Sword of Damocles

Duncan went to see Dr Johnny Chretin at VCA today to see what choices
we had. He was very, very dismayed that the cancer had returned. We
had HUGE clean margins. He went through all the possible choices with
the caveat that Duncan might not qualify for some of these if further
tests reveal more kidney disease or metastasis. The choices in order are:
1. 20 days of radiation followed by surgery, which would be very
difficult given the location of the tumors.
2. just surgery, which we know won't get clean margins
3. just radiation, which would be harder on him than surgery, so it
was recommended that if we do radiation, surgery would be a cake walk.
4. full body chemo, which seems to have limited success
5. localized chemo which would be difficult to do on a tumor his size
6. anti-inflammatories and the like

I was amazed that the radiation and surgery would run $8,000. Wow.
Radiation alone is $6,000.

It's so hard to make a decision. We can't figure out why the cancer
came back. And Dr Chretin had never personally seen a cat with
liposarcoma. It's just not that common. There is a chance that the
sub-Q fluids are what he's having a reaction to, which kills me
because in essence, WE gave him cancer. Of course, he can't survive
without the fluids either. Poor guy is resting right under the Sword
of Damocles.

That said, I'm not completely convinced that an expensive, radical,
painful proceedure is in order simply because it didn't work last
time. Meaning, the cancer came back. What if we do the surgery with
radiation, put the little guy through hell and it comes back in 6
months again? We're going to sleep on it and try to figure it out. I
feel like a deer in headlights. I probably look like one too.