Wow, what a day! We got up at 5:00 a.m. this morning and made it onto the 6:15 ferry and drove for 2 hours to get Tiger onto the 8:15 flight but unbelievably the flight was cancelled because they had no passengers booked. Thankfully there was another airline flying out 15 minutes later so we hightailed it over there and got him a spot on the plane. I walked down the dock with the other passengers and they were all so nice, asking what his name was and why he was flying so that made me feel better about his trip knowing that they might be nice towards him during the flight.
We drove the 2 hours back towards home and I went to work. Today was inventory day. It was a good distraction with all that counting so it wasn't too bad.
I really wanted to get Tiger back the same day but I was just so thrilled that my husband was on board with letting him get the surgery done again and driving with me at the crack of dawn so I didn't want to push it. We had decided that Tiger would spend the night at the clinic and they would put him on a plane Monday morning. But then my husband agreed to drive all the way back to pick him up today so that was great!
The hospital called me at work to say that they picked him up safe and sound at the dock on their end and that he was just going into surgery. They called a few hours later to say the surgery went well and that they removed a mass from the exact same location in his nasal passage as before and it was the same size. At that time, my hubby was already driving back down to meet him! The two of them picked me up from work at 5:30 and we headed straight home.
It was so great to see him and boy was he hungry!! I thought he hadn't had anything to eat since last night because we fasted him for the surgery but my husband told me "oh, he ate, I offered him some of my french fries and he ate them right up!" This was on their journey home. Not my first choice for a cat but I had to laugh. Thankfully it was just a few because I know they are not supposed to eat too much while recovering.
I did give him some food when we got home which he seemed to really enjoy. He is still wobbly but he is *silent*, no wheezing, gasping or any other awful sounds. Literally night and day from 12 hours ago. It sounds funny, but he looks so happy and cheerful. I just know that he is so relieved and that the crazy day he just endured was all worth it.
The other cats all came around and checked him out and greeted him. Stinky hissed at him but that's nothing out of the ordinary! LOL Instead of giving her his usual dirty look, which usually sends her running, he just staggered past her.
So, he's now upstairs cozy as a bug in a rug sleeping off his anesthesia buzz. I am so thankful and feel like a huge weight has been lifted. Now we need to make the decision if we are going to take him back for cryosurgery. My vet told me today after having a good look at Tiger that the cryosurgery might help keep the cancer at bay but it would be a more involved surgery than the two previous mass removals. He said that he would probably have to open Tiger's soft palette and acccess the area that way. I will get more information from him later but I don't know if I want to put Tiger through so much. The mass removal that he's had done twice now doesn't require any outer incisions because they go through his nostril. Looking at him, you'd never know he even had surgery except for his shaved arm and wobbly walk!
I wish I knew if the cryosurgery would definitely give him more time than a third mass removal would. Because at this point, if he is still in good condition 5 months from now but the tumor comes back, maybe we could just remove it again. The surgery seems to be so non-invasive and he also seems to recover instantly. Anyway, I'll get more details about the cryo and be able to make a decision.
Thank you ALL so much for your prayers! They mean so much and I know they worked. Tiger is doing so well. You guys are the best.
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