Medical update: still standing strong!

I haven’t got a lot of time to blog because I am too busy enjoying my life. But I know more than 100 people are following me on my blog so I have this duty to write something. Anyway, that's what mum says!

I went to the hospital yesterday and here’s the verdict:

The tumour in my ass had not come back yet: good!

There is no metastasis in my spleen and liver yet: good!

The calcium levels in my blood were OK: good!

My white blood cells were a bit below average. That is due to the chemo so were gonna stop the chemo for a while: don’t mind!

The ultrasound of my tummy was mildly positive. A small lymph node was found again near a blood vessel. It is smaller than the one they removed in June. The surgeon (a lady again!) thinks she can remove it even though these operations are never without any risk. Removing it is always the best option, she said. I'm going in in October.

The oncolodomist was a bit worried about “it” coming back so soon after the previous operation. Mum and dad, however, think I am doing great, given that 10 months ago they said I was only gonna live for another 12 months! And look at me now: still standing strong!

The loncomonist doesn’t really know whether the chemo still works or not. There are other more aggressive therapies out there but they might make me sick. Mum and dad feel strongly about this. Stretching my life with less quality is not an option! Do you agree? I certainly do!

That’s it for now!

Charlie

I am going on holiday and I am taking...

I went to the Ardennes again this weekend and that reminded me that I hadn’t given you the full report of my holiday in June yet, or any pictures.

Next week I have to go back to the hospital for a check-up so, before I have to report whatever news I’ll have, here’s my holiday report! 



Dad promised me we’d go to the Ardennes for my birthday and he kept his promise. 













It was superb, even though it was only “Belgium”. Usually holiday means mum and dad drop me at the kennels and pick me back up when they’re done. 

Not this time. I was coming along!

When we arrived, I felt like I had just arrived in seventh heaven: there was a river, there was a hut with a wood burner, there were chews, there was mum and there was dad and there was my bed and there was piggy.

I even got a second piggy for my birthday and a tin of biscuits. I don’t know what that other black thing in the middle is but mum insisted on taking it. She said it was absolutely necessary for her stress management.

First we had to drive very very far. Like almost 2 hours! That is if we don’t get lost. Otherwise, it is 3.5 hours! 

When we arrived, I saw this.


Mum said I had to calm down and she kept repeating it for 24 hours!! 

Tell me: how can I calm down with this right in front of me? She doesn't seem to know me very well...




Mum allowed me to swim in the river in front of the cabin for a while but the current was so strong she thought she was gonna have to collect my nose on one side of the river and my bum on the other. She said: “hey matey, we’ve been fighting this cancer together for 6 months, I shall not have you drown in the river!” 

I was very restless that night. I couldn’t stop thinking about that river. I had to swim. Mum and dad blocked the stairs down to the water so I couldn't escape. Pity! 


Anyway, I swam a lot. I mean A LOT! 

Jumped in the water at every opportunity.

Sometimes there are other people in the water. I always go to say hello to them.

The next day, we went on a walk. Well, walk is the understatement of the century! 

Mum and dad can’t read maps together ‘cos they’ll end up arguing, so only one of them reads the map. Obviously we got lost. I won’t tell you who was reading the map. 

The bottom line is: we walked A LOT. Mum and dad think I ran about 50 km.

The next day, I was absolutely knackerooned. Dad said: “come on, mate, let’s go for a walk.” And I thought: “Really? Again?” Anyway, we did go on a slightly more moderate walk and swim. I also cleared the water of some wood. 





I do that because it is in my jeans, apparently. Don’t know what that means. I haven't got any jeans but mum told me that that's what it is. She knows these things, you know.





Sometimes the twigs are quite large… But when my jeans tell me to do it, I have to do it.









































On the third day, after a good night’s sleep (without hyperventilating), I was ready for more. We went to this big lake where I had been before. It is called the basin of Nisramont. Check it out! 

It was raining, but that didn’t bother us because I was swimming anyway. It was beautiful.

I did about 35 km that day. We had a picnic on the way. 




I also love jumping in the high grass.

I like to play hide and seek but mum and dad always find me... I don't know how they do it.

The last day Mum and Dad put a BBQ on the floor. Now normally I would steal whatever they put on it. Not tonight. I was knackered! Mum and dad were able to BBQ comfortably!

That was my holiday in a nutshell. I enjoyed it. I hope to go again soon.

I hope you enjoyed my pictures.

That's it for now! 

Charlie

My tummy hurts a little.

My tummy hurts a little.

I went back to the hospital 10 days ago. I told you a couple of weeks ago that I had to have this small lymph node removed. Well, that’s gone now. Mum dropped me off in the morning and picked me up in the evening. Don’t really know what happened in between but apparently it was not too bad.

The doctor told Mum that all went well, taking into consideration that the lymph node was very close to the main artery into my rear paws. Mum said if anything happens to my rear paws, she will build me a wheely chair so we can still go on walkies.

The doctor said that the lymph node was full of active cancer. That, of course, is not so good. 

My tummy hurts a little now and I lost my appetite for a while but I am recovering fast and before she knows it, I’ll be drooling down mum's lap again for more biscuits. We went back yesterday to have the stitches removed and to start up chemo again.

The oncologist said that, as long as they can reach the infected lymph nodes, they can remove them. Some of the lymph nodes are in too dangerous a place, like in between 2 arteries (left and right rear paw). If those lymph nodes get infected, they will not be able to remove it. But there are other chemo options, be it more expensive ones. 

