Kender’s swelling was kind of starting to worry me, so I called the vet this morning to ask about it. She wanted us to come in to look at her just to make sure it didn’t look infected from her biopsy. This also gave me a chance to ask questions about her surgery and recovery. The biopsy results weren’t in yet, but she called the lab and they said she’d have them sometime today. She’s going to do Kender’s surgery first that day, so that she has all day to be observed during recovery. They don’t have anyone there from 6 pm to 7 am so the plan is for me to bring her home that evening. If any emergencies arise, I can take her to the after hours emergency clinic. She’ll get hydromorphone before, during and after the surgery to help with pain and come home with a fentanyl patch on.
Just got a call with the results. Unfortunately, they’ve left me with more questions than answers. They classified it as a round cell sarcoma, but could not definitively diagnose the type. Narrowed it down to synovial cell sarcoma, histiocytoma or lymphoma. I’m really hoping it’s not lymphoma since it will likely have spread by this point. She said they could do immunohistochemical staining to the samples to try to get a definitive answer, but the results can take up to two weeks to get back. She’s also going to consult with an oncologist about the results and should hear back from them by Wednesday. We both still think that amputation is best at this point due to how quickly it is growing and the amount of pain/discomfort she’s in. Plus, waiting for the staining results only gives the cancer more time to potentially spread. For the first two types, amputation is usually considered the best course of treatment anyway.
It just dawned on me that I should have asked about doing x-rays to see if anything shows up there. If it’s already spread all through her body and she doesn’t have much time left, amputation doesn’t seem like the best choice. I’ll discuss that with her when she calls about the oncologist consult.
I was really starting to feel at peace about this whole thing and accepting that she had cancer, but amputation would more than likely treat it. Now I’m back to facing the reality that my cat may need to be euthanized. I’m ready to get off this roller coaster now.
I’m so sorry to hear you’re on that roller coaster. It’s terrible. And I’m sorry that you have to wait so long to find out the results!
Keep yourself busy and spend lots of time with Kender. Spoil her rotten 🙂 Also, I found the live chat here helpful to keep my mind in the right place when I was playing the waiting game – just an idea.
Good luck and keep us posted
Hey Melinda, this is one of those times when you really have to take a deep breath and try not to think the worst until you know what you’re dealing with. I know it’s SO Hard but don’t go to that dreaded euthanasia place until you know exactly what the cancer is and how it should be treated. I know it feels hopeless right now but I promise you it’s not. Hang in there.