lump on back.. how to determine fibrosarcoma?

"Brian Link" wrote in message
...
...besides a biopsy, that is.

(I'm currently unemployed, and we can't afford an exam right now for
Tiger, let alone any surgery or testing.)

So while I'm worrying, I wonder whether there's some other way to get
a feel for what the lump could be.

There isn't.

On Jul 30, 4:43*pm, Brian Link wrote:
...besides a biopsy, that is.

(I'm currently unemployed, and we can't afford an exam right now for
Tiger, let alone any surgery or testing.)

So while I'm worrying, I wonder whether there's some other way to get
a feel for what the lump could be.

It's about nickel-sized though oblong, above the muscle but below the
skin. It's located next to the spine but not on it, about an inch
anterior to the pelvis. It's "pulpy-feeling", can be moved around, and
doesn't appear to cause any discomfort.

What else might it be? Abscess maybe?

We lost a cat to fibrosarcoma several years back, and from the first
time we located Roy's mass it was very solid-feeling, pretty different
than Tiger's. I've been reading that Vaccination-related FS most often
appears within a few months of vaccination, and it's been a few years
for Tiger.

Thanks for any ideas (and well-wishes). Tiger's around 14 but still
very active and otherwise a picture of health.

BLink
--------------------------
"The worst thing about censorship is [redacted]"

The thing is, you *have* to afford it. I realize I don't know your
situation, but you *did* just post 2 weeks ago about buying a new
computer, and from the phrase "much larger investment", I assume it's
not cheap.
I've seen people bring animals to the shelter with the "I can't
afford" excuse, and I
can't help looking beyond into the parking lot and seeing the gas-
guzzling, late model SUV they drove up in. Then it becomes a suspect
case of "I don't want to afford."
You can figure it out. A thousand dollars is easy to get if you've got
any credit at all. I've even had a vitual garage sale on e-bay once
and came up with nearly that much.
I do wish Tiger well. It could, like you say, be an abscess, or a
fatty tumor, for which biopsy & removal would probably be around $400
(here, but I realize vet scale varies greatly) He's managed to stay
healthy for fourteen years. You owe it to him.

Sherry

"Sherry" wrote in message
...
On Jul 30, 4:43 pm, Brian Link wrote:
...besides a biopsy, that is.

(I'm currently unemployed, and we can't afford an exam right now for
Tiger, let alone any surgery or testing.)

So while I'm worrying, I wonder whether there's some other way to get
a feel for what the lump could be.

It's about nickel-sized though oblong, above the muscle but below the
skin. It's located next to the spine but not on it, about an inch
anterior to the pelvis. It's "pulpy-feeling", can be moved around, and
doesn't appear to cause any discomfort.

What else might it be? Abscess maybe?

We lost a cat to fibrosarcoma several years back, and from the first
time we located Roy's mass it was very solid-feeling, pretty different
than Tiger's. I've been reading that Vaccination-related FS most often
appears within a few months of vaccination, and it's been a few years
for Tiger.

Thanks for any ideas (and well-wishes). Tiger's around 14 but still
very active and otherwise a picture of health.

BLink
--------------------------
"The worst thing about censorship is [redacted]"

The thing is, you *have* to afford it. I realize I don't know your
situation, but you *did* just post 2 weeks ago about buying a new
computer, and from the phrase "much larger investment", I assume it's
not cheap.

Precisely. Again, if it were a child, what would he do? But worse, to have
the audacity to post about his intended neglect in a group where people
really care about their animals. Ugh.

On Thu, 31 Jul 2008 07:58:12 -0700 (PDT), Sherry
wrote:

On Jul 30, 4:43*pm, Brian Link wrote:
...besides a biopsy, that is.

(I'm currently unemployed, and we can't afford an exam right now for
Tiger, let alone any surgery or testing.)

So while I'm worrying, I wonder whether there's some other way to get
a feel for what the lump could be.

It's about nickel-sized though oblong, above the muscle but below the
skin. It's located next to the spine but not on it, about an inch
anterior to the pelvis. It's "pulpy-feeling", can be moved around, and
doesn't appear to cause any discomfort.

What else might it be? Abscess maybe?

We lost a cat to fibrosarcoma several years back, and from the first
time we located Roy's mass it was very solid-feeling, pretty different
than Tiger's. I've been reading that Vaccination-related FS most often
appears within a few months of vaccination, and it's been a few years
for Tiger.

Thanks for any ideas (and well-wishes). Tiger's around 14 but still
very active and otherwise a picture of health.

BLink
--------------------------
"The worst thing about censorship is [redacted]"

The thing is, you *have* to afford it. I realize I don't know your
situation, but you *did* just post 2 weeks ago about buying a new
computer, and from the phrase "much larger investment", I assume it's
not cheap.
I've seen people bring animals to the shelter with the "I can't
afford" excuse, and I
can't help looking beyond into the parking lot and seeing the gas-
guzzling, late model SUV they drove up in. Then it becomes a suspect
case of "I don't want to afford."
You can figure it out. A thousand dollars is easy to get if you've got
any credit at all. I've even had a vitual garage sale on e-bay once
and came up with nearly that much.
I do wish Tiger well. It could, like you say, be an abscess, or a
fatty tumor, for which biopsy & removal would probably be around $400
(here, but I realize vet scale varies greatly) He's managed to stay
healthy for fourteen years. You owe it to him.

