Alice and the Adventure Ends

            It all started one night when I looked at Alice.  There seemed to be more fluff on the left side of her cheek than on the right.  When I picked her up, there was a definite bulge of bone on the cheek.  It could have been there a while, I just had not noticed. 

            The next day, I called the vet for an appointment and was able to schedule one for the next afternoon.  Alice was not happy about being at the vet as she had just spent a week there, but everyone was very nice to her.  After looking at her and trying to move the piece of bone, he asked if we could leave her for a couple of hours so he could take x-rays of her head.  When I returned, the vet showed me the x-ray of her head with a definite mass on the left and then a chest x-ray that showed a spot on her lungs. A biopsy was needed on the masses and also a sonogram to determine just how big the masses were.  Of course, the first thought was the possibility that the mass was bone cancer that had spread to the lungs.

            I was a basket case for a couple of days until the results of the biopsy and the sonogram came back.  The mass on her cheek was pure bone, with no sign of cancer.  It was now time to do a biopsy on the mass on the lung.  Meanwhile, a visiting vet with his sonogram machine came to the vets to do Alice’s procedure.  There was a definite mass in the lungs, but the sonogram could not tell what kind it was.

            Again, I was a basket case as all sorts of scenarios went through my mind.  Alice was considered too young to have cancer, but there was a mass there.  Finally, after waiting three weeks, the results of the biopsy of the mass in lungs came back.  The mass was part of Alice’s liver that had gone into the lung cavity.  The vet had no idea how long it had been there – for all we new it could have been congential.  As she often squeaked when we picked her up, that could have been because of the hernia in the lung sack. 

            After researching on the computer and talking with Dr. Williamson in Carrollton, we determined that, although it is unusual, bone growths like Alice’s could be because part of the liver was in her lung cavity.  Most of the cases reported had the growth on the legs of dogs, but a few cats had had the condition. 

            In June, we took a short trip back to Carrollton with Alice so that Dr. Williamson could look at her.  Classical music had calmed cats before, but Alice was not to be calmed. She yowled the whole way! Although glad to be back home, she was lonely because Chloe had died in December and Leo was staying with the kids next door.

Dr. Williamson did a thorough examination of Alice.  Based on what I told him, he agreed that Alice probably had hypertrophic osteopathy He shared some printed information on the condition; and also said he would consult with a vet from Auburn who was very familiar with the condition.

            After our return to Florida, Dr. Williamson sent me an e-mail confirming his thoughts on the condition.  His consulting doctor had agreed that the bone growth on the cheek was a result of the liver being in her lung cavity.  Because it did not seem to bother her, he suggested that we just leave it until either the bone mass grew or Alice was not able open her jaw as much as she had.  At present, she could not open her jaw as much as a regular cat, but eating was no problem.

            Not long after our return to Florida, David came home early one day to tell me that he had been laid off from his job.  That did not seem possible after all the expense and effort the company had expended on getting us down to Florida.  We were both stunned and felt that the rug had been pulled out from under us.  For David, this was the second time he had been released from a position because of corporate actions.  So that he could not say the action was a result of his age, he was given a list of other positions and ages of those persons released from employment.  There was only one under 50 years old!  The company would give him four weeks of severance pay along with his unused vacation, pay for moving us back, pay for COBRA until the end of October, pay for breaking the lease, and reimburse us for driving two cars back to Georgia. 

            Our landlord was a wonderful person who was more than willing to let us break the lease.  Although we were sorry to leave, I was glad to be getting back to Georgia.  It was lucky that we had told the company that we still had a house in Georgia, or they might not have paid for the move back.  At first, it looked like it would take several weeks to get everything in order, but almost as quickly as we had contacted the moving company, the pack up was scheduled and the delivery day in Georgia was set for two days later.   A long drive with both cars packed with our stuff and a very noisy Alice on the Saturday before a tropical storm was scheduled to make landfall in Florida meant we were back in Georgia within two weeks.  On a clear Sunday afternoon, the moving truck arrived and emptied all our boxes in the hall.  The “Florida Adventure” was over.

            
Note:  When the growth on Alice's face began to grow, on Dr. Williamson's recommendation, we took Alice to the Auburn University Veterinary School.  What we had thought was just a bone mass was actually a cancer tumor growing inside a non-malignant mass.  Surgery removed most of the mass, but not all.  Alice lived a good life for about six months when the mass began to grow again to the point where she was unable to eat.  Sadly we had to let her go, and she is now buried in the side yard under a big stone.