Re: Spencer and irony
Nina, Leukemia the cancer would not interfere with lung function. If the issue was in the bone marrow or implicated the blood somehow, I would agree (Simon had a bone marrow biopsy). If it's not, I don't. Lucy got an ultrasound from a local vet without shaving, but I have been told the picture is much clearer with shaving. Bone marrow biopsies and endoscopes are really not big deals. Simon was under anesthesia for his bone marrow biopsy for a short time, and it just looked like a tiny scab afterwards and did not bother him. I myself have had two endoscapies. They are not big deals, except that you are knocked out for them, but they tend to use light anesthesia. That said, I have been avoiding taking Lucy for one. But, maybe I have missed something, but aren't his problems in his chest? Is he anemic? If not, why the bone marrow biopsy? And is he having digestive tract issues? If not, why the endoscopy? Michelle In a message dated 9/13/2006 1:43:24 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Thanks Hideyo,Perhaps Kerry's vet was not as insistent on a definitive diagnosis as my vets are. Maybe the blood test showed a drastically elevated wbc and this was enough of an indication for her. Although, that seems hard to imagine since there are many reasons for an elevated wbc. Thank you for sending Dr. Richard's reply. The fact that blood cancer, (true leukemia), would indicate different chemo treatments than lymphoma, does help me understand more why my vets would be reluctant to treat with out knowing for sure what we are dealing with.The thought of bone marrow aspirates and endoscopic exams sends chills down my spine. And that would just be the beginning of what Spencer would have to endure. I can't even stand the thought of them having to shave his belly for an ultrasound! I remember someone, (maybe Michelle?), saying that they didn't have to shave them. I have a feeling I am going to have an uphill battle with my suggestions being taken seriously, (in that I don't want to put him through any more than is absolutely necessary), as it is. I'm going to have to pick my battles. I better not start with something as routine as shaving his belly! Damn, I hate this.How's Ayumi this morning? What great suggestions you've been getting for that oxygen tank! It looks like you're going to be able to make her a lot more comfortable. Wouldn't it be nice to have a website that we could just order an at-home oxygen tank on? There's a niche that needs to be filled here. I hope that Spirit is listening.Nina
Re: Spencer and irony
Hey Michelle, Yes Spencer is anemic. Yes, he had fluid build up in his chest. Yes, they suspect two masses, one of them in or near his GI tract. Yes, they are concerned about problems with his heart. All my what ifs and guesses about what tests might be run are just that: guesses. The vet won't tell me what she proposes until I go in there. I intend to cancel my appointment with her and let her know how disappointed I am that she thinks it best to not discuss any of this over the phone. Her unwillingness to do so has sent my imagination spiraling to worst case scenarios and put me through torture trying to make up my mind with very limited information. Maybe all that frustration was necessary to bring me to the conclusions that I'm finally arriving at, (see my last post). I've always relied on medical intervention, but depended more on my instincts and intuition. Right now I'm feeling peaceful with the decision to allow Spencer to comfortably live the time he has left with as little intervention as possible, (however much time that turns out to be). N [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Nina, Leukemia the cancer would not interfere with lung function. If the issue was in the bone marrow or implicated the blood somehow, I would agree (Simon had a bone marrow biopsy). If it's not, I don't. Lucy got an ultrasound from a local vet without shaving, but I have been told the picture is much clearer with shaving. Bone marrow biopsies and endoscopes are really not big deals. Simon was under anesthesia for his bone marrow biopsy for a short time, and it just looked like a tiny scab afterwards and did not bother him. I myself have had two endoscapies. They are not big deals, except that you are knocked out for them, but they tend to use light anesthesia. That said, I have been avoiding taking Lucy for one. But, maybe I have missed something, but aren't his problems in his chest? Is he anemic? If not, why the bone marrow biopsy? And is he having digestive tract issues? If not, why the endoscopy? Michelle
Re: Spencer and irony
