syncope episodes in just a short period of time but so far none this month! I know it is early in the month but I'll take it :)

The cough is still here but not nearly as bad so the new medication is working. Mom says I am the strongest little girl she knows. She can't believe my will and determination.

If we can just flash back to February 2005, that was a scary time for me. I was separated from my first family. I don't know what happened or if they ever looked for me but I was lost on the streets and was very cold. I was brought to a scary place called a shelter but they liked me there. I heard several people were interested in seeing me but they would come and go. Finally, a very nice lady came and told me that her daughter who lives far away wanted to take me home and give me a place to call my own forever. When the shelter said the stray hold was over I was officially adopted and stayed with that lady for a couple weeks so I could recover from my spay surgery. It was now early March and a lady and her son came to the house I was staying at. That lady REALLY liked me and told me I was moving to MN (had I only known how COLD it was there, BOL). A few days later we were on our way to MN and the rest is history. First thing was a check up and mom got me microchipped. She said there would never be a day I ever got lost and not have a way to find my way back home. I had a few issues when I was adopted and I had lots of worms that took all my food but once I was treated and my fur grew back, I was a whole new dog. I knew this family loved me and they have shown me the true meaning of love. Of course this is something I'll fight for. I LOVE them so much and they love me.

Muah!
Mia

It's a never ending roller coaster

Just when everything was going so well, we are now back sliding downward. Mia has been feeling pretty good the first week of February. Her cough had subsided and had gone from getting the medicine three times a day to just once in the evening. She also hadn't had a syncope episode since late January. We were certainly hoping things were on an upswing. Last night the cough started to increase again and in the evening she had her first syncope episode of the month. I don't know if we can ever really keep them away and perhaps this is just her norm now but it still continues to be such a heartbreaking experience. We upped her cough medication and will give an extra dose of the vasodilator today. With any luck we can help turn this back around before it gets any worse.

As always, Mia remains a little trooper through it all