A week ago today, Hardee had a reaction to chemo, at day 4 after chemo. It was a small reaction compared to other reactions he's had, but still it caught me off guard. He's had this chemo numerous times with no reaction, and he was compliant with all his anti-nausea meds. It only lasted about 24 hours, but still there was tons of nausea (drooling), and some vomiting. By Sat. afternoon he was better, but he still had the bloody nose that he had gotten on Monday. Hardee's nose continued to bleed off and on until this Wednesday, almost a week and a half from when it started.
On Tuesday morning, Hardee didn't greet me in the morning and didn't want to get off his chair. He also didn't want to eat, which immediately tells me that something is wrong. After a couple hours, I coaxed him up and got him to eat, but he was lethargic and listless. I started Hardee on antibiotics just in case his white blood cells (WBCs) were low. I finally got a hold Dr. P. around noon, and he said to take him into my closest emergency room.
At the ER, they ran a complete blood chemistry, and everything looked good except that Hardee's white cells and his lymphocytes were low. Hardee's had low WBCs before, and it has never affected him like this. Neither the ER vet nor I thought that the low WBCs were enough to cause the malaise in Hardee, so we proceeded with an abdominal ultrasound. Luckily, the ultrasound came back clear, but we still don't know what was going on. He is better now on the antibiotics, so maybe it was the low WBCs and low lymphocytes.
By Thursday, Hardee was feeling so good that he was begging to go swimming. I haven't let him in the pool since his diagnosis of cancer that I can remember. Hardee's been asking to go in the pool for months, and I haven't had the courage to let him. I've been petrified about what the chlorinated water might do to the tumor. I finally had to overcome my fear, and Thursday night Hardee went swimming. At first my rule was no jumping off the side because of water possibly being pushed up his nose. That rule lasted about 15 minutes, and I relented on that to. It is hard to say no to him when he is having so much fun! You know, quality of life for the little Bubs......
It is now Thursday, June 22, and I wrote this last week. Just haven't posted it yet. Stay with me as I write another update and post this one now. It is still all about joy and all about Hardee!
Handsome Hardee
We are a patriotic family!
Face of Courage
Face of courage
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tues., June 7, 2011 - Savoring another big chunk!!!
Yesterday, was intravenous chemotherapy again for Hardee in Carlsbad, CA. I was nervous about going for Hardee's appointment because I needed to talk to Hardee's oncologist about a problem that I was seeing with Hardee, and I was terrified that the tumor was growing further down into Hardee's hard palate. The problem I was seeing was that Hardee was no longer that interested in chewing his bully sticks in the afternoon. When I would give them to him, he would drop them. Then what would usually take 20 minutes for him to chew, would end up taking 3 hours.
After explaining the problem to Dr P, he agreed that we should CT scan again. Hardee's last scan was Jan. 20th of this year. Because I had fed Hardee breakfast and he needs an empty stomach for anesthesia, I asked if we should do the scan when we come again for chemo in 3 weeks. Dr P said "No" in case it was an infected tooth, an abscess, or something else that might need treatment right away. They took Hardee's blood, and then off we went to find something to do for a couple hours waiting for Hardee to digest.
We drove up and down the coast for awhile looking for a beach that allowed dogs. We finally found one, and we took a walk. We couldn't let Hardee swim because we couldn't get water in Hardee's nose. When they CT scan, it is hard to tell fluid from tumor, so we busied ourselves with videos of Hardee instead. Flocks of pelicans kept flying directly over us, and I took that as a good sign. Eventually we headed back to the hospital.
Hardee was in the back of the hospital for almost 7 hours while Jim and I worried out front. A dog with an emergency came in and took priority in the CT. While Hardee waited, he chewed out 2 I.V.s. They tried 5 times for the 3 I.V.s they got. Hardee had had enough by then, and he warned his technician with an air bite. They finally gave him a sedative to help knock him down before anesthesia. They waited until after the CT scan and chest radiographs were done and the results were in before they gave him his chemo. They have a radiologist there who interpreted the scans and radiographs.
The results were no spread of cancer into his lungs, and the best part, no growth of the tumor since our last scan on Jan. 20th. We were thrilled! No sign of any tooth infections nor any abscesses, so we don't know why Hardee's mouth seemed sore. Dr P searched around inside Hardee's mouth while he was knocked out and didn't see anything, so for now we won't worry. Dr P reminded us that it is just a matter of time before the tumor starts to grow again, but for now we will continue on with the same plan of action.
I saw the scans, and HH doesn't have much of a septum (the bone and cartilage that divides the nasal passage into the right and left sides) left. The tumor has eaten most of it, but it really doesn't matter. Also, HH got a nose bleed while in the back with them. They say his blood pressure went up while in the back of the hospital, which is why they gave him the sedative, and it set off the bleed. My nose, without a tumor, might bleed after 5 I.V. attempts. Anyway, his bloody nose got all over us when they brought him out, and it continues to bleed today but is finally slowing down. It is just bleeding out of the right side which is where the tumor originated.
