Georgie Update

First I would like to thank everyone who has been praying for Georgie. It really has brought me comfort and hope. : )

Here is Georgie at the Oncologist today before her first chemo treatment ( sorry quality is cruddy, I took it on my BB). She was in really good spirits, actually the most peppy I have seen her all week. She was totally pimping for treats and I think she went home with about 7 in her tummy. Whatever makes her happy! Her eyesight has improved but her right eye has a lot of blood in in caused by the Lymphoma, so we are back to the Opthamologist tomorrow morning to have that looked at again.

I will continue her chemo at home for the next 3 days, then we are back again next Wednesday for another round. The plan is to do this for 12 weeks. She will go into remission ( hopefully) soon and should be back to her old self in no time. She has maintained her weight, thanks to some new things in her diet like cottage cheese and sardines, although she has lost a lot of muscle. I plan on adding flax oil, kelp and some other goodies to help her along the chemo road.

The Chief has been a dear throughout this. I asked him today if I should go back to work once Alexa is back in school to help pay for this ( it's that much!). He said no, not to worry about it. I told him I will cut back on all spending and be as thrifty as I can be, which I'm actually good at. My biggest worry is that we will pay all this money and she will only live 6 months. Well, that is my worry anyway, but I will feel guilty about it from a financial standpoint if that happens. It is so hard to put a price on someone you love. We want to do everything we can. I am not ready to say good bye to her. Is that selfish?

Today was the day Alexa and I were supposed to fly to Chicago to spend 10 days with my folks. Of course that had to be canceled. There was no way the Chief could handle all of this on his own and I could not bear to be away from her during this difficult time. So, I had to break the news to Alexa last week and she burst into tears which made me feel horrible. I told her that sometimes responsibilities in families cause you to make hard decisions. All of us were disappointed on all ends but I guess life does that to you sometimes.

So, for now I count my blessings each day for my child's health, my husband's, my own and my family's. I am enjoying every moment with my sweet Georgie and trying to be strong. I said to myself tonight after all the pets were fed, Alexa was bathed, the house was straightened up, and it was finally quiet...."Hey, I should really take care of myself too and go get a massage". Then I laughed and thought, "Hey great idea but you can't even afford it now!" So, I think I'll settle for a hot shower!

Need Prayers Please

My sweet sweet Georgie...how can I find the words to write this? Yesterday you were diagnosed with Lymphoma and we need some prayers. I believe with all my heart that they help so if you are reading this, please just say a little prayer for Georgie to get better.

Her diagnoses was a shock but not a total surprise to me. Georgie came into my life 10 years ago, right before I met the Chief. I was single and it was was me and Georgie against the world. She has been the most loyal loving dog I have ever had. She is a Schnoodle and when I first laid eyes on her she was just about the ugliest thing I had ever seen. It was love at first site. Georgie loves to swim and play Frisbee. She has been my companion and loyal friend. Anyone who knows me, knows of the bond I have with her. I have always been super instinctive with her and usually know the first sign when something is not right. About 4 months ago I just knew something was amiss. I would hold Georgie and she would lay her head on my shoulder and I just knew she was telling me something. I remember calling my mom and telling her that I was so sad because I just knew something was not right with Georgie. Not long after that she developed a sore leg on one of our walks. I ended up taking her to the vet when it did not improve and from that visit the vet talked to us about getting her teeth cleaned. We did this ( they needed it) and also had two benign growths taken off her rear leg. We also had an extensive geriatric blood panel done and everything came back normal. So, I thought " Great, she's in good health, her teeth are clean, we are set for another great 10 years!" Well, here we are 2 months later and yesterday I noticed that she was having trouble seeing and was bumping into things. I immediately took her into the vet and they said she has Glaucoma in one eye and then came the bomb of cancer. Her lymph nodes are enlarged and she has lymphoma.

We are set to take her to the Oncologist on Thursday to start her chemotherapy. She started Prednisone tonight to start shrinking the cancer. We need your prayers so she will go into remission. Realistically we are looking at extending her life by a year at most. I am devastated to say the least. I cannot even say I am hopeful at this point because I still do not have all the details of how bad this is. I will fight tooth and nail to give her extra quality time with our family. She has been such a huge part of my life and I cannot imagine my life without her. Even as I write this I am crying. I am crushed and so sad. Georgie has never left my side when I needed her and I will not leave hers.

**Happy 4th of July***

Lots of fun this past weekend! Will post more later..these are all for my folks who haven't seen Alexa in two months! We'll be there soon!!!