Meltdown had two easy days and then had another bout of syncope today, but it was not as protracted a one as those during the weekend. We keep getting her gifts since we don't expect her to make it to Christmas. (We aren't Christian or Druid but we DO enjoy having a holiday based upon generosity.) Today she got some catnip fur-mousies (with the noses and eyes removed to make them safe) and a shallow plastic bowl which she LOVES to nestle in. On the 15th I'll turn 46, and my birthday wish this year is that she goes comfortably during one of the bouts of syncope. For some time now all the time with her has been a gift. No one is sure why she is still alive, but we won't argue with our good fortune. Nothing short of a heart transplant could do an more for her now. She's happy and these bouts are painless, plus her ascites has been stable on these very high levels of Furosemide for a while. The Winstrol-V steroids have helped her regain not only her appetite and thirst, but also to regain enough muscle mass that she no longer has to sit in it when she goes to the bathroom. As a way to make her last days better they have been wonderful. They also helped Ruffle's last days be more comfortable for her. I have a question about that for the vets: sometimes during a bout of syncope (from ventricular bigemini and trigemini which are no longer totally controllable after 8 successful months of Lanoxin and Enacard) she releases a large amount of musk from her head glands. Is this caused by a sudden release of epinephrine caused by the bouts? If so, how is the epinephrine release triggered? Sukie [Posted in FML issue 1781]