They didn't release Hardee to us until 7 p.m., so it was a very late start for our long drive home to Vegas. HH couldn't stay awake, but he had the sedative and anesthesia on board. He was doing his drunk walk, and we had to help support him because he would fall over. While in the waiting room getting our discharge instructions, Hardee climbed into his Daddy's lap and snuggled. Jim ate it up because Hardee is not normally a snuggle dog. We finally made it back to Vegas around 12:30 a.m.
Today, we are still rejoicing. We have kicked this tumor's ass for another 4.5 months. We will not be able to fight it off forever, but we will fight like hell as long as we can. It has been about 10 months since we started this battle. Sometimes we get tired, but we stay the fight. Hardee does amazing things that renews our optimism frequently. We keep going for him, and selfishly for us too. Hardee loves life so much and wants to continue to live as long as possible, with quality.
We are savoring this big chunk of good news! It is still all about joy and all about Hardee.
After explaining the problem to Dr P, he agreed that we should CT scan again. Hardee's last scan was Jan. 20th of this year. Because I had fed Hardee breakfast and he needs an empty stomach for anesthesia, I asked if we should do the scan when we come again for chemo in 3 weeks. Dr P said "No" in case it was an infected tooth, an abscess, or something else that might need treatment right away. They took Hardee's blood, and then off we went to find something to do for a couple hours waiting for Hardee to digest.
We drove up and down the coast for awhile looking for a beach that allowed dogs. We finally found one, and we took a walk. We couldn't let Hardee swim because we couldn't get water in Hardee's nose. When they CT scan, it is hard to tell fluid from tumor, so we busied ourselves with videos of Hardee instead. Flocks of pelicans kept flying directly over us, and I took that as a good sign. Eventually we headed back to the hospital.
Hardee was in the back of the hospital for almost 7 hours while Jim and I worried out front. A dog with an emergency came in and took priority in the CT. While Hardee waited, he chewed out 2 I.V.s. They tried 5 times for the 3 I.V.s they got. Hardee had had enough by then, and he warned his technician with an air bite. They finally gave him a sedative to help knock him down before anesthesia. They waited until after the CT scan and chest radiographs were done and the results were in before they gave him his chemo. They have a radiologist there who interpreted the scans and radiographs.
The results were no spread of cancer into his lungs, and the best part, no growth of the tumor since our last scan on Jan. 20th. We were thrilled! No sign of any tooth infections nor any abscesses, so we don't know why Hardee's mouth seemed sore. Dr P searched around inside Hardee's mouth while he was knocked out and didn't see anything, so for now we won't worry. Dr P reminded us that it is just a matter of time before the tumor starts to grow again, but for now we will continue on with the same plan of action.
I saw the scans, and HH doesn't have much of a septum (the bone and cartilage that divides the nasal passage into the right and left sides) left. The tumor has eaten most of it, but it really doesn't matter. Also, HH got a nose bleed while in the back with them. They say his blood pressure went up while in the back of the hospital, which is why they gave him the sedative, and it set off the bleed. My nose, without a tumor, might bleed after 5 I.V. attempts. Anyway, his bloody nose got all over us when they brought him out, and it continues to bleed today but is finally slowing down. It is just bleeding out of the right side which is where the tumor originated.
They didn't release Hardee to us until 7 p.m., so it was a very late start for our long drive home to Vegas. HH couldn't stay awake, but he had the sedative and anesthesia on board. He was doing his drunk walk, and we had to help support him because he would fall over. While in the waiting room getting our discharge instructions, Hardee climbed into his Daddy's lap and snuggled. Jim ate it up because Hardee is not normally a snuggle dog. We finally made it back to Vegas around 12:30 a.m.
Today, we are still rejoicing. We have kicked this tumor's ass for another 4.5 months. We will not be able to fight it off forever, but we will fight like hell as long as we can. It has been about 10 months since we started this battle. Sometimes we get tired, but we stay the fight. Hardee does amazing things that renews our optimism frequently. We keep going for him, and selfishly for us too. Hardee loves life so much and wants to continue to live as long as possible, with quality.
We are savoring this big chunk of good news! It is still all about joy and all about Hardee.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Thurs., May 26, 2011 - A very special day
Note: I started writing this post last Thursday, but am just posting it today.
Today, six years ago, Hardee joined our family. It was one of the best days of our lives. Hardee owns us, heart and soul. He is our joy. He is what sustains us.
The instant we laid eyes on Hardee, we fell in love with him. We met Hardee's breeder at the Southern California Portuguese Water Dog Club's Independent Specialty dog show to pick him up. He was 10.5 weeks, almost 11 weeks old then. Hardee's breeder had shaved him down at 8 weeks, so here was this little brown and white pup with not much hair. Still, he was the softest dog we had ever felt, and he was darling. Because he was shaved down, everyone thought he was a Springer pup, and I had to keep telling them he was a PWD.
