Lump on back of thigh

[FeralHearts]

I'm going to start with saying how amazing you all are and how lucky I am to have a place here and also to have the best vets and clinic around. I feel so blessed by that.

Hi.
So, does your cat have intestinal lymphoma? Or are you thinking she has it because she is overweight? You will make yourself insane drawing conclusions and looking for zebras in a herd of ponies. Take things at face value and think about the immediate in your face problems, not the possible problems.

emmm no, not that we know of. I'm over thinking and yes, driving myself insane. Which is why I had to give my head a shake and remind myself "take it as it comes. One hurdle at a time, one thing at a time". I have really great vets and I'm very very lucky to have them.

Sound advice. Taking it all. I think I'm trying to rationalize my feelings too much.

Cats pick up on how we feel. The universe picks up on what we dwell on. The statement that what you fear is what you find is spot on.

It doesn’t matter how much you worry or dwell on things or how much you try to learn, it won’t help your cat.

True true to both. It's why when I felt myself getting emotional about it - I walked out of the house and away from the cats and come back in after I cried and had calmed.

True on the universe - I have to be careful. As the saying goes "Thoughts have things and they have wings."

I can relate to what you are going through. I have worked at small animal hospitals since I was 14. I have worked specialty and emergency and a decade in feline only. I have attended more seminars and taken more classes in the field than I can remember. My own cat Cheetah has intestinal lymphoma, hyperthyroidism, asthma, elevated heart enzymes, a space occupying mass in her intestines, nodules in her lungs, and I am pretty sure at this point kidney disease. My cat Rusty ( best cat in the world) had FLUTD,FUS, severe allergies, IBS, chronic rhinitis, several urinary blocking episodes, and feline herpes. I euthanized Rusty in 2017, after treating his kidney disease for years. I have helped more cats and their owners with hospice care and treatments than I can remember. My comfort level with cat medicine is good. I still constantly read and have access to the veterinary websites and boards. So I always continue to learn, but I am confident in my cat knowledge.

Bless you for helping people.

You should be confident in your knowledge - everything has been spot on. It's actually helped to me to be able communicate better with her vets instead of being panicked and a complete trainwreck - and I appreciate that a lot.

Holy cow batman! That's a lot going on with one kitty. Thank goodness Cheetah has you.

In 2011 I got a beautiful Andalusian TBH Mare as a rescue. My equine health knowledge was severly lacking in all areas. I listened to people at the barn, I listened to farriers and I listened to the vets I had out to see her. I loved that horse more than life, but she had many health issues. Some because of my lack of knowledge.

I poured into books and websites and did everything I could to learn about horses. The biggest problem was that I listened to everyone but my horse. I always knew something was really wrong. I wound up seeing 15 different veterinarians. None could help her. Most thought I was insane. I fought with vets to come out when she would colic. I fought with farriers to do better and then fired them when they couldn’t. I moved her to different stable locations to find the living set up she wanted. When she coliced I stayed in her pasture all night. I always knew something was really wrong. Vet # 16 found the issues. She had a protein losing enteropathy and he didn’t think she would last the month.

I was always terrified she had whatever I had just read about. I made me and her crazy. Me more than her. I walked around with that sick pit of the stomach feeling. I couldn’t sleep. I worried so much about her.

I even had vets out that did damage to her. Irreversible damage. It took 16 vets before I found one that would listen to me and actually listen to her. She survived with extensive treatments and daily injections of steroids for another year and a half. It wasn’t the gut that caused me to euthanize. It was a mechanical issue in her rear legs. One than the other.

Thank you so much for sharing all this with me, us, it helps to remind me that I'm not alone and others have followed this path.

It's so amazing how we can love them so deeply. Just when you think you can't love them anymore - there is more love. How much you fought for her. Deep love.

Thank you - it helps to re-ground me. Which I have to say is a bit of a struggle. I have to keep re-centering myself and remind myself - nothing is known yet - take it as it comes, take it as it comes.

Side note: The mention of horses is a nice universe nod. A dear sweet soul at the vets office who was fighting to get Mia into oncology faster. She really pushed - bless her heart. I found out yesterday she is leaving to go work with horses. I hope she will be happy as she's a lovely human.

So I do understand the frustration and anger as well as the self doubt and guilt. I do get it. But please take it from me, you will hurt yourself so much by the worry and fear.

I wish only the best for you and your kitty. I know it’s scary. See what the oncologist thinks but most importantly, listen to your gut about veterinarian, about what your cat needs and stick to your gums, but don’t try to find problems that aren’t there and beat yourself up over things that aren’t in your control.

Being a control freak myself it is hard when I am in a medical situation that I can’t control. Probably why my boyfriend didn’t want me to visit when he was in the hospital.

