What can I say except October was a stressful & expensive month - about $1,000 spent in just one month! We had issues with titrating his chemo medication - the once a month Lomustine. So, we ended up having to get 3 CBC's done within a 3 week period. Coby has also been very hyper & trying to chew up everything in site. He ended up with a sock of mine, which I thought he had totally ingested (a 2x2 inch piece) - needless to say, 2 days later I finally mentioned it to my vet. We did x-rays & then rushed him to the vet hospital ER in Madison for (what we thought at the time) an endoscope. Good news - no endoscope was done/needed. After an over-reaction to the entire situation, I think Coby just ripped a big hole in the sock & did not end up eating it b/c I have yet to see the sock! And, of course his medications are always being ordered & shipped to us, which costs money!
On a positive note, Coby continues to do well. He's very energetic, happy & appears healthy. We're still working on getting the right dose of chemo - due to last month's mishap with the CBC's, we've now fell behind in getting him to that much needed dose of Lomustine. Hopefully this doesn't affect the outcome of his treatments/health.
Coby's last dose of Prednisone will be November 27th. If he relapses, we will need to restart it, but of course....we hope he never needs it again & never ever relapses. The chemo will continue for another year or so.
Hopefully this will be a successful month of medication administration, dosing, lab work, etc!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Update
Coby's doing great & now only getting 7.5mg Prednisone every other day! It will be almost 5 months since he's been diagnosed with GME! We are so happy our little boy is responding so well with treatment & remains in remission!
Because Coby has such a special place in my heart, I decided to get a tattoo to remind me of him today, tomorrow & always! Coby isn't just a "pet" or just a "dog"....he is my little angel & I will do any & everything I can my boy!! He is a fighter & will continue to fight & win this battle against GME!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
3 Month (almost 4 month) Update
It has been 3 months (almost 4 actually) since Coby's GME diagnosis & I am happy to report he is still in remission & doing great! It has been a very busy & stressful time, which is why the blog isn't as up to date as I'd like. We've been traveling and will be getting married at the end of the month, so this post will be quick, but I will resume the blog after October with hopefully more detailed & more frequent posts.
As far as Coby's overall health goes, he appears stable & healthy. He is happy & very active - he has also gained 2 pounds in the last 3.5 months. We are still working with our neurologist in Boston (Dr. Sisson) via email & our local vet...both of whom I am very grateful for. We continue to diligently follow Dr. Sisson's protocol.
Coby's current medications are as follows:
7.5mg Prednisone once daily
25mg Zonisamide twice daily (every 12 hours)
10mg Leflunomide once daily
1.2mL Cytarabine injections (Given every 12 hours on 2 specific days of the month - 10th/11th)
Lomustine once a month (the same day every month - 26th) - first dose will be this month
We will be lowering the Prednisone at the end of the month - we will be giving it every other day starting September 28th until the end of November tentatively.
I wish I had more time to write & I will try my best when I have some more down time. I will try & add more pictures also of our recent trip to Florida - Coby had a better time than us!!
As far as Coby's overall health goes, he appears stable & healthy. He is happy & very active - he has also gained 2 pounds in the last 3.5 months. We are still working with our neurologist in Boston (Dr. Sisson) via email & our local vet...both of whom I am very grateful for. We continue to diligently follow Dr. Sisson's protocol.
Coby's current medications are as follows:
7.5mg Prednisone once daily
25mg Zonisamide twice daily (every 12 hours)
10mg Leflunomide once daily
1.2mL Cytarabine injections (Given every 12 hours on 2 specific days of the month - 10th/11th)
Lomustine once a month (the same day every month - 26th) - first dose will be this month
We will be lowering the Prednisone at the end of the month - we will be giving it every other day starting September 28th until the end of November tentatively.
I wish I had more time to write & I will try my best when I have some more down time. I will try & add more pictures also of our recent trip to Florida - Coby had a better time than us!!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Quick Note
It's been almost 3 months since Coby's diagnosis with GME. I will post a more detailed blog this weekend with current & future treatment plans, as well as a few more things!
Friday, August 6, 2010
August Update
Again....where did the past month go? Time has been flying by & I have not been updating the blog. Sorry! Where do I begin?
Tuesday we visited the vet & had Coby's leflunomide blood levels checked again. The results are still pending, but like last month....it cost $300. I'm hoping this is the final test we need to do for this medication. During our visit while drawing blood, Coby's vein ruptured & a hematoma started to develop, so we had to wrap his neck up with this cute little bandage. My poor little boy....he is such a trooper!!! Such strength & courage out of this tiny pup.
Thursday we visited the vet again for Coby's monthly fasting CBC & super chem profile. I received those results today & everything came back just fine! Labs looked wonderful. :-) So happy!
On the 10th & 11th we are to give the cytarabine injections again!! I'm nervous already. Coby is still receiving the Prednisone and Zonisamide. He is still eating like a horse & is now at 8.5 pounds - that's a 1 pound weight gain since last month's post! So, he has gained 2 pounds in 2 months & is looking great! Needless to say with his increased weight, we had to increase the Prednisone a few weeks ago. I'm trying to keep him stable at this weight now.
He's still very active & we've been walking & running a few times a week when the weather isn't so hot & humid. He's loving life right now & it's so great to see him happy & healthy! He loves to play with his sister, Olive (bengel cat).
Oh...our trip to Cali last month....that went great! Coby did amazing on the flights! Didn't make a peep....he slept the entire way & actually did ok around the other dogs. I was very proud of him! We're going to FL at the end of the month & are taking him with us again. I hope this trip goes just as smoothly! This is a picture of him waiting in the airport with us! LOL So cute!!
