The news, she is not so good.
"She" being the news, of course.
Upon going to his first quarterly urinalysis, more blood was found in Moe's urine. Back to the oncologist we went, and an ultrasound found a new mass in his bladder. Our options were to do exploratory surgery, or wait a few weeks and do another ultrasound to see if it grew or remained the same. If it grew, it was probably a cancer. If not, probably just inflammation.
It grew. We found this out a little bit ahead of schedule when I actually SAW blood in his urine one morning, which was the first clinical sign we've had that something is amiss. So we had the ultrasound a bit early, and it had grown. He is now scheduled to have another surgery this Thursday, and the prognosis this time around is more guarded, because the mass is in a less advantageous spot for surgery, and it isn't pedunculated this time.
Shit.
When the surgery is done, we may opt for chemotherapy or radiation, depending on what the oncologist says. I'm also about to change up his diet to minimize carbohydrates (they're sugars, and there's a theory that cancer cells feed on sugars) and maximize proteins, healthy fats, and vegetables. I'm doing the research to find out what sorts of complementary therapies I can provide for him, such as herbs and antioxidants and stuff. I've been reading books by a renowned natural veterinarian (an actual, REAL veterinarian who also is a holistic vet) who writes for Dog Fancy and Cat Fancy and has written several books, and I like his ideas. And about half an hour ago, I found that he practices in Plano, which is about 3.5 hours away from Austin. I am willing to drive that far.
I don't have any illusions that we'll cure him, this time around--it's pretty rare to cure bladder cancer. The goal, to my mind, is to make sure that his quality of life is good in the time he has left with us. Because his health is fine otherwise, and he's still relatively young, I'm going to be optimistic and say I suspect he has at least a year. I'm not a proponent of prolonging an agonizing life, so when he tells me it's his time to go, I'll help him along. (I wish this was a decision that could be made about people, too. But if it was, I don't know if I could make it. Anyway. . .)
At any rate, please keep him in your thoughts as he takes this next step in his journey. All positive vibes are welcomed.
Upon going to his first quarterly urinalysis, more blood was found in Moe's urine. Back to the oncologist we went, and an ultrasound found a new mass in his bladder. Our options were to do exploratory surgery, or wait a few weeks and do another ultrasound to see if it grew or remained the same. If it grew, it was probably a cancer. If not, probably just inflammation.
It grew. We found this out a little bit ahead of schedule when I actually SAW blood in his urine one morning, which was the first clinical sign we've had that something is amiss. So we had the ultrasound a bit early, and it had grown. He is now scheduled to have another surgery this Thursday, and the prognosis this time around is more guarded, because the mass is in a less advantageous spot for surgery, and it isn't pedunculated this time.
Shit.
When the surgery is done, we may opt for chemotherapy or radiation, depending on what the oncologist says. I'm also about to change up his diet to minimize carbohydrates (they're sugars, and there's a theory that cancer cells feed on sugars) and maximize proteins, healthy fats, and vegetables. I'm doing the research to find out what sorts of complementary therapies I can provide for him, such as herbs and antioxidants and stuff. I've been reading books by a renowned natural veterinarian (an actual, REAL veterinarian who also is a holistic vet) who writes for Dog Fancy and Cat Fancy and has written several books, and I like his ideas. And about half an hour ago, I found that he practices in Plano, which is about 3.5 hours away from Austin. I am willing to drive that far.
I don't have any illusions that we'll cure him, this time around--it's pretty rare to cure bladder cancer. The goal, to my mind, is to make sure that his quality of life is good in the time he has left with us. Because his health is fine otherwise, and he's still relatively young, I'm going to be optimistic and say I suspect he has at least a year. I'm not a proponent of prolonging an agonizing life, so when he tells me it's his time to go, I'll help him along. (I wish this was a decision that could be made about people, too. But if it was, I don't know if I could make it. Anyway. . .)
At any rate, please keep him in your thoughts as he takes this next step in his journey. All positive vibes are welcomed.
posted by Stef | 4:10 PM
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