Conan's Canine Lymphoma: Today We Start Chemo

What a whirlwind week it's been for us. After some research and very little debate, Jarrod and I opted to go with the intensive (and expensive) five-drug, 25-week chemotherapy treatment plan for Conan's stage 2a lymphoma. When I first heard the words "chemotherapy" come out of the vet's mouth and through the phone, I instantly thought of human chemo and the hair loss and nausea and general crappy feeling that seems to accompany it and my initial thought was, "There's no way we can put Conan through that."

But it turns out that most dogs tolerate chemo pretty well. The dosage is drastically decreased from human chemo and many dogs only experience more minor side effects like fatigue and some vomiting. Still, last night when I was Googling the names of the five drugs Conan will be receiving over the next six months, my own stomach churned in nausea. Side effects (for humans, at least) include such fun as mouth sores, finger and toe nails coming loose from nail beds, stomach cramping and painful urination, not to mention the ubiquitous hair loss and loss of appetite. If any of the fluid happens to leak out of IV catheter or his vein, it would likely cause extensive tissue damage.

I'm horrified at the thought of these harsh chemicals that sound like they could strip paint off a wall running through my beloved Conan's veins. If I were the one having to undergo these treatments, I'd be scared out of my mind. I'm terrified of needles, for one thing, and just the thought of Conan suffering through an IV treatment every other week makes me blanch. But the only other real option was to simply let the cancer run its course and lose Conan in a few short months. And that wouldn't do either. So paint-stripping chemicals it is.

With all that running through my head, it was pretty hard to drop Conan off at the vet this morning. And even harder because he was clearly anxious, and when it was time for him to head through those evil swinging double doors he kept jumping up on me as if to say, "Please, Mom, don't leave me here!" Perhaps he could sense my own worry, though I tried so hard to keep my own emotions at bay for his sake.

Today Conan is scheduled for a chest x-ray to check for any additional swollen lymph nodes or tumors and to receive his first chemotherapy treatment: an IV of vincristine, an injection of aspariginase, and the oral steroid prednisone. But Conan might not even be able to start his chemotherapy this week because the incision on his neck from his lymph node biopsy may not be healed up to the vet's satisfaction. And, obviously, it's not a good idea to kill all of Conan's immune defenses while he has an open wound.

I want to get Conan started on the treatments ASAP, so I'd be disappointed if he wasn't able to begin today, but I'd also be relieved -- it would mean I get one more week of my sweet Conan as he is, without the impairment of drugs or cancer.

DIY: Florida Gators Felt and Yarn Argyle Wreath

College football season is nearly upon us, as is my husband's return from his deployment to Afghanistan. Born in Gainesville, Jarrod is an obsessive Florida Gators fan. I saw this pin for an Oklahoma Sooners wreath several months ago and just knew I'd have to make a Gators version to surprise Jarrod with.

To make my University of Florida wreath, I wrapped a foam wreath form in gray yarn, then made the argyle pattern with 2-inch felt squares. I really wanted to use blue instead of white but the craft store was out of royal blue felt at the time. Then I wrapped my blue yarn around the wreath twice, whipped up some felt flowers (thanks for sending the blue felt, Mom) and painted my wooden UF letters. It was super-simple and cheap, and now everybody on the block will know where our allegiance lies!

 

 

Furry Friday: Screw You, Lymphoma

On Wednesday night, I got some heartbreaking news from the vet: the results from Conan's recent lymph node biopsy came back positive for lymphoma. Conan has cancer.

Somehow I managed to hold it together through the entire 10-minute phone conversation with the vet, but as soon as I hung up I disintegrated into a sobbing mess. And my sweet, sweet Conan patiently licked the tears and snot off my face as I balled into his fur for half an hour.

Lymphoma isn't curable -- the best we can hope for is a lengthy remission. And, according to the vet, lengthy in this case means a year. If she's right, our dear Mr. Nub most likely won't make it to his seventh birthday.

I've done some research in the past two days (and so has Jarrod in Afghanistan) and tomorrow we'll convene on Skype to discuss the treatment options the vet laid out for us. Option 1 is to give Conan prednisone, an oral steroid, which will help with the symptoms but not do anything to ward off the cancer's progression, with a likely prognosis of three months. Option 2 is a one-drug chemotherapy program. And Option 3 is an aggressive five-drug, 25-week chemotherapy regimen in which Conan would spend one day a week at the vet and hopefully attain a one-year remission. Option 3, which may be the most likely candidate at this point, comes with a gasp-inducing price tag of $5,000 to $7,000, not including costs for any "complications" Conan may have along the way.

During the small bit of research I've accomplished, I've learned that a diet makeover will likely be in order for Conan. Carbs and sugars feed cancer cells -- bad! -- and we'll want to cut those out as much as safely possible. Conan already eats a grain-free kibble (Blue Buffalo Wilderness) but I'm going to get some information from the vet on a home-cooked protein-based diet.

Apparently lymphoma is an aggressive, fast-moving cancer. It's just astonishing to me that Conan, who seems to have no symptoms whatsoever other than an enlarged lymph node and is still as happy and energetic as ever, could deteriorate to the point of death in just two or three months without chemotherapy treatment.

