Debbie Downer
So I should be feeling pretty good right now: I’m starting to get excited about having this baby, we find out the sex next week, and all the first trimester maladies have pretty much disappeared. Except I’m horribly depressed.
Life had to throw an enormous wrench in everything. On Monday, I discovered a walnut sized mass on George’s back between his shoulder blades. Holy shit, how could I have missed something so large? Have I been that preoccupied with myself? Perhaps… :( I immediately scoured the internet looking for clues. My closest guess was Fibrosarcoma. A brief conversation with the vet on the way to work yesterday confirmed my fear: Based on my description of the tumor, he suspects that type of cancer as well. I spent most of the day bawling my eyes out, unable to get much done. Today, I brought him in so the vet could examine him and hopefully get a needle sample of the tumor tissues to send off to lab. George was a wonderfully good sport and barely even put up a stink. I was so proud!! We all know what a pill he can be (his file has a giant orange “CAUTION” sticker on it).
So herein lies my problem: The tissue sample they sent might not provide any conclusive results that it is Fibrosarcoma. At any rate they recommend immediate surgery. The problem I have with that is threefold. First, IF it turns out to be Fibrosarcoma: the cancer is extremely aggressive and would require radical, invasive surgery — possibly having to remove bone and back muscles. Second, everything I have read says that the rate of recurrence in Fibrosarcoma is not very good. In other words, it could crop up again mere months from initial surgery, and with a vengeance. Finally, George is almost 12, and I’m really not keen on putting him through all that. But IF it turns out to be something less aggressive with a better prognosis, I might consider the surgery. So we’re in a rock and a hard place here. I guess we just need to wait and see what the lab results show. Hopefully, the results give us some conclusive data so we can make an informed decision!!
What would you do?? I mean, I really think people can take it too far in terms of “caring” for their pets. When do you draw the line?
I’d do it. I know that we did the same sort of think with Norton this year.
Hey you. Sorry about all this, I can only imagine how hard this is for you. I remember when you got George, that was such a fun time! I think the best thing to do is to see what the results say. I don’t think it’s ever taking things to far if there is a chance. I think if you are stringing a pet along on kitty morphine and they stop eating and can’t move around and has to be lifted in and out of the litter box things have gone too far, but I don’t think you’re there yet. Keep us posted, we’ll keep praying.
i am so sorry that you’re going through this, Vanny Pants. i know it’s hard to do, but try not to worry until you know (for sure) what you’re dealing with. it’s so hard to know where to draw the line… especially when your pet is your world and they’re getting older. I bawled through the end of “Marly and Me” because it was way too similar to what I went through with my dog, Ozzie.
we had a hard time dealing with Joey’s complex leg break last year — but he’s young and stupid, so our issue centered more around weighing his quality of life against our checkbook. Vet wanted to do surgery, which would have cost us $2K, on TOP of the $2K that we we already paid for X-rays, cast, office visits. though we felt a little guilty at first, opting out was the right decision — the damn cat healed just fine on his own.
Your in my thoughts. Sending healthy vibes.
So sorry to hear about this. I remember when George ate that ear plug, that was nuts. Hopefully the test comes back benign.
I’m sorry you (and Mike presumably) have to go through this heart-wrenching decision during what should be a period of great joy. Hopefully though George is feeling well enough right now to be enjoying a decent quality of life. I know if I were in this position that I would focus on making sure George is comfortable and can still be him. Until the results are in I would personally hold off on doing anything as long as he seems to be comfortable, eating, sleeping, being his normal self. Should the results be undesirable I would continue to give him the best quality of life until it’s clear that is degrading. I’m not convinced putting a cat (albeit a relatively middle-aged cat) through invasive surgery is going to improve that animal’s quality of life. If it were up to me, I’d provide George with love and attention as much as I can from now until whenever. My heart goes out to you. :’(
I’m so sorry to hear about George and I’m hoping for the best possible outcome for him. Any decision you and Mike make will be the right one because it will be made from love.
awww i’m so sorry girl :( Whatever you choose will be the right thing. I think if it is the crazy invasive kind it’s better to just let him go peacefully now and not put him through all of that. But that is so much easier said than done.
Bubs is doing OK for now… it’s tough. Vanessa’s mom said it best: “That’s the thing that sucks about pets, you love them, you treat them like family, then they die.”
So true. :) :(
Louie and I both think its worth it. We love george and feel saddened but are also positive that with the down comes the ups. Phone is on any time vaness. Keep optimistic.
Remember i want a wehadababyitsaboy or girl collect call when you find out.
No doubt about it – pets are special. They’re in a place of their own – not quite people, but well beyond African Violets. They have these crazy personalities that begin to resemble us. Really. The independent ones are the worst because when they get sick they suddenly get so needy. So how to cope? In our case, Tucker was unfixable. He was just old and his body was failing him. The day of reckoning came when I had to carry him out to the lawn that morning and carry him back into the house. Even though his coat was still beautifully shiny and his eyes twinkled like two stars in the heavens, he was done. His get up and go had got up and went. We knew he’d rather be chasing the Frisbee, but he couldn’t. It just wasn’t going to happen. It was a quality of life decision for us. It was time. We have great memories of Tucker and we’re glad we didn’t prolong his agony – whatever that may have been in his doggie existence. We miss him, but the memories are special – just like Tucker.