My kitty might have cancer...

[Nightingale 0]

an update.

I am absolutely furious with two different vet offices at the moment. The first vet missed the diagnosis of "Classic mast cell disease" not once, but four times over a five week period. I asked them repeatedly to biopsy the skin lumps, and four different vets insisted that no, this is an allergy, a biopsy will just tell us that it's inflamation, and we already know that, so no biopsy. The only reason he finally got one is that I flat out demanded it. According to the three vets he's seen at a different vet's office, his symptoms are very typical for mast cell, and the other vets shouldn't have dismissed the skin lumps as unrelated to the vomiting, especially since they both showed up at the same time, and the lumps remaining unchanged for weeks should've ruled out an allergy anyway.

So, we have a missed diagnosis.

Then, they tell me that Ani is ready to go home yesterday. So, I make arrangements to pick him up after Disney with Beth and Debs. So, I show up with his carrier, they say they're getting him ready to go, come back an hour later, say they just need to pull his central line, and then he's ready. Then, after that's done, the vet comes in with the cat, and after I put him away in the carrier, says "we wish we could've given him another blood transfusion." I looked at her and said "why didn't you?" (I'd already authorized any treatment necessary). She said "because you wanted to take him home." I said "I only wanted to take him home because your office told me he was ready to go home!" I wouldn't have even been there trying to take him home if they hadn't told me to come get him.

Now, we've got a vet telling me he needs a treatment only after making it much more difficult and traumatic for him to get it. I'm guessing this was some kind of miscommunication on their part, but I'm still pissed.

So, he goes back into the back room for a second central line and more blood, and Beth, Debs and I go back to my place. About an hour after we get back, the phone rings. The vet tells me he's had a massive mast cell issue that caused the discharge of histamine, and the usual treatment for this is benadryl. He's violently allergic to benadryl. The vet asks me what I want her to do. I don't know. I'm not a vet! Then I hear that he's going into cardiac arrest, and the vet puts the phone down, and I'm listening to the CPR and all that, and my other cat is sitting on my chest purring, and I'm hysterical because I can't see what's going on.

Then, they come back and tell me that he's got a pulse and is breathing, but has no brain function. I'm thinking WTF, he was having circulation issues for all of twenty seconds. How is he brain dead? The vet asks what I want to do. Since he's breathing and has a pulse and isn't in pain, I say to wait and see what happens. The vet says he has a less than 10% chance of ever being able to go home.

They call me back two hours later saying that the brain function is back, that he's doing much better than expected, although this incident left him weak and much less stable than he had been, and there's nothing stopping the tumors from causing this again. They're going to call an oncologist and find out if doing chemo on a patient this unstable would hurt him, or would help him by killing off the bad cells and letting him heal. The vet says that his prognosis would've been much better had the mast cell disease been dealt with weeks ago while he was still strong and doing pretty well. They didn't give me a revised prognosis, and say I should come by to see him today.

I have no idea what to do.

[guppie01 0]

Major HUGS Kris!

xoxo
g

"Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?"
Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU
OMG, is she okay?

[Conundrum 1]

Quote

I have no idea what to do.

I would go visit him and probably say your goodbye's.

Sorry to hear the news.

[ladyskydiver 0]

Oh, hon...I'm so sorry to hear. Go see your cat and make the choices you need to once you've held/hugged him.

Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.

[ImGunnaJump 0]

I just read your update...I'm stunned and saddened by the turn of events.

My thoughts and prayers are w/you and Anakin.

Hoping for the best out of this situation.

"...I've learned that while the "needs" in life are important (food, water, shelter), it's the "wants" in life (ice cream, chocolate, sex) that make it worth the effort." Kbordson

[ACMESkydiver 0]

Oh geez....I'm sorry to hear it. I guess I'd echo what other people said and go see him and decide further after that...

~Jaye
Do not believe that possibly you can escape the reward of your action.

[turtlespeed 212]

Quote

Thanks, everyone. Things are still pretty touch and go now.

I could shoot him with my laser and make him all better.

(I wish)

COME ON KITTY!!!!

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[ExAFO 0]

I'm so sorry.

You have mine and Neko's thoughts and prayers, and our support in however you decide to help Ani thru this.

Perhaps you can leverage their incompetence in an attempt to have them reduce the vet bill?

-Neil

Illinois needs a CCW Law. NOW.

[guppie01 0]

Much love Kris! Sorry I wasn't able to give you a hug before you left! Glad to know you had your folks with you for support!


xoxoxo
g

"Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?"
Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU
OMG, is she okay?

[freethefly 6]

I am so sorry to hear how this is going. I hope the best for your little friend. Me and my little friends are sending our vibes

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

[Nightingale 0]

update here:

http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2987895;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread