Staples come out, chemotherapy starts
Tank is doing great! He’s been playing with his little dog, it’s just so wonderful to see him playing again! He had a nice, quiet Christmas, my only wish for Christmas was to have Tank with us, and I got that so I was thankful all day!
Yesterday we had our first consultation with the Oncologist, he’s as great as any other doctor we have had the pleasure to work with thru this whole ordeal. I cannot recommend the VCA Veterinary offices highly enough, we are using the office in Fountain Valley, Ca. and they are super! Our consultation with the doctor went well, he recommended a round of chemo and after that we could expect 1-2 years with Tank. They needed to do an ultrasound before the chemo to check his internal organs for possible cancer spread before the chemo. They had to keep Tank because they couldn’t do the ultrasound until later in the day. Tank was not very happy to have to stay there, on the plus side, he would be getting those nasty staples out!
Sadly, the Oncologist called me after the ultrasound and the cancer had already spread to Tank’s lungs, lowering his life to a prediction of 6-8 months. Heartbreaking to hear since we have pushed thru all this at such a rapid pace, and to hear the cancer beat us to the lungs was devastating! Another crying spell for me, then back on our feet to fight just as hard for Tank. When we went to pick him up we had a consultation with the final member of the team that would be working on Tank, another lovely person. She was very kind and had put in writing for me all the blood work that needs to be done during and before each round of chemo. She explained that before Tank’s next round of chemo they will do another ultrasound to check the size of the nodules in his lungs and adjust treatment accordingly. We will cross that bridge when it gets here. For now, we have our old Tank back, he’s totally good on 3 legs, happy to participate in our dull life, which he is a shining light within!
Tank finally sporting a cool, no shirt look!
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I’m so sorry to hear Tank’s cancer has spread. But please keep in mind Tank can still have a great quality of life for some time. Remember that a dr’s estimate is just that: an estimate. No one knows how long any of us had. You have a great attitude by taking in the news, picking yourself up and moving on! Can I ask who your onc’s are at VCA? This is the same place where Max had all his treatments, and we were very happy with everyone that we worked with!
Thanks for the great update! As far as prognosis goes, try to focus on the Now. That’s all that matters to Tank!