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Pofi: Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Amputation Pofi's long strange trip to becoming a Tripawd dog

August 1, 2016

CT Repeat – no mets yet!

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , — hester @ 7:35 pm

We are just shy of our 3 month post ampuversary (May 4, 2016) and it is 8 weeks since our first, no bad news, but no real news CT scan. We agreed then to use the first CT as a baseline and watch the few teeny, tiny white spots in the lungs that could well be the beginnings of benign pulmonary osteomas or could be something ominous.  He already has some of these osteoma, and the largish lymph nodes were NBD (no big deal) per cytology and there was some “wispy” areas at surgical site that could well be fluid, but we agreed to be more conservative before considering a radiation therapy plan.  We would use the first CT as a base line and compare to a second in 4 to 6 weeks.  I opted to make it 8.

No change – static!  What a glorious word.  Palpation also unremarkable, as are heart and lung sounds.  And this is the second DVM student to exclaim (after bringing him out to see me post procedures) that loosing a leg has not meant he lost any speed or strength.  Today’s student was a tall, strapping young man and he said, “He’s amazing – really pulled me along and gave me a workout”!  That’s my sled dog mix!

More to think about now – still not sure if I want to put him through 18 to 22 consecutive, daily radiation treatments.  It is just an overwhelming prospect.  Even though I actually was part of the chauffeur team that transported another friend’s even older dog for the same treatment just a few years ago…  But for now, here is a smile from the happy boy.  And he is happy – and trying his best to help me be more dog.

Smile, smile, smile.

Smile, smile, smile.

June 6, 2016

A new scan, but no real news

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: , , , — hester @ 8:27 pm

So Pofi had his CT scan today and his paperwork says he was a very good patient for them today.  The (sort of) good news: there are no clarion clear signs of remote metastasis to lungs or lymph nodes.  There are some bright white light points in the lungs that are calcification – osteaomas – and are not a worry.  There are just 3 or 4 less bright tiny spots that don’t seem to be blood vessels, but could be the same sort of process that results in the osteomas.  Or could be very, very early mets.  Just not nearly conclusive to say anything and way, way to small for biopsy.  And while lymph nodes could be a bit large, they aren’t really large and it is not only the ones located near the cancer.  Seems impossibly preposterous to the oncologist that there could be metastasis to all of them  at such distance.  So not particularly indicative of cancer.  There is one he was able to aspirate and that is off to pathology: for good or for bad, this could give us something more definitive…or the same fuzzy, wispy, not at all sure view my expenditure procured today.

Really, it is more good than bad.  I have lest existential angst than I did before (I am never completely without existential angst, that’s just how I roll).  For now, radiation therapy is still a future decision.  Perhaps a CT in 4 to 6 weeks (this was discussed) and meanwhile, we will up the chemo game.  Adding Piroxicam to the cocktail for the anti-inflammatory benefit in Metronomic approach, skipping the Doxycyclene.  And seriously considering Palladia.  We would stagger the Cytoxan and Palladia (at new, lower dosage protocol) trying to inhibit cancer in different ways.  We will likely start on it this week after giving his system a day or two to recover from today’s GA.

A funny note, the veterinary oncologist asked me what my job was today and when I said I was a Project Manager in the Finance industry, he asked if I had any sort of science background because I am following and taking in everything he was explaining so well.  I said, “No, just critical thinking skills honed as an English major and Philosophy minor”.  Score one for the too frequently maligned and disregarded Humanities BA degree!!

To lighten the mood and remind us all to live in the moment, here is Pofi living large at the dog park yesterday:

Resting after romping in Mother Lake, 6/5/16

Resting after romping in Mother Lake, 6/5/16

 

And an always enjoyable roll in the lush green ground cover!

And an always enjoyable roll in the lush green ground cover!

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