Nina, I would almost bet my life that it is lymphoma, not leukemia. It is so much more common, and so much more likely to be in multiple places like that. chemo is not very successful with leukemia, while it is with lymphoma. If you had someone to work with you, I would push for trying some lymphoma chemo protocol and seeing if it helps. If they could see something on ultrasound, try Elspar, and re-ultrasound to see if the elspar shrunk it, that would be another way to see if it is lymphoma. but i don't think your vet is going to agree. cats with lymphoma can sometimes go a few months comfortably on high doses of steroids. You can never know what chemo would do. It is possible it would give him more time, but it is also possible that in the end it would not give more time than the dex. If you have decided to just stay with the dex, I understand. I want to shoot your vet, though. Because I do not think there is much point to more testing -- not only because I think it is lymphoma but because other forms of cancer would not be very treatable anyway so might as well just see if the lymphoma protocol helps-- and think she is just trying to cover her own ass and play things by the book. But I am not a vet, so I canjust rail against the establishment but can not be of any more help, unfortunately. It istimes like this I wish Ihad gone to vet school. I could never handle it, though. Know that if he gets bad,you can up the dose of dex. I hope he has lots of good days left. Michelle In a message dated 9/14/2006 1:55:35 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hey Michelle,Yes Spencer is anemic. Yes, he had fluid build up in his chest. Yes, they suspect two masses, one of them in or near his GI tract. Yes, they are concerned about problems with his heart. All my what ifs and guesses about what tests might be run are just that: guesses. The vet won't tell me what she proposes until I go in there. I intend to cancel my appointment with her and let her know how disappointed I am that she thinks it best to not discuss any of this over the phone. Her unwillingness to do so has sent my imagination spiraling to worst case scenarios and put me through torture trying to make up my mind with very limited information. Maybe all that frustration was necessary to bring me to the conclusions that I'm finally arriving at, (see my last post). I've always relied on medical intervention, but depended more on my instincts and intuition. Right now I'm feeling peaceful with the decision to allow Spencer to comfortably live the time he has left with as little intervention as possible, (however much time that turns out to be).N
Re: Spencer and irony
Hi Nina, I hope Spencer is feeling better today..I have been trying to catch up on reading, but as usual, I'm behind..I did read this about the possibilty of Spencer having lymphoma..There really isn't too much expense to it to find out if it is lymphoma and you don't have to have sonograms or mri's. My internal med specialist did a special blood test that confirmed it on my City Kitty ( Inky's mom) and that was in 1997. The sonograms and exploratory surgery that my kitty had only would show where the masses were located and how large...She had the one in the middle of the intestines medistinal or something like that and it is inoperable. So she did chemo as I mentioned in my email to you. You can do sonograms to see if the chemo is working...I guess the real expense is...the treatments you do and continuing xrays and sonograms. My vet could tell by just feeling as it shrunk so I chose not to do sonograms as it would only stress her and mainly the monthly blood work would tell us what was going on with most things..She was on 20mg pred daily the rest of her life..and she had almost a yr. We had to stop the chemo cause her blood counts were getting too low from the chemo and at that point you could do no more at the time.. Now with some other new meds on the market there may be a better chance of longer remissions with epogen and those types meds to help with the anemia. It was odd that when I found out that my kitty had lymphoma..my Mom had passed away 1 month prior to that and she had lymphoma...My kitty was treated with the same drugs that my Mom was going to get in Houston..Almost all the tests and things they did tomy Mom in 96 and up until her passing in 97 were the same as my kitty was getting..So it was really a strange ordeal to live through.. Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience with you. Also, Buster had a very rapid form of it...lymphoblastic lymphoma if you remember he got sick in Feb and passed on March 7. The lymph nodes in his neck swelled so much just over night that we never even had time to do anything for him. I had him to the vet on Fri and noticed the enlarged nodes on Sat. took him back so she aspirated it and sent it to Texas A and M vet school. We got the results on Tues and he passed just a few hours after that..so we had no time for anything..He was doing ok with no apparent signs until the last few days..That was so awful.. Let me know if I can be of any help, Our prayers are with you guys, Kerry, Bandy and Inky Do you Yahoo!? Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail.
