Chemo for Hodgkin's like lymphoma

My  14 y/o cat was recently diagnosed with lymphoma. She had a lymph node removed on her right side. Within the past couple of weeks, the one of the left has gotten noticeably bigger. The ultrasound showed her lungs clear but lymph nodes in her abdomen were also swollen. She lost her voice and we think it's due to the swelling in her throat. She's also wheezing and snoring a lot. And she's lost 2 lbs in the week.

All that being said...the oncologist said we could treat her with a 7 week course of chemo. She'd be getting weekly injections at the clinic. And taking a form of a steroid. (She has a heart murmur so it limits what she can take.)  She said that if the treatment is successful, she could live another year. She also said that if we don't do the treatment that she could die within  couple months. 

I don't want my cat to suffer at all and my concern is how she'll deal with the chemo. The vet said that cats usually handle it well but I'm looking for advice in guidance in deciding what to do.  Any advice is greatly appreciated

I am a human doctor, a semi-retired internal medical specialist, not a vet, but I have had considerable experience in oncology. 

Humans generally find the chemotherapy to be hard to take, mainly because of the side effects of nausea and hair loss. I do not practice feline medicine but I understand that cats appear to tolerate the chemotherapy much better than humans, only a small percentage, I understand, feel nausea and are off their food.  There is generally little hair loss, some cats lose their whiskers but not many.   

The lymphoma will recur in nearly all cases, but chemotherapy can be given several times until the lymphoma malignant cells eventually become resistant to treatment.  Probably the regular taking of the cat to the vet, initially weekly, and then again when the remission ends, will be the most stressful aspect of the treatment that will affect the cat.  

The average life expectancy without treatment is 4-6 weeks.  With treatment, in your cat's case your oncologist has suggested that the cat's life may be extended to a year.  Your cat is elderly, my vet told me that 14 years is the average life expectancy of a cat, so you will have to decide whether extending the cat's life to15 is worth the stress, and possible nausea, that your cat will suffer.  

Some have a trial of treatment to give them an idea of how the cat tolerates therapy, but this is something that should be discussed with your oncologist.

With all best wishes,

Geoffrey

Honestly, you know your cat better than anyone here.  What do you think SHE would want?  Is she still fun loving and full of life?  I have two cats who are almost 8 years old, and they are such different personalities.  Every time someone asks a question like you have, I ask myself what I would do in a similar situation, and I think it would depend on which of my furbabies we were talking about.  One of mine always seems borderline depressed, so for that one I probably would NOT do the chemo, but the other one is the happiest cat I've ever seen, and for him, I think he'd want to live every extra minute he could.  

Of course,you could always start the chemo and see how your little one fares. If it's too much for her and she's too sick on it, you can always stop it and let nature take it's course.

Either way, we will be here to support you.