Sherry

Thanks, Sherry. It's hard to respond because I'm so ****ed about the
abuse I've gotten here.

I can't find any post where I mentioned buying a new computer.. I'm
wondering what you're thinking of. Lemme know where I said that.

This goes to a central puzzle with pet-owners: "pets: more important
than life?". Unemployed, I'm still getting money from side-gigs and
other sources. I can choose to buy tools for my trade (a computer, for
instance) and essentials (mortgage) or save my cat.

Now, it's not to that point right now. If Tiger has Fibrosarcoma
(though I'm far less worried about that after reading up on it)
there's precious little I can do for him. Buy him a few months,
possibly. 14 years is a good run for a cat.

But when looking at finances, as much as I love Tiger, I'm not willing
to sacrifice my home to him, my son's college education, nor am I
willing to forestall getting a job that can pay the mortgage and make
me competitive in the job market on his behalf. If he were 5 or 6,
that would be a struggle. At his age, he's had a good life. Radical
surgery (of the type suggested for fibrosarcoma) would lay him up for
weeks, and most likely only buy him back those weeks of longevity.

If someone told me "you're gonna die in 2 years. You can either have
this surgery which will leave you in crippling pain for six months and
buy you six months more, or just let the disease take its course and
die in 2 years", I think I'd take the non-surgery.

I will sacrifice (and have sacrificed) for my cats. Abbey's cancer
surgery was $1800 and gave her 2 years with a 1 month recuperation
period. That was money that I had, and it was well-spent. But at the
heart of it, these are wonderful but short-lived animals, who get no
real value out of painful convalescence.

If we'd left Tiger where we found him (actually, where my son found
him), he'd have been a farm-cat that would have died years earlier in
the jaws of a coyote. He's an important little creature, who's learned
our mysterious human ways, but the hard truth is that he's not as
important as my having a job and house to live in. He's not a person.

If you could save a baby or a cat from a burning building, which would
you choose?

I guess I should find some web forums for cat-health. Having assholes
like Cybercat give me **** when I'm so worried about my friend Tiger,
and doing the best I can, means I prolly should just cross off
r.p.c.h+b from my list of resources.

BLink
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest
exercises in moral philosophy; that is,
the search for a superior moral justification
for selfishness."

- John Kenneth Galbraith

"Brian Link" wrote in message
...
snip
Now, it's not to that point right now. If Tiger has Fibrosarcoma
(though I'm far less worried about that after reading up on it)
there's precious little I can do for him. Buy him a few months,
possibly. 14 years is a good run for a cat.
snip
BLink


Brian, don't be so quick to think of 14 years as if Tiger were almost at the
end of his life based on longevity. At least, it sounds like you are
thinking along those lines (as if Tiger didn't have long to live even
without a medical problem). Many cats live *much* longer lives than that.
My cat that lived to age 20 did not even begin to show any signs of aging
until he was 18-1/2. Many cats live well into their 20s if they are indoor
cats that receive good care. That is even true of some outdoor cats, but
the percentages are very different.

MaryL

Brian Link wrote:

Thanks, Sherry. It's hard to respond because I'm so ****ed about the
abuse I've gotten here.

I can't find any post where I mentioned buying a new computer.. I'm
wondering what you're thinking of. Lemme know where I said that.


Brian,

Just because I like a challenge... it was on mn.general on July 15.

Rhonda

On Sun, 03 Aug 2008 03:10:35 GMT, Rhonda
wrote:



Brian Link wrote:

Thanks, Sherry. It's hard to respond because I'm so ****ed about the
abuse I've gotten here.

I can't find any post where I mentioned buying a new computer.. I'm
wondering what you're thinking of. Lemme know where I said that.


Brian,

Just because I like a challenge... it was on mn.general on July 15.

Rhonda

Okay - I put up the white flag. At the time I wrote that post I fully
expected to be employed within the week. That obviously didn't happen.
Have you ever shopped for something you couldn't currently afford? No?
I haven't bought a computer because I'm broke and still unemployed.
Not a bad idea to shop, though, especially if there's some inexpensive
upgrade that could make my at-home training more efficient.

Still boils down to Maslow's pyramid: First thing, I need to afford my
home. Then I need to afford food for my family. Next is looking at the
tools I need to get work again. After those things are taken care of,
I can think about paying for vet-care.

Tiger is poorly-served by my being unemployed, especially given the
usurous fees our vet requires.FIrst thing is to get a job, next is
taking care of my family, and next is taking care of the pets.

Good catch, though.

BLink
--------------------------
"The worst thing about censorship is [redacted]"