Re: Spencer and irony
Kerry R, Oh my goodness, what you must have gone through re-living the experience of lymphoma with City Kitty right after you lost your mom to the same thing. It's as if City Kitty gave you the opportunity to try and extend her life to help you through your grief with your mom. I know from your posts that you are brave and loving, this proves how strong your spirit is as well. Blessings to you my dear. You mentioned a "special blood test" to determine lymphoma. Is there any way you could give me specific information on this? My vets obviously are not aware, or maybe they don't believe that confirmation is possible with a blood test, or they surely would have suggested it already. My appointment with Spencer is tomorrow, I hate to rush you, but if you could let me know asap, it would be greatly appreciated. Do you think you might have the info buried in CK's paperwork somewhere? Could you contact the vet that helped you at the time? Perhaps you could give me the vet's contact info and I could try to find out what test she ran on CK's blood that convinced her it was lymphoma. I hate the idea of putting Spencer through a bunch of stressful tests unless it's absolutely necessary. When I approach my vet with any suggestions, it's best to have something besides, "someone said" to back it up. Spencer is doing incredibly well. I can't believe the difference the dex shots have made. He's still not acting like a well kitty, but I'm back to saying good night, instead of good bye when I close my eyes at night. Thank you for your help and concern and thank you for sharing your's and CK's experience with all of us, Nina Kerry Roach wrote: Hi Nina, I hope Spencer is feeling better today..I have been trying to catch up on reading, but as usual, I'm behind..I did read this about the possibilty of Spencer having lymphoma..There really isn't too much expense to it to find out if it is lymphoma and you don't have to have sonograms or mri's. My internal med specialist did a special blood test that confirmed it on my City Kitty ( Inky's mom) and that was in 1997. The sonograms and exploratory surgery that my kitty had only would show where the masses were located and how large...She had the one in the middle of the intestines medistinal or something like that and it is inoperable. So she did chemo as I mentioned in my email to you. You can do sonograms to see if the chemo is working...I guess the real expense is...the treatments you do and continuing xrays and sonograms. My vet could tell by just feeling as it shrunk so I chose not to do sonograms as it would only stress her and mainly the monthly blood work would tell us what was going on with most things..She was on 20mg pred daily the rest of her life..and she had almost a yr. We had to stop the chemo cause her blood counts were getting too low from the chemo and at that point you could do no more at the time.. Now with some other new meds on the market there may be a better chance of longer remissions with epogen and those types meds to help with the anemia. It was odd that when I found out that my kitty had lymphoma..my Mom had passed away 1 month prior to that and she had lymphoma...My kitty was treated with the same drugs that my Mom was going to get in Houston..Almost all the tests and things they did tomy Mom in 96 and up until her passing in 97 were the same as my kitty was getting..So it was really a strange ordeal to live through.. Anyway, I just wanted to share my experience with you. Also, Buster had a very rapid form of it...lymphoblastic lymphoma if you remember he got sick in Feb and passed on March 7. The lymph nodes in his neck swelled so much just over night that we never even had time to do anything for him. I had him to the vet on Fri and noticed the enlarged nodes on Sat. took him back so she aspirated it and sent it to Texas A and M vet school. We got the results on Tues and he passed just a few hours after that..so we had no time for anything..He was doing ok with no apparent signs until the last few days..That was so awful.. Let me know if I can be of any help, Our prayers are with you guys, Kerry, Bandy and Inky Do you Yahoo!? Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail.
