Day 1596

I took my last Sovaldi pill this morning. There are still a few Ribavirin pills left, as a result of the time when they lowered my dosage to compensate for a low blood platelet count. I'll need to call my nurse at the liver center tomorrow and see what they want me to do with the remaining pills. Your guess is as good as mine on this one. Maybe the two pills are only meant to be used together, or just as plausibly, the Ribavirin may still be useful on its own. I'm just glad that I've just about put this segment of my life behind me.

Dash has some medication issues of his own. The cancer center gave him some Tramadol on Monday to alleviate pain associated with the radiation sore on his neck. He never seemed to be in pain though, and after only one day, the medication is making him wonky. One of the side effects of Tramadol is that it can make you very drowsy, or in rare cases even appear sedated. I'm not sure Dash was actually sedated, but he certainly seemed out of it for most of the day. I think I'll discontinue the medication. It would be one thing if he was really in pain, but I think this drug is making matters worse. When I told Dot's physical therapy vet what was happening with Dash, she said that she'd be more likely to prescribe an antibiotic to help prevent a secondary infection than to use a pain pill at this point. It's frustrating that vets, like my own human doctors, rarely agree on everything. All I know is that Dash acted perfectly normally before he started taking the pain medication. Now, he is acting loopy.

Dot wasn't as relaxed as she normally is at her acupuncture session. She appeared a bit stressed today. Maybe it was just that kind of day. Everyone I encountered today seemed a bit stressed. Sadly, I'd have to include myself in this category as well. We got slowed down by road construction on our way to the vet. One of my nagging website problems has reared its ugly head again. I'm even behind on my writing assignments. It's only Tuesday as well. At least there were no tornadoes here. The weather was beautiful again today. Lets hope these nice Spring days continue for a while.

I forgot to put a large black plastic bag full of garbage in the trash can yesterday evening and awoke this morning to discover that racoons had torn the bag apart and strewn garbage all over the back yard. I don't know why I left the bag at the back gate without actually placing it in the garbage can, but that's how your memory gets when you get older. I'll certainly remember to complete this chore now. Those racoons really made a mess of things. It took me forever to get everything cleaned up again so the dogs wouldn't go looking for stray chicken bones or other things they shouldn't be eating.

It's hard to believe that April is over already. Tomorrow is the last day of the month. Before long, I'll be complaining about the relentless Texas heat and wondering how to get rid of the wasp nests that appear every June. I seriously doubt that I could go a week without complaining if my life depended on it.

Parker is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1594

Janet and I went on the home tour today. All the homes were right in our neighborhood, so we didn't have to leave the dogs very long. We both like mid-century modern architecture, so whenever this era is featured on a tour, we tend to go. Over the years, the exteriors of these home all seem more or less the same, since most of them were built in the 1950's. The interiors and landscaping change according to what is currently in style however. This year, concrete driveways seem to be out and gravel and crushed granite are in. I guess this makes sense, since concrete work has gotten horrendously expensive. Shallow basin sinks and big tile showers without shower doors seemed popular as well. There are fewer extravagant houses and more creatively frugal ones. Most of the homes we visited today were pretty small. I suspect that this is all a sign of the times. Our entire society is downsizing.

We will have lots of questions for the oncologist when we take Dash back to the cancer center tomorrow morning. The more I read, the more I realize that moist dermatitis and non-healing wounds are common during the latter stages of cancer treatment. The radiation breaks down the tissue over time and makes it harder for wounds to heal. Optimistic websites said that most of the skin sores tend to heal within two weeks after ending treatment. Pessimistic websites said the process could take six months or longer. The key to a successful outcome seems to be in keeping the damaged area as clean and dry as you can and not allowing the dog to scratch or lick the area. We are lucky in a way that Dash's surgery was in his neck, which is a difficult area for a dog to reach. People who have dogs where the front or rear leg is receiving radiation tend to have a harder time controlling things. At any rate, I hope our oncologist can help us find an effective way to help Dash's wounds heal quickly. It is discouraging to encounter a setback when we are so close to the finish line.

