Surgery today

Henry update:  (8pm)  He made it out of the surgery, but is still in very critical condition.  Dr. Norris removed his left kidney, which was attached to a huge tissue mass.  He sent it off to be biopsied and won't have the results back for several days.  Dr. Norris said he didn't see signs of tumors or irregularities on any of the nearby organs, although his spleen looked a little discolored.  Alot of Henry's blood vessels had attached themselves to the mass, so Dr. Norris had to cut them and close them back up again (sorry I don't remember the medical terms).  The danger is that having such a large mass removed from his insides (and one that had sort of become a part of him) might send him into shock.  So far his heartbeat is strong, and he was starting to come out of the anesthesia at 6.  Dr. Norris was going to check on him several times during the night, but was hopeful that at this point Henry would make it until morning.  Then we have to wait to see if he starts to get stronger tomorrow.  At least the first goal, making it out of the surgery, has been made.  Now we wait and keep praying.

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Henry goes in to have his kidney removed today.  He has still been eating some the last few days, although about half or less what he usually eats.  He hasn't been moving around much, just getting up to come and eat and go outside.  Once outside, he doesn't prowl the yard like normal, but just picks a nice spot somewhere in the yard and camps out.  Ever since he was little, I've carried him over one shoulder, and he feels so light and bony compared to the big, husky cat I'm used to holding.  We have just been blindsided by how fast this has come up.  We think it's only been about a month that we noticed he had lost weight, and I keep telling myself that if I had any inkling it was something this serious, of course I would have taken him sooner.  But I'm still having a pretty big battle with guilt right now.

This will be a massive surgery, and I hope he has the strength to pull through.  And of course, I hope Dr. Norris doesn't get in there and find that things are much worse than we thought.  I keep thinking about the early months of Henry's life, when he was found starving and dehydrated by the Eastern Hills High School field house with his sister.  She didn't make it, but Henry proved to be a fighter.  I know he still has that fight in him, but I hope it's enough to fight through all of this.  I'm praying for a miracle.