Emerging

We have had a very difficult week and even more difficult weekend. Sumis has had a hard time adjusting to the phenobarb. It has erased an already fragile mental connection she had to reality. On Thursday when I took Sumis to her chemo appointment, she was too weak to even sit up on her own. I knew objectively that this was a normal side effect of the phenobarb but it knocked the wind out of me to watch. I asked the oncologist if she thought we should continue. She told me that we should continue, that we would really know where things stand soon. She also said that despite the spinal tap results she suspected that the lymphoma had invaded Sumis' central nervous system. If it had been just a stroke we should be seeing some recovery and the fact that we hadn't made her fairly sure of this diagnosis. So, we altered Sumis' chemo protocol to include a drug that will cross the blood brain barrier. Lucky for Sumis this drug is oral, so no needles this week beyond her blood draw. The oncologist also said that lymphoma in the cns is "exquisitely" responsive to radiation treatment. She said that it often only takes a couple of treatments to completely "dry the cancer out." Before we give up, she told me, we will try some radiation. We had a little scare while waiting to check out. Sumis began to posture the way animals do when they are about to go into cardiac arrest. I panicked and nearly the entire oncology department came to the rescue. It turned out she was straining to poop! Needless to say, I felt pretty silly.

Friday Sumis was still very lethargic. Saturday, Sumis spent the entire, and by entire I do NOT exaggerate, day pacing. She had not pooped since Thursday and I could feel a pearl-like necklace of poop backed up in her abdomen (sorry for the details). By Saturday afternoon, I realized that Sumis was uncomfortable and constipated. So, we gave her some subcutaneous fluids and laxatone to try to help things along. Finally, Sumis collapsed in my arms late Saturday night. She slept a few hours before returning to her pacing. Sunday morning I awoke to Sumis vomiting. When I went to investigate, she was straining so hard to poop that she was making herself sick. At that point, my significant other administered an enema and had to manually remove some feces. Sumis felt so much better after this. She was finally able to rest comfortably. Throughout the rest of the day, Sumis was able to poop on her own.

Since emerging from the phenobarb fog, the constipation and the latest round of chemo, Sumis actually seems much better. She asked for chin rubs and head butts this morning and when she got them started purring. She is still not out of the woods yet, but I am farther away from the decision I thought was imminent yesterday.