Nina,
Take a breath. Look out the window. Just pause. The next step is right there, your foot is raised to take it, and you're doing amazing ballet in pivoting to all angles before deciding where to put it and that's okay. You have a hunch and a hope and you're looking for support of it. I can imagine myself easily in your shoes - I wear the same indecisive size.
If you are prepared to hear confirmation of what Michelle is saying, and if getting that confirmation will help (if only in the feeling less schizoid sense), then what do you have to lose in going to the vet? She agrees with you (oh happy day!) or you get a confidence vote in that the current course of treatment is still the best, even in light of his progress. You're right, no living creature wants to go to the doctor, so that's not a very reliable test to make this decision on. How stressed does Spence get in going to the vet? If his stress is low to moderate, then what Kelley says makes sense, that discomfort is brief and temporary. If he really freaks, then it doesn't seem worth the risk. You don't want to look back and wonder "what if" so if getting something ruled out or in is a stronger pull than waiting and seeing, go to your vet.
You're doing good, even if it feels woefully the opposite. :)
Leslie
From: Nina <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Another vet visit for Spencer?
I have given him a couple of doses of Reglan. I could try using it more
and see if it makes any difference in his symptoms. I haven't given him
Pepcid. What's Periactin? I'll go Google it.
I guess in the back of my mind I was hoping the vets would examine him
and exclaim, "Hey! This cat doesn't have cancer! Oh, we were so
wrong! Here, give him this 2x daily and he'll be all better in no time."
I know that the dex can increase appetite, but I also read that it can
cause stomach upset. And I remember those awful stories from someone on
the list about their kitty's skin coming off in patches after prolonged
use. That's why I started testing how he'd react to lowering the dose.
If we were wrong about him having lymphoma and the steroid has done it's
job with controlling whatever inflammation was present, then I'd like to
wean him off of it. He used to have pain in his upper abdomen when I'd
pick him up, that seems to be gone now. I just don't know Michelle. I
know your first suspicions lean toward cancer, mine always veer away
from it.
I just went to check on him and his fur is starting to take on that
dying cat look. You know, that oily, stiff sort of look. Talk about
the roller coaster effect! I'm going to go out of my mind if I don't
figure out what is going on with him and make a determination about what
to do about it.
Nina
