Almost there~

I can't believe Lulu has been to the vet almost everyday for over a month. Also can't believe that in 17 of those times, she's been knocked out under anesthesia.

I had a short chat with her doctor today about the side effects and again he reminds me that it will continue to get worse over the next two weeks as radiation effects are typically delayed by 3-4 weeks. Her breathing will be more and more labored as more discharge (both wet and dry) starts building up in her nose and around her muzzle. He advised that we up her pain medication intake to 3x a day to help her knock out and sleep more.

He says she is walking slowly most likely due to being groggy on all of the medication but I still think she looks pained. Her mouth is the stinkiest ever but unfortunately we can't do anything to flush it out. We tried "forcing" her to drink some water but if a dog doesn't want water, there isn't much you can do.

For now all we can do is make sure she is as comfortable as possible when she's resting. She is pretty uncomfortable during the night and makes funky sounds. Most of the time she sounds like Darth Vader but she's also started this weird clicking sound in her throat, almost like her mouth is too dry as she tries to use it to inhale. Since I am a light sleeper, that means I have barely gotten any sleep over the last 3 nights. Also, she gets into sneezing fits that freak her out a little and she jumps up to sit as close to me as possible when she's not feeling well. Needless to say we've adopted a towel system to try to keep as little of her bloody mucus/discharge from spraying on our faces as possible.

She has 3 more radiation treatments left and will be discharged from radiation therapy on Wednesday. She will continue chemotherapy for the next 5 months. We'll welcome the less frequent vet visits!