tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843414525694557803.post801586216525365940..comments2024-03-28T03:24:05.666-04:00Comments on 4 Broad Minds: Waiting RoomChris Bradyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03400228290978730369noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843414525694557803.post-65538833380957525692012-04-01T05:02:24.341-04:002012-04-01T05:02:24.341-04:00Well, it's been two months. Pepper will have ...Well, it's been two months. Pepper will have her fourth chemo treatment tomorrow (Monday, 4/2). We have been making the trip to Penn Vet about every other week...bloodwork, bloodwork, chemo...bloodwork, bloodwork, chemo... I know I've gone beyond the estimate the vet gave me for her treatments, but I don't think about that. I just pay one bill at a time. I know I will have to rethink my new kitchen floor, but I don't think I could bear looking at a new floor if Pepper weren't here.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Pepper is her usual recalcitrant self. Now, I just laugh at the behaviors I foolishly thought I could train her "out of." And rejoice in the quirks of her personality. She LOVES going to the hospital. By the time we get to 30th Street, she is shaking herself awake. When we turn onto Spruce Street, she is barking to get out of the car. Once we arrive, she leaps from the car and tears up the sidewalk...well, with a few stops to check the scents of other outpatients! Last week, she actually tried to push the glass door open with her nose. She knows the voice of Jackie, the nurse who takes her back and brings her out, and will bark to get her attention if, God forbid!, Jackie is talking to another patient. She feigns a little reluctance when Jackie takes her leash, but once she is behind the swinging metal doors, she has forgotten about me and has embraced her adventure. I've volunteered Pepper for any clinical trials that may come along: Pepper loves the hospital that much.<br /><br />Even the best results only offer us maybe 6-8 months. I am hoping Pepper's mongrel ancestry helps her beat those odds. The cancer in her liver and spleen is what worries me the most; her lymph nodes show minimal evidence of cancer.<br /><br />So, we will continue our adventure together. Pepper's upbeat spirit keeps me going. I may have to bring her to the hospital every couple of weeks even after her treatments are through (she will have a total of 5)!Marynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843414525694557803.post-73201231530273239122012-01-27T03:02:53.774-05:002012-01-27T03:02:53.774-05:00Thanks for the well wishes. Pepper and I really a...Thanks for the well wishes. Pepper and I really appreciate all the good vibes!<br /> <br />We will get Pepper an ultrasound and a PARR test (cancer cells) and echocardiogram and then, maybe, chemo. We will also try alternative medicine to ease Pepper's symptoms and perhaps supplement the chemo.<br /><br />So, now 2/2 (Groundhog Day!) is the deciding day.<br /><br />I'll let you all know how we make out!<br /><br />Again, thanks!Marynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843414525694557803.post-33154644097174841252012-01-24T11:31:35.139-05:002012-01-24T11:31:35.139-05:00Beautiful, painful but beautiful. Pets make us rea...Beautiful, painful but beautiful. Pets make us realize, however unwillingly, that everything in life has an end and that the only way to cope is to live fully in the moment. When I got Brodie people warned me that the pain of losing him eventually would be more than I could bear. I went ahead anyway. I am willing to trade that for the joy of being with him every day. I haven't regretted a single minute of it. Give Pepper a scratch for me.Alisonhttp://alisonink.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843414525694557803.post-78746085550971922592012-01-24T09:57:50.881-05:002012-01-24T09:57:50.881-05:00Mary F.,
I am so very sorry to read this. Your h...Mary F.,<br /><br />I am so very sorry to read this. Your heartbreak is so real, and shared by all of us who love our animals and inevitably have to let them go. In this case, it really is much too soon, totally a cosmic injustice. This particular type of loss is a pain that goes way beyond words, but you surely touched it in your post.Mary Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843414525694557803.post-25546987997929327622012-01-23T09:35:03.138-05:002012-01-23T09:35:03.138-05:00Oh Mary, my heart broke as I read this. Having los...Oh Mary, my heart broke as I read this. Having lost a dog when I was young, and being completely in love with my little puggy, I can imagine the pain of going through this with your beloved Pepper. Last April, we sat in the waiting room of an emergency animal hospital, and it was one of the most heartbreaking places I've been. My girl pulled through just fine, thank God. I hope yours will too. Thanks for the reminder to cherish every day with her. I think that's one of the things animals can teach us. If we remember that we only have them for a short time, they can help keep us focused on the joyful present.Julie Owsik Ackermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11583691214627281052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843414525694557803.post-52685733798687083382012-01-23T06:44:20.738-05:002012-01-23T06:44:20.738-05:00Mary, it sounds like in spite of the storm, you fo...Mary, it sounds like in spite of the storm, you found a silver lining in resetting your perception about waiting as a chance to appreciate time and live in the momentcarol brillhttp://www.4braodminds.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843414525694557803.post-82143324207119785892012-01-23T06:24:54.959-05:002012-01-23T06:24:54.959-05:00Mary:
Amazing ending to this story with the tum...Mary: <br /><br />Amazing ending to this story with the tumors shrinking so much. I hope you have a miracle in your future and more than a year to spend with Pepper.Chris Bradynoreply@blogger.com