Sorry this is so long. I just needed you to know that we all understand and sympathize with what your going through.

Thank you and thank you for being so kind towards my unstable emotions right now. (and putting up with them!

That's just it - I can't control it and all my mind seems to do is be in I have to"Fix it" mode. "Figure it out mode" type thing.

Your boyfriend lost out there. You probably would have been incredibly helpful!

Side note:

Charlie got his first enema. He's okay. We think it was brought on by his idiopathic cystitis. They were so good to him and me. I was so glad they were able to look after him today. We had a good laugh at his very large POOP! I danced.

His stress is being caused by Braveheart and him not being able to get on well. He's stressed. She's half his size and a force. I have to try to sort those two out somehow. I've tried - and I'm going to keep trying. Plenty of resources and space.

PS - sorry mine is so long as well. I need to learn to be less wordy. Working on it.

 

[silent meowlook]

Please don’t be less wordy!! Words help communicate and the more the better!!

 

[FeralHearts]

Please don’t be less wordy!! Words help communicate and the more the better!!

YAY! I have more wordS1 :-)

I wasn't going to post anything until i had a real update but I had to post. I had ordered her both the human and animal dosage of the AHCC. I did that as the animal one could take up to two weeks to get here. The human one was supposed to arrive monday. It came today! I will have to half the dose and that's fine I can do that.

So we begin that tonight. We ride at sunset!!!!

"Forgive me most wonderful Vet for I am about to sin and ignore your sound advice to wait for oncology to start her on it."

 

[silent meowlook]

What is AHCC?

 

[FeralHearts]

What is AHCC?

S silent meowlook

This is actually pretty exciting. It's probably not a miracle cure for her but I think it will help in many ways. Let me know what you think.

Essentially AHCC stands for Active Hexose Correlated Compound. It was developed in Japan using specially grown and modified mushrooms, primarily the mycelium (root) of Shiitake mushrooms.

Its main function is to enhance the activity of natural killer cells, which as you know, are responsible for attacking and eliminating abnormal cells or causing them to self-destruct. They've shown in quite a few studies that it increased the NK cells, where cancer was present, helping to reduce tumors and inflammation. As we all know chronic inflammation can, and does, cause cancer.

The animal version of AHCC is relatively cheaper than the human version, although still somewhat expensive. There are a couple of reputable companies that produce AHCC, with one of the better-known ones being American Biosciences. I had a pleasant with them the other day when I emailed them to inquire about the availability of the animal version, as I couldn't find it anywhere. The human version was much easier to find than the animal version! (Over 30 phone calls and a lot of looking online to try to find it. Calls to Holistic Doctors, compound pharmacists that I know and Health stores etc. etc etc.)

The representative from American Biosciences is sending me some additional information via snail mail. If you're interested, I'll be happy to pass it along to you.

The Effects of AHCC®, a Standardized Extract of Cultured Lentinura edodes Mycelia, on Natural Killer and T Cells in Health and Disease: Reviews on Human and Animal Studies
https://www.cancertherapyadvisor.com/home/tools/fact-sheets/ahcc-and-cancer/
AHCC

Animal version - which is just half of the human version.
NK-9 - AHCC Immune Support for Pets - American BioSciences, Inc.

I won't be able to start tonight as I forgot it has to be on an empty stomach... so .. WE RIDE AT DAWN!


Ps there is also some very good promising research on Polysaccharide-K (PSK) or krestin, from the mushroom but I can't find that anywhere - it's from Turkey tail mushrooms and has been used, and approved, in Japan for cancer treatments.

PSS I will watch for any side effect like diarrhea etc - like anything else there is some caution and observation you must do.

 

[FeralHearts]

Little update: I stopped giving her the AHCC for now until she sees oncology. It didn't seem to sit to well.

She's doing okay but her appetite atm isn't wonderful.

She has bumps appearing on her head and neck - though the vet saw them at her last visit and seemed to think they are just cysts like she had before - these ones have grown fairly fast and are the size of a round pinhead. Not sure what that's all about but I can tell you I don't like it.

I'm keeping watch. It's all I can do.

 

[FeralHearts]

I called the Vet Thursday, but sadly she was off for the day. At that point Mia had eat barely anything Wednesday and Thursday she wouldn't eat at all. Mia kept going to her dish like she wanted it but wouldn't eat. She had done nothing but sleep, which is good for healing but the not eating was concerning. I logged into the cameras every so often when I was at work and watched her breathing rate on the cameras, it was fine. Not at all distressed. So that was good. Simply a very deep sleep. The vet called first thing Friday Morning.

