Post by AbbieJolie on May 29, 2014 6:23:18 GMT -5
_My rescued doll faced blue point Himalayan cat will undergo exploratory surgery today to see if the mass pressing on her digestive organs can be successfully removed. I will appreciate all good wishes sent her way. Thank you.
Thursday Morning
Her surgeon called to report that the mass was one huge lymph node in the region of her colon but not in a good place for removal. He took a sample for pathology and will give a steroid injection to shrink that lymph node. He says she may have consumed something to irritate it or she could have a Lymphoma, which is apparently a common tumor in cats. I'll be reading about this disease. I believe this may be a cancer often curable in humans. I can bring her home tomorrow most probably.
Saturday morning
I am happy to say that I have a demanding patient here at home. Yea that she feels good enough to be demanding. I brought her home Friday afternoon with a cute pink chevron bandage on her leg (IV site). I expect she imagined coming home to involve the tummy staples disappearing, the fur grown back, and her having the run of the house. No. Mean Mommy has her confined in a travel carrier almost two feet long, padded with a memory foam floor mat, a cushy towel and puppy pads folded to fit the back half. She just can't be jumping off the bed and laying on the fireplace hearth. She can stretch out and lay comfortably (as comfortable as a body can be with staples) until she needs to use the puppy pad and then I can remove the top of the layered pads each time. At four this morning she was ready for social time but I hope that won't be repeated. Oh I have this raised to the level of and right by my bed.
About eight this morning she was ready for things to happen so I opened a can of Science Diet Turkey Entree for her breakfast, changed out her water dish (CBV 16 oz. Designer Bowl), set these up on my bed, tucked her anti-nausea and pain reduction pill into a Salmon pill pocket and offered her that before she exited the carrier. While she ate I replaced the towel and layered more puppy bads in the back. She returned to the carrier on her own. I'll offer food and water again at 11. I'm delighted that she ate more this morning than she did the day before she was admitted to the hospital! This means that the Steroid shot has reduced the size of the giant lymph node!
Tuesday she'll go back to give blood 'cause we want to learn that her anemia is corrected by then. On Monday the Ninth, the staples come out and the pathology report should be ready. Best scenario: Reactive swelling of the lymph node (from the ingestion of some inappropriate pokey thing), Worst scenario: Lymphoma, chemo therapy and a shortened life span. Her surgeon explained to me that the goal with Chemo Therapy in Veterinary Medicine is different that that with humans. Instead of treating a human with massive doses and making them feel like dirt, in Veterinary medicine we try to maintain a good quality of life through out the treatment even if doing so means we don't aim for a greatly lenghtened lifespan.
AbbieJolie came to me at the age of two, has been with me for ten years and enjoyed very good health, so she's 12 or 13 now. She's interactive, purring, sat on my lap last night. We are both happy she is home. She was a sweet kitty nurse to me after my surgery a year ago, and I'm happy to return the favor.
Thursday Morning
Her surgeon called to report that the mass was one huge lymph node in the region of her colon but not in a good place for removal. He took a sample for pathology and will give a steroid injection to shrink that lymph node. He says she may have consumed something to irritate it or she could have a Lymphoma, which is apparently a common tumor in cats. I'll be reading about this disease. I believe this may be a cancer often curable in humans. I can bring her home tomorrow most probably.
Saturday morning
I am happy to say that I have a demanding patient here at home. Yea that she feels good enough to be demanding. I brought her home Friday afternoon with a cute pink chevron bandage on her leg (IV site). I expect she imagined coming home to involve the tummy staples disappearing, the fur grown back, and her having the run of the house. No. Mean Mommy has her confined in a travel carrier almost two feet long, padded with a memory foam floor mat, a cushy towel and puppy pads folded to fit the back half. She just can't be jumping off the bed and laying on the fireplace hearth. She can stretch out and lay comfortably (as comfortable as a body can be with staples) until she needs to use the puppy pad and then I can remove the top of the layered pads each time. At four this morning she was ready for social time but I hope that won't be repeated. Oh I have this raised to the level of and right by my bed.
About eight this morning she was ready for things to happen so I opened a can of Science Diet Turkey Entree for her breakfast, changed out her water dish (CBV 16 oz. Designer Bowl), set these up on my bed, tucked her anti-nausea and pain reduction pill into a Salmon pill pocket and offered her that before she exited the carrier. While she ate I replaced the towel and layered more puppy bads in the back. She returned to the carrier on her own. I'll offer food and water again at 11. I'm delighted that she ate more this morning than she did the day before she was admitted to the hospital! This means that the Steroid shot has reduced the size of the giant lymph node!
Tuesday she'll go back to give blood 'cause we want to learn that her anemia is corrected by then. On Monday the Ninth, the staples come out and the pathology report should be ready. Best scenario: Reactive swelling of the lymph node (from the ingestion of some inappropriate pokey thing), Worst scenario: Lymphoma, chemo therapy and a shortened life span. Her surgeon explained to me that the goal with Chemo Therapy in Veterinary Medicine is different that that with humans. Instead of treating a human with massive doses and making them feel like dirt, in Veterinary medicine we try to maintain a good quality of life through out the treatment even if doing so means we don't aim for a greatly lenghtened lifespan.
AbbieJolie came to me at the age of two, has been with me for ten years and enjoyed very good health, so she's 12 or 13 now. She's interactive, purring, sat on my lap last night. We are both happy she is home. She was a sweet kitty nurse to me after my surgery a year ago, and I'm happy to return the favor.