Mammary tumor -- I'm devastated.

Cataria · Oct 19, 2016

I am devastated right now. I just took my 4.5 year old kitty Nenya to the vet, and there's a good chance the lump I found is mammary cancer. I am so angry about this because I showed them the lump 8 months ago and let them convince me to just "wait and see" when I KNOW the odds a mammary tumor is malignant and how quickly they metastasize, but I let them talk me into waiting anyway. I knew better than this.

After going through the mammary cancer ordeal with Ember and Sweetie and still losing them after only a year even with mastectomies and chemotherapy, I just.. I just don't think I'm emotionally strong enough to go through this again.

Nenya has a surgery scheduled on Wednesday to get the tumor removed, and they will send it to pathology and I will know for sure afterwards. I don't have high hopes of it not being cancer.

I don't know what to do. I mean, I am fully willing to spend as much money and go as far into debt as I need to help her, but... is there a point? It didn't do much for Ember and Sweetie, and the year I spend trying to figure out the money thing and trying to get their appointments to work with my work schedule was the worst year of my life. I don't know how I can go through this again, and it will be more difficult than before because my current job doesn't pay as well as my old one, and the vets around here are kind of crappy -- if I want an actual oncologist, I will have to drive 1-2 hours away, which will be impossible to do with my job. I don't have enough vacation/personal days for as many days as I need to take off.

Anyway. Just really hurting right now. Thanks for reading.

Primula · Oct 19, 2016

I can imagine how you feel, but wait for the pathology report. It may not be cancer.

mrsgreenjeens · Oct 20, 2016

Gosh, I can't imagine what you are going through right now with the possibility of a third cat with mammary cancer. But as Primula said, this is just a possibility right now. Try to think positive

. If it turns out to be the worse care scenario, then you'll find a way to deal with it. Perhaps you can visit with the oncologist once, then your regular Vet can actually provide any treatment necessary based on what the oncologist says. Often times I think regular Vets and oncologists work together, don't they? Especially when there is such a long drive? Then THEY can telephone conference or whatever is needed.

for a negative biopsy

howmany · Oct 21, 2016

I am going to sound like my dad now and he loves cats and dogs and at one point had 6 middel age to elderly cats! But sometimes it is about your quality of life as well as the pets if cancer treatment makes you feel better than if it is needed (fingers crossed for your kitty it is not), then go ahead and figure it out, but if you don't think you can cope with a year of like your other, and the $ is difficult or scary it is ok if you say a loving good by so she doesn't suffer. I don't think I could go thur cancer treatment with a pet, you can't even tell then why their life is so strange and uncomfortable.
I would choose palliative care until I let them go.

Cataria · Oct 31, 2016

Just an update! Nenya had her surgery last week and did fine, but I haven't heard back on the biopsy yet. I should definitely hear back this week, so here's to hoping. *crosses fingers*

But Nenya is being a problem child, haha. I woke up at midnight tonight and while I was petting her, I discovered she apparently made a mess of her surgical wound! She must have been chewing at it. I'm not sure how serious it is; I don't like the way it looks and it has a sweet odor to it, but it's not actively bleeding or seeping, so my gut feeling is that it can wait until tomorrow morning. Note to self -- just because she didn't chew her stitches with her other surgeries doesn't mean she won't chew it in the future, sigh. :/

Cataria · Nov 1, 2016

Well, I got all sorts of bad news today.

Got the results of the biopsy back, it's cancer. In the tumor they found, they saw that it was already mixed within the lymphatic nodules and although there aren't visible lumps yet, it probably already metastasized. Their opinion is that mastectomies would be pointless because it is probably already in other places like the lungs, etc., and her prognosis is so short that they think what little time chemo or radiation would provide isn't worth the pain/effort/cost. They give her 3-6 months.

I am still going to follow up with an oncologist, but... yeah.

Additionally, her surgical wound is not good. We're not sure if she chewed the stitches and it got infected or if it got infected and burst open the stitches, but it is bigger than I thought it was. The option they landed on for how to heal it is to just leave it how it is, spray the open wound with Granulex, and give her Orbax by mouth to try to get rid of the dead tissue, and they would check it in a week.

I'm not squeamish, I can do it, but it seems like I'm just torturing her by doing this. Granulex stings, and putting that on a wound like this? And it wasn't until I got home that I realized that they didn't give her any pain medicine, so I'm going to follow up with them tomorrow on that, I don't see how messing with that wound everyday as well as just her HAVING that wound isn't going to be hurting her.

