This is Ansel. He is sound asleep, in Everett's bed. That is a down comforter you see, both underneath him, as well as on top of him. His basket, which is where he spends most of his time, is just to the left--you can see the rim of it in the photo. Everett does not have a basket--she's too big. The doggy bed, not visible under the comforter, was an L.L. Bean gift from my sister, Koren, many years ago. It is an extra-large, and we thought it was big enough for two dogs to share. It is--unless one of those dogs happens to be Everett.
This is where Ansel spends his time, when Everett is otherwise occupied. I wonder if this is the equivalent of a younger sibling stealing into an older sibling's room, ignoring the, DO NOT ENTER sign on the door?
Everett's first radiation treatment today happened without complication. The list of possible side effects is daunting, but so far she has not displayed any of them. Since I have so little experience with cancer, I keep having to remind myself that the effects tend to be cumulative, so side effects may not present for several weeks, or of course not at all. We are hoping for the latter.
As feared, the visible tumor has doubled in size. The treatment went on as planned, and the staff seemed to think all of this was perfectly normal. I am relying on them for guidance...they are the experts! Everett is in good hands. It was my decision not to do the radical surgery--it is my stand that I am not looking to prolong Everett's life. I am only seeking to make her as comfortable as possible, with her remaining time, and the staff has been wonderful and supportive, to a person.
So when they brought her out, she was again very wobbly on her feet. As the tech gave me the full briefing, Eve slowly sagged to the floor, as though her body thought it was time to sleep and forgot to tell her head. But the instant the tech and I stood up, she was ready for the door, and trotted out as though she had all of her senses with her. We went for a very short walk on campus, and I literally had to laugh out loud--she set the pace; she went cantering along the sidewalk, but when we stopped to cross the street, her body again sagged to the ground. Typical Everett with two speeds--full-bore or off, and nothing in between! We had a few staff members, outside walking other patients or enjoying a mild weather (mid-20's today!) break, who paid attention to her speeds. One actually laughed, but only after he saw that I was laughing too.
She is bleeding from her mouth. I cannot tell if it is from the tumor, or just from all the poking/prodding. She is still swaying on her feet so I don't want to strap her down and pry her mouth open to look. I am hopeful this is normal; I am hopeful that the tumor just had it's first hit of radiation and it is saying, "whoah--this is no place to multiply; we need to exit stage left!" and all the rapidly multiplying cells acknowledge their defeat.
It is already snowing and we are to receive 3 - 5 inches overnight and into tomorrow. I may work from home and keep an eye on the Little Girl. I found a penny, Lincoln side up, when I stepped out of my car at the University--I am thinking good thoughts and hoping all the good luck in the penny will help Eve to a speedy recovery. There are going to be rabbits to chase tomorrow, slowed by the new snow!
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