Get Paid To Promote, Get Paid To Popup, Get Paid Display Banner

The PetsitUSA Blog

    The PetsitUSA Blog

    Another chapter in Lydia’s cancer book

    Posted: 10 Apr 2012 02:44 PM PDT

    Lydia’s had some ups and downs with her medication over the past few months. She’s been on Palladia (a drug used for treating canine cancer) since December of 2010, shortly after a second occurrence of her anal gland cancer. She did great on it for quite a while, then started having some problems. She had some tummy issues now and then, which we were able to control. But then she became neutropenic, and we had to stop the drug until her levels returned to normal. When we started her back on it, her neutrophils would drop again after just a couple weeks. Even at a lower dose she became neutropenic. So, reluctantly, we had no choice but to stop the Palladia completely and monitor her.

    Last month Lydia had an ultrasound and the vets saw a lymph node that was slightly larger than it had been on previous ultrasounds. It was well within normal range, just slightly larger than it had been in the past. So as a precaution her oncologist had us come back today for a follow-up ultrasound. The good news is that lymph node looks absolutely normal now. The not so good news is that there’s another one that’s considerably larger than it was last month.

    This new lymph node was big enough that they ended up doing a fine-needle aspirate and got some fluid and cells to send off to the lab. The oncologist is a little perplexed by the look of this lymph node, saying it doesn’t exhibit the usual characteristics of cancer. Even so, that’s her main concern. So, at this point I don’t know if it’s cancer, something else, or nothing to worry about. Obviously I hope it’s nothing, but I should know for sure by Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

    The fact that Lydia had so much trouble with the Palladia is disturbing. There’s no way to know with 100% certainty that it was doing its job. But the fact that this all comes up about the same time as her body rejected the drug does make me wonder. Over the past 6 months was off the drug more than she was on it, and while she was on it regularly they never found any cancer. Although it’s something I wonder about, it’s not something I can put much thought into right now. I just need to deal with what is, and not go into “what if” land.

    I don’t know what the course of action will be should I get the news I don’t want to hear. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. I know what some of the usual cancer treatment options are – surgery, chemo, radiation. We’ve been down the chemo route before, and surgery, so we know those routines. Although really, nothing is “routine” when it comes to dealing with the nastiness of cancer. What worked one time may not work again. But until I know something for sure, I refuse to go “there.”

    The good thing is that Lydia is still her normal, happy self. She’s a little tired this afternoon because they had to sedate her to do the biopsy, but in general, she’s doing great. In fact, when we first got to the clinic she was so excited to see her tech, Jen, that she started whining and wagging from head to tail!