Day 2061

I think we've got a plan for Dot now. She had an ultrasound scan of her abdomen today and the tumor has not grown any further. Her blood work still looks good as well. This is very good news. Dot's oncologist thinks it will be safe for us to discontinue her Palladia treatment for two weeks to see if this is what is causing the weakness in her rear legs. It is entirely possible that the lameness has nothing to do with Dot's chemotherapy, but since muscle weakness in a well documented side effect of Palladia, it would be good to know if this is what is causing the problem.

If discontinuing the Palladia makes no difference and Dot still continues to get weaker, we will assume the problem is neurological in nature and resume the chemotherapy. If she shows any sign of improvement, we will postpone the chemotherapy for an additional two weeks and then do another ultrasound scan. This way, we will learn two important things. We will know whether the Palladia is causing the muscle weakness and we will see if the tumor starts to grow again after being off chemotherapy for a full month. At that point we will have to decide whether to resume the chemotherapy for an extended length of time. The best case scenario would be if Dot's leg gets stronger without the Palladia and the tumor still does not grow any bigger. If this happens, maybe we just discontinue chemo entirely and monitor her condition every three months with an ultrasound scan.

When we left the cancer center today, the thermometer in the car said 118 degrees. I'm sure it wasn't really this hot, since the thermometer was picking up heat from the car itself. Once we got moving, the temperature went down to 106. That was probably closer to the real temperature. Either way, it was way too hot. Dot was happy to get home again where the air conditioner was keeping things comfortable. When the car sits out in the sun for any length of time, it takes most of the journey home just to get it cool again. At least Dot is riding better in the car now. I think I have finally learned how to get her situated so she doesn't slide around whenever I go around a corner.

The field monitor for my video camera finally arrived today. I discovered that every single device I want to use the monitor with requires a different type of HDMI cable. I didn't even know there were three distinct flavors of HDMI. I need a micro HDMI connector for the miniature cameras, a mini HDMI connector for the DSLR camera, and a regular cable for the video camera. This will require another trip to Fry's or Best Buy. All the cables I currently have are already attached to the TV.

When I was eating breakfast this morning, I was surprised to see that I was the only customer in the restaurant at one point. Often this place is so crowded that it's hard to find a table. Of all the people who come here, I seem to be the only one who is relentlessly consistent. I always arrive at the same time, order the same thing, and sit at the same table. There are lots of other regulars, but their schedules seem to vary. There are hundreds of reasons by people's plans change, but I still value consistency. I've always been a good observer.  When you look at the same things over and over again, you start to notice nuances and small details that other people miss. I can tell who cooked my breakfast now. Some of the cooks use more salt on the potatoes, others garnish the dish with extra cheese, or cook the Chorizo a little longer. I used to think the coffee was all the same, but now I can tell if they are using Ethiopian or Sumatran beans. These little things keep breakfast interesting.

I'm not sure what I'll do this weekend. Janet and I need to find time to photograph some new Dalmatians that have entered the rescue program. The house definitely needs to be cleaned. The hotter it gets, the more I'm craving an ice cold beer. I still can't bring myself to drink alcohol again though. The discipline I acquired when I was fighting Hepatitis C is apparently going to stay with me for life.

Lou is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1330

While I was sitting in the lobby waiting for Dash to get his antigen shot this afternoon, a guy came in and told the receptionist at the clinic that he had an emergency. He said his dog had collapsed and was unresponsive after only five minutes of playing at the dog park. What was this guy thinking? It was 106 degrees outside! Dogs don't handle extreme heat well anyway. The last thing you want to do with your dog when it is 106 degrees outside is keep throwing the ball for him at a dog park. Luckily, the dog was OK after some rest and a bowl of water, but I still think his owner was an idiot.

I feel like I spent the entire day trying, without much success, to schedule a variety of things. An imaging lab wanted to schedule an MRI for me, but they needed insurance approval first and apparently the insurance and imaging sides of the equation weren't communicating well. No resolution here. A client wanted a travel estimate, but wasn't sure when they wanted me to travel. Not much success here either, especially since hotels and airlines seem to charge different rates for each day of the week. Don't ever try to make travel arrangements when you don't know when you're going. I wasted even more time trying to track down a missing Fedex package that mysteriously disappeared and then just as mysteriously reappeared about six hours later. I would like to tell you about a day where everything went smoothly, but don't hold your breath. Very few aspects of life go smoothly anymore.

A website project that had been dormant for over two years roared back to life today. I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised. It has taken me over two years to decide on certain things. I have a feeling that people who are slow to make decisions are a lot more common than you might think. I'm happy to move this project back to the front burner though. It was getting pretty cold sitting on the back burner for so long. Although I'm not sure that the terms I agreed to several years ago are even relevant anymore, I'm probably stuck with them. That's usually the way it works.

I'm praying that it will be a little cooler tomorrow. I don't know how many 106 degree days I can take. I've got to drive Dot across town for her water therapy treatment tomorrow and taking the Defender out in this kind of weather is never something that inspires confidence. Janet says I can use her car to transport Dot if I get up extra early and drive her to work. I'm not surprised that she doesn't want to trade cars and take my car to work. Driving an unreliable car without a synchromesh transmission is definitely an acquired taste.

Margo is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day