Last chemo!

Stetson had his fourth and last chemo treatment yesterday and the oncologist said everything looked good. More under ASAC!

Today I...

• Took Stetson for chemo treatment #3/4. His labs were all looking good- the oncologist's only concern was this skin infection he's had on and off for years, but has become more constant during chemotherapy. There's a chance it has developed into an antibiotic-resistant one. Fabulous. As long as the cancer is [mostly] gone then I'll tackle the skin. Sigh. Poor dog never catches a break. Luckily the limping is going away with the NSAID's and he came right home, went on a walk, and gobbled down a LOT of food.
• Ate lunch with my mom at Panera; we both had the salmon salad and new fruit smoothie. Between the two we got lots of protein although the smoothie did have Greek yogurt (probably bad for my face); it all tasted yummy though!
• Did AB and I's weekly shopping at WalMart. I boycott that place at least once a month. Today I was reminded why.
• Completed Day 3 of the Couch-2-10K. The program has you do 3 days/week but because I need the exercise I'm just aiming for 4 days (and repeating the 3rd day). It's a fairly easy intro into running though. I'm not sore and I'm not miserable...yet. That's a start.
• Tried coconut sugar. That's right, coconut sugar. It's still a mystery to me since coconuts aren't sweet but it made my coffee taste good.

The 3 C's: A List

I think I did this original post back in 2010...it's been a couple of years so I'll post a new one (hopefully some things have changed while I'm guessing some others haven't).

(C)ares:

• Once again, I'm the unit team captain for the Angels Among Us 5K in April. We did it last year (look under "Running" tab) and thought it would be fun to get a new team together this year. The only problem is that I quit running several months ago; time to whip out the C25K app on my phone.
• Stetson seems to be doing well with this second chemo treatment. The oncologist lowered the dose a little and dropped one of the antibiotics so he doesn't seem as lethargic this time around. Actually, he seems pretty "normal". The third one is coming up next Monday and then we'll be 3/4 of the way through.
• Penny has integrated well into our furbaby family. She has some traits that we could live without but hey, don't we all?
• My birthday is next month, and I still look the same as I did 2 years ago...well, except for that little bit of weight gain. Anyone else have fat that goes straight to their waist and face? Regardless, I don't feel any older so I guess that's a good thing. Also, most of my family seems to be fairly healthy these days. That's something to be thankful for considering how many ailing people I see at work.

(C)omments:

• This weather is whack. We came home to below freezing temperatures and ice on the ground, and currently the windows are open to the balmy 70 degree weather outside. 
• 2 years ago I was driving a car that got 11mpg. This year I'm driving one that gets 30-40mpg. Yeah, that's awesome.
• Whistler is awesome. If you like any form of winter activity, that is the place for you. Although, be prepared for the taxes in Canada; I swear they were about 20%.
• AB and I are considering going to New Zealand for our next vacation. Not only that, but we found a stables there that offers a Lord of the Rings Tour ON HORSEBACK! Are you kidding? That is awesome. It might be one of the awesomest things I've ever heard of (my standards have dropped over the past several years).
• Southwest recently became my favorite airline. The flight attendants have personality (well, most of them), the pilots don't mess around with getting places on time, the seats are new, you can charm your way into an armful of free snacks, and best of all- you can take 2 checked bags per person for FREE- including ski bags (last year we spent $200 to fly our bags one way to Utah- fail). Props to Southwest.
• My house is still not up for sale. I actually forget sometimes that I even own a house. I hope that thing is still standing; I haven't been to see it in over a year (ignorance is bliss).

(C)omplaints:

• AB and I have to PAY taxes this year- apparently we went up a tax bracket. Damn his 5 raises and my 1! What sucks even more is that we're paying more of our hard earned money to the government so that uninsured a-holes with iPhones, whiskey, and gold teeth can get their free surgeries and ER exams. Just saying. It doesn't make much sense.
• This whole gun control debate. As with everything else, if someone REALLY wants to get something, they will find a way...and it's usually NOT the every day responsible citizen who REALLY wants that something.
• I gained 6 pounds during vacation, despite skiing and walking EVERYWHERE. 6 pounds? Really? The best part (imagine dripping sarcasm) is that I've developed a mound of fat over my already protruding vertebra at the base of my neck. So now I look like a hunchback...except it's fat. WTF? I'm still trying to figure out how to disguise it in my scrubs. Low ponytail? Sweat it out in my NF jacket all day? Decisions...
• Healthy food is expensive. Seriously. Trying to shop only around the outer edges of a grocery store is hard. Plus, giving up dairy makes it even harder (acne experiment #247)

Post-chemo Day 14

Stetson is now 14 days post-chemo treatment #1 and all things considered is doing just fine- there's another update under the ASAC tab for anyone who is interested. Treatment #2 is next Friday...

Chemo Week 1

Stetson is on Day 8 following his first dose of carboplatin chemotherapy. So far, nothing has changed and his potential side effects appear to be well prevented. He's still eating (although picky like always), has plenty of energy, and has no apparent GI disturbances (thank goodness). I took him to the vet this morning for his post-chemo blood work and the vet just called to say that everything looks good. 3 more treatments to go- there's more info under the ASAC tab on the top of the page.

Stetson's Surgery, etc

I know, I know, I've been incredibly slack about updating Stetson's surgery, recovery, etc! Everything that has happened should now show up under the ASAC tab at the top of my page. Some of the pictures are graphic, but to be honest, when I was researching the surgery and recovery, there was almost NOTHING that was relative to what my own dog was going through (most of the anal gland removals were non-cancer related). Hopefully someone can get useful information from my experiences.

ASAC

My dog Stetson was recently diagnosed with anal sac adenocarcinoma; if you're interested in reading about his diagnosis, surgery, and further treatment, please click on the tab up top labeled "ASAC".