Millie has two all time favorite toys -- a ratty stuffed bunny & these incredibly inexpensive, flimsy, rubber balls from Wal-Mart. She loves to itch them.
Yesterday Millie received her second round of chemo. She was a champ & had a great attitude. Unlike the last chemo appointment, she happily bounded out of the car & into the clinic. Her drop off appointment was at 8:30. U of I was running a touch behind, so we waited for 5-10 minutes in the waiting room. Across the room was a feisty and vocal little Jack Russell. Millie is generally not a fan of other dogs, but she is especially not a fan of little dogs. Thankfully, she was perfectly behaved. She calmly laid down next to me and intently watched the pup. He would whine & jump around, and Millie would just look at him confused what all the fuss was about. Moments later a very put together older woman arrived. She was carrying a Pomeranian that was easily 15 years old, no more than 4 pounds, and perfectly groomed. She caught a glimpse of Millie & it was as if she'd seen a T-Rex. I think she actually thought that every living creature in that room was moments away from dying. She gripped her dog (there for a dental, I overheard) & sat as far away from us misfits as possible. It was in that moment I wished that Millie could grace us with one of her award winning gas bombs. Can you imagine?
Our chemo technician called us back to discuss the plan for the day & to ask if I had any questions. I was curious to find out what her bloodwork looked like when we had come in 13 days post chemo #1. She said that her neutrophils were fantastic. She was at 3,200 (they won't treat dogs if they are below 2,000). Millie had weighed in at 125.2lbs that day. I told her about how Millie had vomited twice since her 1st round of chemo - once maybe 15-17ish days in, and another time on 3/3/12. Each time it was just a bit of bile & very early in the morning. She was happy to eat breakfast, and didn't seem sickly at all. It concerned me a bit because this dog has a stomach of steel. Seriously. She didn't think the timing matched up to draw any sort of connection to the chemo. She suggested keeping an eye on her & alerting them of any further episodes.
I picked Mil up just before 1:30. The poor technician was being drug down the hallway once Millie saw me. She had done very well while she was there - no reactions to chemo at all. She weighed 127lbs, and I was happy she was just a touch heavier. Her pre-chemo bloodwork looked excellent, so they released her, but recommended another CBC recheck in 10-14 days. Her next round of chemo (21 days from now) would also be the visit where they re-check her chest x-rays to make sure they still can't see any mets in her lungs. That will be a panic inducing appointment, no doubt.
We headed to work, which made Millie quite happy. She is loving coming to work with me so often, and really soaks in the extra attention. She was thirsty, but I suspected that was from no water/nerves from the morning stay at U of I. After work, we headed to pick up Evan. Millie loves going on "special trips", and was surprised to see a familiar face when she saw Evan come down the sidewalk. Our evening was fairly low-key, though she was still fairly thirsty and had to poop a lot. A lot. (*Not really sure if that is from the nerves at U of I, or the extra you-had-chemo-so-you-can-have-as-many-treats-as-you-want Mommy treatment)
This morning Millie still seemed to be feeling quite well. She ate like a champ (no surprise there), but I noticed that she stopped to pee several times this morning. Great. Another UTI? She went to work with me and asked to go out for a mid-morning pee. At lunch time it was all we could do to get outside before the flood gates opened. She was so desperate for grass, she peed in the raised concrete "planter" in the parking lot. She also almost fell trying to get into the car. We went home to walk Sugar, and she had to pee again. She paced while we walked, and I couldn't figure out if she had to pee again, or if she was about to poop. Finally, she pooped. By this time, she had worn herself out. She hopped back inside & was out for the count. The afternoon was basically the same, maybe slightly improved. She was pumped to go pick up Evan again & was practically grinning when we saw him. We dropped Evan off & made our way home. When we arrived, she got a huge drink while I went to the bathroom. Then, from inside the bathroom I heard her vomit up all the water she had just downed. When I came out, she was on the couch, embarrassed. Poor girl. I called U of I & they basically said not to worry unless it continues. Though GI side effects are most common 3-5 days post chemo, some dogs get sick the day of or the day after.
All night, she has seemed to alternate between feeling a little crappy & wanting to snuggle, to her normal self -- barking like a lunatic at the Husky across the street, grabbing a bone, etc. I'm trying not to worry, but honestly I hate seeing signs that she really is sick. I hate the reminders. Sure, she only has three legs & that is a daily reminder, but I don't want to see her feeling yucky. However, at this point, I am still 100% happy with the treatment plan I've decided on. I would suspect that she is too. I know I can't explain things to her, but if you told me that I might feel a little crappy every now and again, but I would *hopefully* be able to live longer as well as have a chance to fight this illness, I'd take that option any day. That being said, I constantly remind myself to remember to do this for Millie, not myself. The last thing I want to do is selfishly push her when she doesn't want to be pushed. Tonight, I still feel good about that, and I think she agrees **snoring with her head over my foot**.
Keeping an eye on that Husky (blob across the street) to make sure he doesn't get any crazy ideas.
Would you look at that! Even the cats are feeling the family togetherness. It only took them 11 months to be this close while not trying to kill each other. Ahhh, family.
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