I think I mentioned the other day that when I took Pye in to the vet, we couldn't see our regular vet, and we saw the "new guy." When I took her in yesterday to get samples for more tests, the regular vet (the one who owns the practice) was there. I talked to him a little out in the reception area after the technician had taken Pye to the back room. (Aside -- I really like this tech, and she really loves Pyewacket. She took her out of the carrier to take her out back, and as she walked away with Pye under her arm, she turned around and said to me, "She's purring!")
When they finished getting the testing samples and brought her out and put her in one of the examining rooms, both of the vets came to talk to me. The older doctor said he's pretty sure she has an abcessed tooth. She also has swollen lymph nodes, yes, but he thinks that could be related to the tooth. He hasn't completely ruled out cancer, but at this point it doesn't actually seem likely. Frankly, at the time I thought it was a pretty hasty diagnosis, to go from swollen lymph nodes to cancer, but what do I know?
He asked if she was eating, and I said yes, she was eating fine; he said that eating, yet losing weight, could indicate a thyroid problem. He said they had gotten one thyroid panel back, but not a second one, so when they get the tests back they should have a better idea. Then he'll want a chest x-ray--I can't actually remember why he said that (maybe that lymphoma settles and shows in the lungs?), and then if everything else is okay, do dental surgery.
Which will cost a fortune, of course, but we'll do whatever we need to do. Unlike the worst case -- if it's lymphoma we'll do whatever we need to do to keep her comfortable and pain-free, but I don't think we would do chemotherapy or anything like that -- we couldn't let her remain sick and in pain from a bad tooth.
They gave me some antibiotics to give her, so hopefully that will help her feel better, and we'll wait and see what the tests show next week.
It's always something.
