It’s been an eventful 3 weeks. Fallon seems to feel a little better every day, and looks and acts more like herself. Her amputation surgery was 3 weeks ago today. We’ve come a long way, with quite a distance to cover yet. Nonetheless, I am having one of my hopeful days today.
Great news received last night through Suzanne, our Vet Tech at Dr. Sue’s office—the x-rays were reviewed and her lungs are clear. I asked for clarification—they do not see that the cancer has spread to her lungs yet. I don’t usually live my life like I am playing a role in a drama, but I asked her, in tears, to please repeat it—it sounded so good, and was not what I expected, given that we’ve had little good news. Add that to the lymph nodes being clear, and we’re definitely feeling like we’re probably in as good a place as we can be—relatively speaking, of course.
Our treatment team is awesome. I loved our surgeon, I LOVE our oncologist, and I’m making amends with our primary vet. Everyone is calling to check in and see that all is well, seeing if we have questions, sending phone scritches to Fallon (and Maggie), and reporting any results they get back to us. I had some reservations and iffy feelings about our local vet, but they are quickly dissipating. They are super supportive team players for us. However, they were pretty strong advocates AGAINST amputation. It doesn’t make them bad, they are just coming from a different place. But I don’t know where we’d be now had we followed their advice and not gone the extra steps to investigate all options—and get the message clearly from all other angles that amputation was the way to go. I do know Fallon would be in pain, and we’d have little to no hope for any kind of future. We’re so grateful for other supportive team members—our family and friends who have followed this and given us moral and emotional support, as well as our new Tripawds family. I can’t speak highly enough about the support, feedback, atta-girls, and world of information about this journey straight from the keyboards of those already having walked this path. It has helped us navigate this rough terrain with a lot more insight.
I actually DO know one place we’d be if we didn’t pursue this route—financially more stable. This has seriously kicked our butt financially, with the promise of another major butt kicking every 3 weeks through chemo, and who knows what is beyond. I am a social worker—I don’t make big bucks. But what else do you do? We’ll figure this out. Somehow. There’s help out there. We are members of the Greyhound Health Initiative and they will reimburse for (what will turn out to be a fraction of the cost of) Carboplatin (due to limits). But I’m grateful for the support, every little bit helps. My work is making cuts now. But whatever happens, we’ll do what we can to make this work. Because it’s Fallon 🙂
Fallon is doing awesome. We had a little setback last week with a swollen leg, but that’s going back down and does not seem painful anymore. She’s more mobile, getting so much better at laying down, and just is looking like her old self more and more every day. She has been sleeping really well, eating like a champ, and has just seemed happy and lovey-dovey. Which is her old self 🙂 Meaning we’re doing something right.
Coming soon—Rehab consult! It is set up for 11/15/17. We’re hoping this will pave the way for a stronger, more efficient Fallon in terms of 3 legged navigation. We’re eager to learn how we can support her by doing the right things to help. This will happen at the specialty practice where Fallon had her surgery. They have all sorts of Supervets there, we will be seeing Dr. Laura Perez, DVM, CVA, CCRT. We hope to do what we need to do to get reimbursed through Tripawds Maggie Moo fund. But we’re convinced this is the right thing for Fallon even without reimbursement possibilities.
Dr. Sue and Fallon on her first day of chemo. This was posted on her Facebook.
More to come….
