While Ron was preparing the slides I asked if we should get a chest x-ray, to see if the heart or lungs were involved in anyway. This is a typical request when staging cancer, as some forms will involve the internal organs immediately. Ron agreed with me and we did xrays. Xraying a somewhat recalcitrant 110 pound dog isn't easy, but we managed to get her on the table and cooperate with relative ease.
Ron asked me what I thought was going on with Phoebe and I said that I suspected Lymphoma, but that I was really concerned it could be the Malignant Histiocytotic Sarcoma again. He told me he really suspected lympho as well and that we'd get path reports back asap.
Pathology reports came back the next afternoon, confirming our suspicions of Lymphosarcoma and suggesting that it was a intermediate to high grade of the disease. There were both good and bad things about this; one the higher the grade, the faster it spreads, but the second part was, the higher the grade, the more responsive it is to Chemotherapy. Before we could set up a chemo protocol, we needed to get an abdominal ultrasound to see if any of the organs with lymph tissue were involved. This appointment was set for the following Thursday, which was a lot slower than I would have liked, but not many vet offices have radiologists on staff. So we waited for the 6th of May to arrive.
The results of Phoebe's ultrasound indicated that there was some internal organ involvement, specifically the spleen was misshapen and some internal lymph nodes were enlarged. This was not great news, but again, it wasn't the absolute worst. Ron and I talked about our options for treatment and he strongly suggested that we use a fairly aggressive chemotherapy protocol, that he would consult with an oncologist group about.
At this point I had some real concerns (ok, fear) of how Phoebe would react to the chemotherapy and second, how was I going to pay for all this. The initial exam and ultrasounds already had me 800 dollars out of pocket and I had no idea what chemotherapy was going to cost. However, while I was worried about this, at the same time I couldn't look at my vibrant and healthy Phoebe without knowing that no matter what I needed to give her a chance. There just wasn't anything WRONG with her. She eats with gusto, demands her cookies, joins in the Bulldog games my barking and body slamming them...for an "elderly" bullmastiff (she'll be 7 in July), you sure wouldn't know it.
That's when I needed to draw on the support of my friends, Monica, Jewlz and Kris, who have all fought cancer, lymphoma specifically, but other nastier ones as well. Monica owned Marley, who was Foley and Bella's littermate, he was diagnosed with lympho at the same time Foley was being diagnosed with MHS. Monica is an AMAZING caretaker of her dogs and has always been a resource for me regarding nutrition (we both feed raw) and now, for Lympho. They treated Marley with chemo, achieved remission and were blessed with more than 2 years of good health with him. It was through Monica I found out that the oncologists Ron was working with, were the same that treated Marley...that made me feel better.
Jewlz and I have battled cancer in our dogs together, different types, but she had remarkable success treating her boy Sting, and gave me the low down on natural supplements she felt had been critical for his survival.
Kris had been down the lympho road before, several years ago, with her boy Angus, who was the toughest and coolest dog I may have ever known.
Through listening to their experiences, I knew we needed to treat and I felt like we had a chance to fight this disease.
This is an awful place to be when you love your dogs like we do. However, it is not a road you will travel alone. We love you and are always here for you!
ReplyDelete