Saturday, October 31
Today was another good day for Jack. He slept well last night and was alert and animated all day. We don’t know if he’s in remission, but he is certainly acting more like his old self. Hips are a little stiff… we’ll be glad when Dr. Rinehimer returns from vacation to give him another acupuncture treatment. Meanwhile, he appears to be handling this week’s chemo pills without complication.
Friday, October 30
Jack had an excellent day today! We drove over to Roseville for lunch and shopping, and then to Lincoln Hills for a walk on the trails. Jack was alert and happy in the car, and by the time we got to our walk, he surprised all of us by trotting almost a solid mile! That’s more energy than we’ve seen in a while. Jack also really likes the king-size pillow we put in the back of the car. We thought it would help him get comfortable after his first Davis chemo treatment in a few weeks, so he isn’t rolling around or being jostled over the mountain roads. He leans against it comfortably with a big, goofy smile on his face.
Thursday, October 29
Today and tomorrow we’re off work for some R&R and to monitor Jack’s condition. This morning, Linda and Jenny decided they needed some ‘girl’ time so they headed for shopping in Reno. Meanwhile, Jack was feeling great. Treatment #2 went without a hitch, and we started some chores around the house. Jack napped on his futon – belly-up – then rolled over and was having one of those really great doggy dreams with all four paws twitching. After lunch we decided to go for a walk and Jack had quite a bit of energy. He trotted almost the entire walk, and was pulling to go farther when I turned us around and headed for home. No sense in over-doing a good thing. Jack’s appetite remains strong, and today he seems like his old self.
Wednesday, October 28
Today was the day for Jack’s second chemo drug – pills that he needs to take once per day for the next three days. We can give them at home provided we take the necessary precautions: don’t break a tablet open, don’t let him chew a tablet, wear latex gloves (us not him). Jack hit the vet’s office at 8:00 AM sharp for his blood draw and general ‘once-over.’ The idea was that an early blood draw would mean the results would be back by mid-afternoon and we would know if there was any reason he couldn’t have this treatment. Sure enough, the results came back and while is platelet and white cell counts were good, he was borderline-anemic. He’s been at the low end of ‘normal’ before so this is nothing new for him, but just to be safe, UCD Dr. R. was consulted. UCD Dr. R. gave us the green light in the evening, but too late to give with food so we agreed to commence Treatment #2 in the morning. We started Jack on metronidazole for his upset tummy and have seen immediate improvement.
Tuesday, October 27
Linda was able to stay home with Jack today. He was restless again last night and went out a lot, but the panting seemed better. By morning he was more animated and happy, although he panted heavily for much of the morning. By early afternoon he settled for a nap and slept almost two hours, which was a treat for all of us! We reduced his prednisone dose this morning and hope it helps him feel more “normal.”
Today his stool is very soft and by evening it was runny. Not sure what’s up with that. I e-mailed Dr. R in Davis and asked if it’s his chemo drug working its way out. He thought the drug would have processed out a couple of days ago and this might just be a little GI cramping.
Tomorrow Jack sees Dr. Schneider for a blood panel and his next round of chemo (which is a set of pills that he will take at home). She’s going to check him thoroughly to make sure he’s well enough to handle the treatment. I’ve heard of cases where they have to skip a week to let the dog recover from the previous treatment, but I hope that doesn't happen quite so soon! We’ll see what she says in the morning. Otherwise, this evening he’s much calmer than in previous days and his eyes don’t seem quite as… anxious.
Monday, October 26
Rough night last night. Jack seemed overheated - panting non-stop. We were up several times to let him out - he peed every time - and for a midnight snack. Eventually he wandered out and laid on the cool tile in the entry way and fell asleep. According to Dr. Schneider the panting is from the prednisone; fortunately we begin reducing the dose in two days. His increased hunger is also due to the pred. It's an amazing drug with really nasty side effects. Surprisingly, his fur is growing back where his arm was shaved for his first treatment. His resting respiratory rate continues to be low, only 16 to 20 per minute, and he's not coughing - a good sign for his heart. After work we took a walk up the street and Jack seemed to perk up - he trotted quite a bit, and seemed to enjoy the fresh air. After, we went for a ride to our favorite taqueria and he was up, barking at select targets along the way. On the way home we cruised by the park and barked up the bunnies grazing in the grass.
Sunday, October 25
Today is another day for and with Jack - two weeks since being diagnosed with lymphoma. Clearly he feels no worse than he did then, and often he feels better. We went for a ride to Reno, and walked on the trails around the wetlands. This is one of Jack's favorite walks and he surprised us both with is energy level. He trotted more than we expected, and while still showing signs of fatigue today, he has more energy than he did yesterday. At supper time we noticed that his tongue was redder than usual. A quick call to UCD Emergency to verify that this was nothing to panic over, probably a side effect of his increased panting from being on Pred. and we need to take his temp. just to be sure. His appetite remains as strong as ever; no sign of nausea, and all the plumbing is working as designed.