Here's Coby at the AKKAOA picnic - taking advantage of the photo area! 
Tuesday we visited the vet & had Coby's leflunomide blood levels checked again. The results are still pending, but like last month....it cost $300. I'm hoping this is the final test we need to do for this medication. During our visit while drawing blood, Coby's vein ruptured & a hematoma started to develop, so we had to wrap his neck up with this cute little bandage. My poor little boy....he is such a trooper!!! Such strength & courage out of this tiny pup.
Thursday we visited the vet again for Coby's monthly fasting CBC & super chem profile. I received those results today & everything came back just fine! Labs looked wonderful. :-) So happy!On the 10th & 11th we are to give the cytarabine injections again!! I'm nervous already. Coby is still receiving the Prednisone and Zonisamide. He is still eating like a horse & is now at 8.5 pounds - that's a 1 pound weight gain since last month's post! So, he has gained 2 pounds in 2 months & is looking great! Needless to say with his increased weight, we had to increase the Prednisone a few weeks ago. I'm trying to keep him stable at this weight now.
He's still very active & we've been walking & running a few times a week when the weather isn't so hot & humid. He's loving life right now & it's so great to see him happy & healthy! He loves to play with his sister, Olive (bengel cat).
Oh...our trip to Cali last month....that went great! Coby did amazing on the flights! Didn't make a peep....he slept the entire way & actually did ok around the other dogs. I was very proud of him! We're going to FL at the end of the month & are taking him with us again. I hope this trip goes just as smoothly! This is a picture of him waiting in the airport with us! LOL So cute!!
Here's Coby on the plane with us underneath the seat in front of me....all snuggled up!!
Overall, the past month has been a good month! :-)
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Chemo Bag
Here's pictures of what I received in the mail today....it's for Coby's cytarabine injections. Very scary looking!!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
It's July Already?
Wow....where did June go? Sorry for not posting any updates recently! Coby is still doing very well!! :-)
Last week Coby’s leflunomide blood level came back below the therapeutic range, so we had to increase his leflunomide dose from 5 mg once a day to 10 mg once a day. We will have to repeat another leflunomide blood level 20 to 23 hours after a pill is given in 30 days. There is some chance 3 leflunomide blood levels will have to be done to get the dose correct. This test requires I send (overnight) Coby's plasma to Dr. Sisson in Boston, along with a check for $270. It's a very expensive test & hopefully we won't need to do THREE! Coby will be on this medication for about a year & a half. Once we get to the therapeutic range we won't need to continue to check his blood levels.
Dr. Sisson also wants us to start cytarabine injections (another immunosuppressant). It is given as four injections 12 hours apart over a two day period once a month. It will be the same two days every month - we will start this Saturday & give the shots every 10th & 11th of the month. We will also need to have a CBC done once a month 3 to 5 days before the injections are given each month with the results sent to Dr. Sisson. Coby will be receiving these injections for about 1 year.
Coby is also still receiving the Prednisone and Zonisamide. He is eating great & is now at 7.6 pounds - that's a 1 pound weight gain since his diagnosis. He looks much better!
Right now I'm trying to train Coby to adapt to his new airline carrier. He only flew once & that was when he was 9 weeks old when we were bringing him back to Milwaukee from San Antonio. He did great back then, but now....he's much more difficult & anxious...lol. We are planning on attending the AKK meeting in Claremont, CA - we want everyone who has been a great support to meet Coby & learn about his disease. We had $1500 of airfare credit that we needed to use by the end of the year & we certainly didn't think we'd be able to use it up by then. But...now we can put that credit to good use! I just hope Coby doesn't cause an uproar on the flights!! :-)
Last week Coby’s leflunomide blood level came back below the therapeutic range, so we had to increase his leflunomide dose from 5 mg once a day to 10 mg once a day. We will have to repeat another leflunomide blood level 20 to 23 hours after a pill is given in 30 days. There is some chance 3 leflunomide blood levels will have to be done to get the dose correct. This test requires I send (overnight) Coby's plasma to Dr. Sisson in Boston, along with a check for $270. It's a very expensive test & hopefully we won't need to do THREE! Coby will be on this medication for about a year & a half. Once we get to the therapeutic range we won't need to continue to check his blood levels.
Dr. Sisson also wants us to start cytarabine injections (another immunosuppressant). It is given as four injections 12 hours apart over a two day period once a month. It will be the same two days every month - we will start this Saturday & give the shots every 10th & 11th of the month. We will also need to have a CBC done once a month 3 to 5 days before the injections are given each month with the results sent to Dr. Sisson. Coby will be receiving these injections for about 1 year.
Coby is also still receiving the Prednisone and Zonisamide. He is eating great & is now at 7.6 pounds - that's a 1 pound weight gain since his diagnosis. He looks much better!
Right now I'm trying to train Coby to adapt to his new airline carrier. He only flew once & that was when he was 9 weeks old when we were bringing him back to Milwaukee from San Antonio. He did great back then, but now....he's much more difficult & anxious...lol. We are planning on attending the AKK meeting in Claremont, CA - we want everyone who has been a great support to meet Coby & learn about his disease. We had $1500 of airfare credit that we needed to use by the end of the year & we certainly didn't think we'd be able to use it up by then. But...now we can put that credit to good use! I just hope Coby doesn't cause an uproar on the flights!! :-)
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