Hey guys sorry for my lack of appearance around here.
For those that don't know... I just found out my dog Sicily has Cancer. It has hit us pretty hard and I can't really describe the feeling. It sucks beyond all words. The hardest thing I ever had to do as a "parent" so far was tell my niece and nephew the news. This is our family dog and she has been here through some pretty tough times.
She is a 4 year old Rottie. ONLY 4! In fact... last Saturday was her b-day..
So... I take her to Vet just to get her ears checked. She had an infection and her throat was a little swollen. I never thought that I would be told that she could have Lymphosarcoma. (Cancer of the Lymph Nodes. ) I was FLOORED.
I had the tests done to confirm it. Just saw the cancer specialist and we are going to start chemo this week. She is already on a steroid to help with the swelling.
This cancer if left untreated kills in 4-6 weeks. If treated with aggressive chemo.. There is an 85 percent chance of first time remission. (avg 6 months to a year) 80 percent of all dogs won't have any reaction to chemo.. it isn't like it is with people.
I have pet insurance but this is going to run in the thousands.. (well past my limit) And a small snag is I need to pay for the doc first.. THEN submit my claim. BUT... For all the bitching I did/do about health insurance for people. This company sure came through for us.
http://www.petfirsthealthcare.com/ They know all about the problem and sent the claim check (paid by them) FedEx so that we can keep the turn around fast. I really was amazed at how they are treating us. I highly recommend any of you pet owners to consider this company.
I am thinking about posting a call out for donations via the front page in the next few days. BUT if anyone here feels like helping out... You can paypal it or send to my Poker Stars : Frankinbones (PM me for paypal email)
Those that donate will get signed copies of the Jennifer Harman prints we did for the Nevada SPCA http://www.lifesabluff.com/charity/harman-spca.php
I know some people can't understand spending this kind of money for an animal. (I used to be one of them)... I can't change your mind. There will be those that get it... and those that don't.
For someone like me who doesn't plan on having kids of my own. Outside my niece and nephew.. This dog is my child. She has been by my side 24/7 since she was about 11 weeks old.
This thing IS going to get her... but if I can extend her life a year... It will be plenty worth it.
It really depends on the dog. Some go into remission for years.. The second remission though is about a 50/50 success rate.
And I am not the kind of person who will keep his dog around for my own selfish reasons. This is only being done if she has a comfortable existence. Any sign of suffering and I will do the right thing.
This whole thing sucks... she is such a good dog.
I will keep this thread stickied for the remainder of her treatment. It will help me to post updates on her progress. Hopefully it will be around a long time.
Pic taken a few days ago:
From the Jen Harman print -
* oh btw... an old "friend"... recently wisHed some Bad karma oN me.
satisfied? asshole...
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PROGRESS UPDATE: 7-24-07 - FIRST CHEMO TREATMENT
Some really good news and semi bad news today.. First the good news.. Sicily is ALMOST in remission! They say she has a great shot at keeping it away for a while. This was all done on just the Prednisone alone. The nurse was really hopeful and it was the best news I have heard in weeks.
The first chemo treatment started today at 11am and took about an hour. I wasn't allowed to sit with her and I was sorta bummed about it. She came out looking really good. Really alert... as if nothing happened. Only noticeable sign was the shaved spots on her back legs.
It is now 8:30pm and she is still doing fine. No problems.. she seems like her old self. They gave her an anti-nausea shot earlier and I have some meds to give her at 10. We will know within a few days if this is something she cannot tolerate. But so far so good!
Bad News:
Somehow in all the stuff going on over the last few weeks I misunderstood my pet insurance policy. I have a $4000 yearly max but only a $1500 PER INCIDENT coverage. I thought that this entire treatment process was going to be covered.... it's not. A little over $2000 will need to be paid by me. After today's treatment... I have enough insurance for 1 more visit. There are 5 treatments total... each $500.
I need to raise about $1500 to complete this chemo program... And forgetting the thought about the 2nd remission battle right now OR any of the various expenses that come up. New diet... bloodwork...etc... That is a bridge I can cross later...
The means for covering all this is getting thinner and thinner.
Treatments end sometime late Sept... I think the 17th. So as of right now I have some time to try and raise the $$. Over the next few days I will be actively seeking donations via the front page and other outlets. Please put the word out on your myspaces, facebook, email lists, etc.. Anything will help.