RE: Spencer and irony
Nina, until Kerry gets you the information, heres a extract of information I found.. Cancer -Leukemia or Lymphoma Q: My cat has just been diagnosed with leukemia (blood cancer, not the virus). She is twelve years old and I was wondering what type of treatment there could be for her. My vet has recommended prednisone which she has been taking for a number of years for food type allergies. Her symptoms have been vague. She has never been a very good eater only eating a 3 oz. can of IAMS a day. Sometimes not even all of this. Within the last month, she suddenly began to eat everything in site. She cried all the time to eat. As it was time for her shots, I took her to the Vet Monday and mentioned her appetite. He suspected thyroid and took blood for that ( I haven't heard back from that yet) and did a CBC. The CBC came back with a white count of 85,000. Another test was done the next day and sent to a pathologist where it came back at 120,000. More than the day before. She seems to feel fine and her eating is great. What I would like to know, is what can I do to help to prolong her life. She's a very special kitty to all of us and I would like some advice as to what can be done. A: D- Probably the first thing to do in this situation is to confirm the presence of leukemia. Lymphoma is much more common than leukemia and can produce white blood cell counts in the range you are reporting. Lymphoma in cats is often intestinal and it is therefore hard to find, even with a very careful examination and radiographs (X-rays). Leukemia is definitely possible, it is just a lot less common. The best ways to find lymphoma are probably ultrasonagraphy and endoscopic exam of the intestinal tract. Aspiration and evaluation of bone marrow by a pathologist is a good idea since it can help differentiate between leukemia and lymphoma and also give some insight into prognosis. There are chemotherapy protocols for both lymphoma and leukemia (either chronic or acute). They may help to provide a better quality of life and longer lifespan. If your vet doesn't want to provide chemotherapy you may wish to ask for referral to a veterinary oncologist or internal medicine specialist. Chemotherapeutic agents have to be handled carefully and practitioners who will not have the opportunity to use them frequently are often put off the by the handling requirements. We are fortunate in having a specialist nearby who will handle our chemotherapy cases and so we refer them. I hope that this helps some. Mike Richards, DVM From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nina Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 11:16 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Spencer and irony Kerry R, Oh my goodness, what you must have gone through re-living the experience of lymphoma with City Kitty right after you lost your mom to the same thing. It's as if City Kitty gave you the opportunity to try and extend her life to help you through your grief with your mom. I know from your posts that you are brave and loving, this proves how strong your spirit is as well. Blessings to you my dear. You mentioned a special blood test to determine lymphoma. Is there any way you could give me specific information on this? My vets obviously are not aware, or maybe they don't believe that confirmation is possible with a blood test, or they surely would have suggested it already. My appointment with Spencer is tomorrow, I hate to rush you, but if you could let me know asap, it would be greatly appreciated. Do you think you might have the info buried in CK's paperwork somewhere? Could you contact the vet that helped you at the time? Perhaps you could give me the vet's contact info and I could try to find out what test she ran on CK's blood that convinced her it was lymphoma. I hate the idea of putting Spencer through a bunch of stressful tests unless it's absolutely necessary. When I approach my vet with any suggestions, it's best to have something besides, someone said to back it up. Spencer is doing incredibly well. I can't believe the difference the dex shots have made. He's still not acting like a well kitty, but I'm back to saying good night, instead of good bye when I close my eyes at night. Thank you for your help and concern and thank you for sharing your's and CK's experience with all of us, Nina Kerry Roach wrote: Hi Nina, I hope Spencer is feeling better today..I have been trying to catch up on reading, but as usual, I'm behind..I did read this about the possibilty of Spencer having lymphoma..There really isn't too much expense to it to find out if it is lymphoma and you don't have to have sonograms or mri's. My internal med specialist did a special blood test that confirmed it on my City Kitty ( Inky's mom) and that was in 1997. The sonograms and exploratory surgery that my kitty had only would show where the masses were located and how large...She had the one in the middle
