Wed.Feb.3

Wed Feb.3
Ginger went for her 3rd chemo today. The ultrasound showed her sublumbar lymph nodes still enlarged, though smaller, the others down, kidneys normal, urethers normal (so the renal failure was caused by the swollen nodes compressing her urethers). She's not in remission yet, so the oncologist recommended bringing out the 'big guns' (Doxyrubin) this week instead of doing Vincristine this week and Doxy next. Hopefully the Doxy will reduce the lymph nodes in 2 weeks. However its the most toxic of the drugs and the most likely to have bad side effects over the next 10 days. And if it doesn't work, well, there are other 'rescue protocols' they can use, but, will cross that bridge when we come to it.

The oncologist said Ginger is 'remarkably' bright, cheerful, and energetic for a 'dog in her condition'. We were in Greenville all day, didnt get Ginger back til 430, and it took a long time to get home, had an accident in the car and had to stop and get diaper pads (human) as I'd of course forgotten to bring extra in the rush to leave this AM (got up, ran the dogs, fed, gave Ginger her meds), had to stop again for a pee break a half hour later. (We stopped in a park in a small rural town, there were CHILDREN! and Ginger got out of the car and ears perked up, she spotted the CHILDREN! and wanted SO badly to run and play with them (she's the one of my dogs I take for pet therapy work with children, ah, she loves them, and is so gentle with them, lets them climb all over her, pull her ears, rub her tail and just stands there with an ecstatic smile ...) and I really hate she had to spend the beautiful day in a hospital getting poked and pricked and IV'd instead of running around in the sunshine. I am praying my brave gentle lady doesnt get bad side effects, I so want some more quality time for her (and yes, I'm greedy, when this started I just wanted 'one more run' ... )

The other dogs were so glad to see us 'safe home', they'd had to be kenneled all day in this beautiful weather, AND a FedEx delivery came (which means a stranger came onto the property and left a package at the trailer door... this must have really sent them over the edge, both humans gone (my husband went with me) and a stranger on the property...) but they were very sweet to Ginger and restrained themselves. And the poor Damcat ... he had gotten into the closet right before we left and idiot Mary Lou closed the door, poor Damcat, closed up in the closet all day (though he didnt make a mess, and, was comfortably curled up on top of my stack of blue jeans when we got home, and in true cat fashion, looked at me, yawned, stretched, and sauntered casually into the kitchen to ask 'well, where's dinner, and it better be good, since there wasnt any lunch'.)

Your continued prayers and support are truly appreciated, and needed, I can't ever thank you all enough. Ginger and I (and the rest of the pack, including my husband and the Damcat) can't ever thank you all enough. We sure can't do this alone