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Charlie was MRI'd - here we go again :(

Donna I'm so sorry about all this hassle, you really didn't need this.

poor Charlie, it's awful that he has to go through all this due to their incompetence :(

Wishing you all the best for Monday, thank goodness Alison's DH could take the day off so that she can take you...and that she was able to get the scan for you...


Have a safe journey, Charlie will be in good hands at Chestergates, and they will help you decide the best treatment for him.

:flwr: :flwr: :flwr: :flwr:
 
:yikes :yikes :yikes

Just catching up with this one now.. :yikes :yikes :yikes

Donna, I am so sorry to hear all of this!!! How enfuriating!! I will be sending positive thoughts to charlie (yet again) and thank Goodness you have so many people around you that care. Alison you're an angel. ;)

Good luck hun and let us know how you guys get on.. *HUGZ*!!!
 
Good luck Donna and Charlie! Hope all goes smoothly after all the chaos you have been through.
 
Donna and Charlie....Lily and I will be thinking of you on Monday and wishing you a good outcome.
 
Thanks all :) Not looking forward to tomorrow but it has to be done :(

Nicki, Alison isn't driving - I am! I've even tidied out my car :lol: I've printed off a route map and Alison can navigate.....

I've also chewed down all my nails (which is something I never do :yikes ) :roll:

I'm packing up a hamper of food - just in case we get stuck on the M way for 3 hours again LOL and have bought a load of bottles of water - I think we're prepared LOL

Alison's hubby is an absolute angel, bless him :) Mine hasn't even offered up his Sat. Nav :roll: (He'll probably also be sat waiting for his dinner when I get home, too :? ). My friend has also offered to pop in and walk Maxx for me and then let him out for a wee before she goes to work in the afternoon. She'll probably end up making a coffee and sitting on the sofa cuddling him as she usually does, too LOL
 
Wow Donna, and some nosh for us!!! you little treaasure x :D... not like when we got stuck on the M4 for nearly 4hrs on the way home after collecting Ellis :yikes

Will leave mine at 6 a.m and should be with you by 7.15ish.....try to get some sleep :flwr:

Alison, Wilts, U.K.
 
Just catching up on all this; WOW what a mess with Swindon (who are they? I don't know what clinic that is).

Chestergates are very decent folks; don't know if Geoff Skerritt will be working or you might see the German guy who works with him; he has done some interesting research and presented at the London SM meeting. I'm not sure if there are others there as well.

Fingers crossed and hope you get some answers. Please post when you know, Donna; lots of good thoughts for you and Charlie.
 
The Great Western Referrals in Swindon, Wilts have a mobile MRI scanner that comes every Monday. It also calls in at Devizes, Wilts about 25 miles away along with two places in Bristol. It seems we are very well served by MRI scanners in this area.

The GWR is a specialist centre where many people get sent with their animals/birds/fish for a specialist referral. They do have a web page..a google search will be able to help with that.

An error of sorts has been made here but normally they have a very high reputation for the work carried out there.
It hasn't helped that the normal resident neurologist/vet that we saw last year and who I might add was very good in explaining our scan results is now absent and away at the moment awaiting the birth of her baby.

Alison, Wilts, U.K.
 
Poor Charlie. Mine and Tobys thoughts will be with all of you tomorrow.

Have a safe journey!!! :drivecar:

Toby says he is look forward to seeing both Maxx and Charlie again and hopes all Charlie stuff will be sorted by then. Me has kept his best Pizzal stick for him! :lol:
 
Alison_Leighfield said:
Wow Donna, and some nosh for us!!! you little treaasure x :D... not like when we got stuck on the M4 for nearly 4hrs on the way home after collecting Ellis :yikes

Will leave mine at 6 a.m and should be with you by 7.15ish.....try to get some sleep :flwr:

Alison, Wilts, U.K.
Click to expand...

Alison,

Don't worry, I've made you 18 ham and cheese rolls ;) and have got 4 bottles of water for the car. You can pick which yogurt and fruit you want in the morning :lol: I'm making sure we've got everything as they've predicted snow for sometimes this week and it would be just our luck, wouldn't it? :roll: :lol:



Karlin said:
Just catching up on all this; WOW what a mess with Swindon (who are they? I don't know what clinic that is). .
Click to expand...

A link to their site - remove it if you want - just letting you know who they are.... http://www.gwreferrals.com/

Karlin said:
Chestergates are very decent folks; don't know if Geoff Skerritt will be working or you might see the German guy who works with him; he has done some interesting research and presented at the London SM meeting. I'm not sure if there are others there as well..
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reassurances :) I wish we'd gone there in the first place but you live and learn :roll: James (my Vet) thinks we're seeing Mike Targett as that's who he spoke to on the phone. I believe Alison has already met him several times before.

Karlin said:
Fingers crossed and hope you get some answers. Please post when you know, Donna; lots of good thoughts for you and Charlie.
Click to expand...

Thanks :flwr: I'm sure we will get some answers tomorrow. James is very confident that we are going to get the very best care (he's known Mr Skerritt for years). One other thing I am vexed at is that when James called the GW back to ask them to send the MRI scans directly to Chestergates, they all completely denied all knowledge of any phone calls that I had made to them that day :shock: :swear:

I am just glad that I spoke to the receptionist that I did and she had the sense to speak to a different Vet (who maybe doesn't want to get in trouble with the bosses?????) who then confirmed that Charlie DID need an urgent Neurology referral....


Will report back in as soon as we can.

Thanks everyone for all of your good wishes and thoughts. Charlie is completely oblivious to the problem tonight and is snoring like a piggy after scofffing a roast dinner and then having a nice long :dgwlk: with Maxx and their friend, Sam (who is as big as both of them put together) :D
 
Hi All,

We're back! Had a very long day driving but at least now that Charlie has been seen by Mr Targett I feel much happier and might get some sleep tonight!

