Round I

As promised, here is a little more about yesterday.

First of all, this time we were much better equipped with maps and such. Last time I printed a few sketchy maps of the area and directions, not taking into account missing any turns and ending up on one way streets! So, we (my dad and I that is...thanks for traveling with us again dad!), had a smooth, much quicker ride in. We also left a bit earlier and missed morning rush hour, so it seems getting on the road by 6 or 6:30 am is the way to go.

This time when we brought Guinness in we had no exams or testing to wait on, so they took him back, and the intern working with us (who I love, and was very sad to learn will be on a new rotation, so she will not be on our case anymore), knowing how far we travel to get there, made sure to expedite Guinness so they could get him going. They administer the first drug (Carboplatin) via an injection, along with some anti nausea medication, and then have to wait 4 hours for the second round, another drug (Gemzar), which is administered via IV over 30 minutes. They have one person administer, while another is sitting there with him, petting him and keeping him calm. When I left, I was told to expect to pick Guinness up at 4:30pm, and they would call to update. 

In the meantime, my dad and I treked out to the Franklin Park Conservatory, which was really beautiful, and a nice relaxing way to wait out the treatment. From there we had lunch at Lemongrass (which I had been to before on a trip with Renee and Wendy about 2 years ago? Is it really that long ago?). We had their lemongrass soup, which I had had there before, and have been craving ever since. It's fantastically delicious! From there we headed to the North Market where I fulfilled another craving, and returned home with 4 pints of Jeni's Ice Cream (yes, yes R and W!) I actually purchased 3 pints (Lemon Blueberry frozen yogurt with M in mind, Burbon Buttered Pecan with me in mind, and a Butter Mint which is rich mint ice cream with white chocolate, with J in mind), and then the cooler and dry ice so that I could travel home with it. But after telling them why I was in town, and also that we have had two annual Jeni's ice cream parties (where we order copious amounts and have it shipped), he stuck in a fourth pint free...Cognac! Sooooo good! I recommend their ice cream to anyone, and they even said they were talking of moving up toward Cleveland, and were happy to have someone to help spread the word if they did! 

But I digress. This is supposed to be a post about my Pirate Pup, and not ice cream, or soup! (So good! :D)

Anyway, while at the market, I got a call with good news, that Guinness was doing very well, and was going to recieve his second treatment at 2:30, an hour earlier than anticipated, and that she had gotten his paper work finished so we could pick up at 3:30.

From there, we headed back to the clinic and I did some reading while waiting. While I was heading up the steps from the parking lot to the clinic, I realized that earlier that morning when we had gone in, that no one had lifted Guinness or assisted him! He did it so naturally that I didn't even realize it until then. The steps are a bit shorter than the ones at home, so it must have been easier for him to get started, but still! Score another one for Pirate Pup! Yo ho!

Once inside, I signed in and waited, and got to see another batch of pup clients. It's very fun to watch everyone coming in and out. I saw another Great Dane. Tuesday I forgot to mention, I met two Great Dane/Mastiff mixes, both HUGE...200 lbs, super sweet and so gentle. Amazing creatures! Finally, when they brought Guinness out, he emerged, still wagging-tail happy and ready to roll! They told me he was very calm during the IV treatment and did great. I went home with some more anti-nausea medication and instructions for the next three weeks.

He slept the whole way home, and came home and ate dinner...a great sign. He did pant a little toward bed time, but slept fine, and ate breakfast. That is one of the things I am to watch for, inappetite, or any signs of nausea. I suspect he is somewhat, but at least not enough to curb his appetite. I'll be doing lab work between now and next treatment here in town at our regular clinic, and we'll return again in three weeks for his second of four treatments.

I'll be updating in the meantime as he has testing done and continues to build strength. So far no sightings of plastic eye balls, though I did bring the stuffed animal in question in, and they pretty much agreed that it was the right size and shape. I also told them a few other stories of things he has eaten over the years, and I think I shall be making a blog post dedicated to just that. Stay tuned for that exciting read!

In the meantime, I'm just trying to remain optimistic, and while I have had a few mental and physical exhaustion crashes, it's so good to be greeted with his wagging tail when I walk in the room or come home, and makes it worth all of this.