May | 2009 | It"s OK to Talk About the Cancer

May 2009

Monthly Archive

May 7, 2009

The Vet Giveth, the Vet Taketh Away

Posted by nothoney under Uncategorized | Tags: I hate this I hate this I hate this |
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Mina had an appointment today at VIMP with Dr. Chiapella. I’ve never met Dr. Chiapella, I wouldn’t know her if I saw her. But because my telecommute day is Thursday I thought it would be easier to schedule Mina’s chemo treatments that day. We’re changing it to Tuesday next week and going back to seeing Dr. Birnbaum.

After all that happy pep talk by Dr. Smith on Tuesday night at the emergency vet clinic, today at VIMP they delivered a painful blow.

Mina spies another canine today at VIMP

First, Dr. C. isn’t sure if Mina’s vomiting on Tuesday night was caused by the Vincristine she got last Thursday. Her LVT didn’t say what else it could have been. I mentioned that I’ve read many accounts online of dogs getting very sick on the third or fourth day after the Vincristine IV and that it was, for some, the worst part of the chemo protocol. My comment was shrugged off – as usual.

Next, I was told that in order to treat Mina’s cancer effectively they need to administer the next drug, Cytoxan, right way … BUT maybe she should rest over the weekend. Seems reasonable, right? Until the LVT then informs me that waiting AT ALL puts Mina’s life in peril and it’s my decision so it’s actually ME putting Mina’s life in peril. Then she tells me that some dogs have to wait as much as 10 days between chemo treatments. I guess their lives aren’t as perilous as Mina’s.

Then, she lowered the boom. An ultrasound was performed on Mina – I was not told about this in advance, in fact they rarely tell me what they’re doing to her when they take her away to the mysterious treatment room/lab – and her spleen has not changed since the original ultrasound on April 21. This news was delivered with photos of the ultrasound and a dire prediction that Mina may not be responding to chemo and the implication that the doctor may not want to continue treating her.

WELL FUCK YOU.

I’ve had it with a doctor that every other vet I meet calls “brilliant,” but has the bedside manner of the damn Grim Reaper. THAT IS NOT WHAT WE NEED. THAT IS NOT WHAT WE NEED.

We need a doctor who will be frank with me about Mina’s health but at least tries not to be so coldly clinical that every pronouncement is like a death sentence. So, starting Tuesday I’m switching my telecommute day so that Mina can be treated by Dr. Birnbaum.

I left VIMP feeling like they’d just started digging Mina’s grave. We drove to our regular vet’s office – it took a freakin’ hour in heavy traffic – to get refills of prednisone (Mina’s dosage is being reduced) and Tramadol. While there I saw Dr. Nolan and just went off on the news from VIMP and how I don’t like dealing with Team Grim Reaper and that I’m not going to deal with them anymore. I never want to be told I have a choice of giving her chemo now, just two days after a violent reaction to the previous treatment, or hold off for a few days and be made to feel like I’m responsible for her death because I want to delay in order for Mina to feel better.

I am not giving up, damn it. I’ve just become the nosiest, most opinionated, questioning client they’ve ever met. I’m never leaving that office again without knowing EXACTLY what Mina’s options are for survival and I’ll know BEFORE they take her away what they plan to do.

And if it takes listening to The Downward Spiral to be in a testy, confrontational mood when I get there – then that’s what it takes.

s.

May 6, 2009

Repeat: Every Day Is A Good Day

Posted by nothoney under Uncategorized | Tags: arthritis makes her leg crooked |
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We’re tired, but we’re together.

See her crooked right carpus? That’s what the brace supports. Arthritis sucks, too.

s.

May 6, 2009

Vincristine Side Effects are Scary

Posted by nothoney under Uncategorized | Tags: chemo isn’t for sissies, cleaning up puke sucks, vincristine is a mean drug |
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Wow. Have I been naive about chemotherapy. I thought I was reading a lot of stuff and I’d be prepared but … FAIL.

Today Mina was clearly suffering just about every side effect from Vincristine that she could have. Lethargy? Check. Depressed Attitude? Check. Nausea/Drooling? Check. Vomiting? Check. Check. Check. Check. Check. Diarrhea? No.

All of Mina’s caregivers reported that she seemed sad and tired, but she was still eating like a champ. That continued even after I got home. About an hour and a half after she had dinner, she started vomiting. All over the place. I called VIMP, talked to her LVT, Christy, and we gave her a dose of the Metoclopramide. She threw it up. Dr. Chiapella was there and directed Christy to tell me to get Mina to the e-vet.

When we got there, Mina’s records were there, Dr. Smith was ready to see her and we got started. She threw up two more times in the exam room. This is the second time Mina’s seen Dr. Smith and I’m almost starting to like him. He needs just a little work on his bedside manner, but he’s very smart.

So, he told me they were going to take blood for a CBC, test some puke for alkalinity, give her subcutaneous fluids and inject meds for her stomach. He made sure his techs knew to do all of this in the exam room where I could watch and ask questions. I like that.

