Update on the Oceangirls

[oceangirls]

Paula reminded me that I should update .

Angel's last chemo for the initial CHOP lymphoma protocol is scheduled in 2 weeks. Other than some neutropenia from the cyclophosphamide (they switched her to Leukeran), she has tolerated it without even blinking. She is over 5 months from diagnosis and doing great (if untreated, high-grade lymphoma is generally fatal within a few months). I am sure if she normally ran 5 miles a day, we might see a change, but since she is a couch potato 20 hours a day and spends the 4 late evening hours staring at me until I feed her, hunting invisible demons, and romping over her sleeping sister, we can't really tell a difference .

Cassie continues to do well. I was giving them yogurt with their food and I think maybe that worsened her respiratory symptoms, so I stopped and that seemed to help. I still hand feed her so she does not snorfle her food. We both kind of enjoy it . She does not do as much sneezing/reverse sneezing as she used to - it is more coughing/hacking. She has plenty of energy for running around the house and barking loud enough to injure a person's eardrums, which makes me comfortable that her heart stil works well.

DH does not really want me to walk them, since Angel is immunocompromised, and well, Cassie pretty much is too. I see his point, and they've always been mostly indoor dogs anyway. They're probably due for a visit to Grandma's so they can hang out on the screened porch, though.

Not much new with us. DH has not been traveling much, but has been working a lot. Our last trip was Copenhagen in June, which was awesome, but I would kind of prefer to stay nearby in case anything happens with the girls. We will probably go back to Kansas City during my week off after Thanksgiving. I read the Marie Kondo book, "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" and am starting the process on my stuff. Very cool book. Cass has been most helpful by eating some of my old text and reference books I set out to recycle. She particularly enjoyed The Evaluation and Treatment of Syncope, and then moved on to From Neuron to Brain .

Hope everyone and their pups are doing well

[Lisa]

This post made my heart happy. I am so glad both girls are doing well.

That is very thoughtful of Cass to help you tidy up Doxies, always willing to take one for the team.

[lotsadox]

Thanks for the update. I hear on the barking thing. When I got new hearing aids, I had to go back and have them change the settings because every time Cash barked his really loud "where's my dinner?" bark in the kitchen on the tile where the sound bounces right back, it shut my hearing aids off. I'm going to take that as a good thing now that his little compromised heart and lungs can still work.

Cassie's choice of chewing materials made me laugh.

I haven't gotten on the purging, getting rid of stuff boat yet. I get rid of junk as I go. Books I'm done with go to the used book store, clothes I dont' want go to the charity bag or the collection bin. I don't do much cleaning and tossing in the sewing room because every time I toss stuff, I need it right after and end up going out and buying it again. I just live with my lovely clutter of collectibles happily.

[Alex's Mom]

Sounds like life is in a pretty good place with the girls, as these things go when they get to be oldsters. So kind of Cassie to be so helpful! You should send her here...my guys just keep trying to get out of the way of the piles LOL. I've donwsized and downsized and downsized some more and there's still SO much. Not so much stuff as paper. I haven't taught at all in the last year but I hate to throw any of it out cuz just like Patrice, the second I do, someone will want to me teach THAT course .

I get the not wanting to travel too far thing...me too. I've always wanted to go to Scandinavia though. Pics would be good

[LexieLuvr]

Thanks for the pretty good update!