My Next Milestone...

Luckily, it isn't so far away...May 4th is mine and Castle's Gotcha Day. Almost twelve years ago we were Gotcha'd by Meowmie L and Meowmie J. I'll tell you more about our gotcha day on May 4th...

I didn't fancy going to the Vet Place at all today, and it took Meowmie a while to find me this morning, but she got me in the end...I wonder where she found me?



My scan results are not good at all. Not only do I have a bald tummy again but my lymphoma has come back...and not just in one place either. It is on an intestinal loop, one of my lymph nodes and there is some just behind and outside my stomach. Each mass is about 1-2cms big, they are not pushing on anything though, they are just there, unwanted. Ben Vet said he was very upset and holding back the tears when he saw the scan images. He also told Meowmie that he was thinking about us all last night and hoping so much that it was just poo. I am so lucky to have Ben as my vet...

I have four options open to me:

1) One theory suggests that you should treat the lymphoma with the drugs that worked first time round. My protocol was the heavy-going Madison Wisconsin protocol, which included Doxyrubicin (hard-hitting), Cyclophosphamide and Vincristine on rotation (with Prednisolone steroid every other day). It means weekly visits to the Vet Place, day-stays every other week and can be quite intense. Even though I sailed through it first time around, Ben Vet thinks it may not be appropriate so has suggested the COP protocol which is similar to the Mad Wis, but does not include the heavy-hitting Doxyrubicin drug and does not involve day-stays cos the Cyclophosphamide will be in tablet form and not administered intravenously as on the Mad Wis...I would still need to visit Ben Vet weekly though.

2) Leukeran and Prednisolone steroid combination. I was meant to take leukeran as a maintenance drug after my Mad Wis protocol but it made me ill so we had to stop it. It may have made me ill because it was so soon after the Mad Wis protocol, it could possibly not make me ill this time round. Not sure it is worth the risk though.

3) Combination of Vincristine and L-asparaginase drugs. Can cause kidney failure. Ben Vet has had one patient, similar to me who had come out of remission, they treated the cat with this and he did indeed end up getting kidney failure and passed away. This protocol could be amended though to minimise the risk of kidney failure. Also, this protocol is more appropriate as a last effort rescue remedy and should be saved for when all other options run out.

4) Do nothing - manage any nausea and pain with the relevant drugs until the time is right for me to go to the Bridge.

Meowmie asked Ben Vet what sort of time we had left as a family. Ben Vet didn't want to put numbers on it cos, as we know, numbers are just numbers and I have already exceeded expectations once before. However, with pushing, Ben Vet said that with treatment "maybe a few months, could be more, could be less". Bugger :(

Whilst my Meowmies spent a few hours absorbing the info Ben Vet did some further research and called up some of the country's leading oncologists (Susan North who runs this VRCC and Jane Dobson who is a Head of Service and lecturer in Veterinary Oncology at the University of Cambridge) to seek their opinions. He explained the situation (without putting any words into their mouths) and it was suggested that Option Number One - the COP protocol as Ben Vet originally advised us - is the way forward for now.

So, tomorrow morning we all climb aboard the Chemo Rollercoaster once again as I head back to see Ben Vet for the first step of the COP protocol (Vincristine). Hopefully the ride will last for a while...without too many ups and downs and without making me feel ill...

As an aside, we are also trying to determine whether it is nausea or pain that is making me off colour, so yesterday Ben Vet gave me an anti-nausea drug to see how it helped me (slightly sleepy last night, not a great appetite, but ate, bright this morning) and today I have had an opiate to control any pain I might be feeling. I must say, I have been brighter on the opiate drug and ate as soon as I got home today, but I am bit zonked now as should be expected. Meowmie will monitor me more this evening and let Ben know how I get along so we can at least try to get the right drugs into me so I can get back to my old self. This is me right now, on opiates chilling with Buddha maaaan!



THANK YOU ALL for coming by, my Meowmies have been very upset today, making all my furs wet with their tears!!! Your well wishes really do strengthen us and make us feel strong and hopeful. It is wonderful to know that so many of you care...it is quite humbling..what a great bunch of people you are xxx