A Good Man Knows When to Exit...

Here are my final words of wisdom…things do change quickly, so take advantage of whatever time you have.

Up until Wednesday I was feeling great. Then I started feeling a bit sluggish. I saw many of my friends over the weekend & I got to spend the night with Kathy, whom I have a big crush on! Little did they know that they were saying good bye to me.

Last night I started to feel like I did when I got sick back in September. My belly started to get big…the doctors like to call it distended, but it just made me look fat! I woke up at 3:30 this morning and couldn’t get comfortable. I slept in the hallway the rest of the night with my entire family beside me and telling me what a good dog I had been. We all knew what was coming.
When morning came we called Dr. Bleem & he wanted to see me immediately. He took one look at me & knew that the cancer had spread, and it was time to go. Dr. Bleem gave me my last shot and told me to “go play”.

While I didn’t expect to make an exit so soon, I had a good life and a man knows when it is time to go. I hope you all have enjoyed tracking my progress and I thank all of those who cared for me – friends, family, and the medical staff who have become my family as well. Don’t forget all my words of wisdom. Maybe the most important ones are “go play”.

Chemo Round 2

I didn’t realize I was such a popular guy. A few of you have commented that I haven’t kept up on my blog. .. you just can’t hire good help anymore. The news is good so far. I had my second chemo treatment last Friday. They changed my chemo because I got so sick after the first round. This time Dr. S. gave me a pill rather than an IV. They didn’t do an ultra sound so I got to keep what little hair I have on my under carriage. That is good since it is getting cold in these parts! Dr. S. did do a chest x-ray and I am glad to say I fooled Dr. S. and tall momma. Nothing showed up on my chest x-ray so the cancer has not reached my chest….yet.

I am feeling good and didn’t get sick at all from the chemo. I have to go in tomorrow to see Dr. Bernie to get a CBC done. Not sure what they are looking for, but I test well :)

I have been very mischievous these past few days. Tall momma likes to have her English muffin each morning. She usually eats one and puts the second on the counter waiting to cook it. Yesterday she came in thinking she forgot to put the other one out. You know where this is going…today she caught me licking my chops as I tried to trick her again! It didn’t take her long to realize she wasn’t crazy & that I got on the counter and ate the muffin. You would think that she would at least put peanut butter on it since I am a dying man!

I am including a new picture of me that my Aunt Johanna took. My parents bought me a Christmas collar & are making me wear it early… those two never do anything early – especially shopping. Since this will most likely be my last Christmas, they think that I should get a lot of use out of it. I think Tall momma said something about if I eat her muffin again, I won’t even see this Christmas!

Here’s what I have learned in the last couple of weeks… never think that one bark doesn’t matter – oh wait that was one vote…. Our Senator from Illinois is our new President-Elect; I lived to see history in the making. Now, all I have to do is work on him to have a mutt in the White House. So what if Malia is allergic. I am more than willing to give the President Elect a brindled colored daschund named Maggie :)

I'm Baaaack!

Hey, it’s me, Dickens. I am back with us. I’m eating, I’m pooping & I’m jumping up on the counters. Usually my parents yell at me about the last one, but I don’t think they are yelling at me anymore. If they do, I remind them that I am a dying man. That works every time.
Tall momma keeps following me around the yard with a flashlight checking to see what comes out of me. Odd, I know, but she is worried about my bodily functions….or lack thereof. There is a reason these two never had children!

I am still being picky about the treats I will eat. I turn my nose up at milk bones…which used to be a real treat for me. Now I want something with some more substance. I am really pulling for the liver treats my girlfriend Kathy brought me.

Cheryl, my social worker, called again to check on me and to suggest salmon if I continued to not eat. I was trying to hold out for that one, but I got too hungry. I am eating like a horse, and it is the good stuff. No more hard kibbles for me.

I am very excited. It is 2 more weeks until Election Day. You can see my presidential choice in my new picture. I also included a picture of Maggie. She is also an Obama supporter. I am pulling for a democrat, but I do like the ideas the republicans have in terms of spending $150,000 on clothes and make-up. That would buy a lot of collars and bandanas. A man should always look his best!

