Tuesday, November 17, 2009

A Quick "Pea" Update

Our Annual Conference starts tomorrow--oh the horrors!! Okay, I may be overdramatizing a bit. Luckily the conference is here in DC so no traveling involved--Yay! It all starts with a board dinner tonight. I had planned this so long ago that this morning I had to go through weeks of emails to find the one that lists what we will actually be eating tonight as I long ago forgot what I ordered! How does this sound:
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Grilled breast of chicken with asian bbq sauce and palm sugar roasted chili prawns in a lemongrass-coconut sauce served with jasmine rice and green papaya slaw

Chocolate pear cake with chocolate dipped strawberries
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I told the kitties that I'd be very late in getting home tonight, most likely around 10:00. I made sure all their dry kibble bowls were filled to the brim before I left.

Today marks the second three week period that Sweet Pea has not bled. I'm not sure if I ever mentioned to you all that Sweet Pea has had a growth on his neck for the past five or so years. My prior vet felt it and said it was just a fatty tumor and to keep an eye on it. Well, it has never grown nor shrunk in all this time. The tumor is on the right side of Sweet Pea's neck and with the bleeding from this mouth only happening on the right side, my vet would say on one hand it makes sense that it's coming from the tumor but honestly, Sweet Pea should be gagging with the blood coming up from the throat. AND, since the trachea and esophagus are on the left side of the neck, my vet couldn't figure out if the tumor was bleeding, how the blood would get into the throat in the first place! Confused? Well, that's why I never mentioned it before. I just didn't think the two were related. Well, this weekend I was feeling Sweet Pea's neck and guess what? I could no longer feel the tumor!! I've tried since then and still can't feel it. I'm quite shocked. Unfortunately with the craziness at work right now I can't bring him in this week but I'm definitely bringing him in next week for the vet to examine to make sure I haven't missed it. If the tumor is indeed gone, well then, I think the mystery may well be solved!! I'll say I'm cautiously optimistic.

Energy and personality-wise, Sweet Pea is still his crazy wild self, constantly begging for treats, etc. His latest craze is that whenever I'm looking out the front storm door, he gallops over to me, jumps up and puts his front paws on my legs and starts whining to be picked up. I'll pick him up and let him watch all the birdies flying and leaves falling. At 14 pounds, I can't hold him indefinitely and he certainly makes it known that he is NOT happy when I want to put him down. Let's just hope he stays this way!!

Okay, back to work! Board members should be arriving throughout the day. I'm always fearful that I'll get a call that someone has arrived and has no hotel room! Honestly, I've had nightmares about it.

8 comments:

Amy & the house of cats said...

Ok, that is very strange - tumor, then bleeding from the tumor, then tumor is gone and bleeding stops - sounds like they are somehow related to me but still -weird. Like he bled the tumor away or something (is that even possible?) Either way it sounds like good news for both if they are both gone now!

possumlady said...

Thanks for the comment Amy. It is indeed very strange. Could it have been a cyst all these years that finally burst? I keep thinking back a month or so when Sweet Pea had such a bad flea problem and he had lost so much fur around his neck because he was scratching so hard and for so long. Did the constant scratching his neck with his strong back leg dislodge or rupture the tumor/cyst? Will love to hear what the vet has to say.

Lynne at Hasty Brook said...

I wonder too about a cyst that ruptured. It's a good question for the vet. Either way, I'm glad Sweet Pea is doing so well.

Hope the big event goes well too. Your dinner sounds delish!!

KGMom said...

Oh blecchhh--board meetings. And board members. Hmm--maybe retirement has its rewards! Don't be too jealous. ;-)

Now, what wonderful news about Sweetpea. I sure hope he is self-healed. Or healed by you and your loving care.

Kaz's Cats said...

Hope that the tumour has definitely gone away for good. It's outside my experience. Once of my cats had something like a sebaceous cyst that burst suddenly, and it was obviously that the yukky stuff came from the cyst. The vet checked him out and he's been fine since then. Hopefully Sweet Pea will do okay now too.

Cheers

Karen (Mum to Gypsy & Tasha)

Kari said...

How very strange. Before you said the tumor was gone, I thought that maybe the tumor was pressing on the surrounding tissue causing erosion of tissue and vessels. Was the tumor ever biopsied? Maybe it was an encapsulated blood clot or a blood filled cyst that had ruptured and was draining.
We're so glad Sweet Pea is doing better. Give him our love and, by the way, bring us home the left overs from the delicious sounding meal. Sounds lovely.

Dog_geek said...

Seems like half the people I know are at various conferences in DC this week! If you run into my boss, say "hi" for me!

Anyway, I'm glad that The Pea continues to do well - hopefully that's the end of this bleeding problem!

Anonymous said...

I hope that's the end of the bleeding for Sweet Pea and that you survived the conference!