DL and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

Actually, it has been longer than a week that has been pretty lousy but it's close enough.  Read on at your own risk of being bummed out.

Our Dogs Are Illin"

Sundance - On September 15, we received confirmation from a biopsy of Sundance's nose that she has Discoid Lupus Erythematosis (DLE for short), which is different from the human form of Lupus in that it usually stays localized around the snout for a dog.  If left untreated, ulcerations develop around the nose, mouth and snout.  Treatment will be either a topical ointment, oral drug or a combination.  Before we know what treatment we will use for her, she needs to heal from a severe bacterial infection in that spot (also on her butt) so we are currently treating her with topical and oral antibiotics for that.   Like her Addison's disease, the DLE is an auto-immune disease that must be treated the rest of her life.  The good news is she can still have a normal, good quality of life in spite of this and it doesn't shorten her life span.

Cassidy - On September 25, we let Cassidy out in the backyard to go to the bathroom.  She took off from the house like a bat out of hell as usual, but then ran full speed into the side of the bushes.  A few hours later, we let her outside again and she ran into a cement planter.  The next day, I took her to the vet and he confirmed that she had suddenly gone blind.  Today (Oct. 1) I took her to a veterinary ophthalmologist who diagnosed her with SARDS - Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration - which can come out of nowhere and cause permanent blindness overnight.  She seems to be adapting well, but we are all in a state of shock.

I've Had Better Times

This past Monday, September 29, I had my usual CAT scan on the lungs, blood work and visit with Dr. Bonomi.  What wasn't usual was the results of the scan.  The cancer lesions in the lungs have increased in both size and number.  Not in a fast, aggressive manner, but enough for Dr. B to strongly recommend a different course of chemo treatment.  So, starting this Friday and for 12 weeks broken out into 4 three-week cycles, I will be having a combination of three different chemo drugs - Taxol, Carboplatin and Avastin - infused into my body.  Chemo treatments will be one day per week for two weeks in a row and then the following week off.  That three-week cycle (two on, one off) repeats four times.  After the first two cycles (equal to six weeks), I will have another CAT scan to see how the lungs are doing.  If things look good, we continue with the last two cycles of this treatment.  If things don't look good, we look at some other treatment but at this time it isn't clear what that would be.

I'll be taking enough preventative drugs to keep nausea at bay and have only slight fatigue, but I will likely lose my hair again and there is a chance of neuropathy that causes numbness in the fingers and toes on a short-term or long-term basis.  Dr. Bonomi believes with the approach he uses for this chemo treatment, the chances of neuropathy are reduced.

So that is my story at the present time.  I sincerely hope it gets better in future postings.  I wish I could post a more cheerful message, but it hasn't been easy to deal with all these issues especially when they are happening one right after the next.