A Rough Evening

Last night was pretty rough. The side effects of the chemo kicked in hard. I did get wet food for dinner, but come 9:00 p.m. I was sick as a dog…now I know where that phrase comes from! I was up all night long. After a conversation with the U of I Oncology department I spent the day with Dr. Bleem. He stopped the vomiting and pumped me full of fluids. I feel much better than I did yesterday though food still isn’t looking very good. My parents tried to feed me a couple of different types of wet food, but I wasn’t interested. They got me to eat a little bit of cat food, but that is it. I am a sucker for cat food.

Dr. Bleem gave me some medication to take and I usually take it with peanut butter. I didn’t want the Jiffy, even if it was crunchy…now that is serious! Once I refused the peanut butter covered pills, curly momma made me a chicken breast. Now we’re talkin’! I have them right where I want them. They may have PhD’s, but it looks like I am the smartest one in this house! I ate the chicken and took all my pills. I have been sleeping like a baby & keeping all my food down.

I have been quite popular tonight. The Oncologist called to check on me as did Cheryl, the U of I Vet Clinic social worker. I think my floppy ear has charmed a few people!

The Oncologist

Rut row!! I had an appointment at U of I on Friday. My parents decided to do chemotherapy. Prior to this I had to have an ultrasound to see if the cancer had spread. I am sad to say that it had. It is now in my kidney, spleen, liver and lymph nodes near my liver….thus the rut row! I do a mean impression of Scooby!

I had my first chemotherapy treatment on Friday. It took about 2 hours. Some chemo can be in pill form. Of course mine has to be intravenous. I get it every 3 weeks. I felt good until today. I haven’t eaten since yesterday morning. Curly momma tried to give me the low fat cookies, but I am a dying man and want the real thing. That got me the milk bones that Baxter gave me. By the afternoon I didn’t even want those. I think I am positioning myself well for wet food for dinner.

The doctors said that I would start to see the side effects of the chemo in 3-5 days. I will keep you posted on how that goes. Hope I don’t lose my hair. I already have the worst haircut and its getting colder in central Illinois!

The Results...Sort Of

Well, this week Dr. Sullivan called and said that the type of cancer I had wasn't what they first thought. I am a bit baffling to them. However, they do think that I have an aggressive form of it. This is one of the first times I have ever done anything aggressively!

I have to go back to the U of I next week to get my stitches out and see the oncologist. I will be happy when that happens. The stitches itch, but I have avoided having to wear that big cone. My Aunt Margo makes fun of me when I wear that, and I run into the wall.

Since my cancer may be aggressive, I think I would like to have a short bucket list. The rest of you, make a long one and get it done. That is my lesson for the day.

Bucket List:
1. Spend the afternoon walking at Comlara Park. I would say a state park, but who knows how long they will be here with Gov. Hot Rod in power!...I can still be political.
2. Have a nice hunk of red meat at least once a week.
3. See Barack Obama elected president.
4. Spend many Saturdays in the backyard, have a fire, and eat pig ears or s’mores.
5. Never go back to the groomer.
6. Live my last days being adored for how cute and charming I am.
7. More later…the debate is on. I have to stay educated. Tall Momma says it is history in the making

Decisions

My parents are slacking. It has been a few days since they have made a post on my behalf, so I have been staring at them to get to it. If you had not seen me last Friday, you would swear my parents were making this whole story up. Other than my scar and my haircut, I look really good (see my picture from this afternoon as proof). Today I got dressed for the first time since my surgery - well okay it is just an Indiana collar, but I got dressed none-the-less and I decided to go down our flight of stairs to the lower level. My parents have blocked the stairs since last Monday with a box, but today I moved the box and went down stairs to visit the kitty litter box (We all have our chores and mine is to empty the cats' litter boxes).

