Whining
It's been ages since I posted and I have a very good reason.
I have not felt good for a very long time. I am going to whine about it, so please do not read what is behind the cut if you don't want to hear me whine.
Way back when I was diagnosed with cancer I had this mild pain that was on my right side, in my flank area (on my back, in between my hip and ribs). When I discussed this pain with my oncologist, he said to take some Tylenol for it. Tylenol helped for quite awhile, but the pain started to increase in August. At that time I had some Darvocet that was left over from my port insertion surgery and that took care of the pain. So when I saw the oncologist in late August, he gave me a prescription for Darvocet and that helped immensely.
Last month the Darvocet stopped working and I needed to take even more of the medication to get some relief from the pain. At that time the oncologist decided that perhaps the cancer had moved into my bones and ordered a bone scan which was negative. Since that test was only a scan, he decided to order a MRI of the thoracic spine. That also came back negative.
So then he ordered a MRI of the lumbar spine and that also came back negative. In the meantime, the pain has gotten increasingly worse - so bad that I can't walk any distance without severe pain, even with lots of medication. The medication was changed to Oxycodone and that medication can only manage the pain for 4 hours. When the four hours are up, WHAM!!! The pain is back and I can barely walk upright.
The pain medication makes me very sleepy, so when the pain is under control, I end up falling asleep and not enjoying the pain-free hours. It takes about 45 minutes each morning for the pain medication to "kick in", so waking up each day is a painful experience. Some times the pain is so bad that I can't stand upright and walk around here all hunched over, holding on to my right side.
Needless to say, this pain has really made me miserable and has greatly affected the quality of life that I am experiencing this past month. Tomorrow is my visit with the oncologist and my final chemo - THANK GOODNESS. Hopefully he can prescribe the right medication to deal with the pain as well as determine what is causing the pain.
So if you have not heard from me or if I have not returned your calls or emails, it is because I have just felt like crap and haven't been very social lately. It's difficult to be social when you are sleeping or can barely talk because you are in such pain.
Poor Yoda got very sick last week. He was absolutely fine when he woke up Thursday morning, but by Thursday evening he was lethargic and had major gastro-intestinal issues going on. By Friday morning he was even worse, so off to the vet we went.
After an examination, the vet found that his body temperature was only 91 degrees - a healthy dog's temp is around 101. A fecal examination showed that he was full of hookworms. I was pretty surprised - Yoda had seen the vet in September for his annual exam and was checked for worms at that time. He had some tapeworms, which he received some medication for, but otherwise he was fine. When I took him in on Friday, he was seriously and critically ill from the hookworms - so ill that the vet was not sure if he would live. The vet explained that hookworm infestation can lay dormant in a dog's body for a very long time and then suddenly the dog is very, very ill. I explained that Yoda is on heartworm preventative and that should prevent hookworms also. The vet explained that hookworm eggs can remain active in the soil for months and months and then finally infect a dog. And that heartworm preventative can PREVENT hookworms but nothing is 100% guaranteed - it could be something as simple as giving the dog the heartworm preventative in the morning one month and then the next month, giving the heartworm preventative in the evening which would open the door for infestation.
Anyway, after a very difficult and tense 72 hours, Yoda (the tenacious little terrier)is back home and back on the road to recovery. He's eating the disgusting special id diet prescribed by the vet. He is sleeping alot, but of course, I appreciate a napping buddy! His activity level is back up and his attitude is almost back to normal. I've owned many dogs during my life, but I never had a dog that was so seriously ill from hookworms. This was really scary because it came on so suddenly - Yoda was fine Thursday morning and practically at death's doorway on Friday afternoon.
Artgeek and WGSIL spent Sunday cleaning up Yoda's dog pen and laying down paving bricks to prevent any contact with the hookworm infested soil. There is no way on earth that we want to go through this experience ever again!
Thursday is Thanksgiving and we have so very much to be thankful for. Since my last chemo is on Wednesday, we have scaled back our holiday celebration because I am not sure how I will feel on Thursday. But there is definitely turkey and the trimmings on our menu. Our lives have changed dramatically this past year and I am grateful for the love and support of my family and friends. I hope you also have a huge list of things that you are thankful for when you sit down for your holiday dinner.
