Well, we met with the vet today. Dr. Townsend first showed us the x-ray of a "normal" cat. There was a big difference when we then looked at Halo's. First of all, there really isn't a tumor in her intestines (I evidently misunderstood Dr. Townsend's wonderful Italian accent). But, even though her intestines were free of food, the appeared to be thick and swollen compared to the other cat's. The tumor on her liver was very noticeable. It is about the size of a golf ball and is on the left side.
The bloodwork indicates several problems. I'm sorry, but I managed to block out all the awful, medical terminology, but I was in too much shock. Two of her liver readings were very high (indicating some sort of problem) so obviously the tumor is causing problems. In addition, an enzyme in her blood was so off the charts that they ran the test twice to confirm it. The enzyme indicates that Halo's body is attacking her own muscle tissue. She is quickly losing muscle tone and mass.
We have noticed that Halo is "uncertain" about jumping up onto something. She makes several attempts before she really tries. It's like she doesn't have any spring in her back legs.
We asked Dr. Townsend what he would do if Halo was his kitty. He suggested we do nothing for now. We will take her back in a month for more blood tests and more x-rays to see if anything has changed. Dr. Townsend is giving chemo to his own dog. So, he knows about cancer. He's not willing to talk about that now for Halo. Which either means that he doesn't think it's cancer or he thinks it is but feels that it's too far advanced to treat. I confess, I didn't try very hard to pin him down because I was afraid of an awful answer.
Once the shock wears off, I'll ring him up and ask more questions. She's only 3 years old. It doesn't seem fair that she's been through so much already.
Halo? Oh, she's fine and dandy. Rolling around in her cat nip. Eating and drinking well and being her usual sweetly, shy self.
Thank you for your prayers. I'll update you when I know something.
Love, Lisa
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks