Month Three

It is nearly the end of the third month that we've known about Bella's cancer.  The symptoms that I've described previously continue, though to be perfectly honest, she seems to have leveled off. The lymph nodes in her neck are now almost completely back to normal...at least it seems this way to me.  I can't feel them at all.  One of the growths at the top of her front shoulder is gone and the other has stabilized.  Her appetite is still good (maybe too good?) and she's still passionate about retrieving tennis balls, albeit with a somewhat diminished energy level.

Today I did some research about the average timeframe that a dog with Lymphoma will last being treated with just Prednisone and it ranges from 1-4 months.  Bella is now at month 2.5, so it is reasonable to expect that she has a couple of weeks, maybe six, left.  I will redouble my efforts to make the most of the time left.

Goddamn it I'm going to miss her so much.

Restless

Bella has developed a couple of symptoms recently that are troubling.  She will often lay on the floor near my office and whine quietly.  I don't know if she's wanting a treat (she ALWAYS wants food...more so now that she;'s on the Prednisone it seems) or if she's experiencing some pain.  Second, she's often panting...and not when she's been exercising...she pants when she should be relaxed and comfortable.  Third, her appetite seems off the charts.  I'm now feeding her three times a day and giving her treats more often than usual.  I'm told that an increased appetite comes as a side affect of Prednisone, so its not totally out of the blue.

Tonite Sherry mentioned that Bella seems restless...as if something is wrong and she can't get comfortable.  That seems like a pretty good description of her condition.

Still, her behavior seems pretty good;  she wants to chase tennis balls although her stamina is definitely in decline.  When I see her slowing, I will cut the retrieving sessions short and take her home for a treat.  In recent weeks I've had her out three times a day, though once or twice is more common.

Sherry and I had talked about leaving home for a week or so to visit Mom in Victor, but I'm really uncomfortable leaving Bella right now.  Watching her closely.