Princess with a secret

A true little princess lives here she walks on 4 feet,has a demure quiet way of walking through the house,and the regal way she carries herself is quite the sight to see,Yet she had a secret that hid deep within her,some knew it most of us did not,and no one wanted to tell.We found that secret out one day as we stroked her silky fur,a small nickel size bump was under that fur,and we did not think much of it at first,she could have gotten bitten by a "bug" you know mosquito,such things fly in the moist Florida air,a routine trip to the vet told us otherwise,it was already too late,the very care we had taken to protect her would soon take her small,much loved special life
The veterinarians who cared for her knew,what I want to know is why I wasn't given a choice.the choice to vaccinate her or not,yes that's right,the very vaccines our cats are given which all the vets I know never told me the risk that lie within those prepariations,but they had known for years,the research is all over the internet,there are ingrediants in the feline vaccines that allow a deadly cancer to attach itself to our beloved pets,that grow like a spider web and branch out,attaching as it grows,invading.the tissue and spreading like a spider web,making it nearly impossible to remove as an option,without maiming and disfiguring,the risk of spreading is too great the margins too wide 2-3 cm beyond the tumor.
So what is this deadly killer of our beautiful felines? It is called feline fibrosarcoma ,it comes from the additives or ingredients in the vaccine and attaches itself to scar tissue,the tissue the needle scars as the injection is given ,after that it is a matter of time,surgery may be an option if it is not so invasive as to include vital organs.radiation may be used ;and much like human sarcomas,which incidently my youngest daughter has,chemotherapy can be used but is not terribly effective
Abby has a 2cm x 3 cm tumor under her right shoulderblade at the injection site,that to operate would take her leg,shoulder and any tissue it had been found to have invaded,plus the now palpable tiny spots you can feel branching towards her left shoulder,maiming any life she would have,oh the vet was quick ,he tried to convince us he needed to operate that day before we could go home and let this shock sink in,we left and did our research,taking our beautiful green eyed Maine Coon mix with us and cried as we read what no one gave us a choice to decide for ourselves,indoor cats seldom need the vaccines that outdoor cats need,in fact I never knew but my sister and mom have purebred Ragdolls and their vet and opted not to be administered ,except for the Rabies required by law where they live,which by the way is also a risk,but the numbers are less without the other vaccines.
Abby looks well right now you can see the swelling at the tumor,and she has a slight limp,for which we have an anti-inflammatory,that our NEW vet gave us.
I am not suggesting you all stop what your vet recommends,but that you question and read ,research as you would for your family,because our cats and dogs are our families!they cannot decide for themselves !,make an "informed" decision,and one you can live with.
Right now I have known for 4 short days and the shock ,fear and blame that is in my heart for failing a small bedraggled kitten I,,"rescued" from a "mall" pet shop,with eyes swollen from infection and a small,smelly, furry body; it took $300.oo to make well,the shop was closed down a month later[another story] I'll do the best I can when the tears stop and get more info out ,there is a support and research group,please ,please be informed,new vaccines already exist,QUESTION YOUR VET!!! if they do not share info find one that does! Abby has pics on here,but I will post more as the days go by..Love to you all who care for the creatures that cannot care for themselves nanna

Miracles!!

A new baby is truly a miracle! When you stop to think so much has to go "right" for a healthy baby to come into this world.I see both sides of the spectrum in my profession.While laboring a happy couple last week I learned their nephew had died of "ALL" Acute lymphoblastic leukemia nearly 18 mos, ago,the parents had a second child born only 2 months "after"he was diagnosed.While the cure rate is nearly 85% this child had a mutation of a specific gene,making the outlook very grim.neither parent was a match for bone marrow,it took a while before one could be found,then sadly his little body "rejected" the transplant. Timing here could have made a difference,but families are seldom planned for such catastrophic events.Now this wonderful brother to my pt, was "gifting"his sister's baby with the potentially life saving cord blood collection and storage,for their first child. A simple proceedure,this can mean the difference to a sibling with life threatening condititions.
I have helped parents through thr process many times,however it is not affordable for a great majority of the parents out there,but if you can do it ,it can mean the life of your precious child should he or she need it in the future.I urge parents to research,there are a number of "banks" available and payment plans. I will get further into info in future blogs,but must now run or I will be late for another "miracle"which certainly awaits me today!

