We received some very sad news Thursday on Shadow. For those who haven't been following his story recently...Shadow is our 10 year old rottie. He has been with me (and us) through basically all major events in my life. He is my first child and knows it.
About 6 weeks ago, I took him to work with me because he was losing weight (a lot of weight). I ran some blood work and took some x-rays and discovered that his liver enzymes were elevated (his liver was not working right) and that he had 2 masses in his abdomen. We proceeded with an ultrasound to see what organs, if any, the masses were associated with. On ultrasound, they appeared to be associated with his spleen. We removed his spleen, took a liver biopsy, and removed what turned out to be a necrotic lipoma later that day.
He went to the emergency clinic overnight for monitoring. The Dr there (Dr Donothan...you are awesome!) had to do another surgery on him to stop some bleeding during the night. He came home the next day and started his recovery. I have repeated blood work a few time since then and his liver enzymes are coming back down closer to normal range.
This past weekend is when I felt the lymph nodes under his chin. They were enlarged. I took him to work with me and had Dr Grand look at him. She did a needle aspirate of his lymph nodes and discovered that he had lymphoma. Or at least she is 99.9% sure he does. The only way to know for sure is to remove a lymph node and send it in for biopsy.
She feels that this is an a typical lymphoma because of the way it came up and the fact that it is a disease that normally affects younger dogs. She doesn't think that he will respond to chemo, so we are not going to pursue that option or to biopsy a lymph node since it will not change our course of treatment.
We opted to keep him comfortable for as long as we can (with the average time being 6 weeks from diagnosis) and to enjoy the time we have left with him. We will be taking many trips to the park, going for long walks, and taking some trips to Argyle (where my mom and dad live) and Lake Whitney (where Aaron's parents live). These are all of his favorite things.
Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
A Sad Day
This past Thursday was Morgan and Jake's last day at WCA (where they attend their mother's day out program). After deciding to go back to work full time, and Jess (our baby-sitter) finding a full time job with benefits, we have decided to put Morgan and Jake in full time day care. This has been a bitter-sweet decision for me. They (and I) love their class and time at WCA. They have adjusted so well to "school". I know that slot of the thanks on the adjustment goes to their teachers there, Ms Dee Dee and Ms Suzi. Thanks guys you are GREAT! Here are some pictures from their last day. Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Ebay Anyone?
"Matching Pair...For Sale Cheap!" My nerves were frazzled today and the thought crossed my mind about putting Morgan and Jake on Ebay!!! Just Kidding, but it was an afternoon.
After picking the twins up from their Mother's Day Out class, I decided that I was going to return a video that I had rented from Blockbuster. While in the parking lot, a lady hit me while she was going around the corner. Neither of us were going over 2 mph so there is not much damage, but there is a dent in the driver's side of my car and the paint is cracked. She didn't even know that she had hit me. She just said that she was looking a Pizza Inn and thinking about getting something to eat! Fortunately she does have insurance.
After we got home, Morgan and Jake decided that I was out of practice with them both crying at the same time (since Jake had been away for 4 days). Let me tell you, I am back in practice now. They spent the better part of 3 hours crying. Not hysterical, but more than a whine. We tried everything (bottle, food, cheerios, nap...), but nothing worked. I feel so bad for them because they are desperately trying to communicate with me and I have no clue on what they want. Fortunately, I had my Mother's of Multiples meeting tonight, so as soon as Aaron got home, I left and had a few hours out of the house.
I feel much better after my meeting and know that we will make it through all our hard times. I know that I am blessed to have two healthy babies, and I shouldn't take it for granted. They really are a gift (just not so much when you only have one frazzled nerve left!)
After picking the twins up from their Mother's Day Out class, I decided that I was going to return a video that I had rented from Blockbuster. While in the parking lot, a lady hit me while she was going around the corner. Neither of us were going over 2 mph so there is not much damage, but there is a dent in the driver's side of my car and the paint is cracked. She didn't even know that she had hit me. She just said that she was looking a Pizza Inn and thinking about getting something to eat! Fortunately she does have insurance.
After we got home, Morgan and Jake decided that I was out of practice with them both crying at the same time (since Jake had been away for 4 days). Let me tell you, I am back in practice now. They spent the better part of 3 hours crying. Not hysterical, but more than a whine. We tried everything (bottle, food, cheerios, nap...), but nothing worked. I feel so bad for them because they are desperately trying to communicate with me and I have no clue on what they want. Fortunately, I had my Mother's of Multiples meeting tonight, so as soon as Aaron got home, I left and had a few hours out of the house.
I feel much better after my meeting and know that we will make it through all our hard times. I know that I am blessed to have two healthy babies, and I shouldn't take it for granted. They really are a gift (just not so much when you only have one frazzled nerve left!)
Monday, November 10, 2008
Jake's Weekend At Grammy's **New Pictures**
Jake enjoyed his weekend down at Lake Whitney with Aaron's mom. They went on walks, blew bubbles on the porch, played with Hank and Daisy (the dogs), and enjoyed the outdoors. Jake also got to visit Grammy and Pap's new church on Sunday. He was completely over the stomach "bug" and Grammy reported that he ate well. As soon as I have pictures from the little vacation, I will be sure to post them.
**Thankyou so much Sue for watching him this weekend. I don't think that I could have watched both of them by myself while being sick. It was a real life saver. Thanks again**
**Thankyou so much Sue for watching him this weekend. I don't think that I could have watched both of them by myself while being sick. It was a real life saver. Thanks again**
Pump It Up Jr.
Morgan got to go to Pump It Up Jr. today with the Wylie Mom's group. We had so much fun. I wasn't sure what to expect since we have never done anything like this before. There were 3 large inflatable bounce houses with obstacles and slides. I got to figure out just how out of shape I was when I had to climb to the top of the big slide to go down with Morgan. I can't wait until December when the group has the location rented again so that Jake can try it out. I think that he will have even more fun because he is more steady on his feet than Morgan. I think that this will be a good place to have their second birthday!
Pump It Up Junior
Morgan got to go to Pump It Up Jr today with the Wylie mom's group. We had never been there before and didn't know what to expect. There were 3 large inflated bounce houses with slides and obstacles. She had a blast and even went down the big slide with mommy! I think that this would be a great place for Morgan and Jake's second birthday party (they even have a party room!) I can't wait until December when the moms group has it reserved again so that Jake can try it out. I think he would have even more fun than she did since he is more steady on his feet.
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