Hi Michelle
I've been following your thread for updates ... glad to hear he's got his tube in ok and can get some nutrition on board before the surgery. It's frustrating to have to split up the procedures but it sounds like it was the best choice. I know at my hospital, they try to avoid doing certain types of procedures after a certain time of day (late in the day) because they want all the specialists to be there on-call to care for the cat when he wakes up.
I know you must be worried about the big C, and it is a concern in any kitty, esp an older one, but cats can and do get benign but ugly polyps in that area and that's what I'm pulling for now. I assume they did CT his chest and there was no bad news there? If it's just an icky polyp they should be able to remove it and get him back to breathing normally asap -- fingers crossed over here!
Kisses to Doodle, and hugs to you and your family.
PS It is a relief to be able to push meds through the feeding tube, isn't it? So much less stressful for the both of you.