Sassy's Tripawd Journey

Time flies when you are having fun.  Its hard to believe 6 months have passed for my sweet little baby Bear’s amputation.  We have proved a lot in this time.  We hope we have many many more months to go.    A half a year.  Wow.

We have met many great people on this site and although we wish we didn’t have to be here along with anyone else.  But if it wasn’t for The Tripawd website, Jim, Rene, Jerry & Wyatt I would not have known where to start or even where to go.  We appreciate everything everyone was done for us.  From talking me off of many ledges to having a good laugh in the chat room.  Our love goes out to all the Tripawd moms & dads who are fighting the battle of cancer and to those who don’t.  We are a family.  A family that I treasure dearly.

So Sassy & I wanted to share a few pictures.

this is after 6 months still not all of her hair 

HAPPY 6TH MONTH AMPUVERSARY PRINCESS WARRIOR SASSY SUGAR BEAR 

Well, today was the big day for 60 days on metronomics.  I feel we had a pretty good report.  It could be a lot worse.  Sassy keeps defying the odds which is good.  First things first blood & urine looked good no UTI or anything.  We will get a more definate complete blood results in a few days.  The other thing is that the smaller mets continued to stay steady at the same size.  That big SOB (sorry about the veribage) continues to grow.  Over all I consider it a good report.  Her lung fields still sound clear.  She continued with her weight being good and even gained a couple of pounds.

I don’t know if its possible for a lung met to be on top of a lung or where it doesn’t affect breathing or grow flat.  But something is allowing my Sweet Sugar Bear to continue to be with us and I am so glad.  I will continue to love and spoil her.  And we are going to continue to keep fighting.

Well, I have been waiting for a little bit to get this completed but I found the most awesome artist, Taylor Burkum at Bark’m hand drawn portraits.  He is a local artist that I found through a friend of mine.  I decided that I wanted to have Sassy’s picture drawn.  I wanted to do it before I found out cancer but really really wanted to do it after Sassy’s diagnosis.  So when I got my taxes back in Feburary I went and took Sassy down and had him take a few pictures.  Every time I take it for a good shot she plays shy and likes to look away.  So Taylor knew Sassy’s story and didn’t even notice when I took her down to get her pictures that she had 3 legs although I told him.  He said she got along so well.

So long story short he made the most awesome picture and I will always always treasure this.

So I am going to plug his business not so that people will do it but because if you want a great artist to draw your dog he is the one I would recommend.     http://www.barkmcanine.com/    or his fb page is facebook.com/barkmcanineportraits

Sassy is doing better with eating.  We have added goats milk to what we are feeding.  She still doesn’t want her dog food but she will eat Hamburger, Turkey or Chicken with the  Goats milk.  I might add some rice to it or something.    I am also going to try a recipe that Jerry gave us for Hamburger patties that have some veggies along with the goats milk.  We will see how she likes it.  But for right now the Goat’s milk seems to be the saving grace.

Well, things have been going great.  I (mom) felt worried & a little frustrated yesterday, the 24th because Sassy has been eating pretty good up until then   She has her moments where she wouldn’t eat everything or just eat her dinner & not her breakfast no big deal but she was eating.  Yesterday she wouldn’t eat anything.  It made me feel so bad when I could hear her tummy growling.  Nothing I would give her except the Mc Donalds burger temped her oh & her yogurt in the morning.  I gave her canned food, her regular food with canned, and a couple of other things nope.  So this morning digging through the freezer to get her chicken out to boil, I found some turkey from Thanksgiving.  Thawed that out in the microwave, tried giving it to her with big bites, nope.  So I pulled it apart and broke it into small pieces.  She ate the whole plate full.  I then gave her a can of Merrick Thanksgiving Dinner she ate the smaller pieces the bigger chunks she did not want.

I checked her mouth I do not see anything that would cause her not to want to chew.  Not sure what is going on there.  But going to try some boiled chicken.  She kinda did this when she was on IV Chemo.  I am wondering if sometimes if the Metronomics has the same affect as the chemo did when she was getting it?

Another couple of weeks & coming up on our 6th month ampuversary.  She is doing so well as far as moving around and activity wise and NO COUGHING.  I just get so worried about the eating knowing she has to eat.

This ampuversary is a big one for us.  5 months since her amputation and six months since the possible diagnosis.  Its hard to believe that.  What a journey we have been on.  Its been mostly ups and some downs.  The major thing I have learned in this journey is to love my baby every minute of every day because you never know when the evil “C” will strike the next blow.  We lost some long time survivors of this nasty disease and some that haven’t had it as long this past month.

This website Tripawds.com has been a life line for me.  Any concerns I can post a question and get an answer.  I can vent, curse & scream at cancer and I have the biggest bunch of cheerleaders behind me.  I know that as Sassy and I continue on our journey we have the greatest bunch of people behind us.  Thank you all.

Happy Ampuversary Baby Bear.  I know we will have many more because you are one fighter and your mom hasn’t given up any either.

Well today was our big day after one month on metronomics, blood works & urine still looks great.  Lungs sound great, no other lumps & bumps, heart sounds good.  Had x-rays done.  The smaller mets stayed about the same which is good.  The big ol bugger (which I wanted to use another word for) did grow.  Now, Dr Boyer said it was only 1 cm on each side which could be a lot worse.  Yes, I did cry but not hysterically just a few tears of disappointment.  I was hoping they all would shrink.  But looking at the positive side of this.  That lung met that is the biggest & all the others could have grown a lot, so what we are doing is slowing it down some.  We will continue to monitor to make sure there is no problems with breathing, drinking & eating.  Also watch for any coughing etc.

Am I disappointed, well a little because I am like everyone else that wants it to be completly gone.  But I am not going to let this set us back.  We are going to continue to do what we have been.  Monitor everything and see how it is going.  Now,  I am going to talk to my mom (who has been the biggest supporter of this whole process) about the next time we go in on May 7 if we do another xray or what.  I want to know but then I don’t.

So for now we are being positive and continue to pray everyday.

Michelle & Sassy

picture is April 8 ,2013

Barney comes with a bunch of things from some very special Tripawds.  Sassy wants to share some of our pictures that we took with them.  🙂

Sassy with Barney

Sassy with Butchey Hudsons slobbery Soccer Ball (we decided to keep this one. Sassy plays with it)

Angel Lupe’s Green Monster

Cooper’s turtle & Cubs Hat

Mackenzie’s Scarf

I caught Sassy smooshing Barney LOL

Well, Sassy, Bosch & I had a great time hosting Barney.  We did one special thing as a last horrah before sending him on to his next journey.  Secret Mission lol.  Barney got to go to Disney on Ice.  Sassy had to stay home but Barney snuck into my camera bag.  We had front row seats.  It was a great time.  Although, Grace, my 2 year old niece didn’t like Barney.  I tried to get a picture with her but she wasn’t having any of it.

Anyway, we had a fun time.  I think Sassy kinda misses the stinky fellow a little bit.  But we had fun and hope the next hosts of Barney has as much fun as we did.

as you can see Barney had to stick his head

Before the start of the show. ( my brother Marty & Grace)

Barney with the program for Disney on Ice

Barney Warming up with the dancers.

Well after the big day on Saturday we just had a quiet Sunday.  Barney got to be outside for a bit with Sassy & Bosch and he got a new shirt with a green tie on it for St Patricks Day.  We of  course added a few green beads.  So just a lazy day.   

Bosch with Barney 

Barney watching a squirrel

Sassy chewing on Barney a little (no damage done LOL)