..well, she has been heavily medicated, but geeesh…

i know that charon’s had alot on her mind lately…and she has been heavily medicated…but geesh…

last night, she sat straight up (let out a little yelp), and realized it was the 19th of august..wow, two days earlier must have been….AUGUST 17TH!!!!  my six month ampuversary!!!  where were the balloons, the ice cream, the cheese, the scary clown..(0k, scratch the clown).

i got so many ‘sorry i’m two day late’ kisses..it was worth it.  six months – sometimes it seems like it’s been forever and sometimes it seems like it’s been just yesterday.  i must say, every moment has been a blessing for all of us, and we hope for many, many, many, many more great celebrations ahead.

and, if that wasn’t enough good news… charon’s surgeon dr. mancini (no, not henry) called today to say the lymph nodes were all clear and the margins were clean!!  after she’s all healed up, a month or so of radiation and she’ll be good as new. 

bring on the ice cream and cheese – everybody do the ‘hokie pokie’ we’re gonna party down tonight!!!

gayle, the lucky one

Gayle the teacher, part 2..or maybe it’s in the water….

how many times have i said…gayle’s the teacher in this adventure.  i can’t even begin to list all the things she’s taught me through her diagnosis, her amputation, her chemo, through every day i am privileged to spend with her.  gayle has taught me:

  1. always be brave.
  2. always have a team you can depend on, sisters and brothers that will stick by you no matter what.
  3. don’t worry about stuff that you can’t control, that’s most stuff.
  4. when you have to, trust the professionals, especially those that have pure hearts.
  5. everything will be better after a nap.  naps have magical powers.  they heal.
  6. when in doubt, eat ice cream and maybe even eat cheese.  cheese is good.

so where is this leading…well, a month ago i too got that awful diagnosis of cancer, just like gayle.  fortunately, the prognosis is very good, and after my surgery tomorrow, and follow up radiation this fall…i’m gonna be just dandy…i gotta be, cause there’s no way this nasty disease is gonna separate me from my sisters – NO WAY!! 

everyday, i see strength, hope and joy from all the tripawd brothers and sisters.  they live in the moment, and capture every drop of goodness from each one.  sadly, some of our brothers and sisters pass way to soon, but time is not the true measure of love, is it… 

i’ll check in after the surgery (if nurse gayle, nurse jane and male nurse murphy let me use the computer).  no worries..i’m in the best hands possible!!

what’s up with this party???

well, i am confused…to say the least… today is my five month ampuversary!  five months, and i am very proud…so where’s my party??? i mean really, REALLY???  what do you think i discover, but that charon isn’t even here for a party!! she’s spending MY FIVE MONTH AMPUVERSARY with another tripawd, with a tripawd MAN!!!

what’s up with that…my big day, and she’s out visiting in colorado…well, he is good looking, i must say…but really…and here she is acting all ‘campy’ with him and his mom…. i just don’t know what to think about all of this….

but wait… did you say he’s sending me a present??  well, geesh, for me??   a present for me from a handsome tripawd man…well…i’ll have to think this over…maybe this will turn out ok after all…geesh…..hurry home, i can’t wait for my present!!!!

girls’ night…or when can we eat the ice cream

what a week us girls and kitties have had.  our don’s been in myrtle beach all week, doing something with balls and clubs (i think it was his ‘canadian club’) and the rest of us have had a nice quiet week to relax.  we had a nice visit from our acupuncture doctor on thursday, and otherwise – its been resting in the AC.  no cubs baseball on tv, no basketball, no sports center, only the quiet sound of tapping knitting needles. 

i think tonight we will celebrate our ‘final hurrah’ with a nice dish of ice cream for each of us – followed by a nice restful nap before retiring for the night.  of course…we will be very excited to see our don when he comes home from his adventure…who knows, he may bring more ice cream!!

new adventures – playing with needles

my older sister, jane, has been stuggling with a bad back and sore neck for sometime.  there are days where she just can’t get comfortable and seems so sad.  So, our vet recommended she get some acupuncture.  well…when charon called to talk to Dr. Mili Bass about getting some treatment – of course my name came up (who can fault them…i am a delightful topic of conversation) and she recommended I give it a shot as well.  we went on tuesday for our first treatment – i was apprehensive, but of course brave as usual.  Dr. Bass thinks this will help me with the delayed GI problems from the chemo, and will help boost my immunity. 

i really felt pretty good after the appointment, and my sister jane was just feeling wonderful – moving about much better and really getting some good comfy naps in (i was jealous!).  so this morning, when i heard we were going to see Dr. Bass again, i was pretty excited.  Since jane is oldest she usually goes first.  Here she is resting during her treatment today.

Then it was my turn.  i can’t tell you all the places there were needles…but really…some were unmentionable!!  Here i am with my ‘johnny rotten’ look.

We have to wait another week before we see Dr. Bass again, but it’s a pretty great experience, once you get past the idea of all the needles.  I give it three paws up!!!  now i need to work on a good power nap, so i can catch up with jane…

So Let It Be Written….my chemo is complete!

pause, for the drum roll and the trumpet blast…

my fifth and final chemo treatment was completed today.  thanks so much to my great vets Dr. Moser, Dr. Ward, Dr. Newman and Dr. Cook!! also many thanks to the wonderful vet techs including Toni, Sarah, and my especially favorite Glenda!!!

i plan to take a month off to enjoy my summer, trying to fit in all previously neglected naps.  in about four weeks, i’ll go back for some chest films, etc.  until then, it’s party time in knoxville!!!!!!!

gayle the teacher

a few days ago, gayle once again showed how she is the teacher in this whole experience, and we ‘foolish humans’ need to just take a cue and learn..

i was in the basement on her computer, while don was upstairs working on paperwork.  the basement door is always kept shut, due to the stairs.  in order to go to the basement, gayle was strapped into her ruff wear harness, and a tight hand was used to help her hop down the steps.  it was, she understood, the only way she would be allowed to go up and down the stairs….

anyway, 1 was pecking away on my keyboard and the phone rings.  i ignore it, but don answers (might be a buddy calling with a tee time).  it’s my younger brother, bruce, on the phone.  don yells down ‘pick up the phone, but i don’t hear him… so he  opens the basement door, and comes down to get me to answer the phone….bruce has something really funny to tell me, and don was standing there laughing as well…

after about five minutes of chatting, we end the call.  it was about this time, that i realize, that sitting to my left is gayle – she’s been enjoying the laughter as well!!  without the ‘human intervention’, she was easily able to climb down the stairs, and up again…much faster and more confident than when she had to drag along a human!!

so now, the door to the basement still stays closed, but when we go down, we give gayle the option to join us – she always does.  what a smartie she is!!

this ain’t no pawty…this ain’t no disco!!

well, what a day.  i woke up this morning, thinking to myself…gayle this is your three month ampuversary – congrats girl, no doubt there will be a pawty.  i was barely out of  ‘nap phase’, when i heard the leash and thought…maybe we’re going for breakfast, wow that says pawty all over it…

but..what do you know…not my kind of pawty.  i went today for my fourth chemo treatment.  at least today i got home by three, but i’m exhausted and now i don’t feel like a pawty girl at all…  i know there’s only one more to go, then i’m gonna pawty like it’s 1999!!! (or maybe 2000, since that was my birth year). 

there better be some ice cream or something yummy for me after dinner (and after my after dinner nap)… 

i guess life IS like a box of chocolates..and you never know what you’re gonna get!!