Dr. Sullivan is a great surgeon because my scar is healing beautifully and the staples that my girlfriend, the soon-to-be Dr. Lisa put in, are still in place and I have not had to wear that silly e-collar. Iam feeling so good that the tall one had to yell at me this morning to stop howling at 6 am when the newspaper was delivered. That got their attention! I have been enjoying my time sleeping on the deck and when I beg for food I just keep telling them "remember I'm the miracle dog,"? I think they're on to me.

Today's lesson is: Sometimes we have hard decisions to make (surgery) and some easy decisions (litter box or no litter box). Some times you just have to trust your guts, even if they end up on the operating table.

Gifts

I had a great night's sleep last evening! My parents were ecstatic, as the curly one only had to get up one time. The tall one slept all night, so she was less grumpy! Tall momma's been mushier than usual. We have always had our morning routines. She makes her coffee, feeds the old cats, and I try to eat the cat food. Mom then takes her shower and I sit outside the door and guard her. Maggie told me that tall mom has not been herself since I got sick. This morning, I thought I would give her a surprise. Once she got into the shower, I decided to go and lie on the floor right next to the shower. A few minutes later, she gets out of the shower and her eyes were leaking (You humans call it crying). She kept saying "thank you for such a wonderful surprise." She's such a freak. I wish she would just stop trying to put peas on my plow.

Here's the lesson I learned today: Never underestimate the gift of another day.

I'm Finally Home

I finally got to go home last night. I think my family was shocked when they saw how good I looked compared to Sunday. Lisa and Dr. Sullivan (my surgeon) gave me my walking papers and said I was a miracle dog. They couldn’t believe the guy who came in on Friday night was the same one walking out the door Monday.

My first night home was a bit rough. I had to get up to pee every 2 hours. I then would pace for 15-20 minutes, and finally try to get comfortable. I had to have frozen peas put on my stitches every 4 hours. That was pretty pleasant. Give it a try sometime. Cold veggies on a warm belly that is exceptionally sore is rarely a good idea. I balked at that process every time!

Thank you to everyone who has sent good wishes. Many people have checked in to make sure I am doing well. That leads me to my first lesson – tell those you care about how you feel before it is too late. I think my parents realize this. They have been babying me a lot. I get lots of pets and extra cookies. They need to continue to share the love. I have asked for a steak, but they haven’t produced yet. I will keep working on that one.

My Last Bark

As some of you may know I had a pretty tough weekend. I was feeling pretty badly on Friday & had to be rushed to the vet. I didn’t help the rushing part as I could barely walk. I spent the afternoon at Krueger Animal Hospital where Dr. Bleem took excellent care of me as usual. I started to go home and was to return in the morning for more fluids when Tall Momma noticed my gums were white. Dr. Bleem scooped me up & carried me back inside and said I wasn’t going home. Dr. Bleem thought I had a vascular tumor that was causing blood to push on my heart…keep in mind some of the details are fuzzy. The word “tumor” does that to people.

I had to make a trip to the U of I where they confirmed what Dr. Bleem thought – he is so smart. It was now decision time as to whether I would have surgery or let the tumor do its thing. It was a gut wrenching decision, but it came down to the fact that I would never be able to go home without it. Being a Hoosier, my parents did not want me to pass in Illini Country. So they did the surgery. I came out at 3:30 a.m. and the surgeons found a plum sized tumor on my liver. This liver has always given me trouble!

Dr. Bleem and my parents came to see me Sunday. I looked pretty rough, but the morphine like drugs made me feel pretty good. Most of my belly is shaved and swollen, as is my plow…I kind of like that part J I get to come home tonight. I think Maggie misses me.

The staff at U of I is among the best in the country and has taken wonderful care of me. Lisa is a 4th year vet student who has been great. She is my favorite person here and is the only one I let feed me. Those who know me well, understand how particular I can be.

We all know that this surgery isn’t going to save my life, but at least I will get home for several more months. This blog is going to serve as a way to keep my friends and family updated on my progress. I will also be giving words of wisdom. I have learned a lot along the way. Can you all guess that my parents just read Randy Pausch’s book, the Last Lecture?