Long story short … it’s not all bad news. Yes, Mina had a bad reaction to the Vincristine IV she had last Thursday. This means we will not be giving her the next drug in the protocol this Thursday … but she will still see Dr. Chiapella and get a full physical exam and another CBC. Then we’ll set a date for the Cytoxan round.

The good news:

• Her lymph nodes have shrunken further. Dr. Smith insisted that I feel them myself and I am amazed. They really are smaller. A lot smaller.


• She gained a pound!


• She’s no longer anemic! I am going to hug Dr. Cliver so hard for recommending potatoes to add carbs to Mina’s diet for the anemia.


• Her white cell count dropped from 17,000 to 9,000!

I must thank him publicly for making sure that I know that good things are happening with Mina’s cancer, and that this is going to be a very long, very hard road.

Tonight, I’ll sleep on the couch near Mina and tomorrow we’ll fetch my laptop from work and I’ll stay home with her. Please, please feel free to remind me that there are other things going on in the world that need my attention. I feel a great need to not always be in the cancer ward, y’know? I think that helps Mina, too.

s.

May 5, 2009

Thank You, Chow Now Petfood

Posted by nothoney under Uncategorized | Tags: chow now petfood, thanks for all the help |
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Mina and I are grateful for your help and can’t thank you enough!

s.

May 5, 2009

Every Day Is a Good Day

Posted by nothoney under Uncategorized | Tags: chow now petfood, eating more, peeing a lot, Udo’s Choice |
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Yesterday was certainly a good day here in the cancer ward. Sherrie reported that Mina was bright and perky and trotted some on their walk and hoovered up her food in seconds. Lori reported that Mina was napping when she arrived and stretched at the door for a bit. She also told me that when she opened the fridge to give Mina some boiled chicken for a snack, that Mina immediately stood at her bowls.

Asia said that when she opened the door to our apartment, Mina stuck her nose out and Asia then gently pushed her back inside. She turned to get Mina’s carpal brace and found that Mina had sat down with her leg outstretched, ready to get outside and pee!

When I got home she was bouncy and we took a nice walk to the leasing office, where she got more attention from Lori, and walked there again later in the evening. She ate like a horse. I fed her three times after I got home! Cooked two cartons of Chow Now and I’ll need to cook two more tonight. Where can I get organic, instant potatoes?

Oh! I have to say a big THANK YOU to Sherrie who’s going to make some homemade biscuits for Miss Mina Bean. She texted me some of the recipes last night and I told her the fattier, the better. I hadn’t considered making my own Mina treats but I’ll look for some recipes later on.

Mina is up to the full dose of Udo’s 3,6,9 oil and two teaspoons of Udo’s Pet Essentials supplement. She doesn’t seem to mind it on her food at all. I just wish she would gain some weight. She doesn’t appear to be losing any, at least not to my eyes, but I’m not seeing a gain, either.

Only two days to chemo …

s.

May 4, 2009

Monday Blues

Posted by nothoney under Uncategorized | Tags: berry the dog’s chemo book, pee takes lots of water to clean, sleeping is for sissies |
[2] Comments 

OK, so after reading all about the possible side effects of the various drugs used for Mina’s lymphoma treatments, and Berry the dog’s reactions to some of them, I’m kinda freaked out. The one that’s coming up on Thursday is Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide). Here’s the info from Berry’s Web site:

Cytoxan is an alkylating agent that interferes with the replication of cells. It is a nitrogen mustard and is related to gases used in chemical warfare. Cytoxan is given in pills, which must be handled with extreme care. Cytoxan is an inactive drug in the capsule. It is activated in your dog’s liver, where it is broken down, and then it is broken down again in the bladder. It is extremely important for dogs to receive ample water while on Cytoxan so that the drug wastes can be flushed out of your dog’s organs. Your dog also needs to be let out often to urinate while taking Cytoxan to remove the waste products from his bladder as quickly as possible. Detailed information about Cytoxan is available at: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_cyclophosphamide_.html.

From what I read on that link, you can’t even touch these pills with your fingers, which makes me wonder how I’m supposed to give them to Mina? I would assume it’s bad if the pill touches the inside of her mouth? Will a Pill Pocket work? I’ll write down my questions today so I have them for our next visit to VIMP on Thursday.

Also, I may not be entirely out of the chicken cooking business, UNFORTUNATELY. I can’t seem to find a doggie snack for Mina that’s not full of grains and stuff she doesn’t need. She’s not bugging me for snacks now because she eats four to five times a day, but it’d be nice for her Aunties Lori and Sherrie to have something easy to give her. Any ideas? Hints? Suggestions? Today, we have some chicken breast in the fridge that she can have for snacks, but I’m not looking forward to doing that on a regular basis because I’M TIRED OF DISMEMBERING CORPSES IN MY KITCHEN.

So, this morning we were up after about five hours of sleep to go outside in the pouring rain. Gotta hand it to Mina, she’s tough because she managed to do all her business while getting soaked as I stood in the breezeway and watched. She got a nice rub-down with the towel when we got inside, something she particularly enjoys. Pills, food, laundry, carpet spraying, pack lunches, eat breakfast, finish laundry, get ready for work, leave a sad-eyed Mina behind. I wish I could set up a little corner for her here in my office but this is not a non-human animal-friendly workplace.

