Archive April 30, 2014

In life there are always little ups and downs. We were doing good on the cancer battle, we still are. But we went for a walk yesterday and something gave her the itches. So she itched all night. Her little ears, her tummy, her arm pits, and I gave her Benedryl. By this morning she had three doses. 25 mg every 8 hours. However, it kept it from getting worse and spreading. Last year when this happened, she got little blistered in her ears but she couldn’t sleep and she’d rest a little then itch again.
We did all the allergy things. I had Cupcake, the big itch bump for 16 years.
Check for bug bites.
Give Benedryl
Cool water bath with anti allergen shampoo
Benedryl
A 50/50 mix of hydrocortisone and Neosporan plus pain on the hot spots
Little ice packs on the hot spots
A little straw with frozen water in it and an eraser end in it, to do inside ears.
More Benedryl
Some thing good to help scratch that doesn’t leave marks. One of those rubber things you put on your hand works.
Of nothing helps Benedryl shot from the vet or prednisone or both.
Cupcake lived on hydroxezine one summer and Benedryl the next summer and still it would only be a dull roar, she still itched.

This morning the vet clinic was very nice and got us in for prednisone.

Resting and sleeping now 2 p.m.

Our ear with crusty allergy blisters

We had movie day today. The dogs and I are in the basement having movie day. We sit on the love seat recliner and we watch movies and I do work. It used to be school work, now it’s just paper work.

We are watching Harry Potter, the Deathly Hallows movies. I love Harry Potter. My students knew I loved Harry Potter and I have received lots of Harry Potter items from them and friends.

Great books are always wonderful. Great books are even better. I love great books. Harry Potter saved me just like he did the magical kingdom. My dad died in March. March 8 to be exact. When mom died five years before, in 1995, it left me and dad alone most of the summers.as a teacher I had summers off. We would ride bikes, walk, I would do school work in the yerd for the coming year and dad would keep me company. So when I lost him I dreaded being alone all summer. Being by myself. I couldn’t afford a new house, to let the memories go….so my friend said redo the the house, rearrange the furniture…so you don’t expect him sitting in a chair in his corner everything you walk in.
So I did.
I redid the whole apartment. I painted, peeled wallpaper, painted some more. But I found myself getting really upset. I realized it was the television programs, people hollering, yelling calling each other names. About that time, David went to the Harry Potter night for the release of the new book and I told him to being me back the first book on audiotape. Since I have second graders, books on tape were wonderful. They could understand books way above their level on tape. So I started listening to Harry Potter while I was working on my house, I listened and listened and listened. Harry and Hogwarts kept me busy all summer. I lived at Hogwarts……I worked on my house……I listened. I even listened taking the dogs for walk, re decorating the house, and doing school work. Wherever I was you could find Harry that’s summer.

Harry Potter kept me going all summer. He kept me company and J.K. Rowling’s writing kept me going. Thank you Harry Potter and thank you J.K. Rowling. I need you and you were here. I will always be grateful for the three years at Hogwartz I spent that summer.

Thanks Harry, I will always love you and your adventures!

My friends and family are in Arkansas. I guess they are ok, but really after you live through something like this are you really ever ok?

I sit and watch the people cry,
I’ve been in there shoes, my oh my!
Where all they can do it sit and shake their heads why?

I sit and watch the people cry
And hear them heave a heavy sigh
As they watch the soul of their loved one fly

I sit and watch the people cry
Their eyes are wet their heart are dry
The one they love is going to die

I sit and watch the people cry
I’ve been in their shoes, my oh my
The family has to say their last goodbye.
By wendy

Well this ends our week off from chemo. We did go to our vet yesterday Dr. Patchet and have blood work done. She called today and said it was perfect. I have to stop thinking of Coffee with cancer. She’s in remission so we do little meditations each day together, telling the cancer to stay away. I have also developed my own wellness plan for Coffee. Today is her third day on Prolife Advantage. She seems to be eating better and she’s bouncing again.

We are half way thru….HORRAY….REMISSION….HOORAY. MAYBE WE WILL WIN OUR BATTLE…..

Maybe she will get a normal life expectancy. I would have done the health approach without chemo but that cancer was advancing and lymphoma is so quick to kill in dogs that I went with medical advancements first. Hey I just read they cured a girls brain cancer using the polio virus…..new advancement are always being found.

Thank you for your prayers!

What? You are leaving the house for an errand? You can not leave…..I have no bones, when you leave all my bones melt and all I can do is slump…YOU CANT LEAVE!

From the Good Life with Dr.Oz

1. Get a 2nd Opinion
We did this. We had Coffee evaluated by both the vet clinic she goes to here in Milwaukee but also had those gets in Madison redo the tests. They were both confirmed as lymphoma cancer.

Of course this didn’t mean that the first time I handed her over to strangers, when she had no idea she was sick, didn’t send me into a total catharsis. Luckily I just went in the van outside in the parking lot and cried myself to sleep. After eight week we know the whole staff really well and they are so nice to us.

2. Find the right doctors.
When I didn’t like what happened to my friends with animals with cancer, giving them prednisone to keep the animal comfortable until the owner could accept the idea their pet was dying, was not I repeat NOT the mind frame of the people I wanted caring for Coffee. I know more than your average person about Lymphoma, having a brother that died of complications from it. I know it reacts differently in people then dogs but I also know it’s fightable. We went to UW Madison and that was the right decision. I know it whatever the outcome. I also know you never get rid of cancer. You can beat it into remission but it is always there.

3. Know the Questions to Ask

What treatment options are available?
What happens if the treatment approach doesn’t work for me?
Can you tell me the purpose and accuracy of the testing?
How many patients have you treated with cancer with this type and stage of cancer and what are the outcomes?
How do I balance the cancer and a normal life?

Well I was ok with the UW Madison being an oncology specialty. One of 19. They are always trying new treatments and new chemo mixes. They know all the tests to do. I had to learn them all. Who knew I’d be cancer tests proficient?

4. Stay strong for the fight.
They don’t have a wellness plan for their animals so I guess I will be the first I guess.
We started Life Advantage Pet Health chewable tablets. Coffee won’t take that so, I soak them in water and give them to her with a syringe. We started that yesterday. Days after a Easter. We also have started vitamin D13 drops. We are mental thinking together. Cancer go away, cancer stay away. Ca
Nicer can’t grow in an alkaline environment so in the morning we do a greening mix.

There are many things I have learned with a brain injury causing disability. There are steps needing to be taken.

Get a good lawyer who will help you through all the paperwork. You need them even for small steps.

Assemble a good team of doctors that all agree on your condition and disability.

Find a good neurologist that will be behind you

Find a primary care doctor that will be you quarterback

Join weight watchers or another program to keep your weight under control

Find a great physical therapist because you will be working with them a long time

Never give up western medicine. Read the latest articles and health journals on your condition

Seek out other therapies that work for you, to assist with western medicine. Accupuncture, massage, reiki, chiropractic, psychologist.

Stay active mentally and keep working at it. Never stop keeping your mind active. Movies, reading, tablets, computer

Connect yourself with friends. They are your sounding board and rocks. Don’t isolate your self. Use in person, telephone, and Facebook chats.

Take up a hobby that you can a joy with your disability.

Remember you are not alone. Others are going thru this too. Connect with a group support system.

Be persistent. Every person is different every person heals differently. They say two years past a strok or brain injury is all you have to heal. I lost a year of mine. Allow yourself time to heal.