Our hearts are heavy this morning as we returned from our second ophthalmologist veterinarian appointment this month.
Since my last post, we've switched chemotherapy protocols. The first two intravenous chemo drugs were not providing the results Dr. Greene at VCA was looking for.
We are now on a daily, oral pill that I give her each day. I have to be careful in handling this little capsule since it is toxic. I am instructed to wear gloves. My first question was then why should I be giving it to Shelly to ingest? The answer is obvious... it is our only chance of extending her life. So far, over the past week or so, it's been well tolerated and we won't know the success until we revisit her oncologist the week of Thanksgiving! Wow - did I just say Thanksgiving??
Yes, life has been WAAAAY too busy for us lately...so now we wait.
We're still seeing Drs. Salee or Tartof each week for our routine acupuncture at The Whole Pet in Bartlett. Shelly really likes going to see them, as I'm sure it does make her feel better. Funny how intuitive dogs really are...
Well about a month ago, Shelly's right eye was becoming red and appearing somewhat cloudy . I was keeping my own watchful eye on hers and last week it was beginning to look very bad. While we were in seeing Dr. Tartof for acupuncture, she did a pressure reading on her eye and became very concerned. It was high, and she suggested we go see Animal Eye Consultants ASAP. Fortunately, we were able to get an appt. the very next morning at 6:30 a.m. I didn't know veterinarians started work that early!! The reality is that Dr. Lindley was squeezing us in due to the severity of the situation, and she works closely with her referral veterinarians, namely Dr. Tartof.
So, after going through the history, examination, etc. Shelly's eye pressure had increased substantially just overnight. Dr. Lindley, needed to give her an injection into the eyeball (ewe!) I couldn't watch that... and she sent us home with 3 different eye drops to which we need a combination for 12 total times per day. It makes for an even busier day.
We needed to make a follow up appointment which brings us to today.
After Dr. Lindley re-examined Shelly's eye, she told us that it definitely appears to have cancerous cells. So what exactly does that mean? She stated she hoped we could get about 6 months out of her eye before it will need to be removed. Poor, poor Shelly. At this time we don't know if it's gone anywhere else, but Dr. Lindley did say she remembers a previous Oncologist DVM, diagnosing a dog with bladder cancer just because of what he saw in the eye. I've never heard of cancer in the eye before for human or canine.
So where do we go from here? I'm thinking I need to connect with her oncologist, Dr. Greene sooner rather than later. Perhaps she has another recommendation for treatment of this new development.
In reflection, it never ceases to amaze me just how quickly things change. The same truth can be said for each and everyone of us. It most definitely was the case for a woman named Natalie. She was driving her car one day last month and in the blink of an eye was t-boned by a truck. By all rights, she should have been pronounced dead at the scene, however, God has different plans for her as she's now in a long term rehabilitation hospital. No one knows her future at this time.
Lately, I've been studying this scripture from Romans 8:28, And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
This is one of the most quoted scriptures, especially in difficult times. Does it mean that God caused Shelly's cancer or Natalie's accident? No. It means that He can use these situations or circumstances for good. I am finally truly understanding this as it was written.
How can something tragic be good? The real antithesis of this scripture can be found in additional scripture.
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8
There is definite good in Christ's death. For by it, Jesus paid the penalty for our sins by laying down his life for us. Wow! For those of us who believe this to be true, we also know that it is the only way to eternal life in heaven with Jesus and his father, God.
We are both very sad about Shelly's situation, however, I do believe it has allowed me a platform to freely share my faith in these blogs. Whether you agree or not, this is the good that is coming out of Shelly's illness. If just one person reading these blogs would hear God's truth and respond to it, then Romans 8:28 is being fulfilled in the truest sense.
