Tuesday 14th June 2010
The tiny bit of good news is that the blood tests John had today indicate that the tumour is less active! You cannot believe how much hope this has given us that the chemo can continue and that we can zap that b*****d good and proper! He has to have the scan on Monday and then we will have to wait for nearly THREE WEEKS to find out the absolute truth. I am keeping absolutely EVERYTHING crossed, I can tell you.
While posting this blog I thought I would mention the tiny little 'thing' that's kept us going and helped us so much. Her name is Gemma and she is our Jack Russell dog. She was one year old on 25th April so I suppose you could say she is still a puppy - she certainly acts like one.
When we first got her we had no idea what lay ahead of us. We'd never intended to get another dog because we live in a flat and only went to 'look' at some puppies. When we got there, Gemma was the only puppy left - all alone in a concrete pen with just a heat lamp and a few toys for company. How could I leave her there?
I took her home and I must admit that we had our doubts for the first few weeks of her life. She was adorable but it was very difficult to toilet train her living in an upstairs flat. We had quite a few 'accidents' but she eventually learned to use those wonderful things called 'puppy pads'.
Then there was her eating! We tried EVERYTHING and she just turned her nose up at any kind of dog food. Freshly cooked chicken was rejected, as was fish. I was at my wits' end until I tried the cat's food and she wolfed the lot. Well, we asked the vet if that was OK and he said it was fine! So now I put a couple of bowls of cat food down twice a day and it's a 'free for all' between Gemma and our cat Ruby Tuesday.
Then Gemma developed a bad limp in her back leg. We were concerned and took her to the vet for a checkup. After x-rays, it was discovered she had a genetic bone disease called Perthe's Disease which occurs in small dogs under the age of 12 months. Luckily for us, the vet was able to operate on her leg and remove the part of the ball joint that was infected by the disease.
The operation took place just about the time that John was first diagnosed with cancer and so we were both worried about her and about John's diagnosis. We had to keep her immobilised (not easy with an energetic puppy) and cope with John having chemo. It was a very stressful time but it was all worth it as far as Gemma was concerned.
Now we wouldn't be without her. She is the brightest, sweetest, most loving little dog we could hope to have. She makes us smile with her funny ways and is always ready for a cuddle and a game. She really takes our mind off our problems (if only for a few minutes) and gets us out in the fresh air every day and in all weathers, even when that's the last thing we want to do. Once we're out with her, it's a joy to see her running and playing.
Sorry to everyone who's got this far that this is so long. I wrote it more for my benefit than anything else and just wanted it on record.