As devastating as it was to learn that our Nubby has incurable cancer, I have hope that we'll make the right decision treatment-wise and give Conan every ounce of love and TLC we can for however long we're lucky enough to have him with us.

Book Review: "City of Bones"

"City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare
Book 1 of the Mortal Instruments series
485 pages
My rating: 3.5 out of 5
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Clary Fray is a normal 15-year-old New York City girl until several strange things happen at once and suddenly a whole new world is revealed to her -- the Shadow World. Hidden from humans under a powerful glamour, it's full of warlocks and witches, vampires and werewolves, demons and Shadowhunters, whose mission it is to kill demons and other evil monsters.

Clary meets a group of three teenage Shadowhunters when she attempts to stop them from committing what appears to be the murder of an innocent young man -- but whom Clary will soon come to learn was a demon in disguise. Later that night, after receiving a panicked phone call from her mother, Clary races home to her apartment to find her mother has vanished and a demon is waiting for her. The Shadowhunters -- Jace, Alec and Isabelle -- soon realize that Clary is no ordinary "mundane" and they agree to help Clary find her mother, whose past holds far more secrets than Clary could have imagined.

They all want to know why Clary can suddenly see the Shadow World, why the name of an evil Shadowhunter long thought to be dead is resurfacing in connection with Clary's mother -- whom they assumed was also a mundane human -- and why demons are after Clary. As they endeavor to locate Clary's mother, it becomes clear that a lot more than the fate of Jocelyn Fray rests on their shoulders; they may just be able to save the Shadow World from the brink of war.

"City of Bones" wasn't at all what I expected going in (I guess I didn't read the jacket blurb well enough!) and instead came over as a bit of a cross between the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series and the TV show "Grimm" (of which I sincerely hoped to become a devoted fan but just couldn't ever get into). There were plenty of demon-slaying action sequences, a bit of romance, and plenty of teenage angst mixed in. But I wasn't totally crazy about the plot; even as I turned the final page I still didn't feel like I full grasped the nuances of the Shadow World and felt vaguely confused. I think part of the issue lies with the pacing of the book, which seemed slightly off. Not enough information was revealed, then too much at one time.

Working at a library, I'm witness to the fast-growing trend of adults reading YA novels. But I've been disappointed in the few I've read besides the famous trio of Harry Potter, Twilight, and Percy Jackson. While "City of Bones" didn't convert me into a YA fan, I'll most likely pick up the second book in the series and try to keep an open mind about other books in the genre.

Happy reading!

Monday Musings: I Hate Mustaches and Zombies

So for today's Monday (er... Tuesday) Musings I just want to tell you that, months into the trends, I still absolutely cannot fathom the crazed obsession with the "impending" zombie apocalpyse and mustaches. Perhaps I'm just not cool and hip, but I don't get it. I'm tired of seeing stupid zombies and stupid mustaches everywhere and I thought I'd share some of the ridculousness with you.

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I have to admit that this one does have a certain appeal...

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...as does this one.

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See how that baby is making a fist? I think it's foreshadowing for how he's going to feel 25 years down the road when these pictures show up in his wedding slide show...

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Why, oh why, anyone desire a mustache-shaped sandwich?

Knitting: Mystery Shawl

It's finished! I had such a great time participating in my first mystery knit-along project. If you're not familiar with the term, a mystery KAL involves a large group of people knitting a project together without knowing what the end result will look like because the pattern is released in pieces. It was so fun to watch the other shawls come together and see all the different color choices and knitting styles.

Ravelry project page: First Mystery KAL

Book Review: "Austenland"

"Austenland" by Shannon Hale
First published in 2007
196 pages
My rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Jane Hayes is a New York City graphic designer in her early 30s, dramatically unlucky in love and suffering from a gradual onset of Jane Austen-obsession. Jane becomes convinced that swoon-worthy gentleman Mr. Darcy of "Pride and Prejudice" is the only man for her -- except that Mr. Darcy is fictional and no real man can ever live up to her Mr. Darcy standard.

But Jane gets a chance to live in Regency England and play out her Mr. Darcy fantasies when her great-aunt dies and, in her will, leaves Jane prepaid trip to Austenland. Set in the idyllic English countryside, Austenland is theme park of sorts that provides a full immersion into Jane Austen's 1800s England, complete with actors, period clothing and Regency-era social etiquette.

Jane decides to accept her aunt's last gift for a three-week stay at Austenland in hopes that living her fantasy will finally help her kick her Mr. Darcy dream. But as Jane, clad in a corset and a bonnet, plays her part, she begins to question who the real Jane is, what real love is and whether she can really be free of Mr. Darcy once and for all.

This short little novel was a fun, charming read sure to be enjoyed by any Jane Austen fan. While it didn't completely enthrall me, it was a nice break from the intense page-turners I've read recently like "Gone Girl" and "Fifty Shades Darker." According to Shannon Hale's website, "Austenland" has been made into a movie starting Keri Russell, though the release date is still forthcoming. There's a sequel to "Austenland" and the book sounds like it has a lot more substance and even a bit of mystery involved; I'll have to add "Midnight in Austenland" to my reading list.

Happy reading!