Some time

Now that we aren't going to the vet every few days, I finally have some time to sit and watch my hummingbirds.  They may think I'm more of a stalker than a watcher..but they are cute and oblige.

 The females seem to be most active now.  The males were out there..they were just too busy guarding the feeders to be still long enough for a photo op

 Seriously, human?  Can I eat in peace?

 And then they would just hover and stare..

I love this photo of Roxi.

 To photograph hummingbirds, I sit..for a long time in the corner of the deck quietly.  this is strange to a 2 year old hound.  So I get this stare..a lot.

 Cali continues to do well and is happy on the couch.

Cali update: 20 months: 5 months

Cali will be 20 months post amputation on 9/7/15 and just hit 5 months post Lymphoma diagnosis last week.
My last update spoke about an ultrasound.  While on vacation, the options 'gained' from an ultrasound were not worth the risks so the ultrasound was no longer necessary.
The monoclonal antibody treatment was not working and all the chemotherapys we've tried recently have either made her very ill or done nothing.  And those that made her ill only 'sort of' worked.  This is the problem with T-cell Lymphoma..resistance is high and fast.

So we have stopped all treatments and tests and her oncologists fully supported this decision.  Cali will live out her days on our couch enjoying doing what she loves.  the symptoms we combat are nausea and lethargy and she is on 4 medications to counter the nausea.  she has good days and bad days which is what the oncologist told us to expect. This was not an easy decision and we will never know if it was the 'right' decision. But we feel it is the best decision.

On a recent good day, we took her, Cody and Roxi to a local dog festival at Blue Bee Cidery.  she still has that therapy dog thing.  This little girl rubbed on her and snuggled with her for a long time.

 She still enjoys time in her Daddy's lap

 And I don't think she has lost any large amount of weight and still looks shiny and healthy. 

  On her bad days, she eats very little even when presented with everything under the sun, and she lays around quietly all day.  On her good days, she eats like a pig (usually our dinner as well), plays with toys and runs around the yard.

As of now, the good days are outnumbering/outweighing the bad days.

St. Lucia 10 year anniversary trip

The timing wasn't great but we managed to pack up and leave the fur kids in Nerice's very capable hands to head off for our 10 year anniversary trip.  A Cali update will come later this week. But for now..here is our trip!!! (photo heavy post)
We stayed at Ladera Resort in Souffreire, St. Lucia. the rooms were three walled with a pool..and a fabulous view of the Pitons (the two peaks that are St. Lucia's hallmark).
The sitting area

 the bedroom

 the view (that is Gros Piton)

 and the one on the right is Petit Piton.  The bay is Sugar Beach

We watched a lot of flora and fauna

I desperately tried to get the hummingbirds..they were every where but faster than my telephoto auto focus!!  They had the coolest 'hat'.

 There are three in this photo in the tree.  They were quite a bit bigger than the ones in the states.

 We did a lot of snorkeling (Jason is working on a video from all of his GoPro videos)

 We took a water taxi to Anse Chastenet and got a great view of the Pitons from the water. 

 we both love snorkeling and spent a lot of time doing this.

 I seem to always find the squid and always make the angry.  They like to 'follow' you which makes them a wee bit intimidating! Especially when they turn bright red. 

 One day we took a tour to the 'landmarks' of the island.  The active volcano which smells terrible but the 'vents' are what keep the island existing!!

But the volcano leads to warm mineral springs that they have pumped in to pools that you can soak in. Supposedly, it is very good for your skin and joints. It was nice to float in

 And volcanic mud and hot springs which is again supposedly good for your skin.  This water was HOT and it did make for a great exfoliation!!

 Another day we went with the Chef from the restaurant to the market and bought fresh produce that he came back and cooked for us.  The market was very neat and we got to taste all the different fruits.

 

Chef Nigel

But mainly, we spent time enjoying the views.

 The sunsets from the bar were amzing.

 We ate dinner at this spot most every night.

 And pre-dinner drinks were here

 This is my favorite

 the sun

Overall, it was an amazing trip to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary.  (more photos will be on my FB page)

The Faintest ink

"The Faintest ink is better than the best memory"  This was a Chinese proverb quote on Mad Men that made me think of my blog.  It's why I continue it in the day of social media, I will always be able to look back and see my memories good or bad.
A quick Cali update before we head out on vacation (lots of photos will be coming!)