We will have to wait and see what happens next and if we can afford whatever needs to be done.

Right now, it looks like I’ve got some good months ahead of me and I intend to enjoy them to the utmost!

Holiday pictures next!

Take that, you stupid cancer!

I went to the hospital with mummy yesterday. The oncololodist did an ultrasound of my tummy and took some blood. The blood results came in today and were good. The calcium was good and the white blood cells were good. The calcium will go up when the tumour comes back and the white blood cells will go down when I had too much chemo. And yeah, she checked out my ass as well. She couldn’t feel anything. That was good.

Then we did the judo thing again. Mum and the loncodomenist put me on the table, shaved my tummy and had a good look on the screen. The lonkomedician said she saw a small swollen lymph node in my tummy, quite close to the major artery. It isn’t big, about 1 centimetre, but it is almost certainly cancer and it will get bigger. She wasn’t sure whether they can remove if it is so close to the artery so she checked with the close-to-the-artery-lymph-node-removal-doctor and he said there would be no problem removing it. Anyway, if during an operation, they come across a really dangerous problem, mum and dad can decide on the spot whether they want to take the risk or not.

The loncomodist said she would prefer to have it removed ASAP while I am still in good condition. She wasn’t sure how mum and dad felt about these oncoming problems and maybe some smaller operations, but the cost would be considerably smaller than my big operation and during the operation recovery time, I don’t need chemo, so it compensates a bit. Mum discussed with dad and they prefer to keep me in good condition so I can enjoy life and recover fast. The lymph node will be removed soon! So everything is looking relatively positive. The only thing going downhill at the moment is mum and dad’s bank account.

But first, we go on holiday to the Ardennes. Mum booked a cabin on the river bank just for me. All we are going to do for a week is walk, swim, sleep, chew and cuddle!

Did you hear that? Walk, swim, sleep, chew and cuddle! 

Take that, you stupid cancer!

They need my help in Scotland!

I have had 2 chemos so far, I am on the 3^rd chemo now. Well Mum says she gives me pills, but to be honest with you, I don’t think she does. She gives me paté and smoked salmon. Should I tell her?

In between chemos, I had my blood drawn to see if my white blood cells were not too low. Both blood tests were fine (which is more evidence that Mum is not giving me the chemo).  I don’t have to go back to the hospital now until May.

Auntie Gin sent me a get well card. She enclosed a little newspaper story of a dog who got his favourite dying treat from his owner: a tub of ice cream. That gave Mum and Dad the idea of taking me with them on their trips this year. Dad just said we were going to the Dardennen for my birthday. I’ve been there before, several times, and I love it! 

Thank you auntie Gin! I owe that to you. I hope to see you again some time. If you don’t come to me, then I will come to you! Mum said something about Scotland and a lake with a monster that nobody can find. They obviously need my help then! I will swing by auntie Gin on the way to that monster!

Today is my birthday, well one of my birthdays. Yeah, aha, you heard me. I have more than one birthday.

When I was born, they took me to the vet to get my first jabs and my vaccination leaflet. My birthday was written on it as 14 March. The lady where I was born said it was actually 18 March. 

Then Mum and Dad had me chipped and got me a passport. On that passport, my birthday is 13 March.

Mum said that, this year, I can have as many birthdays as I want. 

And you can all wish many happy returns!

Wish me luck!

Mum has pulled up her socks over the weekend, but this is it: the chemo starts tomorrow.
First session Monday to Friday.

Wish me luck!

the loser takes it all!

I started a new hobby today. It is called judo. I did it with mum at the loncolologist. The lonkadologist is a new doctor Mum took me to for my cancer. Mum and dad wanted a second opinion on whether I need to have the chemo or not. This new doctor is called the oncomolonist. Her name is Cindy.

Cindy wanted to take an ultrasound of my tummy to see if anything was visibly growing again. But I was not just gonna lie down and let them do it, was I?

So mum and the doctor decided to do a bit of judo with me. Hey, it’s not difficult to win when it’s 2 against 1!! They threw me on the bed with an ippon and whilst mum held me down in a grip, the doctor was putting funny stuff all over my tummy. After the first ippon, I got a biscuit!  I love judo! Apparently the loser takes it all!

The second half, I decided to not put up a fight anymore, I basically handed them the victory, in return for another biscuit. Oh, let them have it! Women always buy that.

The doctor said she saw nothing in my tummy. That is so not true. She had just given me a biscuit. That must have been visible. So either the doctor doesn’t have a clue, or the machine is not working!

The loncolomonist convinced mum that I do need chemo, so we are going to start it up. During my operation, they have removed 4 lymph nodes full of cancer. They have removed them, but the fact that they were full of cancer means that their lymphatic vessels probably have transported small bits of cancer to the rest of my body already. So the cancer is slowly spreading. The chemo will slow that process down.

The lonkolodist also put her fingers up my bum. Again! I hate it but apparently that’s where the cancer grows. She said she could feel absolutely nothing.

I will need medication (pills) during five days every 21 day cycle. In between, the oncolologist will draw blood to check my white blood cells because they are my soldiers and without soldiers, I can’t win. I will need the pills for the rest of my life. These pills should not make me sick. If they do, mum will stop giving them. Mum has to give them to me with gloves on. Apparently, if she touches them with her bare hands, she will put chemo on herself! And she hasn’t even got cancer!

Every 3 to 4 months, we’re gonna do the judo again too, to see if anything is growing in my tummy. I look forward to that.

So I got a really good report today and even though I probably still have cancer, I am not yet on my way out.