I have not felt good for a very long time. I am going to whine about it, so please do not read what is behind the cut if you don't want to hear me whine.
Way back when I was diagnosed with cancer I had this mild pain that was on my right side, in my flank area (on my back, in between my hip and ribs). When I discussed this pain with my oncologist, he said to take some Tylenol for it. Tylenol helped for quite awhile, but the pain started to increase in August. At that time I had some Darvocet that was left over from my port insertion surgery and that took care of the pain. So when I saw the oncologist in late August, he gave me a prescription for Darvocet and that helped immensely.
Last month the Darvocet stopped working and I needed to take even more of the medication to get some relief from the pain. At that time the oncologist decided that perhaps the cancer had moved into my bones and ordered a bone scan which was negative. Since that test was only a scan, he decided to order a MRI of the thoracic spine. That also came back negative.
So then he ordered a MRI of the lumbar spine and that also came back negative. In the meantime, the pain has gotten increasingly worse - so bad that I can't walk any distance without severe pain, even with lots of medication. The medication was changed to Oxycodone and that medication can only manage the pain for 4 hours. When the four hours are up, WHAM!!! The pain is back and I can barely walk upright.
The pain medication makes me very sleepy, so when the pain is under control, I end up falling asleep and not enjoying the pain-free hours. It takes about 45 minutes each morning for the pain medication to "kick in", so waking up each day is a painful experience. Some times the pain is so bad that I can't stand upright and walk around here all hunched over, holding on to my right side.
Needless to say, this pain has really made me miserable and has greatly affected the quality of life that I am experiencing this past month. Tomorrow is my visit with the oncologist and my final chemo - THANK GOODNESS. Hopefully he can prescribe the right medication to deal with the pain as well as determine what is causing the pain.
So if you have not heard from me or if I have not returned your calls or emails, it is because I have just felt like crap and haven't been very social lately. It's difficult to be social when you are sleeping or can barely talk because you are in such pain.
Poor Yoda got very sick last week. He was absolutely fine when he woke up Thursday morning, but by Thursday evening he was lethargic and had major gastro-intestinal issues going on. By Friday morning he was even worse, so off to the vet we went.
After an examination, the vet found that his body temperature was only 91 degrees - a healthy dog's temp is around 101. A fecal examination showed that he was full of hookworms. I was pretty surprised - Yoda had seen the vet in September for his annual exam and was checked for worms at that time. He had some tapeworms, which he received some medication for, but otherwise he was fine. When I took him in on Friday, he was seriously and critically ill from the hookworms - so ill that the vet was not sure if he would live. The vet explained that hookworm infestation can lay dormant in a dog's body for a very long time and then suddenly the dog is very, very ill. I explained that Yoda is on heartworm preventative and that should prevent hookworms also. The vet explained that hookworm eggs can remain active in the soil for months and months and then finally infect a dog. And that heartworm preventative can PREVENT hookworms but nothing is 100% guaranteed - it could be something as simple as giving the dog the heartworm preventative in the morning one month and then the next month, giving the heartworm preventative in the evening which would open the door for infestation.
Anyway, after a very difficult and tense 72 hours, Yoda (the tenacious little terrier)is back home and back on the road to recovery. He's eating the disgusting special id diet prescribed by the vet. He is sleeping alot, but of course, I appreciate a napping buddy! His activity level is back up and his attitude is almost back to normal. I've owned many dogs during my life, but I never had a dog that was so seriously ill from hookworms. This was really scary because it came on so suddenly - Yoda was fine Thursday morning and practically at death's doorway on Friday afternoon.
Artgeek and WGSIL spent Sunday cleaning up Yoda's dog pen and laying down paving bricks to prevent any contact with the hookworm infested soil. There is no way on earth that we want to go through this experience ever again!
Thursday is Thanksgiving and we have so very much to be thankful for. Since my last chemo is on Wednesday, we have scaled back our holiday celebration because I am not sure how I will feel on Thursday. But there is definitely turkey and the trimmings on our menu. Our lives have changed dramatically this past year and I am grateful for the love and support of my family and friends. I hope you also have a huge list of things that you are thankful for when you sit down for your holiday dinner.