A year on

Well, here we are at just past the 1 year mark, and I'm so happy to report that Rocco is still in remission from the lymphoma! Most times, the cancer seems like a distant memory (mainly out of necessity), but every now and then it comes back to mind. It was especially sensitive as the one year anniversary started to loom. That was high end of the 'average' time frame where the cancer typically returns.

A couple of weeks ago, we had a bit of a scare. Kevin said, "I think Rocco's cancer is back. His lymphnodes seem bigger." I had noticed the same thing myself. What was worse, Rocco had no interest in tugging that day. We knew we had to make another appointment to get him checked out, and we were pretty much prepared for the worst. It had finally caught up with us. Kevin took Rocco in for his check-up in the morning, and called me later that afternoon. "He's still in remission." It was an amazing sense of relief. The vet thought we had probably been feeling Rocco's salivary glands instead of the lymphnodes.

We'll go back to the vet in another month or so for the regular check-in, but for now we are so grateful that Rocco is happy, healthy, and enjoying his life to the fullest!

Rocco's Last Chemo

I took Rocco to his last scheduled Chemo session yesterday. He is supposed to come in monthly for check ups to see when the cancer comes back. At that point will have to decide what to do. The Vet at VMS in Campbell says the lymphoma comes back 10-12 months after diagnosis. This would be mid-January to mid-March (3-5 months). I'm a little depressed about this as I had originally thought it was 6-12 months after treatment was finished. Seeing Rocco so healthy now it's hard to believe he has it and I had gotten used to the idea of the cancer being gone. I pushed the reality aside and it came back to me last night and I was very upset. When it comes back you can do Chemo again but there are problems. The drugs have to be stronger for the second time. This is a problem because Rocco had to delay maybe 5 or 6 of his treatments because of low white blood cell counts. For the other ones he was always at the minimum white blood cell count to receive treatment. I don't know if he could handle a stronger regimen of drugs. Also, even with the stronger regimen of drugs the 2nd round of Chemo usually sees the cancer coming back in half the time (on average) of the 1st round. The Chemo was tough the first two-three weeks for Rocco but it was worth it. He really has been living his life pretty normal since then (aside from constant visits to the vet for treatment). When we first diagnosed Rocco it was with our vet in Atlanta and the North Dekalb Veterinary Clinic. Our vet offered to do treatment on this type of cancer (because it was common and he was following a well regarded protocol). This meant our Chemo treatments were $80-$150 each time. Once we left Atlanta for New Jersey and then California we couldn't find a regular Vet to do this and we had to go to specialists. This meant the Chemo treatments were $270-$540 each time. We could afford it and it was a no brainer really. I'm sure there are people though who have to decide between this and rent or a mortgage and can't afford to do it. It bothers me that my Vet in Atlanta could administer the same drugs as the specialists at 1/3 the price. How many people passed over treating their dogs because of the rates of the specialists? I guess I'm getting off the point but when Rocco was first diagnosed I joined a Yahoo group for people who's dogs had cancer. A lot of them couldn't pay for Chemo and resorted to using prednisone to prolong there dogs for a few weeks. Some tried holistic remedies just because they wanted to help there dogs but couldn't afford the most effective treatment. Anyway, back to Rocco. I'm going to buy a Flip video recorder because I don't have much video of him (especially playing with his sister). Hopefully it will be a while before I post on this blog. The next time will be when Rocco is diagnosed with having the cancer return. Best wishes to all......

Kevin

Still going strong

Rocco's last 2 treatments have gone fine, although he was sent home both times with some antibiotics because his count was a little low. We are coming into the home stretch now with only 4 more treatments to go. Meanwhile Rocco has been enjoying being back in CA and getting back into the swing of things at Sunday training class. There's not much else to report, but that's a good thing!

Can you believe - another vet!

Yes, this is vet #4. Since we moved a bit farther north, it made more sense for us to go to an oncologist closer by. Luckily there was no hassle because Veterinary Medical Specialists has locations all over the Bay Area. So this past Tuesday, Rocco had a treatment of cyclophosphamide and so far he is doing great. No intestinal problems that can sometime be a side effect. He is still in complete remission (meaning there are no signs of the cancer in his body) so he is still responding very well to treatment. As of now, the protocol has him getting treatments every other week as opposed to every week so that's easier on all of us. We've got about 11 weeks to go with this protocol, and from there we will have to play a waiting game and hope that his remission is a long one. Some people have asked us if Rocco will make a full recovery, but unfortunately the lymphoma will always return - it's just a matter of when. On average, canine lymphoma patients who receive chemo have 10-12 months from the date of diagnosis. Dogs without treatment typically have only a few weeks. So for now we can be happy that Rocco is living a full life and loving every minute of it.

CA Chemo

Today Rocco had his first chemo treatment in California at Veterinary Medical Specialists in Campbell. It all went very well. Everybody just loved him there as usual. Of course, now that it looks like we'll be staying in San Carlos for a couple months, we have to figure out if it makes sense to go to their San Mateo location. But I really don't want to switch doctors once again. Ironically, the oncologist Rocco saw today did his internship at the hospital we went to in New Jersey.

Rocco's final treatment in NJ went just fine, and he and Havana were wonderful through our 4 day trip out to CA. Rocco was so excited to see his uncle Tony, and Havana to meet him for the first time. I think they were happy to be out of the car finally. And we had a wonderful welcome back at Sunday training class. Rocco was just beside himself saying hi to the old gang.

Low WBC Count - Chemo postponed

Rocco's last Chemo before we left NJ for California was supposed to be Tuesday. His WBC was 2100 which is too low. Alicia brought him back today at it was even lower 1600. The vet had said that last weeks Chemo was pretty strong and it's not uncommon to skip the next week. I don't think she would have had us come in Friday if she thought the count would be lower though. She said not to be concerned yet and that if it is still low or lower on Monday then to worry. Rocco also threw up something strange today, it looked like a rope toy however we only have one rope toy and I'm looking at it right now. The vets let him play with stuff toys and Alicia told them to watch him if they do because he will swallow plush toys and such. Alicia asked today if they were missing any toys and they said no. Strange. We were going to start the drive to Ca. Monday but will postpone it for Rocco's treatment. I'm not sure if we'll leave the next day or wait a couple days. I'm a little worried to be traveling with him if he is going to be sick from the Chemo. We'll see I guess.

Another good week

We completed week 7 of the protocol with another successful chemo session today. I'm happy to see that Rocco seems to bouncing back much better from each successive treatment. The next 2 weeks will be at the specialist here in NJ, then another rest week which will coincide with our drive out to CA. The vet and staff love him there; they said they don't want him to go! We brought Rocco's book today and it was a big hit as usual. 

We had a nice sunny day today and Rocco & Havana spent a lot of time laying outside and enjoying the fresh air. It's funny to watch them bake in the sun until they can't take it and then plop down panting in a shady spot. Of course, once they cool off, it's back to the sun again. Quality of life during the treatment is a top priority to us, so it really means a lot to see Rocco so contented here.