We put her on Mirtazapine 2% Ointment, transdermal 5g and picked up some Hill A/D Urgent Care. I picked them up last night.

Returning with the Hills - I gave her some and she ate a bit and then went back for a second helping later on. So she is back on the right track.

This morning she even came upstairs and went to the window and looked outside. She has not done that in so very long that it was so nice to see. Her eyes have a bit more spark in them too.

That was scary. If she kept up with the not eating, her chances would have diminished greatly.

We did get a cancel call to get her in a bit sooner but sadly I couldn't take it. :-(

I reserved parking a space ahead so I don't have to have that worry about - where to park in the big city can be a nightmare. Not something you want to have to worry about with a sick cat. Another concern handled.

 

[FeralHearts]

S silent meowlook FeebysOwner fionasmom Furballsmom Kieka

Okay. I'm not going to say much right now about todays visit yet... but I need help.Without tainting answers ... as bestas I can...

Is it normal to discuss possible treatment options, way and etc before any testing is done and before deciding to test?

 

[fionasmom]

With us or with your vet? You can certainly post options which have been presented to you here and we will try to give our opinion. If you are talking about the vet, I do it all the time. If there is a major medical condition which might require various procedures or for which there is more than one possible course of action, I always ask for clarification of where this is going.

Or did the vet do some kind of ballpark diagnosis that is not backed up by testing and now wants to proceed?

 

[FeralHearts]

Sorry not here - at the oncologist office.

Here it's very normal :-)

 

[fionasmom]

Absolutely you are okay to ask anything you want and no vet should make you feel as if you are not. For one thing, there is the M word...money...and you want to know that what is being done has value, not just a "throw it at the wall" kind of plan. You also should ask how those options would affect your cat and his recovery or well being, follow up care at home, prognosis, success rate, etc.

 

[FeebysOwner]

If you mean to ask the vet about hypotheticals, I don't see why not. Some will say they can't, which then - if it were me, I would ask why. They can't always be precise in hypotheticals, but they can offer some insightful information with them. Any vet, oncologist or otherwise, that gets offended with those types of questions is one I would not be inclined to like very much (I had one and chose not to deal with them again).

And, yes, costs associated with any hypotheticals should be discussed as well - knowing that they are ballpark too.

 

[FeralHearts]

So I'll say what happened as this might explain my confusion.Very nice oncologist came in asked some questions about age, was she spade, when was she spade, was she ever tested for FIV etc. I had all her files with me BTW.

They took a look at her lump and the lumps on her head and neck (barely). Said it looked like a typical case of lymphoma gave some treatments options. Gave me probably outcomes. Did a lot of humming and hahaing. They were very nice.

The oncologist said it's probably everywhere and treatment could give her 1 year- 18 months max. (My head is screaming right now "how would anyone know unless you test? The logic isn't computing with me and my heads mess up.)

Treatment would require me taking her at least an 1 and 20 minutes away weekly, the first few weeks 2-3 times.

No tests were done. Just those questions, a very light exam, and a prognosis based on what appears to me to be thin air and mostly likely experience too.. lots of it I bet... but to me it feels like thin air. If that makes sense? But I'm a layman so I have no idea. Hence the "is that normal?"

I know some people are just that good and maybe they are and this is all a normal part of the process. That's why I needed to know if that was normal. So by one last brain cell can understand it.

I am more confused now then I was before I went. I didn't ask enough questions. Total fail here. I left with her and we came home with prednisolone thinking palliative care - but I don't know if that's the right choice.

There is an option of an at home drug - only available in the US. I'm right by the border. So I am going to ask about that.

The other concern was her appetite went to pot. By Sunday I started syringe feeding. She wants to eat but she can't.

Today when we got home she ate on her own - and asked for seconds.

I don't' know what to do really. It's why I needed to know if that kind of visit was normal. I was totally thrown by no testing and just a "once over" look around.

Edit to add: Obviously an experienced doctor in Oncology. I'm just a layman so I'm trying to process it as I have nothing to reference from. Does that make sense?

Maybe I've finally lost my marbles.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Did the oncologist say that there were previous tests shared with them to enable them to come to a conclusion without running additional tests?

The oncologist I saw for Feeby had all of her records, and only did a cursive exam - no additional testing was needed in their mind. But they explained they were working off of the numerous previous test results that they felt to be reliable. They gave me some options, along with their assessment of each.

What happened during the visit that seemed to have caused an increase in Mia's interest to eat?

 

[FeralHearts]

Did the oncologist say that there were previous tests shared with them to enable them to come to a conclusion without running additional tests?

The oncologist I saw for Feeby had all of her records, and only did a cursive exam - no additional testing was needed in their mind. But they explained they were working off of the numerous previous test results that they felt to be reliable. They gave me some options, along with their assessment of each.

