A Horribly Bumpy Roller Coaster Ride

Let me tell you a little something about last week. It sucked. Many of you already know why, but, for those of you that don't, the series of emails below will walk you through my week and explain why it was so rough.

Sunday, January 11, 2009 – It’s Time to See a Neurosurgeon

Bandit had his second round of vitamin B12 acupuncture with our primary vet, Doctor L, this afternoon. We graduated from regular acupuncture to B12 last weekend. Doctor L also wrote us a referral to see a neurosurgeon for an exam and further treatment because the knuckling of Bandit’s front left foot and dragging and knuckling of his back left foot continue. The B12 seems to really improve Bandit’s mobility, but Doctor L says that he’s getting worse each time she sees him and that she doesn’t think he will live long enough to make his January 29th appointment with the specialist, Doctor A. Dan and I have been seriously discussing taking Bandit to Colorado for a MRI, but we are holding out hope for a cancellation at the vet specialist’s office.

Monday, January 12, 2009 4:06 PM - The Vet Specialist Called!

OMG! The vet specialist’s office called with a cancellation and they're going to be able see Bandit tomorrow at 8:30am! You will never believe this, but, as it turns out (and unbeknown to us), my mother’s co-worker friend was scheduled to see Doctor A on Tuesday and, when she had to cancel her puppy’s appointment, Bandit got put on the top of the list for cancellation calls! Unbelievable! Mom’s co-worker friend said that if she had known that we were competing with her to get in to see Doctor A that she would have cancelled her appointment a long time ago! What a small world, huh? Bandit was meant to have this appointment!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 4:56:19 PM – A Quick Update

Bandit met with the vet specialist/neurosurgeon for an exam today. He seems to really like Doctor A, so much so that he hobbled over to her after the exam and begged her for a nice little scratch under the chin and a bit of ear rubbing! Poor Doctor L, her feelings will be so hurt. It took Bandit 10 ½ years to warm up to her! Ha! Anyway, they couldn't run tests on Bandit today (no openings), but they will tomorrow. We will drop him off at 9 a.m. for all day (and overnight) for a myelogram.

The specialist said that she's run at least 10 myelograms a day for the past 10 years and has only ever encountered two complications with the test and that there’s less than 1% chance of any sort of complication (other than temporary seizure and weakness), so we'll see how it goes. She said Bandit looks and sounds like a healthy little dog, strong heart and lungs. She also said that he will be worse before he gets better and that, even after the myelogram, he may have difficulty getting up. She said it could be one day, a week, or even more. I can handle 1 day or even a week, but I can pretty much guaranty that by 2 weeks I'll start beating myself up about why I did this to my dog! Pray for a quick recovery! Also, if she decides that he needs surgery, that will be done on Friday. We'll know more after his tests tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 4:53 PM - An Update on Bandit

Well, Bandit met with the vet specialist/neurosurgeon for an exam yesterday, but they couldn't run the tests because there were no openings for a myelogram. We dropped him off today, but he's been throwing up all morning, so they are again unable to run the tests. They are going to keep him overnight with IV fluids and see how he does. That said, I guess being surrounded by specialists is absolutely the right place for him to be sick! Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers and maybe we'll know more tomorrow after his test!

Thursday, January 15, 2009 10:59 AM - Today's Update on Bandit

Doctor A called this morning and said that Bandit had a good night. He has stopped vomiting and they they will be taking him in for the myelogram sometime this afternoon. Doctor A was unable to give me an exact time, but she will call me as soon as the procedure is complete.

Dan and I went to visit Bandit last night. He was very weak in the hind quarters and had difficulty standing, but he was very, VERY happy to see us! He greeted us with a bunch of happy little squeals and lots and lots of kisses! He got a one-hour full body massage from Mom (to warm him up and get the blood circulating), a half hour of ear rubs from Dan, and a 30 minute cat nap with us in his very own private visiting room! We were only supposed to get 30 minutes with him, but the person at the front desk let us stay and love on him for two entire hours. God bless her! The three of us really needed that time together!

We also bought and brought several fleece blankets (a/k/a binkies) for Bandit to use and then share with the other doggies. The clinic is so swamped and short on blankets that I figured I would just buy some and risk never seeing them again. My thought is that Bandit can use them first and then, as they're soiled and laundered, they can be shared with others. It's pretty much a donation, but I don't much care what they do with them, so long as Bandit always has a couple of soft cushy binkies all to himself! I even tossed the blankets in the dryer with a few of our clothes and let Scout, Daisy, and Darby rub on them to make them smell like home. I think he appreciated our efforts to make him comfortable because he just settled in and nuzzled his nose up and under the covers and had a nice relaxing couple of hours!

Thursday, January 15, 2009 12:30 PM - More re: Bandit

Doctor A just called. Bandit is doing just fine and should be able to come home tomorrow. He is still under anesthesia, but they have completed the myelogram and have some preliminary information. It’s not a ruptured disc. There is a suspicious lesion between C6 and C7 (more on C7 and to the dorsal left). I don’t know what that all means, but she said they were going to run a CT scan of the area and check it out more closely. The results of the CT will have to be sent out and won’t be back for 24 to 48 hours, but she will be able to give us her initial findings shortly after the procedure. She said that since it’s dorsal and to the left that it’s most likely a tumor and, if so, most likely inoperable, but we will know more later. I’m holding out for something disc related (which can be corrected with surgery), but unfortunately I don’t know that I will get my wish…

Thursday, January 15, 2009 1:21 PM - Bandit's Prognosis

Doctor A just called. They have completed the CT and, as suspected, it's a tumor. Inoperable and non-responsive to chemotherapy. We will start giving him Prednisone, an anti-inflammatory medicine, but can do nothing more. Prednisone is a steroid and will help reduce the pressure on his spinal cord and perhaps improve his mobility. We will be able to bring him home tomorrow and Doctor A should receive confirmation on the diagnosis in a couple of days. Damn it! I have always I've always prayed and prayed that the dogs be cancer and disease free and that they live long happy lives. I've done my best to take care of the happy part, but ten years is just not long enough! Damn it!

Thursday, January 15, 2009 5:01 PM – A More Positive Note

I'm going to take all of next week off to get Bandit back up and going from the myelogram. We knew the test would knock him on his butt (literally) and that we would have to work hard to get him back to "normal," but now, with the diagnosis, I feel like I should really put in some serious effort and be around to comfort and encourage him, especially if he starts on a downward spiral. And you just never know, the Prednisone may be more effective than expected and he might just surprise us and hang in there for a good long while! I'm also going to look into warm water therapy for him to help prevent atrophy and help him keep off some of that steroid weight. I will continue to keep you all posted. Bandit and I will be at my parents' house until at least Monday the 19th. Scout and the puppies will be with Dan.

Friday, January 16, 2009 11:32 AM - Bringing Bandit Home

I went over to my parents’ house this morning to drop off a few things and ended up moving around some of their furniture in the living room. I needed a clear path to the patio and a nice warm and quiet spot for Bandit, so I moved the love seat to the middle of the wall and put Bandit's bed in the corner, nearest the kitchen. I figure that's a good, out-of-the way place for him, near an outlet to plug in his heated dog bed, and still allow him to see where we are whether it be in the kitchen, down the hall, or in the living room. Dad can still recline and watch TV on his half of the love seat and I can sit on the other side with Bandit. It's only temporary, but I think it will work out really well. We'll be picking Bandit up at 3-ish today and then head right over to my parents’ house for some rest and relaxation.