I'm w/ya on the stress; I think all PTers are, actually. There were days when I felt like I was being ganged up on by the Universe. Nearly every vet bill I've had is in the 3 digits and when surgery was involved, it was usually 4 digits because several of my cats are special needs cats. For ex.: my Yodie's ear polyp surgery started at $2000 and follow up care went from there. I have so much money into my heart kitty Puddy that I could probably pay cash for a brand new car. But in the grand scheme of things, when I look back on it, it was worth every penny. I guess that's how we have to look at it. My vet's office is more expensive than others but boy, does he ever have the instinct! He cuts right to the chase and knows exactly what to do and I love that! No guess work! So if you're happy w/your vet, even though s/he's expensive, consider sticking w/him or her because you'll end up stressing yourself even more trying to find someone else that you can trust. Bottom line, Magic is doing better and that's wonderful!