Honestly, hearing all of this... part of me wondered if I should have put her down today. Maybe this wound will heal more quickly than I think, but if her time is so short anyway, I don't want to keep hurting her. I absolutely didn't want to make any decisions while I was upset, and right now my tentative decision is to give this a shot to heal the wound and follow up with the oncologist, but God... it really feels like I'm hurting her and myself for no good reason at all. But if she does have good time left in her, I want her the chance to experience as much of her life as she can. She's only 4 years old.

I can't put into words what I am feeling right now.

howmany · Nov 2, 2016

I just wanted to say I am so sorry for you and your girl. I have tears thinking about your decisions I have been there with our own cats and it so hard.
My thoughts are with you, hope her wound dose heel quick.
And that you can feel okay about your choices.

mrsgreenjeens · Nov 2, 2016

Cataria said:
Well, I got all sorts of bad news today.

Got the results of the biopsy back, it's cancer. In the tumor they found, they saw that it was already mixed within the lymphatic nodules and although there aren't visible lumps yet, it probably already metastasized. Their opinion is that mastectomies would be pointless because it is probably already in other places like the lungs, etc., and her prognosis is so short that they think what little time chemo or radiation would provide isn't worth the pain/effort/cost. They give her 3-6 months.

I am still going to follow up with an oncologist, but... yeah.

Additionally, her surgical wound is not good. We're not sure if she chewed the stitches and it got infected or if it got infected and burst open the stitches, but it is bigger than I thought it was. The option they landed on for how to heal it is to just leave it how it is, spray the open wound with Granulex, and give her Orbax by mouth to try to get rid of the dead tissue, and they would check it in a week.

I'm not squeamish, I can do it, but it seems like I'm just torturing her by doing this. Granulex stings, and putting that on a wound like this? And it wasn't until I got home that I realized that they didn't give her any pain medicine, so I'm going to follow up with them tomorrow on that, I don't see how messing with that wound everyday as well as just her HAVING that wound isn't going to be hurting her.

Honestly, hearing all of this... part of me wondered if I should have put her down today. Maybe this wound will heal more quickly than I think, but if her time is so short anyway, I don't want to keep hurting her. I absolutely didn't want to make any decisions while I was upset, and right now my tentative decision is to give this a shot to heal the wound and follow up with the oncologist, but God... it really feels like I'm hurting her and myself for no good reason at all. But if she does have good time left in her, I want her the chance to experience as much of her life as she can. She's only 4 years old.

I can't put into words what I am feeling right now.

I'm SO sorry about her diagnosis, and the whole wound issue. Darn it

I would definitely give it a week or so to see if the antibiotics and Granulex help heal up the wound, THEN think about what to do, after speaking with an oncologist. While the wound is healing, can you put her in a baby onesy or something so she won't chew on it? That's so much easier for them than a "collar of shame". Those things make it so difficult for them to get around, eat, etc.

Let us know what the oncologist says. And remember, you are not alone. Many of us have had to make heart wrenching decisions with our chronically ill furbabies.

Primula · Nov 2, 2016

Cataria, I am so sorry for your bad news. Wait until you speak to the oncologist. If he thinks her time has come let him make that decision for you.

Cataria · Nov 2, 2016

Thanks everyone.

I managed to come up with a pretty decent solution to keep her away from it -- a few years ago, I got a piece of tubipad (it sort of looks like an ace bandage, but it comes together in a tube) from my occupational therapist for a wrist issue I was having. I cut holes in it for her front legs and it fits her really well! I also have a soft e-collar that I've been using when I'm washing/drying the tubipad.

Question -- I've been spraying the Granulex in the wound as directed, but should I clean the wound as well? There's a lot of discharge and dead tissue in there. The vet didn't say to do so, but... I'm not sure how helpful the Granulex will be if the dead tissue and discharge isn't removed.

Primula · Nov 2, 2016

Cataria said:
Thanks everyone.

I managed to come up with a pretty decent solution to keep her away from it -- a few years ago, I got a piece of tubipad (it sort of looks like an ace bandage, but it comes together in a tube) from my occupational therapist for a wrist issue I was having. I cut holes in it for her front legs and it fits her really well! I also have a soft e-collar that I've been using when I'm washing/drying the tubipad.

Question -- I've been spraying the Granulex in the wound as directed, but should I clean the wound as well? There's a lot of discharge and dead tissue in there. The vet didn't say to do so, but... I'm not sure how helpful the Granulex will be if the dead tissue and discharge isn't removed.

Personally I am not going to advise on this type of thing. You might introduce all kinds of germs into the wound. Call the vet in the a.m. maybe?

ralphscats · Nov 2, 2016

im so sorry to hear about your furbabies. I lost my Kitty to mammary cancer as well.
Do you have any transfer factor? I found that and a raw diet helped her.
You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Mammary tumor -- I'm devastated.

Cataria

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Primula

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mrsgreenjeens

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howmany

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Cataria

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