Finding Time!

Seems like it would be easy doesn't it? We all have 24 hrs a day, Vera is doing much better after another round of chemo taht left her so weak she needed to get 2 liters of fluid to replace what she had lost,and correct the dehydration,she isn't going out much ,as her white blood cell count is low.In the meantime we have news of 2 other friends who recently found out they too have cancer although oyher types,every day there is a new challenge for friends and their families.While reading one of my favorite magazines "Sew Beautiful" Martha Pullen writes an inspiring message in every issue in the most recent she quoted a scripture Luke 12 25-26 it is about worry.Stating "who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing,why do you worry about the rest" I have made a promise to myself to try,I know it will be difficult for me,but those who have faith are so lucky to know when burdens get us down we can just turn that "worry" over to a higher power,keep up our prayers for those in need and trusting as a child can bring a much needed rest and peace to our lives. love and prayers to all,

Update Vera

Just a note,some meds I need to research,but will try to get this week-end along with some pics,I visited Vera yesterday,she looks"good" actually,a litle slow moving, the sores in her mouth from the chemo had gotten much worse,of course there are medications,one is 700.00! Works well enough,she got some samples from the MD,to order takes at least a week here! Makes me wonder how many pt's can afford it,there are old ones of course,the "lidocaine" mixtures which "nomb"so pt's can eat,and drink,she said a straw helped with the water,which she needed to drink to help 'flush the chemo from her system.If the breakdown products stay in the bladder too long you can get "cystitus" which she did,mildly,however mild,it's painful!
The smile on her face told me she is doing better,she put on her make-up and sat on the patio talking about family and a new grandchild expected,such a positive attitude! more later gotta go to "work"

Side effects

Not much really after this first "round" of chemo a little nausea,diarhhea, nothing that she needed any medication for, she did complain of feeling "weak" like her legs were "rubbery" and she couldn't keep up. There was that "smile" even in her voice you could hear it,as she assured me she was OK ! Her family is much support to her at home and keeping up the housework for her. One thing Vera "loves" to do is iron her clothing! which they did give her "permission" to do she was so happy!! Imagine that ?! Some things are theraputic,especially those which we are used to doing and anything that can help is important,even IRONING!!!

First Chemo&Chanel

Well the first chemo has begun,although the "infection/cellulitis" is not completely gone the chemo Dr.felt it was safe to go on.Unfortunately or perhaps as was meant to be her beloved'Chanel" died during the night before.
Let me tell you about an amazing man I have watched "step up" and become a caregiver,not only to his wife but of everyday life in general "Pete"heard a noise about 1230 am and got up to see the small cat struggling to stay on her feet,her legs were "like rubber" as Pete put it.He picked her gently up and held her as he sat with her fragile little head tucked into the crook of his elbow he sat until he felt the last heartbeat ,then knew she was gone.
The task of telling Vera was not a small one ,especially on this day of "firsts",and as her day began I knew that like so much involved in Veras' life for the past 8 months,that strength I never knew she posessed;would kick in once more to get her through the first of many treatments to come that hopefully will "overpower"the invader in her body.

Vera

Behind again,my intent was to follow her "care",sort of journal for someone I care about very much.Vera went for her first "chemo"treatment only to find that it couldn't be done,she has an infection .apparently from one of the 4 drains that kept the fluidaway as she "healed".
As to this date she has had 3 doses of IV rocephen,with little improvement,another check-up put her on 3 doses of Levoquin,both powerful antibiotics.Without the infection gone they cannot start her chemotherapy,her immune system will be compromised and the healing she needs to finish would be compromised ,Vera is in very good spirits I have admiration for her ability to "smile" Vera has a very small cat who is 17 human years old,a beautiful green eyed Persian,who as i pet I could feel her bones,and watched her take shakey steps,quite aware of the pain she was in,the vet suggested they "put her down" to release her from the pain of her afflictions,as yet Pete and Vera have been unable to do so,they love her so much,as we get closer to Friday we will know more about the effectiveness of Vera's antibiotics and her special pet,they also have 3 small dogs they are Shitzus I think,hope I spelled it right! adorable and they provide such a theraputic love for Vera!