mirabile dictu!
Wonderful to tell!
I owe an update on Kitty, don't I?
I have no specific spiritual affiliation; I prefer to speak in terms of "the universe" rather than a specific god or goddess. Nevertheless, what has happened to Kitty can only be described as a miracle.
She had cancer. There was a large tumor in her left ear. It was visible at a gross anatomical level (meaning no microscopes or otoscope [tool used to look inside of the ear canal] was necessary to see it) and was bloody, pus-y, painful, and irritating to Kitty. Vets both in New Orleans and Athens, GA hoped that it was simply a benign polyp, even though those are common in young animals and rare in elderly ones. At the end of October she started to act like a cat ready to accept death. She hated being alive. I can't imagine how much pain she was in with that tumor in her ear...she was constantly scratching and shaking her head, and there are still bloodstains all over the walls both here and at Andy's house in Athens from when she would shake. She quit enjoying eating, quit sleeping in the bed with me, quit purring, quit seeking my company.
She went with me at Thanksgiving to Athens, and the vet there did a surgery with a laser to remove as much of the mass as possible that was visible without making any incisions in her ear. They sent it off for biopsy, and it was cancer. She would need to be put to sleep if left untreated. Thankfully, my mother paid for the surgery to correct the problem: a total ear canal ablation (TECA). Here's what it looks like:
The bloody tumor, left ear
Another view of the tumor. In full-view you can see the pink mass sticking out. That is the tumor proper. The rest is blood and lymph and other secretions.
It was obvious even from a distance that something was very wrong with her ear
Again, you can see the tumor from a distance
Kitty's last night with cancer. She had had intravenous fluids all day to improve her kidney function, and to make things easier they left the catheter in place overnight, since it would be necessary to administer anesthesia for surgery the next day. Unfortunately, that meant she also had to wear the E-collar so she wouldn't pull the catheter out. Notice the blood on the blanket. Also blood dripping out of her ear.
More ear yuck.
Approximately 24 hours post-surgery. No more cancer. No more ear canal. Surgery was a complete success with no complications. Tumor had remained localized in the ear canal and had not breached the inner ear. Note the drainage tube sticking out of her head.
She's not winking, she is unable to close her left eye. Temporary inactivation of the facial nerve due to the surgery.
First time out of the carrier after getting her stitches removed! How beautiful! And no more e-collar!
About 28 days post-surgery. You can hardly tell!
You can notice that her ear canal is sewn shut, but the external ear (pinna) is only mildly misshapen. It droops just a bit.
Yay Kitty! She's such a happy boo bear now :-D
She's quite a trooper for a 15-year old. She's almost acting 10 years younger now!
I owe an update on Kitty, don't I?
I have no specific spiritual affiliation; I prefer to speak in terms of "the universe" rather than a specific god or goddess. Nevertheless, what has happened to Kitty can only be described as a miracle.
She had cancer. There was a large tumor in her left ear. It was visible at a gross anatomical level (meaning no microscopes or otoscope [tool used to look inside of the ear canal] was necessary to see it) and was bloody, pus-y, painful, and irritating to Kitty. Vets both in New Orleans and Athens, GA hoped that it was simply a benign polyp, even though those are common in young animals and rare in elderly ones. At the end of October she started to act like a cat ready to accept death. She hated being alive. I can't imagine how much pain she was in with that tumor in her ear...she was constantly scratching and shaking her head, and there are still bloodstains all over the walls both here and at Andy's house in Athens from when she would shake. She quit enjoying eating, quit sleeping in the bed with me, quit purring, quit seeking my company.
She went with me at Thanksgiving to Athens, and the vet there did a surgery with a laser to remove as much of the mass as possible that was visible without making any incisions in her ear. They sent it off for biopsy, and it was cancer. She would need to be put to sleep if left untreated. Thankfully, my mother paid for the surgery to correct the problem: a total ear canal ablation (TECA). Here's what it looks like:
The bloody tumor, left ear
Another view of the tumor. In full-view you can see the pink mass sticking out. That is the tumor proper. The rest is blood and lymph and other secretions.
It was obvious even from a distance that something was very wrong with her ear
Again, you can see the tumor from a distance
Kitty's last night with cancer. She had had intravenous fluids all day to improve her kidney function, and to make things easier they left the catheter in place overnight, since it would be necessary to administer anesthesia for surgery the next day. Unfortunately, that meant she also had to wear the E-collar so she wouldn't pull the catheter out. Notice the blood on the blanket. Also blood dripping out of her ear.
More ear yuck.
Approximately 24 hours post-surgery. No more cancer. No more ear canal. Surgery was a complete success with no complications. Tumor had remained localized in the ear canal and had not breached the inner ear. Note the drainage tube sticking out of her head.
She's not winking, she is unable to close her left eye. Temporary inactivation of the facial nerve due to the surgery.
First time out of the carrier after getting her stitches removed! How beautiful! And no more e-collar!
About 28 days post-surgery. You can hardly tell!
You can notice that her ear canal is sewn shut, but the external ear (pinna) is only mildly misshapen. It droops just a bit.
Yay Kitty! She's such a happy boo bear now :-D
She's quite a trooper for a 15-year old. She's almost acting 10 years younger now!