Today is my 8 month life-saving anniversary, and I found out yesterday, there isn’t a lung met in sight. I had to have a CT, not just x-rays, because of my “history”, whatever that means. I’ll tell you one thing, it means you don’t get fed in the morning, and by now, I’m on to that trick. If I don’t get breakfast, I just head straight out to the car, because I surely know what’s coming – back to the people with too many letters after their names.
Here is what my discharge papers say regarding my lungs, “The metastasis check was clear so there is no evidence at this time of osteosarcoma. Or of other neoplasia that has spread to his lungs.” We were all pretty happy to hear that no mets showed up at my party. (We got that line from Sammy and think it’s pretty funny)! Plus, since the CT is like an x-ray on crack, it means I don’t have to go back for a while. Whew.
Now, onto the uninvited party crasher. While I was knocked out, part of what they did was an MRI on my brain (I couldn’t let Ginger’s Mom have all the fun…I never did find out if they took her skull too, hmmm). Evidently the MRI showed that my brain tumor was starting to grow again. Here is what they had to say about that, “Following the administration of contrast, there are three distinct areas of contrast enhancement of the left forebrain and contrast enhancement of the flax cerebri. The largest portion of the contrast enhancing areas of the brain is approximately 1 cm in diameter”.
In dog terms and not doc terms, that means it’s really, really small. I heard my Mom ask about surgery, and the vet said that we should be more worried about the cancer than the tumor. WHAT? That seems odd to me since they didn’t find any cancer, but my Mom says that just a great indicator as to how small that stupid tumor is and it’s a positive comment on how slowly it’s growing. The vet said I could just as easily die of old age than from any of my diseases.
P.S. I have a birthday coming up this month, just so everyone knows. I’ll be nine. The vet says I’m officially a “senior” dog. SERIOUSLY? My Mom says you’re only as old as you feel, and I still feel great, so I’m going to ignore the geriatric jokes that are coming my way all of a sudden.
Even though my tumor is back, my Mom says we’ll keep living life to the fullest and make sure that we make the most of every single day. I’m glad to hear her talk like that, for sure, because before I came along, there is no way she would have been so positive. I’m telling you, my Mom and I were brought together for a reason, and I’m sure glad she is the one who rescued me from the pound that day. Even with all the bad things that have gone on in my life, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Everything that is happening to me sort of reminds me of this one saying, “Living is strife and torment, disappointment and love and sacrifice, golden sunsets and black storms. I said that some time ago, and today I do not think I would add one word.” – Sir Laurence Olivier