The Oncologist Visit

We saw the oncologist last week.

I wish I could say it was a good visit, but it really wasn't. The night before, Gabby had fallen over. She'd gotten right back up. I had my back turned initially, and turned around to catch the point at which she was falling over, legs a little stiff. I can't say if she slipped, simply lost her balance a little or what happened. I wish I could say this was the only time I'd seen her fall, but it wasn't. A couple of weeks back I saw her stagger a little bit, like someone who'd had a little too much to drink and then fall over. I guess I tried to write it off as a little clumsiness. Goodness knows I'm not always known for my grace, but this second time...I don't know. That's 2 times more than I've ever seen her fall before. I mentioned the fall to the vet, but stressed I didn't see exactly what happened.

So now on to the visit with the oncologist. She had looked at everything from both vets. Unfortunately, she said there's nothing they can do. In a perfect world, or at least a world in which Gabby doesn't have kidney failure the approach would be surgery and chemo. She said even in that world, though, it would not be curative. It would only give us more time...a year, maybe a year and a half. But that isn't this world. Because she has kidney failure the vet isn't comfortable putting her through surgery and chemo. Both the anesthesia and the chemo drugs are hard on the kidney. At her age, surgery itself is a risk. With surgery alone, she could have 9 months, but, again, she doesn't feel it's worth putting Gabby through it. The outcome doesn't outweigh the risks. So, without either, she probably has 4-6 months.

She agrees with the other vets. There's a mismatch between Gabby's lack of interest in food and her vomitting (possibly her falling over) aren't really matching up with her current BUN and Creatinine levels. She doesn't believe that the cancer is at a point where it is making her feel sick. She left the room for a few minutes to go and speak with the internal medicine specialist. They both think that there is something else going on. That the tumor we are aware of is likely not the primary tumor, nor is the 2nd tumor she found during a rectal exam. They suspect that there may be something going on in her brain. To find that out we would need to do an MRI. It's very expensive ($1800) and is only really going to be diagnostic. Same with endoscopy to see if there are additional tumors that weren't picked up by the ultrasound and x-rays. She said something along the lines of it would likely only change the prognosis. It doesn't change anything else. The kidney failure is still there, and now the cancer. She still can't have surgery or chemo, and her overall treatment would be the same drug regimen, fluids and "keep her eating" plan. Prednisone has been added to the list, but that's really the only change.

So that's where we are.

I have decided not to put Gabby through any more tests. It's not worth the stress to her when all it's going to do is give us more information that we really can't doing anything with. She's doing ok right now. The vomiting has stopped, she seems to be digging the steak, she's pampered even more than before. She even gets steak from New Seasons Market, the stuff from Safeway or Freddy's just won't do. We are doing all that we can to make sure the time she has left is spent comfortably and happily.