Ibd Or Small Cell Lymphoma

[catladyxena]

Hello, fellow cat lovers.
I just got off the phone with an internist who said the fine-needle aspirate of my kitty's lymph node was inconclusive. So it could either be small cell lymphoma or inflammatory bowel disease. They want to do a biopsy at $5000 to determine which it is. BUT apparently the treatment for either disease is steroids + chlorambucil (although this is something that I haven't been able to verify online). Which should I do?
If I do the treatment, then they have to go in and do a biopsy at a later date the steroids will mess up the biopsy results. Also, doing the biopsy now would allow them to put in a feeding tube (saving me $500).
I'm leaning towards the drug treatment + having a feeding tube inserted separately (he's lost a lot of weight and is hardly eating). Is this the wrong decision? The doctors are all about identifying which disease my kitty has. Would that make a difference? And how long does the drug treatment take to show results for either disease?

 

[LTS3]

Here are resources on IBD with some info on SCL:

IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time
Raw Feeding for IBD Cats

Many people just opt to do an ultrasound and just treat for IBD. A biopsy is expensive. My cat's IBD biopsy was only about $2000. See if you can get a lower price at another vet hospital.

Is your cat not eating? A feeding tube is more of a last resort to get nutrients into a cat. Has the vet prescribed appetite stimulants?

Treatment tends to vary among IBD cats and their symptoms. My cat started with pred and a bunch of others. He's only on a small dose of pred now. Instead of a prescription junk diet, my cat continues to eat raw food, only now in rabbit and other novel proteins since chicken gives him a flare up.

 

[catladyxena]

The xrays and ultrasound were inconclusive as well . Good to know the pricing on your biopsy--my quote felt WAY high. I'll definitely get other quotes!
Nope, my cat's not eating. I just sent an email to them asking again about appetite stimulants.
It's good to hear that your kitty is thriving, even with IBD! Thank you for the good advice and info!