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Two days
I’m still being useful. Took a follow up appointment from another doc: skin thing, she had tried antibiotics and it didn’t get better, I stuck a needle in it to get some cells, and whoah Nellie that’s cancer here’s a lot of info and congratulations on your pet insurance.
General information for those who are interested. (I am talking about pets here, and if any of this is also applicable to people it’s mainly luck. I don’t do people.)
- There is no blood test for cancer. Some few cancers show up there, some few others show effects on the blood work that will eventually be traced back to the tumor, but many show nothing at all, and you can’t just run a screening panel and know you’re clear.
- Any bump should be checked out. Worst case, you’d rather remove it when it’s little than when it’s big. I could tell you some heartbreaking stories.
- That said, if you know for sure that you won’t proceed with surgery or chemo or any other treatment, it can be reasonable to stop doing tests. Tests are good for two things: help us make a plan for what to do, help an owner know what they’re dealing with and what comes next.
- I can’t tell by looking at it whether it’s cancerous. (I do have a bit of a spidey sense that makes me more concerned or less concerned when I see something, but that’s not a diagnosis.) Let me poke a needle in there and get some cells out, or take a little piece and send it to the lab, and now we’re getting somewhere.
Anyhow. Two more days.
General information for those who are interested. (I am talking about pets here, and if any of this is also applicable to people it’s mainly luck. I don’t do people.)
- There is no blood test for cancer. Some few cancers show up there, some few others show effects on the blood work that will eventually be traced back to the tumor, but many show nothing at all, and you can’t just run a screening panel and know you’re clear.
- Any bump should be checked out. Worst case, you’d rather remove it when it’s little than when it’s big. I could tell you some heartbreaking stories.
- That said, if you know for sure that you won’t proceed with surgery or chemo or any other treatment, it can be reasonable to stop doing tests. Tests are good for two things: help us make a plan for what to do, help an owner know what they’re dealing with and what comes next.
- I can’t tell by looking at it whether it’s cancerous. (I do have a bit of a spidey sense that makes me more concerned or less concerned when I see something, but that’s not a diagnosis.) Let me poke a needle in there and get some cells out, or take a little piece and send it to the lab, and now we’re getting somewhere.
Anyhow. Two more days.