Bad News

Jordan's Ionized blood calcium is 1.7 from what I understand this is very high. The vet wants to do exploritory surgeory to check for lymphoma, but I just don't know. My head is swimming and I can't think straight I won't be around much until I figure out what I"m going to do. I know I don't want to put him through chemo, so I'm not sure there's a point to doing the exploritory. I just don't know, all I know is that he's only 4 & this is not fair.

aww honey I am so sorry and sadden to hear about this hes only a baby, bless him and it certainly isn't fair

I really dont know what to say - I've never had to handle this problem - so give yourself some time to think, which I know is so hard at the moment. I am sure you'll get some more replies from people who have had to deal with this situation.

take care and lots of positive healthy (((((( vibes ))))) whizzing over for your sweet boy

I'm so sorry to hear that, but please don't give up hope. I'm sure you know to research all the options, and I know you'll do the best for little Jordan.

The only thing I can offer is a shoulder, an ear, and lots of

Just to send some

Sending hugs and prayers from Mississippi for you and Jordon.

Please keep us posted on him.

i'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry. But, if there's a chance it isn't cancer, I'd do the exploratory surgery....

Sending you and Jordan tons of

I'm so sorry you have to go through this with Jordan. Poor sweetheart. Don't forget to take time out to take care of yourself as well as Jordan.

Rang, sending you lots and lots of hugs. I lost my soul kitty when he was two. Officially he died of Hepatic Lipidosis, but that was secondary to some unknown primary illness. I feel your pain and it is heartbreaking. I am so sorry you are having to make these difficult decisions.

Personally, I too would not do the chemo either.

I do have a question for you about the exploratory surgery though. Is the reason for the exploratory solely for identifying Lymphoma or does your vet believe there is a good possibility he/she will be able to find an alternative problem?

Has your vet ruled out hyperparathyroidism? This condition does occur in cats and will also cause elevated serum calcium. If this hasn't been ruled out, please do this before you make any final decisions.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?articleid=298

I do know though, that extremely elevated serum calcium is considered a tumor marker in cats so I understand you fears.

Please remember to take good care of yourself too during this horribly stressful time I will be sending lots of vibes for a postive outcome.

Hi Jordan's Mom,
I know you will make the right decision for your baby.

I just wanted to share my experience with you. Two weeks ago, I took Whiskers (she just turned 5) to the ER because she was breathing funny. They took an xray and discovered fluid in her chest cavity surrounding her lungs. The lab test came back with high lymphocites, which indicates lymphoma. The recommendation was to do ultrasounds of the chest and abdomen and if they found nothing, they would do exploratory surgery. I initially agreed to proceed with the ultrasound but after talking with my regular vet, he made me realize that all the additional tests would only confirm a bad diagnosis and wouldn't help her. She was already so weak, I did not want to put her under more stress and honestly, I did not think she would make it through surgery if it came to that.

Like you, I knew that I did not want to go down the chemo route. So confirming a diagnosis became less important to me. I decided to stop all testing and took her home. They prescribed medication for her and she's being doing okay. At the vet check-up yesterday, the xrays showed that most of the fluid was gone and her lungs are now visible in the area of the chest where they thought she might have had a mass, but it turns it that it was fluid. My current focus now is getting her to eat. Her herpes has flared up and she has been eating less and less each day. I think it has to do with all the pills I've had to give her.

It's been tough the last couple of weeks but I am so glad that I was able to take her home. I just keep thinking how grateful I am to have the extra time to spend with her. It is a terrible heartbreak when you take them into ER and they don't get to go home...that happened to me last year with a new kitten I adopted and it was a horrible experience.

Best wishes to you and Jordan. Although you have a difficult decision to make, you know your kitty and will make the best choice for him.

Thankyou all so much. I have not had the strength to visit the site, I am trying very hard to remain somewhat positive. I talked to the vet and his parathyroid hormone level was normal. After a lot of thought I'm leaning towards the surgeory and chemo. I was thinking the chemo would make him sick, but my vet assures me that it "usually" doesn't make cats sick and that they tend to be themselves. I've deicded that due to his young age I want to go the most agresive route. I'm nervous about the surgeory, but right now he seems strong and if I'm going to do this I want to do it before he gets too weak.

Originally Posted by Rang_27

Thankyou all so much. I have not had the strength to visit the site, I am trying very hard to remain somewhat positive. I talked to the vet and his parathyroid hormone level was normal. After a lot of thought I'm leaning towards the surgeory and chemo. I was thinking the chemo would make him sick, but my vet assures me that it "usually" doesn't make cats sick and that they tend to be themselves. I've deicded that due to his young age I want to go the most agresive route. I'm nervous about the surgeory, but right now he seems strong and if I'm going to do this I want to do it before he gets too weak.

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I'm really sorry to hear about your kitty

and hope you know that we're keeping you guys in our prayers

. Someone asked this earlier, but is the only reason to do the surgery to look for the lymphoma? I'm wondering if that's the best way, since lymph nodes are so small to begin with. Maybe he (or an expert) can do ultrasound-guided lymph node biopsy first, and then open up if needed.

The following is from the purina health site (similar info to that on peteducation.com as someone posted earlier):

Good luck & stay strong & stay well

-- both of you.

How is feline lymphoma diagnosed?

Diagnosis of lymphoma in cats is based on a series of observations and tests. A physical exam may revealing swellings in the lymph nodes or GI tract. X-rays, ultrasounds, or physical examinations may show tumors or swellings in other internal organs.Testing for FeLV and FIV may reveal that a cat is positive for one of these diseases, which increases the likelihood that she could develop feline lymphoma. A chemistry panel and complete blood count (CBC) may reveal particular organ involvement or an anemia, particularly in the multicentric form or in the FeLV positive cat. Fine needle aspirate or biopsies are often diagnostic for feline lymphoma. When a trained pathologist examines a fine needle aspirate or a biopsy, he or she is looking for a uniform population of immature lymphoid cells, which confirms feline lymphoma.

You know we're here for you, for anything. Feel free to PM me if you just need to talk. I think that with surgery & chemo, you two can beat this.

My thoughts and best wishes are with you and Jordan. Stay strong and remember to take care of yourself during this stressful time. Jordan must know he has the best mommy ever.

I am very proud of you for taking a step back, getting questions answered, and going forward with what you feel is the best choice for Jordan.
You are doing everything possible, making decisions by what is best for Jordin. No kitty could have a better Meowmy.

I second White Cat Lover in saying we are all here for you. If you don't want to post publically Please PM someone if you need support.


Sending lots of loving healing vibes your way.

Well after a lot of thought, I changed my mind and I'm going to take him for an ultrasound at one of the vet referal/emergancy clinics in the area. My vet is also going to set up a consultation with an internal medicine specialist for me. I feel good about this decision because it's a second opinon and may help me to make a decision about what to do in case he does have Lymphoma or some other type of cancer. The idea of the exploritory was to see if they could locate the reason for the elevated calcium. The vet told me they would look for lymphoma because that was the leading cause of elevated blood calcium.

Just a quick update. He's going for his ultra sound on Thursday. I have to leave him there all day and that's going to make me nuts. I guess due to his reputation for not being a cooperative patient they are going to sedate or possibly anesthetize him. That scares me, but the clinic where he's going is very good and very experienced. Please send lots of positive thoughts & prayers his way.

Many positive thoughts for the best results possible are going out to Jordan and to you.