You can PM me right now for the paypal address OR send funds via pokerstars to user: frankinbones
Again.. Everyone who donates will at least get one of the signed prints from the Jennifer Harman Nevada SPCA Charity event. As seen here:
http://www.lifesabluff.com/charity/harman-spca.php
I will continue to post updates here and will have full disclosure as far as where donated monies are being used. I want those who donated to know exactly how they helped.
The good news is it all doesn't have to come in at once. Since each treatment is every 2 weeks. I have some time.
Below is a copy of today's vet report and bill. Check out the part on the bottom where it talks about remission. Circled in red. Really is some great news...
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PROGRESS UPDATE: 7-25-07 - DAY AFTER 1st CHEMO TREATMENT
She seems to be doing really well. Almost back to her old self. No sign of any side effects from the chemo. There is still a chance but I think she will be fine. She doesn't look like a dog with cancer or on chemo thats for sure.
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PROGRESS UPDATE: 7-28-07 - 4 DAYS LATER
So here we are 4 days after 1st chemo treatment... and if we were going to see any adverse effects.. we would by now.. She is doing really well. Eating.. playing... almost back to her usual self.
Tuesday I take her in for some bloodwork. To see if the white cell count is ok.
She also hurt her leg the other day running around. I need to have them look at it. No pain.. but limping. Crazy dog..
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PROGRESS UPDATE: 8-9-07 - 2nd Chemo Treatment & update
Some good news and bad news... Good news is that according to the Doc they are reading to call it a complete remission. She still has 3 more chemo treatments to go though.. I need to find out exactly why they need to do 5... because today was horrible...
which brings me to the bad news.. She did not eat or drink all day long... puked violently... and is generally out of it. Almost 24 hours of these symptoms and first thing in the morning I am going to contact the Vet.. She is obviously having a reaction to the chemo. The build-up nature of the drug must have hit her hard this time around. So much for the 80 percent of dogs do ok on it... she just might fall in that 20 percent that dont.... I don't like it one bit and if I can stop the chemo.. I will...
Will update later after I talk to doc... below is the new vet sheet and the update about remission.
PROGRESS UPDATE: 8-9-07 - She is gone...
Today Sicily died in my arms...
still in shock... will post again another time...
In Loving Memory - 8-10-07
Our dog Sicily passed away last evening. Even though we knew she was very sick it came as a total shock. Just this Tuesday I was told that she was in complete remission. Over the next couple days she became very ill. Today it seemed like she might be getting better but then it took a turn for the worse. She started to appear as if she might be dehydrated or something but it didn't look good. She didn't want to move so my sister and I did the fireman's carry with a blanket to the car and we rushed to the hospital. On the way there I could see she was fading. I had her layed out in the backseat with her head on my lap. Thinking back now.... In my heart I didn't think she was going to make it but I convinced myself all she needed was some fluids. Just as the car hits the parking spot she took her last few breaths.
I don't know if I take much comfort in the fact that she died in my hands... However, there was a peacefulness to it as her breathing slowed... and then she inhaled and exhaled one long slow breath.. There was no suffering or appearance of struggle. She was gone..... I could feel her leave..
A vet-tech came running out and we carried her inside. The staff worked on her for about 15 minutes before they confirmed what I already knew.
It was the most horrible experience I have been through in a long time. And I have been through more than most. Animal or not... I lost a family member.
Hell.. she was a better being than a lot of people I know.
"She will be missed... " The under-statement of the year.
It won't be known exactly what happened. They think that the cancer was a lot more far along than we had first thought and it started to attack the organs. The cause was most likely heart failure. They asked if I wanted an autopsy performed but I chose not to. In the end it doesn't really matter... She is gone and nothing changes that fact... I rather not put her body through that kind of trauma where it is unnecessary.
Now we begin the process of healing. Sicily will be laid to rest in our backyard and a a spot will be marked properly.
Thank you for all that donated and sent well wishes. Those that helped really did make a difference. The last 4 weeks she lived it up. We pampered and loved her all we could. I think she ate better than I did! We can all take comfort in the fact that we did all that was humanly possible to make sure she was happy and healthy.
If you would like to leave a well wish and/or comment you can do so via this thread or if you have Myspace you can do so on our
In Memory of Sicily page. Please do....
I am sure it will do all of us good to read... especially the kids.
Ugh!... it sure would have been nice to have her a little longer... 4 years was not enough time.
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