Yes, the tests and history were shared.

We only had the FNA and bloodwork - I think that's why I was surprised as her own Vet said they didn't want to do more testing as oncology would probably do their own so they didn't want me to spend the money twice. (ultasounds and x-rays.)

You had more tests, If I remember right, for Feeby.

What happened during the visit that seemed to have caused an increase in Mia's interest to eat?

I think it was me not syringe feeding her since 10 pm last night (fasting) and the stress of the drive maybe?

I can tell she wants to eat. When it comes to email times she wants it but then looks at it like she's scared of it. The past few days I had to syringe her because of that.

 

[FeebysOwner]

You had more tests, If I remember right, for Feeby.

Yes, and no. Feeby had 3 ultrasounds, two FNAs, and a PARR Assay. In reality, there is only so much that can be expounded from multiple testing like that, particularly if nothing of additional significance is found. I still got a second opinion...

I can tell she wants to eat. When it comes to email times she wants it but then looks at it like she's scared of it. The past few days I had to syringe her because of that.

How much nausea meds is she on, and what kind? Mirataz for an appetite stimulant? Sorry, but I think I have lost track of what you have given her. I went back through your posts, and very well likely missed some details. Even cats with cancer are given such things to help them manage.

 

[FeralHearts]

Yes, and no. Feeby had 3 ultrasounds, two FNAs, and a PARR Assay. In reality, there is only so much that can be expounded from multiple testing like that, particularly if nothing of additional significance is found. I still got a second opinion...

A little more. I think ultrasounds are very helpful.

I think that's my thing that was playing so hard on me - without testing how do we even know how far along it is and if the options are worth trying or I'd just end causing her more greif? I love her and obviously don't want her to go - but - I don't want to put her through hell without knowing it could be worth it. Knowing this way of diagnostics is pretty normal helps my mind a bit.

I will talk to her vet tomorrow about a few things.

How much nausea meds is she on, and what kind? Mirataz for an appetite stimulant? Sorry, but I think I have lost track of what you have given her. I went back through your posts, and very well likely missed some details. Even cats with cancer are given such things to help them manage.

Since Friday Mirtazapine Ointment 2%, but I think that irritating her ear more than helping.

Today she was given Prednisolone 20 mg 0.3ml per day.

She has Gabapentin 200 mg 0.2ml I can give her twice a day, I have not been as when she stopped eating I didn't want her spaced out and therefore losing the opportunity to try to eat on her own.

I'll go over this with her Vet tomorrow too.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Talk to your vet about adding an anti-nausea med too. Ondansetron is a good option, at least as far as I can tell with Feeby. Not sure about what is going on with the Mirataz for your cat's ear, check to see if that is the same as the ointment you are talking about - I can't imagine it isn't. I use only one-half dose every 2-3 days, and alternate ears. Just a warm water make-up pad between treatments to help with med build up.

If her dose of gabapentin spaces her out, talk to the vet about reducing it. Technically, there is no reason she cannot receive these meds concurrently without one offsetting the other.

I could not give Feeby gabapentin at all, no matter what form she rejected it. I am now trialing Buprenorphine for her.

 

[FeralHearts]

Talk to your vet about adding an anti-nausea med too. Ondansetron is a good option, at least as far as I can tell with Feeby. Not sure about what is going on with the Mirataz for your cat's ear, check to see if that is the same as the ointment you are talking about - I can't imagine it isn't. I use only one-half dose every 2-3 days, and alternate ears. Just a warm water make-up pad between treatments to help with med build up.

Yes, the Mirataz is the same as mirtazapin.I thought that was an anti-nausea med?

I've heard about Ondansetron - I was actually trying to remember that name in the oncologist appointment today. I wil lask her vet tomorrow for sure.

If her dose of gabapentin spaces her out, talk to the vet about reducing it. Technically, there is no reason she cannot receive these meds concurrently without one offsetting the other.

I could not give Feeby gabapentin at all, no matter what form she rejected it. I am now trialing Buprenorphine for her.

What would happen to Feeby on the Gab? Tossed it up?

I remember when braveheart and White Label has their teeth fixed up - Buprenorphine was a winner!

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. Just glanced at your post, not the replies. Having worked with IM specialists and having done allot of Chemo patients, I think I can help you understand what’s going on better. Let me just get home first.

Briefly; The presentation was consistent with lymphoma due to multiple swollen lymph nodes. Although, usually dogs present that way, not cats. At least what I have seen.

He wanted to know if you would pursue chemo because if not, there is no point in testing. ( his mind).
If this is lymphoma, it does usually respond well to chemotherapy. But, that is a big commitment, not just in time but also money.