Daisy (like always) continues to be her happy, energetic and playful self. However, approximately 3-4 weeks ago (Dec 7 or 8th) I noticed Daisy's lymph nodes were swollen under her jaw. Dr. Lurie, Daisy's oncologist and Dr. Richter Daisy's vet saw her the next day. The results of a fine needle aspirate came in on Dec. 12th and it was confirmed that Daisy once again had cancer (lymphoma). Needless to say Everyone was heartbroken and deeply saddened by this news. I always knew that this procedure was never a guarantee because even with full body radiation there is always a possibility that not ALL the cancer cells will be destroyed. But like every hopeful dog owner looking for ANYTHING that will keep their dog alive I thought for sure Daisy could beat the odds and be one of the 30% that would be cured. Because this treatment is fairly new the actual statistics will continue to come in as time passes. Hopefully this new information will also provide some insight as to why it works for some dogs and not others.
After the initial shock and disappointment I consulted with her oncologist and the BMT specialist, Dr. Warry from NCSU. Both agreed that Daisy's only treatment option at this point was to begin chemotherapy (radiation was no longer an option because of the full body radiation she received at NCSU). Also the fact that Daisy's bone marrow was still "fairly new" Dr. Lurie wasn't sure how Daisy would respond to chemotherapy. Given this information I opted to try an alternative cancer treatment for about a month (thinking that this would also give her bone marrow more time to mature).
Along with that I continued to monitor Daisy for any changes as recommended by her oncologist (i.e. diarrhea, vomiting or lethargy, the lymph nodes under her jaw growing rapidly in size and/or spreading to other areas; behind her knees and/or in-between her shoulder blades. Daisy continued to be asymptomatic throughout this time period with the exception of her swollen lymph nodes under her jaw.
Daisy started a daily regimen of alternative cancer treatment on December 19th (a "Rife" machine, which I opted to use because it worked for a close friend of mine many many years ago when she was in the final stages of recurrent cancer, sent home and told there was nothing more they could do. I might share this story at a later date). Although Daisy was very receptive to this treatment I found myself checking her lymph nodes continuously, even in the middle of the night. I guess the idea of her lymph nodes "growing rapidly in size" and possibly obstructing her breathing really scared me. So on January 3rd I decided that it was time to try chemotherapy to get those lymph nodes down. When Dr. Lurie examined her he was surprised and happy to see that it had not spread beyond her jaw area since it had been close to a month. Daisy also presented very well clinically, being her usual energetic, social and playful self. He started her on chemotherapy that day January 3rd and by the next day her swollen lymph nodes were gone. She was seen again on January 5th and Dr. Lurie concurred that she was in clinical remission (yay!!!).
Daisy will continue chemotherapy and I will continue to use alternative cancer treatments concurrently (as well as spoil the heck out of her). Since the cancer has returned I have increased ALL of her favorite activities: play dates with her doggie friends, trips to the beach for "wave jumping" dog scout activities and weekly agility classes and/or agility trials and of course giving her daily hugs & kisses and saying "I love you" as often as possible.
If anyone reading this has any other ideas or other alternative treatments for Daisy I'd really like to hear from you. I read about Dr Burzynski's antineoplastons treatment and watched the very intriguing documentary on YouTube. I even called his clinic to ask if they treat canines but right now they do not. As always I will remain hopeful.
After the initial shock and disappointment I consulted with her oncologist and the BMT specialist, Dr. Warry from NCSU. Both agreed that Daisy's only treatment option at this point was to begin chemotherapy (radiation was no longer an option because of the full body radiation she received at NCSU). Also the fact that Daisy's bone marrow was still "fairly new" Dr. Lurie wasn't sure how Daisy would respond to chemotherapy. Given this information I opted to try an alternative cancer treatment for about a month (thinking that this would also give her bone marrow more time to mature).
Along with that I continued to monitor Daisy for any changes as recommended by her oncologist (i.e. diarrhea, vomiting or lethargy, the lymph nodes under her jaw growing rapidly in size and/or spreading to other areas; behind her knees and/or in-between her shoulder blades. Daisy continued to be asymptomatic throughout this time period with the exception of her swollen lymph nodes under her jaw.
Daisy started a daily regimen of alternative cancer treatment on December 19th (a "Rife" machine, which I opted to use because it worked for a close friend of mine many many years ago when she was in the final stages of recurrent cancer, sent home and told there was nothing more they could do. I might share this story at a later date). Although Daisy was very receptive to this treatment I found myself checking her lymph nodes continuously, even in the middle of the night. I guess the idea of her lymph nodes "growing rapidly in size" and possibly obstructing her breathing really scared me. So on January 3rd I decided that it was time to try chemotherapy to get those lymph nodes down. When Dr. Lurie examined her he was surprised and happy to see that it had not spread beyond her jaw area since it had been close to a month. Daisy also presented very well clinically, being her usual energetic, social and playful self. He started her on chemotherapy that day January 3rd and by the next day her swollen lymph nodes were gone. She was seen again on January 5th and Dr. Lurie concurred that she was in clinical remission (yay!!!).
Daisy will continue chemotherapy and I will continue to use alternative cancer treatments concurrently (as well as spoil the heck out of her). Since the cancer has returned I have increased ALL of her favorite activities: play dates with her doggie friends, trips to the beach for "wave jumping" dog scout activities and weekly agility classes and/or agility trials and of course giving her daily hugs & kisses and saying "I love you" as often as possible.
If anyone reading this has any other ideas or other alternative treatments for Daisy I'd really like to hear from you. I read about Dr Burzynski's antineoplastons treatment and watched the very intriguing documentary on YouTube. I even called his clinic to ask if they treat canines but right now they do not. As always I will remain hopeful.
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