UPDATE! (prayers for Harley, please)
If you scroll down, you’ll see today’s original post, but…
A MIRACLE HAS OCCURRED!!!
HARLEY DOES NOT NEED SURGERY!!!
After taking away Harley’s food & water last night…waking up early…putting him through the trauma of another trip in the carrier & car…
We got to the vet at about 8am. There was a note on Harley’s chart that the doctor wanted me to be there when they shaved him to be sure they correctly marked the spot. So we got into the exam room. And this time, it was my regular doctor, not the new associate they have at the clinic. (Both are good, by the way, but sometimes you just can’t beat years of experience. :mat27 )
Anyway, I get Harley out of the carrier & the doctor feels for the lump. He asks me questions. He tells me about the lump…hard, not painful to the touch, not near any lympnodes, etc. Then he leans back & says, “Well, it could be this or that…” Just a boring, harmless old cyst, a small injury he got while playing, even a blood clot from bumping into something. And I told him that—even though I suspected I might be imagining things—I thought the lump was actually getting smaller. I mean, when I first felt it, it was barely noticeable. Then it got to be almost the size of a walnut, which is when I got worried. But ever since we got back from last week’s appointment, I could swear it’s been shrinking; first from walnut size to pecan size, & even smaller today!
The doctor said that was a good sign; it was something that seemed to be going away on its own. And…*drum roll, please*…he said there was no need for surgery unless 1.) he suspected it might be malignant, which he doesn’t 2.) it were in a spot that he considered dangerous to have a lump, which it isn’t 3.) or I didn’t want a lumpy cat—which I couldn’t care less about!
Hallelujah! I am so happy, I could do cartwheels. :may14
I’m supposed to keep an eye on Harley, keep an eye on the lump. If it gets bigger or there are any other signs of illness or injury, then of course we’ll need to reassess. But for now, he said surgery would be much more traumatic & invasive than was warranted.
Happy, happy, happy! Thank You, God! :may35
And thank you all for your positive thoughts, prayers, & white healing energy—they TOTALLY WORKED! :may3
* * * * * * * * * *
If you’ve been following my posts on Twitter & Facebook, you know that I took one of The Kittehs—my sweet, precocious Harley Quinn—to the veterinarian last week. He’s not sick, but I discovered a lump on his left side, just behind his ribcage, that causes some concern. :may30
The good news is that he is perfectly healthy otherwise. Eating, drinking, sleeping, playing, using my bed & body as a bouncy house in the middle of the night, etc.—he’s doing everything exactly the same as usual.
The bad news is the the veterinarian doesn’t know what the lump is. She said we could either wait & see if it gets any larger, if he begins to exhibit any other symptoms…or they can do surgery, take it out, & send it to the lab for testing. One guess which option I chose. :May37
Yeah, she didn’t even get to finish that entire thought before I was saying, “Take it out—the sooner, the better.” She asked if I needed an estimate for the procedure before committing to it. Um, not really. I will pay them $10 a week for the rest of my life…sell my blood & bodily organs…sign over my house…sell my body on the street… Whatever they need to take care of my little boy, it’s theirs. Especially since he isn’t sick. If he were sick or in pain, if the chances for survival were slim, I 
might give it a second thought; but in this case, it’s a no-brainer.
And today is the day of his surgery. I’m not terribly worried, but this sort of thing is always disconcerting. I also know how upset poor Harley will be at having to be in the carrier, take a drive, be left in a strange, noisy place. He’s going to be so nervous & frightened. :may38
So if you could all keep my little Doodlebug in your thoughts…send white, healing energy his way…& say a little prayer that the surgery goes well & when the lump is tested, it turns out to be nothing, I would greatly, hugely appreciate it. :may223
Comments
14 Comments • Comments Feed
Mary Kirkland says:
I hope all goes well for him today. I know this can be stressful so try to stay calm today and when you get him back home give him an extra gentle hug from me.
:may2
On September 15, 2014 at 8:47 am
Heidi says:
Thank you, Mary! As you can see from my update, the news is better than good—it’s miraculous! Harley doesn’t need surgery, after all! :may22 At least not at the moment.
HURRAY!!! :may14
On September 15, 2014 at 9:31 am
Mary Kirkland says:
That is awesome news!
:may14
On September 15, 2014 at 9:42 am
Heidi says:
Isn’t it, tho? *whew* :may22
Thank you so much. I was really hopefully it would turn out to be nothing because he’s so healthy & vibrant otherwise, but I *did* think he’d at least have to have the lump removed first. :may24 What a huge relief! :may6
On September 15, 2014 at 9:44 am
Karla says:
:may3 :may14 :may7
On September 15, 2014 at 10:03 am
Heidi says:
You forgot :may22 & :may35
Seriously, though, I haven’t stopped smiling or saying, “Thank You, God” all day. :may14
On September 15, 2014 at 3:17 pm
Mina Gerhart says:
AWESOME news Heidi & Harley :may14 :may22
Mindy 🙂
On September 15, 2014 at 11:45 am
Heidi says:
Thanks, Mindy. I’m still stunned…but delighted. Thank God for Dr. Herring—he’s THE BEST!!!
On September 15, 2014 at 3:18 pm
Kathleen O says:
:may14 That is terrific news..
On September 15, 2014 at 11:56 am
Heidi says:
Thanks, Kathleen. I feel almost lightheaded, I’m so relieved. :may6 And if Harley really understands/understood what’s going on & how lucky he got, I’m betting he’d be dancing, too. :may35
On September 15, 2014 at 3:19 pm
Connie payne says:
Yay, Harley and Heidi! So happy for you both. 🙂 Positive thoughts and prayers do work.
Please keep us updated on Harley’s lump and overall mischievous behavior.
Connie
On September 15, 2014 at 4:52 pm
Heidi says:
Thanks, Connie! Oh, he is a little rascal…gets into everything, pesters everybody…but he’s so darn cute doing it, how can you hold it against him? :may11
And you are so right—positive thoughts & prayers really do work! :may14
On September 15, 2014 at 5:07 pm
Dee says:
I am HAPPY your news was positive and that the lump seems to be decreasing.
:may14
On September 16, 2014 at 7:00 pm
Brooke C says:
:may14 Yay!!!
On September 17, 2014 at 9:12 pm