I've seen a LOT of hyperT cats and I can remember exactly 1 that was under 10 years old at time of initial diagnosis. And this was a 1.5 year old siamese that was a total sicky-poo from day 1 and he had repeated elevated T4 plus tc-99 scans to confirm hyperT as nobody in his/her right mind would believe hyperT in a 1.5 year old cat. I wouldn't even TEST for it in a 7 year old cat unless I was completely at a loss for cause of symptoms and had run every other blessed test in the book. And even then, I would probably insist on tc-99 scan to double confirm, or even triple because I'd probably run the T4 at least twice- once as diagnosis and second time while on tapazole with a resolution of clinical signs to confirm normal T4. So I *have* to ask how were the previous 2 diagnoses made? A second possibility is that you cat has a very rare thyroid carcinoma. Most thyroid tumors in cats are adenomas, which are benign and respond extremely well to usual doses of I-131. However I remember a cat who we initially treated at age 20, and T4 did not return to normal at 30 day recheck. We repeated treatment and T4 went down but was still not normal. Finally we did a biopsy of the thyroid and it was carcinoma not adenoma and we treated her a 3rd time at a MUCH higher dose which was curative at 1 year post treatment. I agree with the others- get a diagnosis first. I can think of about a million different reasons for a cat to have weight loss and nervousness, and hyperT is not amongst the first 999,999 at age 7 or even at age 9. I truly wonder about those diagnoses and how they were done. At age 11 I can believe hyperT but unless he has a thyroid carcinoma I can't make this case make sense. We treated on average 4 cats per week with I-131 when I was a tech, which I did for 9 years. I have a very good memory for things out of the ordinary and am positive that I would have remembered treating a 7 year old cat, and retreating at 9 years if it had happened. It just didn't though. I am sure that the youngest we saw was that siamese and after that I think the youngest was 11 at first diagnosis. The only confirmed carcinoma was in that 20 year old cat. I can think of a couple of repeat I-131 treatments but they were all in older cats (12+ years) who failed to respond at the 30 day recheck. I even remember a cat who had both thyroid glands removed by the referring DVM and owner was thinking about suing for malpractice because cat was STILL hyperT. But we did a tc-99 scan which proved there was hyperT thyroid tissue in thoracic cavity and we did the treatment and he was fine for 3 years at least. I know you are totally distraught over your poor cat. Has he ever had diarrhea or vomiting, or weight loss despite an increased appetite? These are what I would consider hallmarks of hyperT4, not just weight loss (unless appetite was increased as well) and nervousness. I mean, cats are nervous species and if not eating of course weight loss ensues but inappetence is NOT a sign of hyperT4. Please get a diagnosis on your kitty. I hope you can get records of previous treatment including full labs and diagnostic T4 along with post-treatment T4. We usually got T4 level at 30 days, 60 days, and 1 year post-treatment and only with normal t4 for all 3 rechecks did we call the treatment a success. We were 98% successful, and we treated a LOT of cats.

I was so happy to see this post; I quit smoking with the aid of Chantix after only 12 days. It has made a huge change, for the positive, in my life. I can look back now (it's been a year and a half) and see that smoking was really a mental thing...in my head. Those times when you think you'd "like" a cigarette will pass quickly if you tell yourself in your head that "I don't do that anymore". It reminds me of how Tony Robbins says that once you make a "real" decision and stick to it you know all the other things it takes to make that decision come true. Many times when I've thought I'd like a cigarette what I really needed was a break. Just to sit down and take a break or have a snack or walk away from what I was doing. I was substituting a cigarette from just a break in general. I think you are making that connection now. If you can only be mentally aware of that as your body is getting used to getting the nicotine out of its system you will be a winner. And I hope I'm not offending any smokers but I really do feel good about myself when I see others going outside in the freezing weather or rain to have a smoke. Or having to run to the store because they're out of cigarettes. I'm done with that! I wouldn't even bother counting the days or months but I happen to know it was just before Christmas last year. It's not important how many days....I just know that I dont do that anymore. And I really sincerely wish this success for you also. Please keep posting! BTW, I am diabetic too!

Thanks for the link, morz. My mother, who died suddenly at 70, took daily calcium supplements, as she had severe osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. I guess I'll never know whether the calcium supplements played any part in her death of a stroke at a relatively young age. She was the youngest of 10 siblings, all who died of heart attacks or strokes between the ages of 50 and 76, except one brother. I have no idea if any of them were ever on calcium supplements. I know my Doctor is just trying to ensure I won't get osteoporosis/arthritis like my mother. But my mother never needed a cane and had never broken a single bone, despite her low bone density, when she died of a massive stroke. It's hard to decide if there is a strong enough risk of accelerating heart disease by taking the calcium supplements, or if I should just take my Vitamin D and continue my high calcium diet but ditch the calcium pills..

I sweat like a horse because I am outside most of the day. I try to tell myself that it is healthy....toxins leaving my body....but, in reality, I have to remind myself to stay hydrated. I was out in the middle of the day a couple of days ago....my husband was working on the brush hog (tractor mower) and needed me to hand him this or that and since the hydraulics on the old tractor wasn't working, to stand on the lever he made out of a 2 x 6 and some concrete blocks. I was out for about an hour and hadn't eaten anything. When I came in, I was worn out but okay but then I got so weak that I went to bed for a couple of hours. It really knocked me for a loop.