Thursday, December 31, 2009
A Little Bit of Hope
First let me say how very grateful I am for all your support and well wishes. It really means a lot to me and helps me remain positive and keep on keepin' on during the difficult times.
I had a very nice conversation with Sol's specialist at AVS. The results of Sol's cytology and culture came back and showed no signs of cancer/tumor or infection. Meaning the excess mucus is a result of inflammation. Inflammation that can most likely be managed through the right combination of medicine. That was a huge relief! It was actually the first time we got good news from a test like that.
The specialist did caution me that it may take a bit before we discover the perfect combination of medicines and dosages that work best for Sol, but I assured her I was up for the challenge. We have lots of experience in figuring out the perfect treatment with Luna and her eye drops. (More on Luna's eyes is coming soon. She went for a checkup yesterday).
We also talked for a bit about Sol's quality of life and really what we could expect in the future. She explained that as long as Sol is not coughing non stop like before, the cough sounds a lot worse than it really is for Sol. Constant, prolonged coughing obviously takes it toll on her, but a little spell here and there is not terribly uncomfortable for her. Which is good because the cough sounds horrible.
The main warning signs that things are taking a turn for the worse are fainting and bluish coloring of her mucus membranes (tongue, gums, etc). This to me is the scary part. I can't even imagine what I would do if Sol fainted. Fainting and the blue coloring are signs that she is not getting enough oxygen and the airways are completely closing. And then the specialist casually tells me that Sol did better than they expected coming out of her anthseia from her scope because most dogs with a collapse like hers have quite a bit of bluish coloring when they come out of sedation, but she had none. That little tidbit of information simultaneously made me feel better and worse at the same time.
I specifically asked her about life expectancy because at this point I want to sorta have an idea. I have been living the last two weeks as if it is day to day and that is really taking a toll. The specialist confidently said that with the right combination of medicine Sol has a good 6 months to a year. Obviously this is not a guarantee nor is it a cap, but it is a guide. And frankly, even though it isn't a long time, it was longer than I had thought.
So, the main things we will need to be on the lookout for is an increase in the coughing, fainting and bluish coloring. The fainting and bluish coloring scares me. I hope we never get to that point, but I guess it is good to know what to expect.
So for now, I'm going to try not to think about fainting and I am going to focus on what is important. Things like car rides, walks in the pouch and spaghetti.
We got your Christmas card too - thank you! You all look wonderful! Happy New Year!
julie
12/31/2009
I’m glad that with the right meds it can be managed as i hope sol will have a good quality of life as she is such a special girl we will keep positive thoughts for all of you.We all love you here sol and we will be here,enjoy your rides and that pugkin bread.