Update on Jack

Hello, faithful readers...*laughing*

So.  When Dave discussed our decision with the vet who did the surgery regarding not treating Jack's lymphoma, she had said that there are two different kinds of feline lymphoma, and that the lab could do a secondary test on the tissue sample to find out what kind it is.

We said yes, please order the test.

If it's T cell, it's more dangerous, if it's B cell, it's less so, and that's the one that tends to appear in the skin of older cats....so I decided I needed to know that.

She said that the test results would be back in time for the suture removal, which she scheduled for 14 days after the procedure, and she made a point of saying we could PAY her for the extra test when we were there in person with the cat to have his sutures removed, and that we would get the results at that time.

That would have been yesterday.

But.

On Thursday, day 13, the office called and cancelled our appointment because the lab results weren't back yet.

When Dave tried to ask if they could still come in Friday before 4, the receptionist brushed him off with an abrupt "they won't be back."   She said they wanted to postpone suture removal indefinitely, until the results were in.

We both knew immediately....the doctor failed to order the secondary test.

SO.

My niece is a long time vet tech, and she explained that staple sutures are meant to stay in for 2 weeks.  She said that it probably would be okay to leave them in a few days longer, but that it's really best to take them out.

We followed the advice of a friend and checked out her vet clinic on line.  Dave called the new clinic, and even though it was short notice, they said that yes, they would remove the sutures for us on Friday, the original time they were supposed to come out.

Dave gave them a short version of the story, so that they knew where we were coming from, and by the time he got there with Jack on Friday afternoon, they had already gotten Jack's records from the Cat Clinic of OKC.

Dave told the vet the whole story, top to bottom...the missed blood test, the horrific early release, the emergency overnight stay, and lack of wound care and pain meds, and the forgotten or ignored request for secondary tissue testing.

They didn't charge us one cent, and they are going to contact the emergency clinic to get copies of their records to add to Jack's file, too.

Hopefully, we now have a good vet.  Only time will tell, though.

In the meantime, Jack seems PERFECTLY healthy and happy.  He was playing with is little sister this morning, chasing her and pouncing on her.

He's fine.

And until he is no longer fine, we will take it one day at a time.  Maybe this is the kind that is not dangerous, and he will never have another lesion.

At this rate, I am pretty sure we will never know, because I sincerely doubt she will ever call us with results of a test she forgot to order.