Osteo Thread Part 8

[Rickiesmom]

Thank you for your input, which, combined with others, convinced me to move forward with amputation. Tomorrow my beautiful girl will lose her leg and her pain, and in a couple of weeks we will begin chemo.

 

I learned a couple of interesting things:

 

- Doxorubicin can be given without risk to the kidneys (Jaynie may also be able to have Carboplatin but the oncologist wants to study her blood results history before deciding on a treatment plan)

 

- The most recent research indicates that Pamidronate does nothing to help, unlike previous thinking that it helped build bone and might even slow down cancer progress.

 

I will drop Jaynie off tomorrow at 7am. If you have a moment, please send good thoughts and prayers for my girlie.

[tbhounds]

Will be thinking of you both. Remember the Amicar :-). Post tomorrow when you can.

[TwiggysMom]

I also will be thinking of you and Jaynie tomorrow. x2 on the Amicar! (you may have to call around to find it at a human pharmacy)

 

That is good news about the chemo, and very interesting about the pamidronate! That is the first I've heard that.

 

Good thoughts for Jaynie!!

[greysmom]

 

For Jaynie!!!!!!!!!

[a_daerr]

Thinking of you both. I remember the waiting being the hardest part.

[JJNg]

- The most recent research indicates that Pamidronate does nothing to help, unlike previous thinking that it helped build bone and might even slow down cancer progress.

 

Whether pamidronate builds bone or slows down cancer has gotten mixed results in studies, but I'm not sure there's been a definite consensus. Opinions probably vary between oncologists. However, there are studies that show it does help with pain management as part of a palliative protocol.

[Guest LazyBlaze]

All good thoughts for Jaynie.

[4My2Greys]

Mary, I'm so sorry to hear about Jaynie. I had hoped when I read your thread about diagnosis you weren't asking for her sake . My thoughts and prayers will be with both of you this morning for an uncomplicated surgery and recovery.

[Charlies_Dad]

Good thoughts for Jaynie. I hope the surgery goes well and get some rest while you can as the first couple weeks post amp are tiring.

[Neighsayer]

Hope all goes well, and she has a quick recovery!

[MP_the4pack]

thinking of you and Jaynie today...

[Victor]

Good thoughts for Jaynie today. Hope her surgery goes well and she recovers quickly. If you have slippery floors at home don't forget to put down area rugs wherever Jaynie might go.

 

Wendy, is Twiggy on any supplements for her joints? For example, Cosequin glucosamine + chondroitin + MSM? Or Joint Aid for Dogs?

[krissn333]

 

Whether pamidronate builds bone or slows down cancer has gotten mixed results in studies, but I'm not sure there's been a definite consensus. Opinions probably vary between oncologists. However, there are studies that show it does help with pain management as part of a palliative protocol.

 

Good thoughts for Jaynie!

[Guest cas0673]

Good luck Jaynie and family. When Sadie came home after her amp, we had to put rugs end to end in the kitchen to our outside door. I thought she was going to be ok, but she slipped on the floor the first time through the kitchen. Yes, the first week in a half to two weeks was rough. I just heard from Ohio State University that the chemo is on its way to my oncologists. That helps with the cost of the treatments. And the University of Penn is testing her biopsy to see if she has the marker to get into their studies. The chemo is taking a lot out of Sadie. She won't eat for a few days following the treatments. She drinks a lot though for those few days and therefore urinates a lot. I want to check with the oncologists about that before her next treatment. I don't want to mess up her kidneys. She had 2 treatments and has 2 to go. Overall she is doing well. And when she feels good, she is very happy.

Has anyone heard if there is more osteosarcoma cases than in the past? Or is this very common and I am only hearing so many cases of it because I am in the fight with Sadie? I have only had my greys for 7 yrs., so I am still a newbie. Lol.

[Rickiesmom]

Jaynie is out of surgery - everything went well.

 

I forgot to take food down for her this morning, so heading out to do that now.

 

She should be home Monday, maybe Tuesday (I wouldn't mind an extra day of monitored healing as long as she's content there - I know she'll be spoiled.)

[4My2Greys]

I've been checking in periodically. Glad to read everything went well. Sending white light and good thoughts for a good recovery.

[Neighsayer]

Glad she did ok.

[Charlies_Dad]

That is great Jaynie is out of surgery!

 

Sadie's Mom. I believe nothing has changed in the number of diagnosis's rather it's as you state, when you're battling it, it just seems to be everywhere.

[Guest fastcasper]

I will continue good thoughts for jaynie and hope she has a good weekend and will come home on Monday.

[tbhounds]

I've been checking in periodically. Glad to read everything went well. Sending white light and good thoughts for a good recovery.

Me too :-)

[Rickiesmom]

Just called for an update. Jaynie is doing fine. They felt earlier she might be a bit painful so they moved her into the ICU and have upped the pain meds bit. They will call me in the morning but think she will be doing better by then and it sounds like sometime tomorrow they will start weaning her down on the meds a bit. Hoping to be able to go in tomorrow, though not if she is still in the ICU.