When we left the show to head home, which was only about an hour after we met Hardee, we stopped and ordered a pizza before we got on the freeway for the long drive. We found some shade, on a very hot day, in the parking lot with a little strip of grass. We set up our lawn chairs and ate, and fed Hardee. After some drinks and a potty for Hardee, we set off for home. Pizza was the first food Hardee ever ate with us. We started his bad habits within a half hour of him being ours. Just to top off his bad habits, we stopped in Baker on the way home and got fries to share with him. When we got back to Vegas, we went by our friend's house to show him off.
It was Memorial day weekend, so Jim and I had the next 4 days off. We spent those days getting to know Hardee. We hung out in the back yard, took him in the pool, started potty training, found out he was small enough to go down our tortoise's burrow, watched his determination to do things, and grew deeper in love with him. It was a blissful 4 days before Jim and I returned to work. We tried our best to arrange schedules so Hardee was rarely by himself for long.
I can honestly say that Jim has loved our other dogs before Hardee, but he was never in love with them, until Hardee. Jim was smitten, and it was very hard for Jim to be separated from Hardee on Jim's numerous deployments. Between deployments, Jim and Hardee trained agility, and while Jim was gone, Hardee and I worked on obedience, rally, water and then tracking.
Why I bring up Jim and Hardee's agility training is because on this day, exactly 6 years after we picked Hardee up to join our family, Jim and Hardee earned their MACH (Master Agility Champion) at the same dog show that we went to when we picked up Hardee from his breeder. It is a fabulous day, full of memories, and a day that Jim and Hardee have trained and competed for, for such a long time. When Hardee was diagnosed last August, he only had 2 QQs, and he did the other 18 QQs with cancer, in between radiation, chemo, and ICU stays. For those who know AKC and PWDCA titles, our boy is now CH MACH Vindouro's Built To Withstand VCD2 RAE MXF WWD GROM TDI. I am so proud of my boys!! There are just no words to describe how much this day means to us. Currently, Hardee is ranked as the #4 agility PWD in the nation but that will change.
Hardee is doing as well as can be expected. We are still doing all that love can do. Besides the chemo he gets at home, we go again for I.V. chemo this Monday. Keep the faith for Hardee. Keep the paws up and savor the big chunks, as we did last Thursday. Until then, it is all about joy and all about Hardee!!
Today, six years ago, Hardee joined our family. It was one of the best days of our lives. Hardee owns us, heart and soul. He is our joy. He is what sustains us.
The instant we laid eyes on Hardee, we fell in love with him. We met Hardee's breeder at the Southern California Portuguese Water Dog Club's Independent Specialty dog show to pick him up. He was 10.5 weeks, almost 11 weeks old then. Hardee's breeder had shaved him down at 8 weeks, so here was this little brown and white pup with not much hair. Still, he was the softest dog we had ever felt, and he was darling. Because he was shaved down, everyone thought he was a Springer pup, and I had to keep telling them he was a PWD.
When we left the show to head home, which was only about an hour after we met Hardee, we stopped and ordered a pizza before we got on the freeway for the long drive. We found some shade, on a very hot day, in the parking lot with a little strip of grass. We set up our lawn chairs and ate, and fed Hardee. After some drinks and a potty for Hardee, we set off for home. Pizza was the first food Hardee ever ate with us. We started his bad habits within a half hour of him being ours. Just to top off his bad habits, we stopped in Baker on the way home and got fries to share with him. When we got back to Vegas, we went by our friend's house to show him off.
It was Memorial day weekend, so Jim and I had the next 4 days off. We spent those days getting to know Hardee. We hung out in the back yard, took him in the pool, started potty training, found out he was small enough to go down our tortoise's burrow, watched his determination to do things, and grew deeper in love with him. It was a blissful 4 days before Jim and I returned to work. We tried our best to arrange schedules so Hardee was rarely by himself for long.
I can honestly say that Jim has loved our other dogs before Hardee, but he was never in love with them, until Hardee. Jim was smitten, and it was very hard for Jim to be separated from Hardee on Jim's numerous deployments. Between deployments, Jim and Hardee trained agility, and while Jim was gone, Hardee and I worked on obedience, rally, water and then tracking.
Why I bring up Jim and Hardee's agility training is because on this day, exactly 6 years after we picked Hardee up to join our family, Jim and Hardee earned their MACH (Master Agility Champion) at the same dog show that we went to when we picked up Hardee from his breeder. It is a fabulous day, full of memories, and a day that Jim and Hardee have trained and competed for, for such a long time. When Hardee was diagnosed last August, he only had 2 QQs, and he did the other 18 QQs with cancer, in between radiation, chemo, and ICU stays. For those who know AKC and PWDCA titles, our boy is now CH MACH Vindouro's Built To Withstand VCD2 RAE MXF WWD GROM TDI. I am so proud of my boys!! There are just no words to describe how much this day means to us. Currently, Hardee is ranked as the #4 agility PWD in the nation but that will change.
Hardee is doing as well as can be expected. We are still doing all that love can do. Besides the chemo he gets at home, we go again for I.V. chemo this Monday. Keep the faith for Hardee. Keep the paws up and savor the big chunks, as we did last Thursday. Until then, it is all about joy and all about Hardee!!
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