OK then, seeing as how we were told by GWR that the only problem Charlie had was mild hydrocephalus, I have today had my worst fears confirmed.

Charlie has got extremely bad hydrocephalus (a skull just full of liquid), he has also got a mis-shapen foranem magnum, a kink in the cerebellum and blockages behind both middle ears.

As the GWR didn't scan down to Charlie's tail (like James had asked them to do), Mr Targett wants us to go back for another MRI scan and he also wants to see if the hydrocephalus has started to move, seeing as Charlie's symptoms have increased and worsened. We will, this time, have a full length scan and as Mr Targett is leaving :( , another consultation with a different Neurologist.

Charlie also has a problem with his lower spine which is probably causing his mild-moderate incontinence, another reason Mr Targett wants a scan of his lower back - to see exactly what the problem is. It could be a herniated or slipped disc or it could be a spinal syrinx.

I have also been asked if I would like the blockages removed from his inner ears (looks like PSOM) - they will drill holes and remove the debris, not just insert the needles and remove it :shock:

Before I decide completely on this one, I want to have a chat to James about it. When Mr Skerritt looked at Maxx's scans before, he said that he wouldn't bother with his ears and Maxx's ears look much more blocked than Charlie's - he's deaf anyway and Charlie most certainly isn't :lol:

I will get him scanned again in about 3 weeks time and then we'll decide on further courses of action - probably Neurontin (Gabapentin).

Boy am I glad that I insure my dogs (y)
 
Hi Donna! sorry I don't know very much about all of this. Have they given Charlie any meds to help him while he's waiting on the next scan?
It all sounds so daunting... poor little guy and poor you :hug: you must be beside yourself with worry.

I hope that James will be able to guide you and that Charlie will very soon get the correct treatment.

Sending you all BIG :hug:S
 
Hi Donna....I'm so sorry for the diagnosis, but glad that you know now most of what you are dealing with. It sounds like Charlie is in good hands now.

Hugz from me and Lily to you and Charlie.:hug:
 
oh Donna I'm so very sorry - this was the news we were dreading :( :( :(

Poor wee fellow...at least you know the extent of his problems now, I know it's not what you wanted to hear, but at least he can be started on treatments now.

I'm sorry too that he will have to have another scan, but that will show exactly what is going on.

Thinking of you both, give Charlie a gentle cuddle from us xxxx :flwr: :flwr: :flwr: :flwr:
 
Thanks all :flwr: Charlie sends you all loving licky kisses with his lovely smelly 'Butchers Tripe breath' ;) :lol:

Yes, I am very upset at the outcome but deep down I think I have suspected it all along.

Whatever happens now, we will deal with it and Charlie will have whatever medication he needs & whatever time he has with us, he will of course be thoroughly spoiled as he has been since we had him :) His new collar and lead was much admired by Mr Targett btw :lol:

Claire, Mr Targett doesn't want to start Charlie on any meds until he has had his next scan as he wants to see what is really happening at the bottom of his spine (bit further up than the base). As he has said, if he starts him on meds now it could move things down (as in maybe 'remove' or reduce the swellings on any syrinxes) and also mask any symptoms as well.

He will be having the scan done very soon though so won't be allowed to suffer. In the meantime I will just be trying to keep him as calm as I can and if he tries to wriggle out of his harness then he won't go walkies - he can just do as he wants :flwr:

I will be speaking to James tomorrow and will then make a final decision about Charlie's ears but I just feel that he has been through enough lately without having yet more surgery :?

Anyway, enough waffling from me. But before I go, I must just say Thank you and give a HUGE :hug: to Alison for accompanying me and Charlie today, she makes a wonderful navigator (even if we did end up going the wrong way when we got back on the motorway :lol: - at least we were laughing about it).

Alison, Charlie says he's reserved his bestest smelliest licky kisses for you cox he wuvs oooooo so muchhhhhhhhhhhhhhh xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx :lotsaluv:
 
Sorry that you have had this complex diagnosis but I know you will also be relieved to finally KNOW -- I have certainly been there.

Unless his ears are bothering him and causing pain (as opposed to just deafness) I wouldn't bother draining them. Most of the time, this has to be repeated *at least* once so you are likely talking more than just a single procedure. About 30% of cavaliers seem to have PSOM. Both Jaspar and Leo had it show on their MRIs -- Mr Skerritt told me he regularly sees it and doesn;t advise operating unless there's some significant reason to do it. If they feel his symptoms are caused by something else, I'd leave it, but that's my personal feeling of course.

If James has a record of asking for a full MRI and it wasn;t done, I'd be looking for finacial compensation from the service that did the scan as you are now ending up paying again for a scan that was ordered. I'd think you'd have a small claims case you'd win if James will state in writing (or has on written records somewhere) that he asked for the full spine to be done. If insurance paid for this I'd inform insurance as they will give them hell which will give you some small consolation perhaps..
 
Thanks Karlin,

Yes I agree totally about the ear issue, that's why I'm just going to run it by James first off before i say I don't want to go ahead with surgery.

Mr Skerritt told me about the high incidences of PSOM when he looked at Maxx's scan and Maxx's was from what I remember, much worse. Maxx is almost completely deaf too, whereas Charlie hears everything (not always a good thing :lol: ).

James was off today as he's been on call all weekend and I know he was extremely busy on Saturday so I guess he deserves a day off ;) I am going to speak to him tomorrow about whether he has a record of asking for a full length scan or not. I know it's the insurance that pays in the end but it's still eaten into the insurance allowance for the year.

We'll have a good chat tomorrow & then I'll know where to go from here.

Thanks again :flwr:
 
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