I had a good workout at the gym this afternoon. I'm almost back to my old routine, even though I'm only able to go once a week now. I always do the same things. I spend 20-minutes on the hand bicycle to help strengthen my dislocated shoulder. I spend 20-minutes working my way through a line of ten different resistance machines to build muscle strength. I spend about 10-minutes using free weights. And then I spend my remaining time shooting baskets on the basketball court in the center of the gym. If I did this three times a week, I'd probably be in great shape, but once a week is better than nothing.

Next week looks like a busy one. I've already got several projects cued up for Monday. Toward the end of the week, I am scheduled to have my exit interview with my team of liver doctors. I hope that they just pronounce me cured and send me on my way. I won't be seeing the doctors much after this, but they have already told that they will monitor me periodically for up to two years, just to make sure that the disease doesn't reappear. I'm hoping that when all is said and done, Dash will have the same successful outcome that I seem to have received.

Chance is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 1593

Dash threw up last night. This hasn't happened since he started his cancer treatments and I was hoping that it wouldn't happen at all. Since it is important that he always has his phenobarbital pill, I instinctively looked through the mess on the carpet to see if the pill was still there. He had just taken his night time meds an hour earlier, so there was a good chance that it would be. While I was looking for the illusive pill, I remembered that the cancer center folks told me in the very beginning that if Dash ever threw up, I was supposed to consider it as toxic waste and not to touch the vomit with my hands while I was cleaning the mess up. Oh, well. Too late now. It seems almost inevitable that I will eventually poison myself before Dash is finally finished with his lengthy chemo regime. Since Dash has eaten two regular meals today and has seemed fine all day, I don't think the episode last night had anything to do with his cancer. We just ate dinner and fed the dogs way too late yesterday and Dash drank a lot of water just before he went to bed. Dogs frequently throw up for no reason at all. I just wish he would put this behavior on hold until we manage to get through with this cancer treatment.

When I was taking the groceries out of the back of the car this afternoon, I happened to look up and noticed that there were little spots of blood all over the headliner. Damn. I immediately knew what had happened, but it didn't help much. You know how dogs shake when they get out of the water? Well, Dalmatians shake like this after they do anything at all. One day last week, Dash had "happy tail" when he came home from his radiation treatment. Dalmatians often wag their tails very vigorously and end up hitting things with their tail that get in the way. If the wagging goes on too long, some times the tip of the tail starts to bleed. Usually when this happens, I just put a little Hydrogen peroxide on the tail and everything is fine a few minutes later. I guess I forgot that Dash always does this shaking routine right after he gets in the car. He must have ended up shaking little drops of blood from the tip of his tail all over the white headliner. So much for the new car look.

The scar on Dash's neck was still moist when he woke up this morning. This is not good. I need to figure out a reliable way to make sure the wound gets lots of air so it can dry out, while still keeping the area well protected from any attempts to scratch the incision site with a rear paw. Everything is fine if I make sure Dash is always nearby whereI can see him,. Unfortunately, he likes to wander off where I can't see him. I haven't come up with a good solution yet.

Dalmatian Rescue is having another of their periodic casino party fundraisers tonight. This is the first time in quite a while that I stayed home and won't be spinning the roulette wheel. It's just too long to leave the dogs alone. Ever since Dot ate the carpet, I've been penning her in a small brick area in the hallway where she can't get into trouble. I don't leave blankets, pillows or rugs in the area, just in case she might decide to chew them. Unfortunately, the bricks are pretty hard on her tired old bones and I hate to leave her here for very long. Since Dash threw up last night and has a scar that seems to be turning into an infection, I don't want to let him out of my sight at all. Hopefully, Janet won't get overwhelmed running the roulette table by herself.

I've been really tired and probably pretty irritable lately, The entire Spring has seemed like a long journey to an uncertain destination. I keep looking for the finish line, but I don't see it yet.

Brady is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day