Feb 2009
Happy birthday Beau!
2009-02-21 16:09 Filed in: Beau's
lymphoma treatment
Greetings all. Beau had a good week this week. His
energy and appetite remain legendary. He’s starting
the 2nd cycle of the MOPP chemo protocol later this
week.
But today, there’s no talk of chemo in the house. Today is Beau’s 9th birthday. He got a nice birthday note from his brother, Hoagie -- an AKC Champion! Beau and Hoagie were the two surviving puppies from Red Bay’s “H” litter.
We’re ecstatic to celebrate Beau’s 9th with him today. He’ll be getting plenty (!) of TLC, treats, and belly rubs today. It’s his 2nd birthday since being diagnosed with lymphoma, after all. Untreated, canine lymphoma would never let a basset see two birthdays.
Happy birthday Beau Beau and “Heaugie”!
AROOOOOOOOS!
Ken
But today, there’s no talk of chemo in the house. Today is Beau’s 9th birthday. He got a nice birthday note from his brother, Hoagie -- an AKC Champion! Beau and Hoagie were the two surviving puppies from Red Bay’s “H” litter.
We’re ecstatic to celebrate Beau’s 9th with him today. He’ll be getting plenty (!) of TLC, treats, and belly rubs today. It’s his 2nd birthday since being diagnosed with lymphoma, after all. Untreated, canine lymphoma would never let a basset see two birthdays.
Happy birthday Beau Beau and “Heaugie”!
AROOOOOOOOS!
Ken
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Rest week update
2009-02-12 16:25 Filed in: Beau's
lymphoma treatment
Greetings,
Well, this week has been a rest week for Beau. But, since there was mild concern over his platelet count in last week’s blood test, his oncologist recommended a follow-up blood test this week to see how things are going.
Good news, his platelet count is “substantially improved” and he’s doing well. In fact, he’s had a great week. He’s been happy, perky, energetic, and enthusiastic all week. Even the drive up/back to New Jersey over the weekend was easy. (He often doesn’t care for being in the car.)
And, on top of all that, the weather has taken a good turn here in Virginia, and we’ve enjoyed a couple “open window” days.
Aroooo’s,
Ken
Well, this week has been a rest week for Beau. But, since there was mild concern over his platelet count in last week’s blood test, his oncologist recommended a follow-up blood test this week to see how things are going.
Good news, his platelet count is “substantially improved” and he’s doing well. In fact, he’s had a great week. He’s been happy, perky, energetic, and enthusiastic all week. Even the drive up/back to New Jersey over the weekend was easy. (He often doesn’t care for being in the car.)
And, on top of all that, the weather has taken a good turn here in Virginia, and we’ve enjoyed a couple “open window” days.
Aroooo’s,
Ken
Some good some bad
2009-02-04 13:47 Filed in: Beau's
lymphoma treatment
Beau is home from his second week on the MOPP
protocol.
The good news is that the lymphoma responded very quickly to the MOPP, as I’d guessed by the nearly immediate reduction in his lymph node sizes. His lymphoma is once again in complete remission.
The bad news is that the mass in his chest remains unchanged--which is better than if it had grown. And since it was too deep to sample last week, we’re still not certain what it is. However, since it didn’t respond to MOPP, it’s a fair bet that it is NOT lymphoma. Although it could still be a number of things, the most likely guess is that it’s some other form of cancer.
I discussed this at length with his oncologist. If it were his only issue, she’d recommend a CT scan and surgery to remove the mass, but since it’s not, and since his lymphoma responses have been hit-or-miss, she recommends against surgery--and I agree. Further, there are some chemo options for lung cancers, but the best case with most (as with in humans) is to slow the spread. Remission is rare.
As a result, his oncologist recommends we keep him on MOPP and not augment it with other chemos. We’ll continue to monitor the mass and hope that it doesn’t grow, or at least that it grows very (!) slowly.
That’s not great news, although the lymphoma remission is certainly a good thing by itself.
So, he’s home and resting in front of the fireplace. He’s perky and happy today. In fact, he’s had a very good week overall. And as I’ve said here many times, we’re thankful for every good week, day, hour... He’s in no shortage of love and aloha here.
Arooooos,
Ken
The good news is that the lymphoma responded very quickly to the MOPP, as I’d guessed by the nearly immediate reduction in his lymph node sizes. His lymphoma is once again in complete remission.
The bad news is that the mass in his chest remains unchanged--which is better than if it had grown. And since it was too deep to sample last week, we’re still not certain what it is. However, since it didn’t respond to MOPP, it’s a fair bet that it is NOT lymphoma. Although it could still be a number of things, the most likely guess is that it’s some other form of cancer.
I discussed this at length with his oncologist. If it were his only issue, she’d recommend a CT scan and surgery to remove the mass, but since it’s not, and since his lymphoma responses have been hit-or-miss, she recommends against surgery--and I agree. Further, there are some chemo options for lung cancers, but the best case with most (as with in humans) is to slow the spread. Remission is rare.
As a result, his oncologist recommends we keep him on MOPP and not augment it with other chemos. We’ll continue to monitor the mass and hope that it doesn’t grow, or at least that it grows very (!) slowly.
That’s not great news, although the lymphoma remission is certainly a good thing by itself.
So, he’s home and resting in front of the fireplace. He’s perky and happy today. In fact, he’s had a very good week overall. And as I’ve said here many times, we’re thankful for every good week, day, hour... He’s in no shortage of love and aloha here.
Arooooos,
Ken