Not so bad....and not so good

Dr. Lucroy called yesterday with most of my test results. Most of the blood work is okay. I'm a little anemic which is a result of having cancer. Not much can be done about that except remove the cancer which is impossible. He also said something about something with my liver being high but not enough to be concerned about. The upsetting news is from the x-rays. They discovered a rather enlarged lymph node against my sternum and some "suspicious" nodules around my lungs which means the cancer is probably spreading in that direction. Also as the lymph nodes and tumor continue growing, it could affect my breathing since it's all in my throat area. My snoring is bad enough now.

Dr. Lucroy said there is a different type of chemo we could try however there is a 50/50 chance of it working. And even if it does, it could make me sick. On top of that, it's really expensive. I wish I could find a therapy dog job that pays as my girl isn't sure they can afford any more chemo. The last time was very expensive.

I am one really stressed out Border Collie right now and I am still waiting for the results on the thyroid test. Ugh. Hope that will at least be okay. Between worrying about all this and the thunderstorm that kept me busy last night (have you ever tried to herd lightning? It's not easy.) I'm a mess. And if that wasn't bad enough, I've had a tummy ache and left a couple of messes for my girl to clean up. Hopefully life will get better for me soon.

Oncologist

I saw Dr. Lucroy today. He said the tumor is definitely different. Lumpier. The hope is that it is just the lymph nodes being affected and not my thyroid. Even though I look skinnier, I haven't lost weight since the last time I was there although I think I am smaller than before the chemo. They took some blood and x-rays today. Dr. Lucroy said there is nothing with the x-rays that has him concerned but a Radioligist will look them over to be sure. They won't have the results from the blood work until this afternoon or more likely tomorrow. Dr. Lucroy has suggested starting me on chemo again but my boy and girl decided to wait until they get the results back.

I'm here at work with my girl and after all this excitement this morning, I think it's a good time for a nap.

Sigh...

I just found out that I am going to the vet tomorrow. Not the regular vet that pokes you with a needle, gives you a treat and says "see you next year." Nope it's the cancer vet. My girl has been worried about the thyroid tumor I have in my neck because she thinks it's been changing and feeling weird. Plus underneath all this fluffy fur, I'm getting a little too skinny and bony. Hopefully she' s just being silly and over reacting. I guess we will know tomorrow.

Library Day

Well, even if the hospital won't let me come visit, I still have the library and that is tomorrow. I can't wait. I have a feeling that a couple of the kids that read to me last month will be back again. I enjoy going so much. I highly recommend volunteering at the library to any therapy dogs out there.

There is also a couple of people that my girl works with who are launching a campaign to have me become a regular employee there. I really hope I can. It would sure beat being stuck inside with Stella all day watching her eat things she's not supposed to like kitchen towels and aluminum foil. I guess some days I would need to stay home so she won't get lonely but getting to work at least a couple of days a week makes my Border Collie heart so happy.

If my girl remembers to bring along her new camera tomorrow, I'll add some more pictures of me working hard listening to stories. I need to get some sleep now so I'll be ready to go in the morning.

Failure......

I'm so embarrassed and disappointed in myself. I thought it was going to be such a good day. I had a great time at work with my girl. I met lots of new friends. After we left there, we stopped by her old work and I got to see my friends there that I've missed.

It was there that it went downhill. We got to the hospital and walked in. There was a young boxer at the door and well.....sometimes I don't like meeting new dogs. Especially when they immediately try to sniff me. I kinda growled. Not much...just a little to let it know that I was there to WORK not hang out and to let it know that I was protecting my girl. Well, the people in charge didn't like that and told my girl that I........oh gosh I hate to say it..........failed. I feel really bad that I let my girl down after she has made so much effort to find me a new job. I didn't even get to show them how good I really am.

But then the day got better again because I got to go for a CAR RIDE!!!!

Work!

Tomorrow is a big day. I am going to work with my girl and after that we are going to the hospital for my interview so that I can start volunteering there. I'm very excited but very nervous. My girl said that she is very confident that I will do well. The thing that I'm nervous about is that my girl said they will testing how I handle pain. I guess I will get pinched. Hard. My girl isn't sure where. She said maybe my side or one of the pads on my feet. My girl pinched me both places and then had my boy do it too. Not really necessary as I know not to bite or snap at them. Wouldn't they have been surprised if I had. If I had fingers, I would have pinched them back to see how they like that. I will try really hard to not react but all you dogs know that sometimes when a stranger does something mean, it's hard not to let them know what you think about it.

If everything goes well, I'll soon be going every Tuesday to visit sick or injured kids who are stuck in the hospital and hopefully help them feel better. Eventually I can also visit the hospice area. I don't know if I want to do that or not. I really like making people feel better but it would be so sad. Something to think about I guess.

Wish me luck tomorrow! I'll be sure to follow up with my adventure.

New camera

My girl got a new camera. She took lots of pictures today as she learned how to use it. Some of them came out quite nice. She hated the old camera she had and had gotten lazy with taking pictures for my blog. Now I should have lots of pictures of ME to share with you. And I guess maybe a few of Stella too. Like these.

This is me happily chewing on a stick....





And then that awful Stella.....






..........stole it!!!








She is such a brat.