Re: Spencer and irony
Thanks Hideyo, Perhaps Kerry's vet was not as insistent on a definitive diagnosis as my vets are. Maybe the blood test showed a drastically elevated wbc and this was enough of an indication for her. Although, that seems hard to imagine since there are many reasons for an elevated wbc. Thank you for sending Dr. Richard's reply. The fact that blood cancer, (true leukemia), would indicate different chemo treatments than lymphoma, does help me understand more why my vets would be reluctant to treat with out knowing for sure what we are dealing with. The thought of bone marrow aspirates and endoscopic exams sends chills down my spine. And that would just be the beginning of what Spencer would have to endure. I can't even stand the thought of them having to shave his belly for an ultrasound! I remember someone, (maybe Michelle?), saying that they didn't have to shave them. I have a feeling I am going to have an uphill battle with my suggestions being taken seriously, (in that I don't want to put him through any more than is absolutely necessary), as it is. I'm going to have to pick my battles. I better not start with something as routine as shaving his belly! Damn, I hate this. How's Ayumi this morning? What great suggestions you've been getting for that oxygen tank! It looks like you're going to be able to make her a lot more comfortable. Wouldn't it be nice to have a website that we could just order an at-home oxygen tank on? There's a niche that needs to be filled here. I hope that Spirit is listening. Nina Hideyo Yamamoto wrote: Nina, until Kerry gets you the information, heres a extract of information I found.. Cancer -Leukemia or Lymphoma Q: My cat has just been diagnosed with leukemia (blood cancer, not the virus). She is twelve years old and I was wondering what type of treatment there could be for her. My vet has recommended prednisone which she has been taking for a number of years for food type allergies. Her symptoms have been vague. She has never been a very good eater only eating a 3 oz. can of IAMS a day. Sometimes not even all of this. Within the last month, she suddenly began to eat everything in site. She cried all the time to eat. As it was time for her shots, I took her to the Vet Monday and mentioned her appetite. He suspected thyroid and took blood for that ( I haven't heard back from that yet) and did a CBC. The CBC came back with a white count of 85,000. Another test was done the next day and sent to a pathologist where it came back at 120,000. More than the day before. She seems to feel fine and her eating is great. What I would like to know, is what can I do to help to prolong her life. She's a very special kitty to all of us and I would like some advice as to what can be done. A: D- Probably the first thing to do in this situation is to confirm the presence of leukemia. Lymphoma is much more common than leukemia and can produce white blood cell counts in the range you are reporting. Lymphoma in cats is often intestinal and it is therefore hard to find, even with a very careful examination and radiographs (X-rays). Leukemia is definitely possible, it is just a lot less common. The best ways to find lymphoma are probably ultrasonagraphy and endoscopic exam of the intestinal tract. Aspiration and evaluation of bone marrow by a pathologist is a good idea since it can help differentiate between leukemia and lymphoma and also give some insight into prognosis. There are chemotherapy protocols for both lymphoma and leukemia (either chronic or acute). They may help to provide a better quality of life and longer lifespan. If your vet doesn't want to provide chemotherapy you may wish to ask for referral to a veterinary oncologist or internal medicine specialist. Chemotherapeutic agents have to be handled carefully and practitioners who will not have the opportunity to use them frequently are often put off the by the handling requirements. We are fortunate in having a specialist nearby who will handle our chemotherapy cases and so we refer them. I hope that this helps some. Mike Richards, DVM
RE: Spencer and irony