Saturday, October 24
Beautiful fall day so we decided to take a ride over Ebbetts Pass (Hwy 4) to see the fall colors and have lunch at one of our favorite places; pizza at The Growler in Arnold, CA. Jack's dosage level of Prednisone is lower than "usual" due to his heart, but it's still making him drink and drain more than we're accustomed. So we took it easy and stopped a lot. It became clear early on that Jack was fatigued today. At our 'rest' stops, he would jump out of the car and just walk and sniff around - no running, no trotting, just walk, stand, sniff, pee, repeat. He jumped back in the car easily enough, but from the start of the trip he just seemed worn out. Odd, considering that he had a pretty relaxing day on Friday. As the day went along, he seemed to become more energized, barking at M/C's and UPS Trucks, and by the time we were crossing back over Ebbetts he was standing with his head out the window for extended periods. Jack really does enjoy rides in the car.
Friday, October 23
Took the day off to be with Jack - to see how he's doing two days after his first chemo treatment. His appetite remains strong, no sign of nausea, no vomiting, no diarrhea. First thing in the morning, while I was checking my email and doing some research online, Jack jumped onto his futon and promptly rolled belly-up and went to sleep. Rolling belly-up has always been something he does when he feels good - or more to the point, something he doesn't do when he's feeling lousy. I took a photo and emailed to Linda - cause for celebration. We took it pretty easy all day, and he went belly-up on his futon two more times, as well as taking a nap in his chair. Not a lot of activity today, but something to be pleased with nonetheless.
Thursday, October 22
Jack slept well last night – there are no obvious signs of any distress from the treatment. Just to be safe, grandma came down and spent the day with him while we were at work. She took him for a ride and he seemed to enjoy himself. Otherwise, a completely uneventful day – just what we wanted for the day after a chemo treatment.
Wednesday, October 21
Today is Jack's first chemo treatment - an injection given by Dr. Schneider at 4:30. Jack is full of energy and enthusiasm in the morning - barking for his breakfast and running through the house for his flip-it. At lunch it's discovered that he 'nested' on the 'guys' side of the bed - something he used to do regularly but has only done once in the last few months. This, along with sleeping belly-up and rolling in the grass, is a behavior we associate with him feeling 'good.' It is a beautiful, calm, sunny and warm fall day.
Tuesday, October 20
Jack feels good this morning - very active and enthusiastic for his meal. Dr. Schneider returned from her vacation today, and the lab results for Jenny's sore on her foot are due in today. Schneider and UCD Dr. R talked - Dr. Schneider is completely on board, agrees with the protocol and is glad that we're going to UCD for every 4th treatment. Jack gets his 30 mg of Pred in the morning, and his first chemo treatment at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon. Dr. Schneider is familiar with this drug - if he has an allergic reaction we will know right away, if he is going to have any other side effects we should know in 5 - 7 days. I am confident that we have gathered all the knowledge that we can/could, the strategy is in place, everything is lined up from diet to contingency plans (including latex gloves and a second basin just in case...) The Drs. are all on the same page, we're ready to go - the only thing now is to implement the treatment plan and see what happens...
Monday, October 19
Jack to vet for pre-chemo chest X-ray and acupuncture for his hips. As of today, on track to start the chemo protocol on Wednesday with Dr. Schneider. The X-ray came back showing nothing we didn't already know - enlarged heart, lungs are clear, no signs that the cancer metastasized. Jack is feeling great today after his acupuncture. Unfortunately, Dr. Hope is going on vacation for 3 weeks so it will be a month before he can have his next acupuncture treatment.
Sunday, October 18
Ride to Sacramento - lunch in Davis. After lunch, walk on campus, for the second day in a row Jack is walking with more energy and enthusiasm than we've seen in a long time. He trots most of the walk, head up, alert, looking for squirrels. This is a huge improvement over what we saw last week Saturday evening when we where here. The Preds are doing their job. We all enjoy a nice side of roast turkey from Pluto's. This is Jack's third trip to Davis in 7 days...Jenny thinks we should move there.
Saturday, October 17
"Picnic lunch" in the park in Gardnerville, then a nice ride to Reno to Scraps Dog Company for another diet consultation. From Reno over Mt. Rose to Incline and a walk on the path. This is one of his favorite places and he walks with more energy and enthusiasm than we've seen in quite a while. Clearly he's feeling better.
Friday, October 16
Jack to vet with Jenny (lump on back of her foot aspirated) - after just two doses of Prednisone vet notices remarkable shrinkage of lymph nodes in his neck. Dare to dream that the Preds are working…50 - 60% of all dogs see complete remission from the Preds...hopefully Jack is a "60%-er."
Thursday, October 15
Jack begins taking daily dose of Prednisone steroid to reduce swelling - best possible outcome - Pred drives Lymphoma into remission prior to start of Chemo. We had to wait until today to begin the Pred so the Metacam (anti-inflammatory) was completely out of his system.
Wednesday, October 14
It is decided that we will try the chemo - treatments to begin (tentatively) next week Wednesday, October 21. As of today - Jack is NOT dying of lymphoma, he's LIVING WITH lymphoma.
Monday, October 12
Jack goes to UC Davis for consult with Drs. Rebhun, Kent, et. al. A chemo treatment protocol is suggested pending approval from cardiologist Dr. Hosking. It takes a village…
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Jack is diagnosed with Acute Lymphoma after our return from a nice road-trip to Healdsburg wine country and over-night in Davis. He is clearly fatigued with very low energy level - he hardly had enough energy to walk from the hotel in Davis over to the campus quad and back.