All available chemotherapy agents available for her cancer have been used or ruled out for one reason or another.  Her spleen is not responding.  Nor has it responded to the Monoclonal antibody treatment.  All treatments have been stopped.

Our options are very very limited.  She eats occasionally and definitely has lower energy.  But she still asks for loving and seems to still have her diva ways.  And her bloodwork isn't that bad..relatively speaking.

When we get back from vacation, she will have another non invasive ultrasound to determine if the cancer has spread (and she still has osteo so we have to check in on that too) beyond her spleen.  

If it has..Cancer has won.  If it hasn't...we have an option but it certainly isn't ideal.

But while we are gone, Aunt Nerice and Aunt Kristen will take very good care of her and make sure she eats. 

Memory ink

It started as a one time thing...let's get a tattoo somewhere hidden to show our love for greyhounds.
In 2007, Kristen and I went for tattoos (my first..her second).
The blog post, Official cult members, is the most searched of all my blog posts..but not b/c of me.  Apparently, if you search cult members or joining a cult...my blog pops up.  So I've learned to name them a little better! haha
It didn't take long for the itch to come back.  Now that I was inked..I wanted one that I could show.  so almost exactly one year later, the Addiction continued.  This one was a commissioned piece of a greyhound head on my calf. 
That satisfied the itch for quite some time.  But after losing a few precious dogs, I wanted something in memory of all of them..not just the greyhounds.  And I know me..I will have way too many to get an individual piece for each (and to be honest..I love the final product but it hurts!!)
So..the unveiling of my memory piece. For Shiloh, Dante, Dana, Henry and Shane. 

 Cali's recent bloodwork showed a major improvement.  Our problem now is that the chemotherapy that appears to be working very well (along with the monoclonal antibody treatment? It is hard to tell what is working) makes her VERY sick for 7-8 days.  So we have to weigh quality of life and determine if another chemotherapy could work as well without making her so sick.  But this weekend, she is on an upswing. Eating well, feeling well, happy and healthy.  We will take it.

Enjoying summer

We are trying to get out and enjoy the summer even through weekly vet visits and roller coaster results. 
We went to my parents' house to hang by the pool for a bit.  The dogs get to enjoy running in the miniature horse paddock (if it can keep those escape artists in..the greyhounds are secure) and Roxi enjoyed rolling in horse poo.

 Yes..that is a huge pile of horse poo that they found it fun to play 'hide and seek' around.  Roxi and Cody had to have a bathe. Cali was a bit more dignified and didn't wallow in the poo.

 

 I tried to get photos of the miniature horses but this is typically the best I could do.  They are nosy and love to give kisses. 

Once we got home, Roxi enjoyed a slightly cooler week.

  Cali has been feeling great, playing and eating well.  Her most recent bloodwork showed a pretty significant decline in her red blood cells.  But she received her 4th chemotherapy treatment (one more) and we are hoping that helps.  But the downside is the chemotherapy makes her feel crappy for a few days. 

Tug of War

Cali Update:
I'm going to call this week a draw on the Lymphoma:Cali battlefront.  We finished the full 3 weeks of biweekly 'induction' treatments of the Monoclonal Antibody and got the 2nd dose of chemotherapy that worked very well last time.
We started the week on a high..higher red blood cells, high appetite, high energy.
But she has started a slow slide downward..which is concerning.  Her red blood cells have started a slow creep down. They still aren't too low or where she was at her worst..but the downward trend may have started.  Her appetite isn't as good as it was and while I don't think she feels bad..she isn't playing like she was last weekend.  This last dose of chemotherapy had more side effects than ever before and quite honestly we aren't sure if the symptoms are from the chemo or the cancer.

We haven't surrendered yet though we've thrown every weapon we have in to the mix.  The monoclonal antibody treatment protocol continues every other week for 4 weeks now.  The next dose should be on Thursday.  We will go in and test her red blood cell level.  If that has continued to drop from this week..I'm fairly certain the oncologists will agree to discontinue treatments.

So fingers crossed her immune system rallies and uses the tools we've flooded her system with to fight back. Our bubble hasn't burst yet.