 

I know sometimes Jaynie whimpers after anaesthesia, or if given certain drugs like Hydromorphone, so hopefully it was more that than anything. In any event, she is being monitored and well cared for, which is a great comfort.

[TwiggysMom]

I'm happy to hear that Jaynie has come through surgery well! A front-leg amp is pretty major surgery since they take the scapula as well. There is a very large surgical area.

 

If you aren't already familiar, Jaynie will be nearly half shaved - going much further up her neck and down her midsection than you might expect. Also, the bruising will be significant. Bruising tends to continue to get worse after coming home before starting to ebb. There will also likely be edema, possibly moving down her remaining front leg and all the way back to her belly/groin area, These things are all normal. I'm saying this so you don't freak out!!

 

I am like you, and would rather have them in the hospital a bit longer, as long as they're doing well. I kept Twiggy in a long time (longer than OSU thought was necessary), but I had a 6+ hour drive home and wanted to be as certain as possible that nothing would go wrong on the way.

 

One other thing to be aware of - that will scare the pants off you even if you're expecting it - is the GSOD freak-out. This seems to be more particular to front-leg amps than hind legs amps. For the first nearly 2 weeks, every time (or almost every time) Twiggy went to stand up, she would rear up on her hind legs and scream at the top of her lungs. Thankfully, I was warned of this in advance (even so, it was really hard to see/hear). I do believe this is at least as much from fear and confusion over not having a leg respond as expected as from pain. (I'd scream and freak out if I suddenly woke up with one leg after all my life having two, also - especially if no one told me it was going to happen ahead of time).

 

To prepare for her coming home, do try to make sure she has carpet areas to walk across wherever she needs to go, also keep her bed somewhere easily accessible (even if it has to be smack in the middle of a room). You may find yourself couching it for the first couple weeks home. The wrap/sutures should not get wet, so having some plastic wrap on hand to wrap around her in case of rain would be handy.

 

Jaynie's med schedule will be crazy, so you might want to consider keeping a calendar/chart/spreadsheet to keep track of everything. Also, check the labels on the pill bottles versus the discharge instructions (there were several discrepancies, and I had to call the hospital to confirm exactly how much/often/for how long I should give them).

 

Try to get some good rest before Jaynie comes home, because the first days are busy and pretty much sleepless. Make sure you have enough easy-to-prepare food in the house for you as well (or at least some good take-out menus handy!)

 

I'm not sure what your home life/work life is like, but it will be good to have someone stay with her at pretty much all times for at least the first week home, if possible. If you have to go back to work the following week, you might want to try a timed feeder to leave meds in (I just discovered this trick myself - repurposed by timed cat feeder to let Twiggy get meds mid-afternoon! I put her meds in the middle of some mini peanut butter sandwiches - works great!)

 

Also, keep an eye out for infection. Many hounds wind up with one, and the sooner you notice it, the better, I think. (There is some thought in the medical community that an infection during recovery helps long-term survival rates, but there is no definitive correlation).

 

Finally, be ready for her to try to do things she shouldn't sooner than you'd think she would. It is amazing how these guys bounce back. They actually seem to be somehow bigger and bolder than ever after their amp surgeries!

 

 

 

I hope Sadie can get into the U Penn study. Hopefully it would produce positive results, and I'd be exicted to hear first-hand info! I'm glad she seems to continue to do well, even if she has a few tough days following her treatments. Like Kyle, I don't think rates are increasing, just that as we are involved, we are more attuned to other cases of it.

 

 

 

Victor, yes - Twiggy is getting Dausequin w/MSM, Duralactin (a non-NSAID anti-inflammatory made from milk proteins that all of her vets highly recommend), along with 200 Tramadol and 400 Gabapentin per day. I also have an appointment with her regular vet next Friday where I will discuss the possibility of methocarbamol, adequan, and/or depo-medrol. I know we're fighting a losing battle with her back/disc/nerve pain, but I hope to keep it a bay for at least a few more months. Twiggy deserves some summer after this hideous winter!

 

 

[MP_the4pack]

Do you have stairs? It might be easier to have a ramp for Jaynie if you do. The first day home from OSU with Diamond she tried to go down the stairs by herself. She figured she couldn't do them so she jumped!

 

I thought she broke her other front leg. But someone was looking out for her and me. That's when I forced her to use her ramp. I think that fall scared her and she decided the ramp was quite nice.

 

And do be careful, Jaynie may try to do things she's not ready for. You will have to slow her down.

[greysmom]

Continued good thoughts for Jaynie!

 

Wendy, have you considered laser therapy for Twiggy's back/nerve pain?? I read something somewhere about using it for LS in people and wondered if it might work the same for dogs. Just a suggestion.

[45MPHK9]

{{{Jaynie}}}