Treatment #8

Overall, Oakley is doing really well so far.  However, the nurse told John that today Oakley had a nose bleed right before he picked him up today.  She wasn't sure if he hit his nose or what.  She is going to notify the doctor about it and she what she has to say.  This will be Oakley's first nosebleed in a little over 3 weeks.  Seems odd that he would get one now if related to the tumor.  I'm a little worried as to what that might mean.  We'll see what the doctor says.  Otherwise, all the nurses just love him and he's being a really good boy when he is there.  He's eating great and wants to continue to go for walks.  He does get a bit fatigued, but overall he does seem in good spirits.  Perhaps getting into a routine is helping him calm down.  He continues to get better with his car rides, too. 

John did have a conversation with Dr. Cannon on Wednesday and got clarification on everything that is going on.  He's still pissed about it all, but there really isn't much he can do about it.  The doctor apologized - I mean that is all she could really do.  We will continue with treatment as planned.  She said that once treatment is if finished, they would like to do another CT scan in 2-3 months to see how the radiation affected the tumor.  Of course, this is more money out of our pocket so we will have to decide whether or not we are going to spend the additional money to get another scan done.  It would be interesting to find out how successful we are at killing the tumor though.  Either way, once we are done Oakley just continues on normally with really no more vet appointments to treat or monitor the cancer.  However, she said that if/when the symptoms return, there really is nothing more they can do.  The radiation treatment can only be done the one time - but I would not put him through it again anyway.  At that time, I will just try to make sure he is as comfortable as possible and will wait for him to tell us when he is ready to go, which will be such a heart-wrenching moment in my life.  I just that this treatment is going to give us that extra time with him that we are so hoping for.

Can't wait for the weekend - we can all relax again for another 2 days!!