Let's see, what all has happened.... mmm....
way too much has happened to write about it all now I
guess...
Many of you have written me asking about
Sugar.
She is doing fine. Other than the fact that
the hair hasn't grown back on her elbow, you
would never know she had cancer. She's as happy,
energetic, and full of life as ever. As I
write this, she and Bandit are down in the
living room below me wrestling and playing.
She is such as wonderful friend and companion
and I'm so lucky to have a creature like her in
my life. Together with Bandit, there is
never really a boring moment here at the Miller
household.
Many folks have asked about the Ranch and
what's going on here.
Well, it's been a really nasty Spring and
Summer here at the Ranch. The details are long,
and I'll write a longer entry on it another time,
but it has been one of the roughest years we've
had in a long time. Starting with a brutal
freeze in April and moving on to an extreme
drought, everything here is stressed, man,
beasts, and vegetation.... ....but like I said
I'll write more about that later.
As for other goings on, well life has been
running along busier than I can handle most of
the time. I don't want to get into all the
details, but life has been very hectic...
as I guess it is for everyone living here in the
early 21st Century. But now that the summer is winding down,
I hope to get back into the blogging habit
again.
This entry is just to break the long dry
spell.
Hello everyone.
Now that corporate tax season is over, I can take a minute and catch
everyone up on how we are doing.
First, let me say
that Sugar is well and almost fully recovered.
After being gone for a full month, we made it
back home on February 19th, the last day of
Sugar's treatment.
Everyone was tired and really, really glad to be
home. The Ranch has never looked so good.
Sugar did really
well. As the treatments went on, her skin got
more and more burnt. After we passed the half
way mark around treatment 5 and 6, I thought she
was going to be one of those rare dogs that we
were told don't have any reaction to the
radiation. But, after treatment 7, she developed
what looked like a really bad sunburn. At that
point, it started to cause her pain and we put her
on pain medications and an anti-inflammatory.
After treatment 8,
it looked like a really bad sunburn on top of a
really bad sunburn. Her skin was blood red. And
yet, she had 3 more treatments to go. I
felt so sorry for her but knew this was for the
best. We came home on the day of her 11th and
last treatment. Since she was still groggy from
the sedation, she slept the whole 5 hour trip
home.
A few days after
we got home, she developed blisters all over the
area where she had received the radiation. They
would break open and bleed and ooze. I'm sure it
was very painful. At that point I had to finally
put her collar on her to prevent her from
licking the wounds. I felt so sorry for her. The
doctor had warned me that this period was actually
one of the most critical, since infection was
the major complication of the procedure.
After about a
week, the blisters started to heal. As her skin
started to heal it started to peel off, just
like a bad sunburn. However, unlike a normal
sunburn, her hair started to come of with the
skin.
Now the whole area
has healed, except it's smooth skin with no
hair. The doctors had warned me that this would
probably happen. They also warned that the hair
may come back with a different texture, and/or a
different color, or it may never grow back at
all. This, however, is better than not having a
leg at all, which was the alternative. With any
luck it will come back and be normal. She
doesn't seem to mind the hair missing at all,
unless I touch her with cold hands!
It has taken a long time for me to
get caught up on a months worth of work, errands, and
just general life things. After getting moved
back in and everyone reacclimating to being
home, I had to launch into preparing my
corporate taxes, which took up until Wednesday
night to finally complete.
So here we are, a last, back
on what I hope to be a normal path...
I did get a chance to takes
some pictures of Sugar and Bandit last week
before it snowed again. You can see them by
clicking this link, Back Home
Sunday, February 4, 2007
9:23 pm
I finally got time to make a quick entry today. A lot of you have been
writing to ask how Sugar is. She is doing Ok.
The test of the fluid in the lymph node closest to where the tumor was,
came back negative. This was very good news in that it indicated the cancer had most likely
not spread out past her shoulder and into her body. Because of this and the location of
the tumor the CT scan was not necessary.
She is so far handling the radiation treatments Ok. She has not yet had
any of the skin burns that may show up as the treatments continue. Since she has to be sedated
for every treatment, she is really groggy and not herself on those days. The sedation is
causing her not to have much of an appetite on those days too. On the days in-between
treatments, she seems like her normal playful and loving self.
You can check out some pictures from today on
A Sunday in Auburn.
I also wanted to thank everyone for all the kind words sent after
my last entry. When I wrote my last entry, I mainly wanted to let everyone know what had
happened and explain why I hadn't been writing. What happened next was a little surprising.
Within hours of posting the entry to the site, a flood of e-mails started. Over 300 the
last I counted.
I know cerebrally that I have a lot of readers, but it doesn't seem real most of the
time. This response drove home just how many people do read this blog.
Thank you all so much. It means a lot to me.
Timber was very special creature. I will never forget him. I'm glad this site gives
me an opportunity to share our special relationship.
A lot of people sent me the story of the Rainbow Bridge. Indeed, my own Veterinarian
along with a great card signed by everyone, sent me the story. I wanted to share this
story with the folks who have not read it.
Out of all the different variations I received, I like Len's version the best. It's in
the form of a poem.
Enjoy and I'll write again as time will allow.
The Rainbow Bridge
inspired by a Norse legend
By the edge of a wood, at the foot of a hill,
Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
When their time on earth is over and done.
For here, between this world and the next,
Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.
No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.
They romp through the grass, without even a care,
Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.
For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
Together again, both person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past,
The time of their parting is over at last.
The sadness they felt while they were apart,
Has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
And then, side-by-side, they cross over. together.
Sunday, January 23, 2007
11:23 pm
Man oh man, it seems like a lifetime ago when I made my last entry. This
Winter has been one of the hardest I've had in a while. So much has happened since I last
wrote. I decided to write it all down. This entry turned out to be so big, I went ahead
and gave it its own page.
This web site has always been where I let everyone know what is happening
with me, so bare with me on this one. It is long and its personal. I wrote the events of
the last weeks as they where revealed to me. Read the entry and you will understand why
its been a Hard Winter.
My home, January 22, 2007 1:34 pm.
Blog - The CSR
Log
the
absolutely gorgeous oranges and yellows of the
Beech and Maples trees out at my gate. It skews
all the colors to green, even when there is none
in the view!
