Need To Make A Difficult Decision But I'm Lost & Exhausted...

[reeni112]

Hello All...

Just a quick update on my baby's condition - After 2 more trips to 2 different specialists, we've given a similar treatment options and prognosis (poor) without a definitive diagnosis. The last specialist for oncology surgery is eluding to MCT, of it being the source of the tumor that triggered MCT in his ear or it could be large cell lymphoma.

Since the last consultation with the specialist on Thursday, I've started him on prednisolone and it really helped with his appetite and energy level. However, his appetite is still not as good as it used to be and he still seems lethargic. The initial plan as we left the specialist's office is to come back tomorrow for a recheck, potentially to see if the tumor has shrink in size. However, looking at his condition right now (even when on prednisolone), I'm worried that if chemo is a viable option, for either MCT or large cell lymphoma that are typically not responsive to chemo, I'm worried that I'm just putting him through more pain and suffering, plus multiple trips to the vets that he hates.

Is it selfish of me that I'm eluding to putting him through palliative care instead of trying chemo? He seems happy and relax right now, but the idea of me not letting him to try chemo and the possibility that he may respond well to it is killing me.

Has anyone opted out from the chemo treatment for your cancer kitties and regretted it?

 

[Lalka]

i cant give you advices but you could maybe try to contact Chris (Cole and marmalade on youtube). His cat, Marmalade, had chemo treatments and surgery

 

[arouetta]

I am so sorry that things are going badly.

Is it selfish of me that I'm eluding to putting him through palliative care instead of trying chemo? He seems happy and relax right now, but the idea of me not letting him to try chemo and the possibility that he may respond well to it is killing me.

I would say actually that it's a lack of selfishness. Selfish are those people who keep a hurting and dying cat alive beyond all reason because they can't bear to face life without the cat. Thinking of what is best for the cat, not just his body but an understanding of what he can and can't understand or perceive and how his feelings in the *now* must be, that's selflessness.

Has anyone opted out from the chemo treatment for your cancer kitties and regretted it?

I can't answer that question. But I can tell you this - I don't regret not doing surgery on Shadow. Montressor has a lump that I thought was a mole 18 months ago and is now considerably bigger, and I will do nothing about that either for the same reason; he's 18 years old and I have to look at quality rather than longevity. If I had been given the option of chemo, I probably would have done it when Shadow was diagnosed at the age of 12, simply because it was a single very small tumor, less than a centimeter in size. That is far different from your situation, where you either have two separate cancers occurring simultaneously (unlikely) or a single cancer erupting in multiple spots.

But that's me, not you. You have to live with your decisions. But in the short term, so does your cat. So do what you are doing now. What is his appetite? He's lethargic, is he simply drained of energy or is he hurting and trying not to show it? What are the physical payoffs vs the emotional cost to him of going back and forth to the vet? What has been explained of those two particular cancers reaction to chemo? What are your plans if his particular case isn't as resistant to chemo and he rallies? What are your plans if chemo is harder than expected on him? What is your expectation for what chemo will do for him? What do the vets say is the likely payoff, the best reasonable scenario, the worst reasonable scenario?

And finally, how would you want to live?

And please do not feel you must answer me. These are for you to ask yourself.

 

[mewcatmew]

Is there any surgical option to remove the mass or is it too big? Chemo is expensive, but my cat did not have many side effects from it. It did not work well on her large cell lymphoma, it was just too aggressive. Is it possible to try and aspirate again and get a definitive diagnosis as to what cancer it may be?

 

[reeni112]

Is there any surgical option to remove the mass or is it too big? Chemo is expensive, but my cat did not have many side effects from it. It did not work well on her large cell lymphoma, it was just too aggressive. Is it possible to try and aspirate again and get a definitive diagnosis as to what cancer it may be?

The tumor is roughly 5 cm x 5 cm, it's large. It's in the junction of small and large intestines, surgery was the initial proposed treatment option and to identify the type and grade of the tumor. After weighed in the pro's and con's, I've decided against it considering the site and potential tumor types that we're dealing with, it'll always need chemo.

The last oncologist suggested that he's most likely having a large cell lymphoma, or MCT due to the history in his right ear, and the fact that he started feeling ill around the same time when the MCT was discovered in his ear. With MCT it's even more aggressive than lymphoma. The reason I'm instructed to put him on prednisolone is to see if it's helping the tumor to shrink in size, but without surgery or another FNA (50/50 chance) it's tough to get a definitive diagnosis. Even with a definitive diagnosis, we're back to where we're at, considering if chemo is the way to go or not...