Lumps-they're so terrifying and they never mean anything good. Plus it doesn't help if you're something of a neurotic especially when it comes to your dog's health. I took Lola in last October to have the the vet take a look at a suspicious lump that seemed to be getting worse/bigger. I wasn't horribly worried about it but peace of mind is a good thing. It turned out to be a harmless doggie pimple. That's the non-medical term in case you were wondering, I'll only mispell the fancypants word for it. Shortly after that episode I found another lump on Lola's neck and since the vet said that she could end up with doggie pimples all over I decided not to worry about it or any of the various other lumps I've found on her over the past 10 months. See, I'm a good recovering neurotic. She screamed and jumped badly enough when the vet aspirated the lump on her leg I could imagine the histrionics if the vet tried to shove a needle into her neck right next to her face.
But last week the neck lump felt bigger and harder and somehow more sinister and I decided it needed checked. I made the appointment on Monday for Friday/today since it was the earliest the vet could see me and proceeded to convince myself that Lola had lymphoma due to the location of the lump. I promised myself I wouldn't go on the internet and look up doggie lymph node locations but I couldn't help myself and from the description of course that's where Lola's lump was. A week long panic attack ensued which I kept to myself except for I had to drag Jonny in but he's used to me and rolled his eyes and gave me the obligatory 'yes dear'. Luckily he's the opposite of neurotic.
The only reason I made it through the week without having a complete breakdown is that I was horribly busy at work with a ridiculous deadline so had to work late and was preoccupied and a bit stressed out. Plus I had a busy week of triathlon and agility training with double workouts/practices for both on Wednesday. How did I pull that off? I'm still not sure. Anyway, today's appointment couldn't come soon enough. The vet walked in the room and barely had a chance for pleasantries before I started in with 'Where are a dog's lymph nodes??!! See, this is where Lola's lump is (I had my finger on the lump before she even got in the door), is it her lymph node??!! Can you feel it?'
The vet is used to me too and she sets my mind at rest right away that no it's not her lymph node. The lymph node is nearby so I wasn't totally crazy but it was far enough away that the vet could see right away it was not the lymph node. Somehow I managed to keep Lola still while the vet stuck the needle in her neck and held it there for a bit while she drew out some cells. What a good girl, I can't believe she put up with that. She wasn't happy but she stayed still, what an awesome girly. The vet came back in a few minutes and gave me the thumbs up. It's just another doggie pimple. You cannot imagine how ecstatic I was/am. Or maybe you can. I'm so happy this week is finally done, bring on the weekend!
What a relief. Max has many lumps on his tail now and I reacted the same way to the first one and the second one. And then there was the time one of them got a hot spot and then burst... Suffice it to say, I'm trying to be a little less neurotic about the weird fatty lumps. He's also had really small dog pimple things that look like your dog has worms under its skin - niiiiice. I was certain he had a parasite on that one, only to hear "it's a pimple and pus." OK, then... Anyway, glad Lola is OK! :)
ReplyDeleteThat such great news!! Diana
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy and relieved for you! Wonderful news. Walter gets bumps and with every new one the whole paranoid "is this the one that's going to be bad..." thought process starts up all over again.
ReplyDeleteYAY for good lump news!
Cody got a lump on his tail about 10 years ago and it turned out to be nothing, likely the result of a bang to the tail due to playing too enthusiastically with other dogs. It got hard in the last couple of years or so and several months ago it fell off leaving a huge disgusting hole in his tail. I saved the lump in a ziploc baggie and every once in a while I pull it out to gross out Jonny.
ReplyDeleteWhat a scare. I'm like you, I always think it's the worse and stress myself out with the unknown. I find that a nice long run does a lot of calm me down.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't know what I'd do without my biking, swimming, etc. I'd probably be curled up in a corner somewhere.
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