Murf’s home right now. When we got to the vet this morning, they inserted a catheter, sutured it to her and capped it off so that it can stay in for a few days. We just unscrew the cap when she has to go make. Dr Crawford was gave us a couple of options, and we are down to just a few. The initial plan was to schedule a surgery to place the tube in her bladder, like they planned to do last time. She doesn’t think removing the tumor and lymph node is an option given that it was so hard on Murf last time and how quickly it grew back. We need to shrink it medically to relieve pressure off her bladder and colon. If we can’t do that, her kidneys will soon fail. She has to be able to relieve herself. Funny thing is, that’s the only thing wrong with her right now. They say that if the cancer is in the lymph mode and is recurring this soon and aggressively, then it’s certainly in other places in her body. Yet, nothing else has bee affected by the cancer so far. Not her heart, lungs, kidneys, appetite, etc.
So our main objective is to shrink the tumor and use the catheter temporarily to allow her to pee. We’re also giving her meds to help her colon. This temporary cath can only stay in for a few days. It’s risky because it can lead to infection. After dr Crawford made some calls, the oncologist did not recommend the surgery to insert the tube in her bladder. He didn’t think it would help for very long. He recommends radiation to give her the best chance of shrinking the tumor. For many many reasons that are hard (and long) to explain, radiation is not the easiest option for us or Murf. I’m not ready to talk about that yet. So we are doubling up the chemo, using a known-to-be-effective drug that her body seems to have gotten accustomed to, and maybe a little resistant to, and a new drug, with less stats to back up it’s effectiveness. Hoping that this double-whammy can give her enough relief in the next few days to allow her urinate on her own.
Beyond that, I have no clue. We went in today knowing that our options are getting limited. We asked dr Crawford if this was it – is it over? What would she do if it were her dog? It’s literally day by day, hour by hour that things seem to change. Shes getting some physical relief thanks to the cath and it looks like the tumor on her skin is beginning to respond to the chemo – or is that wishful thinking? I don’t have all the answers, and I’m not ready to process my feelings yet. I just know that we’re very sad with where we are now. We don’t feel like its over yet, and we are praying for the strength and wisdom to make the right decisions for Murf. We do believe in miracles. We do believe in God and His power and wisdom and His plan. So I still believe that anything can happen if God is in control.
So that’s it. We pray. And we love. And we pray some more. And we love her and kiss her more, and continue to repeat this as long as we can.
Murf and Brit 