Nor'Easter.....Snor'Easter

The beach is beautiful despite the brewing Low offshore that could become the first nor'easter of the year. just look for yourself. bring it on mother nature, just give me some sun and sand and i'll brave the 30mph winds with 45mph gusts! :) enjoy the pics!

Cleared and ready for vaca

dr. doom wanted to see me a week after my last drain...today was the day. everything went as usual...the plan is the same, to stay on the 25mg sutent for now and manage the toxicity vs. effectiveness. maybe a 6 or 7 week on 1 week off schedule and maybe increase the dose at some point....basically its trial and error at this point....see what i can handle and see how long it is going to be effective. he told me that since i have been on the drug for so long and i know my body and how it reacts and all that i can pretty much push myself and/or manage the cycles myself....to simply call or email them when i need a break so they know what i am taking or not taking. i will still continue to have my check up appts. every 3 weeks, but he decided to empower me a little this time with my treatment schedule. he also said that if during my breaks i continue to build up fluid and need to be drained, then of course we will do that.

speaking of being drained....so far so good. i seem to be maintaining from the drain last week. today i was 10lbs lighter than my last appt. (they weighed me before i was drained and they took approx. 9lbs of fluid off last week) so, i am maintaining and lost another lb. which could have just been water since i was a little dehydrated today.

i was also cleared to go on vacation next week...except dr. doom told me to get a big hat since my skin is going to be sensitive to sunlight and i will burn easily while on the sutent.

beautiful litchfield beach here i come!!!

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na BATDOG!!!!!!!

Episode 2: K9 Fashion faux-paw.

POW! KABAM!!!! SMACK!

ok, usually i make fun of people that dress up their dogs....well, now i have to. vets orders. the damn cone collar is irritating his chin and causing him to scratch the hell out of it and lose his hair, so he told me to not put the collar on him anymore and put him in long sleeve t-shirts. so, i decided that kids pajamas would probably fit him best. i went to target and got him batman pjs. the logo has a motion detector in it and whenever he moves, it lights up. too funny. the damn pjs came with a cape and everything. looks like he's all ready for halloween!

Better than lipo...

well, i had my 3 week check up yesterday(was supposed to be today but they moved it up so i could get an appt to be drained sooner). i had the paracentesis appt afterwards and they pulled 4ltrs off again...approx. 9lbs. woohoo! shorter recovery and faster results than lipo! :) the pattern that seems to be developing is when i take a break from the sutent, my belly begins to fill with fluid...when i start back on the sutent, it can't fight the fluid that is already there and it continues to build up. BUT, if i am drained while i am already on the sutent, it seems to be able to maintain and even reduce the fluid more. so, there is a sort of "cap" as far as amount of fluid that the sutent has an effect on.

other than being drained yesterday, my check up went fine...no major side effects yet except for being in the potty a lot...that one always shows up first. my labs showed that my potassium was low and my calcium was low again. they are calling in a Rx for the potassium supplement and i am supposed to start back on the daily tums again. otherwise it is business as usual.

i am going on a beach trip. i can't wait for some nice relaxing beach time. HURRICANES BE GONE!!! i'll post some pics when i get back. its not for a couple weeks, but i am excited now! :)

tootles team beansaver!

Perfect Puppy Patient

it's official...my dog is a better patient than i am. he is doing great! no pain meds and he's running around as usual. i actually have half a mind to give him some benadryl or something to make him sleepy because he is not supposed to be running around!!!!

he's on some meds for the next few days and i have to change his bandage every other day. i'm also supposed to check it every day, but if you know anything about bandages and animals and the way you have to wrap the leg, you know that once you undo the thing, you have to do a new one cuz it will never go back on right. so, we'll see if i can manage to only change it every other day while checking it every day.

oh, doggie surgery is a crapload cheaper than i thought it would be. for 4 days in the kennel, teeth cleaning, 3 different types of meds, surgery, bandages, etc. etc. the grand total was $770. w00t! i thought for sure i was looking at a $1500 bill at least but nope...it was half that. not bad. he didn't need a cone collar either because he is a good boy and isn't messing with the bandage at all. yea!! what a good boy!

well, he didn't need the cone collar at first...now he does, thus the pic above. he's on the 3 strikes and your out plan. he gets to chill without the collar but if he gets caught licking his wound 3 times, the collar goes back on. so far he only has it on at night and a couple hours a day. he's still a good boy!!! :)

What a good boy!!!

My baby came through his surgery with flying colors. the tumor was approx. 1in and they had to cut into the surrounding tissue another cm or so to make sure that they got everything. he is all stitched up, but since this type of surgery tends to swell(so they tell me) and put too much pressure on the sutures, they had to make little incisions on the sides to relieve the tension. they told me it kind of looked like a potato with the little dimples. so, he is all stitched up and bandaged up. i will have to change the bandages for a couple days, but i am used to bandaging animals since i've been around horses for most of my life and have had to take care of several injured beasts. you'd be surprised what animals can get themselves into...sometimes fact is stranger than fiction. i once had to take care of a mare who managed to break her leg....changing the bandages on that was sure fun...insert sarcastic look here. she was a tad on the crazy side anyway...you could never turn your back on her cuz she might be rearing or hauling off and nailing you with her back leg when you turned back around. of course her mother thought she was an angel. ha!

anyway, i pick him up today. i have no idea what doggie surgery costs these days, but i'm sure it is pricey. i'll let you guys know the damage as i am sure you are curious. also, i'll be nursing him through his recovery over the next few days/weeks. my mom nurses me through recovery, now i am the doggie mom nursing my baby through recovery. don't know why i find that funny.

thanks for the finger, toes, arms and legs crossing for my pup! i will post a picture of him once i get him home....im sure he's going to look pitiful and have on one of those Elizabethan collars. hehe.