Nina, Ayumi did go through ultrasound and they did not shave her.. so its not that uncommon not to shave, so please ask you do not want to.. they are not painful, but uncomfortable (where they had her lay) so she did not like it very much you can sit right besides Spencer, I did with Ayumi I sort of helped her hold since she wanted to move around There is person who has been very helpful from feline heart support list, and she uses oxygen concentrator and not a tank.. with this machine you can use air and takes oxygen and concentrates in this machine so that I wont have to get oxygen filled by someone else.. I like the idea.. so I just made a bid through eBay (her suggestion).. it usually costs $600 as new.. but its cheaper used.. so lets hope my bid will go through.. When is the appointment for Pete I keep thinking of her. and Spence.. Love, Hideyo From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nina Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2006 11:44 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Spencer and irony Thanks Hideyo, Perhaps Kerry's vet was not as insistent on a definitive diagnosis as my vets are. Maybe the blood test showed a drastically elevated wbc and this was enough of an indication for her. Although, that seems hard to imagine since there are many reasons for an elevated wbc. Thank you for sending Dr. Richard's reply. The fact that blood cancer, (true leukemia), would indicate different chemo treatments than lymphoma, does help me understand more why my vets would be reluctant to treat with out knowing for sure what we are dealing with. The thought of bone marrow aspirates and endoscopic exams sends chills down my spine. And that would just be the beginning of what Spencer would have to endure. I can't even stand the thought of them having to shave his belly for an ultrasound! I remember someone, (maybe Michelle?), saying that they didn't have to shave them. I have a feeling I am going to have an uphill battle with my suggestions being taken seriously, (in that I don't want to put him through any more than is absolutely necessary), as it is. I'm going to have to pick my battles. I better not start with something as routine as shaving his belly! Damn, I hate this. How's Ayumi this morning? What great suggestions you've been getting for that oxygen tank! It looks like you're going to be able to make her a lot more comfortable. Wouldn't it be nice to have a website that we could just order an at-home oxygen tank on? There's a niche that needs to be filled here. I hope that Spirit is listening. Nina Hideyo Yamamoto wrote: Nina, until Kerry gets you the information, heres a extract of information I found.. Cancer -Leukemia or Lymphoma Q: My cat has just been diagnosed with leukemia (blood cancer, not the virus). She is twelve years old and I was wondering what type of treatment there could be for her. My vet has recommended prednisone which she has been taking for a number of years for food type allergies. Her symptoms have been vague. She has never been a very good eater only eating a 3 oz. can of IAMS a day. Sometimes not even all of this. Within the last month, she suddenly began to eat everything in site. She cried all the time to eat. As it was time for her shots, I took her to the Vet Monday and mentioned her appetite. He suspected thyroid and took blood for that ( I haven't heard back from that yet) and did a CBC. The CBC came back with a white count of 85,000. Another test was done the next day and sent to a pathologist where it came back at 120,000. More than the day before. She seems to feel fine and her eating is great. What I would like to know, is what can I do to help to prolong her life. She's a very special kitty to all of us and I would like some advice as to what can be done. A: D- Probably the first thing to do in this situation is to confirm the presence of leukemia. Lymphoma is much more common than leukemia and can produce white blood cell counts in the range you are reporting. Lymphoma in cats is often intestinal and it is therefore hard to find, even with a very careful examination and radiographs (X-rays). Leukemia is definitely possible, it is just a lot less common. The best ways to find lymphoma are probably ultrasonagraphy and endoscopic exam of the intestinal tract. Aspiration and evaluation of bone marrow by a pathologist is a good idea since it can help differentiate between leukemia and lymphoma and also give some insight into prognosis. There are chemotherapy protocols for both lymphoma and leukemia (either chronic or acute). They may help to provide a better quality of life and longer lifespan. If your vet doesn't want to provide chemotherapy you may wish to ask for referral to a veterinary oncologist or internal medicine specialist. Chemotherapeutic agents have to be handled carefully and practitioners who will not have the opportunity to use them frequently are often put off
Re: Spencer and irony
At 04:33 AM 9/12/2006, you wrote: Amazing?? sort of like sending a woman to jail for using drugs in her first trimester because it might hurt the baby but giving her permission to have an abortion Go figure Kelly Nina, I woke up this morning thinking how ironic it is that the internist does not want to try chemo without a definitive diagnosis but wanted to pts without one. If it is cancer it is lymphoma, given where it is and how it responds to steroids. If she thinks it could be something other than cancer, then why did she want to pts without further diagnostic tests first? There is something really wrong with that picture. I don't think it's just here, I think it's lots of vets. They find it more ok to pts than to treat in any way that is not completely by the book. Michelle No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.3/444 - Release Date: 9/11/2006