Generally, she seems better, even broke out the trot for a bit this morning and yesterday. She still sleeps an awful lot, but she did invite me to play a couple of times yesterday but wore out after just a few minutes. She’s still eating enough for three Wheaties, though, and still drinking lots of water but I’ve noticed that’s tapered off. She’ll need to drink tons while taking the Cytoxan, so I may employ Colleen’s sneaky method of getting her elderly pooch, Tosca, to drink by putting a little chicken broth in the water. Eww.

s.

May 3, 2009

All Your Freezer Are Belong to Mina

Posted by nothoney under Uncategorized | Tags: chow now petfood, y’all must think I’m crazy |
1 Comment 

That is the whole of my freezer. The frozen organic peas, frozen loaf of multi-grain organic bread, Earth Balance margarine, tempeh tucked behind it, and leftover WFM pizza in foil are mine. The rest is Mina’s stock of chicken Chow Now Petfood.

I have to cook more of it tonight so I’m saving my last beer until then. Sam Adams Light and wine donations gratefully accepted.

She LOVES the sweet potatoes I made for her today. Oh! and she’s scent-marking again which I think means she’s gaining muscle control back. It could be something else but I’m going with the positive aspect – for once.

s.

May 3, 2009

Food Transitioning

Posted by nothoney under Uncategorized | Tags: berry the dog’s chemo book, chow now petfood, sleeping is for sissies |
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So … Mina is just about off the boiled dead chickens. I put only a tablespoon in her breakfast of mashed potatoes, chicken Chow Now, Udo’s Choice Pet Essentials, and Udo’s Choice 3, 6, 9 Oil. I don’t plan to give her any more boiled dead chickens after today so the remainder will go downstairs to my neighbor’s dog, Turk. He really likes Mina, but right now she can’t handle much enthusiastic behavior from her friends. A nuzzle and a little sniffing is Mina’s speed at the moment.

I still have to cook the chicken Chow Now, but I no longer have to dismember chickens and skin them in my kitchen. You have no idea what a huge relief that is for me. The Chow Now stinks while it’s cooking but a stick of incense gets rid of the stink. Mina seems to love it.

Today, we’re going to boil and mash some gigantic sweet potatoes for her carbohydrate needs, and we’re also driving out to ECOW in Amissville, Virginia to pick up a case of chicken Chow Now. I’ve cleaned out my freezer and moved things around but still not sure how I’ll store 24 16-ounce cartons of it. I may have to beg some freezer space from a neighbor for a while.

I read about prednisone side effects this morning to see if there’s a reason that Mina is drinking a bit less water the last couple of days. She’s peeing less, too. Maybe that’s because I’ve been home for four days and she gets to go out a lot, but her next chemo treatment is highly toxic (you can’t even touch the pills with your hands) and she needs lots of water to avoid cystitis.

The tile entryway is her new favorite spot to nap.

Then I found a very cool Web site written by two parents whose beloved Golden Retriever, Berry, was a lymphosarcoma patient. I’ve added it to the links over on the side. They wrote a little book titled, ” Every Day is a Good Day: Berry The Dog’s Guide to Living with Lymphosarcoma.” I’m on the second chapter, “Surviving the first month of treatment.” It’s some scary shit, but the treatment of lymphoma in dogs has changed tremendously in the nine years since Berry was diagnosed. The interesting part for me is that Berry had the same diagnosis as Mina, including cancer in the bone marrow.

So far, KNOCK WOOD PEOPLE, Mina hasn’t shown any side effects from the Vincristine. She’s still eating enough for three Wheaties every day, and drinking a fair amount of water. She rests a lot so I think the lethargy side effect is present but, even so, we took two walks yesterday to the leasing office and back. She was bright, alert and sniffing all over the place during the walks.

s.

May 2, 2009

Skinny Mina

Posted by nothoney under Uncategorized | Tags: cancer dog walking, chow now petfood, eating more |
[8] Comments 

We took a good walk this morning, the best in a couple of days – all the way around the complex. Here’s Mina standing in front of the leasing office, wondering why Lori isn’t there to scratch her butt.

We’re off to ECOW today for an entire case of chicken Chow Now Petfood. She’s nearly off the chicken carcass. I still have to cook the chicken Chow Now, but I don’t have to dismember any corpses.

s.

May 1, 2009

Mina’s Pharmacy

Posted by nothoney under Uncategorized | Tags: mina’s pharmacy |
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Famotidine, Dasuquin MSM, prednisone, Tramadol, metoclopramide, Immodium, Benadryl, Pill Pockets

Uh, don’t call me unless you want an earful. I unloaded on a colleague today who was an angel about it and let me rant away but I felt so out of line. Mina is experiencing some side affects from the Vincristine – lethargy and a depressed attitude. She’s eating well and drinking a lot, but I can’t seem to cheer her up.

s.

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