So very tired...

Still getting up in the middle of the night to let Watson out. I am so very tired... Somehow I still need to concentrate on work and meet all my deadlines. Not sure how since I can't think straight and can barely concentrate. Taking care of Watson and Waldo has been a challenge considering they have very different needs. Waldo the pup needs to run and play, while Watson the old man just needs his rest. Providing care for them with a husband who will be on the road for much of the month and trying to run a business is really fraying my edges.

Take today for example: Watson's bladder woke me up at 6:30am. After getting him outside, making coffee, letting Waldo out of his cage, feeding them both, taking Waldo outside, eating a bowl of cereal, and calling Rich, it's now 8am. I still need to take Waldo for a walk, take a shower, and then drive Watson to the vet for his CBC today. By the time I get back, it will be Noon and I will still need to put in my 8 hours of work. That makes for a long day....... everyday.

Boring is Good

So after having quite a nice date night last night, we came home to find a moat that was once our kitchen floor. I can't wait for Watson to be off Prednisone. Hopefully it means he will keep eating though. The pred makes him both drink and eat more.... we'll see in a week or so when he is finally weaned off.

Otherwise, nothing new to report. He's eating like a horse but seems a bit more lethargic than usual. Could be the chemo, but also could be the hot weather. Every chance he gets, he lies down to either rest or go to sleep.

We go to the local vet tomorrow to get his CBC; hopefully, his values are good and we can proceed with the next chemo treatment on 8/14.

Date night

With Mr. Watson stable, we're off to see a movie. He's been sleeping really well, so I hope to sneak out of the house while he's not looking. I need to take his temp as he is 5 days from chemo treatment and is seeming a bit low in energy. (Mind you, he's still feeling well enough to steal a rawhide stick from Waldo.) I too am feeling a bit low in energy so maybe we're just not getting enough sleep. =( Curses to his bladder.

(Don't) Tell me your tale.....

The word about Watson's illness is slowly making its way around.... I have gotten some of the nicest emails and calls about how he's doing, and I do appreciate the outpouring of love and support from friends and even strangers across cyberspace. Hopefully what I am about to point out next doesn't make me sound like an ungrateful arse as that is not my intention.

Perhaps it is the natural human reaction to use a common experience to connect. For example, when my mom was very sick with metastatic cancer almost 5 years ago, people would regale me with their cancer stories... "oh, my dad died of liver cancer; it was painful and awful" or "my mom died of brain cancer; she didn't even know who we were at the end".

Similarly, I am finding that people are telling about their dead pets ("my Jojo died of diabetes" or "my Brian died of bone cancer"), with an emphasis on the word DIED. It seems like everyone's stories are in the past tense, as if Watson WERE ALREADY DEAD AND I AM GRIEVING. Not so. He may move slow but he is very much alive.

Here's my bit of unsolicited advice: if you hear of someone whose beloved human/beagle/cockatoo/cat/whathaveyou is ill, I ask that you suppress your human urge to share your story about your dead Uncle Bill who didn't die of the same ailment. Instead, share a positive story of someone who LIVED and SURVIVED the ordeal. Like tell me about your 13 year old dog who not only survived lymphoma but lived long enough to win top prize in his agility race and then die of old age.

If after racking your brain, you cannot come up with a positive story, then I suggest that you take the dog's approach to bad news: give me a cookie and tell me to lie down for a while.

Dry dry dry

Folks, it's a dry morning in our household. We all randomly awoke at 3am so I scooped Watson downstairs and out for a wee. The mid-night break seemed to do the trick as he awoke again at 7:30am dry as a bone. He seems to have slept well afterwards, slowly ejecting himself from his bed until he was half on the floor and half still in bed. When I pat him on the head to get up, I barely got the crack of an eye open. He's always been a heavy sleeper, and the cancer/chemo makes him even more lethargic than normal.

After a hearty breakfast though, he followed me outside and laid in the grass as I pulled some weeds in the garden. He looked like quite a regal beagle in the shade. I have noticed that he's thinned out somewhat and lost a bit of muscle tone. He's eating like a horse, so I am hoping that with some short walks during the day, we can get some of his muscle back. It also could be that his spleen is not as enlarged and therefore he looks less bloated. I'm not sure if it's my imagination, but it does look like the spleen has gone down a bit and his "preggo" belly is gone.

Overall his energy is quite good. I know this is all temporary but I can't help being happy about how he's doing.