Kevin Masui
11 year old aussie neutered male
Originally seen 7/07 for chronic diarrhea and elevated protein/creatinine ratio
Ultrasound showed glomerulonephropathy
Diagnosed clostridium, treated for it with Clavamox, tested negative, and the protein creatinine ratio became normal
He continued to have a sensitive gi tract and was on a homemade limited ingredient diet of mostly pork and sweet potatoe.
Tongue was pink with a slippery phlegmy coat, and pulses were full.
Treated with si maio san, still soft stool, resolved on Tylan.
Added shen ling bai zu san as well .
12/07 Episode of severe coughing, see by Emerg clinic, treated with AB’s, took 3 weeks to resolve. NOTE Stool was very good (very firm) on AB’s., so it seemed like the colitis was more DH, so I stopped shen ling and started Bai tu wen dan briefly, but the owner stopped it thinking the stool got softer.
6/08 – still in sms and Tylan, added ah zhen sang – less gas and gi gurgling
12/08 – coughed up a bit of mucus and blood one time
Complete lab done all normal
Slight weight loss
1/09 watery stool – tried Flagy
2/09 water stool agastache
3/09 Exercise intolerance – complete lab work up showed albumen 2.5%, globulin 5.2%, otherwise normal
chest rads – broncho pneumonia and some bullae
Rx – Baytril 3 weeks
4/09 Improved but not as much as expected, tongue slightly pale and lavender, pulse slightly thin and wiry
4/09 – saw an internist who took off ab’s, rechecked rads 3 weeks later, residual pneumonia and multi thin walled bullae, started doxy
6/09 Improved some on doxy, less cough but still very exercise intolerant, panting a lot, unable to walk far – Pulse strong yet thin yet wiry, tongue pale and lavender with a little phlegm
RX – xue fu zhu yu tang starting at ¼ t BID ( to move stagnant blood) and su zi jiang qi tan 1/8 t BID ( to direct qi down, dispel cold phlegm and stop cough)
6/09 Improved, breathing easier, less cough, still can’t walk far
Radiology consult concern that pneumonia not full cleared, concern FB (foxtail?)
Trial Baytril, Clav and doxy, continue herbs
7/09 Rads – pneumonia improving AND likely discospondylitis (migrating foxtail?) – cont abs and herbs , AP
7/09 Improving, energy better, cough less, still panting, stool perfect, pulse slightly weak and small, tongue sl pale
8/09 tongue slightly red
8/09 coughed many times, some with blood, panting constantly – to UCD for CT scan
After repeat lab work, chest and abd US, CT scan – suspect mulitiple myloma.
Anesthetized, did bronchial lavage, aspirated mass in lungs – carcinoma or adenocarcinoma - slow growing
CT showed multifocal aggressive lytic lesions in left scapula and several in thoracic and lumbar veterbra.\
We did ua and found Bence Jones protein in urine, lab showed monoclonal gammopathy in blood.
The oncologist started him on melphalan 2 mg SID, prednisone 10 mg SID, Clavamox62.5 mg BID, Baytril 136 mg SID, Tramadol 50 mg TID
He feels better, less panting,
If you didn’t know he was so sick you would not believe it when you walk into the room – bright eyes, happy, hungry. But he has looked this way all along, except when the breathing was really distressed.
Pulse is small, then full, not compressible, not wiry
Tongue is slightly pale, slightly lavender
Now, what herbs can we use to support this process? To help quality of life, fight the myeloma, relieve pain, tonify the immune system, slow down the growth of the lung cancer?