Re: Spencer and irony
Actually, she was open to further diagnostic testing. At the time, Spencer was so weak, and my pocket book is so stretched, that she just figured that whatever it is, based on her experience, treatments would only buy him a limited amount of time. That doesn't explain why she isn't more willing to treat him now without the diagnostic testing though. I am choosing to assume it's because she doesn't want to put him through treatment when she doesn't expect a long term favorable outcome. I feel that way myself to a degree. I left messages for my vets yesterday and no one returned my calls. I know they are very busy. Being a specialty clinic, they have nothing but crisis cases and emergencies all day long. Most of you are familiar with the client liaison, Michelle Rose, from this clinic. She's the angel that put together the VO FDA package for other people's vets. She's been on vacation through all this. When she's around I have someone to call that can catch the vet's sleeve and whisper in their ears. Spency and I are definitely at a disadvantage without her help. Usually too, these doctors work directly with GP vets, I don't have a GP vet, it's just me. My miracle cat, Timothy Arthur Bumble, is sitting on my lap, purring away, reminding me that I'm not alone. I have him and I have all of you. Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Nina, I woke up this morning thinking how ironic it is that the internist does not want to try chemo without a definitive diagnosis but wanted to pts without one. If it is cancer it is lymphoma, given where it is and how it responds to steroids. If she thinks it could be something other than cancer, then why did she want to pts without further diagnostic tests first? There is something really wrong with that picture. I don't think it's just here, I think it's lots of vets. They find it more ok to pts than to treat in any way that is not completely by the book. Michelle
Re: Spencer and irony
Someone from my Internist's office just called back, (not a vet). The message was to keep him on the dex and to make an appointment for further testing to confirm lymphoma. Probably they will try to capture some fluid, perhaps an ultrasound to confirm the existence of a mass. I made the first available appointment, (tomorrow afternoon), but asked to be given a call back before that with what exactly they intend to do, if they are reasonably sure that these will be the last of the tests to be preformed, and what, if it is lymphoma, the next move would be. I just wrote to Tad about the "what if" syndrome. The whole time I've been dealing with Spencer's illness, I've been thinking about those "what ifs" I mentioned about Jazz. Their xrays looked so similar, I can't help but feeling that I've been given an opportunity to do more for Spence than I did for Jazz. I just pray I don't give myself a whole new set of regrets. I know that's a really pessimistic thought and I'm sorry to be such a bummer. I need a rest and a very rich Uncle. I have to take a shower and perk up now. I have a Pomeranian and a Siberian Husky waiting on me today to make their lives better. Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Nina, I woke up this morning thinking how ironic it is that the internist does not want to try chemo without a definitive diagnosis but wanted to pts without one. If it is cancer it is lymphoma, given where it is and how it responds to steroids. If she thinks it could be something other than cancer, then why did she want to pts without further diagnostic tests first? There is something really wrong with that picture. I don't think it's just here, I think it's lots of vets. They find it more ok to pts than to treat in any way that is not completely by the book. Michelle
Re: Spencer and irony
I forgot to mention that I did ask Michelle's question about why, when they would recommend pts, they would be unwilling to treat something without a definitive diagnosis. Her answer was, (and this was not the vet, so...), they would not want to put me through the expense, or Spencer through the treatment if he did not indeed have cancer. N Nina wrote: Someone from my Internist's office just called back, (not a vet). The message was to keep him on the dex and to make an appointment for further testing to confirm lymphoma. Probably they will try to capture some fluid, perhaps an ultrasound to confirm the existence of a mass. I made the first available appointment, (tomorrow afternoon), but asked to be given a call back before that with what exactly they intend to do, if they are reasonably sure that these will be the last of the tests to be preformed, and what, if it is lymphoma, the next move would be. I just wrote to Tad about the what if syndrome. The whole time I've been dealing with Spencer's illness, I've been thinking about those what ifs I mentioned about Jazz. Their xrays looked so similar, I can't help but feeling that I've been given an opportunity to do more for Spence than I did for Jazz. I just pray I don't give myself a whole new set of regrets. I know that's a really pessimistic thought and I'm sorry to be such a bummer. I need a rest and a very rich Uncle. I have to take a shower and perk up now. I have a Pomeranian and a Siberian Husky waiting on me today to make their lives better. Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Nina, I woke up this morning thinking how ironic it is that the internist does not want to try chemo without a definitive diagnosis but wanted to pts without one. If it is cancer it is lymphoma, given where it is and how it responds to steroids. If she thinks it could be something other than cancer, then why did she want to pts without further diagnostic tests first? There is something really wrong with that picture. I don't think it's just here, I think it's lots of vets. They find it more ok to pts than to treat in any way that is not completely by the book. Michelle
RE: Spencer and irony
But the response to this might be, if there's a chance that it *isn't* cancer, then maybe it's something that's less life-threatening, so why just pts out of hand? I realize that it is most likely lymphoma :-(, but when our Luc was so sick last year his ultrasound (he didn't get an Xray) showed a bright spot that they thought was going to turn out to be a tumor. The needle biopsy said no tumor -- his liver was whacked, we had to bring him back from hepatic lipidosis -- but it was certainly less dire than a tumor would have been. Diane R. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Nina Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 1:16 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Spencer and irony I forgot to mention that I did ask Michelle's question about why, when they would recommend pts, they would be unwilling to treat something without a definitive diagnosis. Her answer was, (and this was not the vet, so...), they would not want to put me through the expense, or Spencer through the treatment if he did not indeed have cancer. N This electronic mail transmission and any attachments are confidential and may be privileged. They should be read or retained only by the intended recipient. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the transmission from your system. In addition, in order to comply with Treasury Circular 230, we are required to inform you that unless we have specifically stated to the contrary in writing, any advice we provide in this email or any attachment concerning federal tax issues or submissions is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, to avoid federal tax penalties.
Re: Spencer and Irony
I would go with your on instincts on what to do if you are in doubt. I learned the hard way. My cat Pokemon, I lost herexactly 2 weeks ago...the animal hospital said she has lyphomia and is dying...YET then didn't even test her for FELV. The Hospital said PTS Pokies was the only solution. I wish I knew what I knew now 2 weeks later thanks to this group. I would have found out more info. And my ex vet told me almost 2 weeks ago to PTS Crackers. That's when I found this group. I have enjoyed these last 2 weeks more than ever, have found a new vet and will explore the best quality of life crackers can and WILL have...GOOD luck with everything:) kayte
Re: Spencer and Irony
At 05:14 PM 9/12/2006, you wrote: You sound so much better and I am so glad to hear it, I'll bet you can look at Crackers now and see your wonderful companion rather than an terminally ill animal, I am still awaiting the IFA results on Max but we are enjoying the heck out ofr him and hes is just a bundle of juvenile cat curiosity, I am starting the Immuno Regulin if the IFA is pos. I have it already. One day at a time,,,but enjoy the days right now. Kelly I would go with your on instincts on what to do if you are in doubt. I learned the hard way. My cat Pokemon, I lost herexactly 2 weeks ago...the animal hospital said she has lyphomia and is dying...YET then didn't even test her for FELV. The Hospital said PTS Pokies was the only solution. I wish I knew what I knew now 2 weeks later thanks to this group. I would have found out more info. And my ex vet told me almost 2 weeks ago to PTS Crackers. That's when I found this group. I have enjoyed these last 2 weeks more than ever, have found a new vet and will explore the best quality of life crackers can and WILL have...GOOD luck with everything:) kayte No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.3/446 - Release Date: 9/12/2006
