All about the animals

 Well... I still have one drain in and we are going on one month now since surgery. I am almost afraid to have it removed, as the areas where the other two drains were located are slowly refilling with fluid. But I am getting used to having this thing attached to me. It hurts sometimes, but mostly I notice it when dealing with my pets.

Michele and I have a number of pets- all rescues. First there is Sam, our oldest cat. She is 19 years old. Sam is my baby. When I am home, she is glued to my lap the second I sit down. Ever since my diagnosis, Sam and I have clocked some serious sitting and cuddling time. She has learned to avoid the tubes every since the first time she got her foot stuck, stretched and found herself catapulted out of my lap as I screamed and jumped around the table in pain.

Next in age is Cleopatra, my 12 yr old chow mix. She is too short to reach any of my sore parts, but creates issues for me because she has become incontinent. Last thing a sick person needs is to be constantly mopping up dog pee, but she can't help it. I did learn from this daily mopping exactly how much you really use your chest muscles when you mop.

Then there is Psycho Kitty, AKA Picasso, at age 7. The name says a great deal. We see her only when she wants to be fed, and sometimes when she has her crazy on and is running down the hall chasing aliens. Nothing in her life has changed. I honestly don't think she even realizes that humans are not just some figment of her little psychotic brain, because the looks she gives us are the same look she has when she is chasing those invisible aliens.

Makuna rounds out the indoor kitty collection at age 3. She is a Maine Coon and lucky for us, she is small for her breed. At over three feet in length from nose to tail tip, Mac has had to earn that I am no longer able to let her use me for a jungle gym. She can't knead at my chest, walk on my shoulders, or sleep on me in bed. Weighing in at over 10lbs, I can't lift her with my right arm, so her cuddle time is limited. Poor neglected baby.

Boston

Buddy

Then come my boys, Boston and Buddy (3 and 2 yrs old). They have been the funniest part of my illness. They were protective to begin with, but when I started Chemo, both became obsessed with protecting me. When I came home with the drains, it just got worse. They can smell the blood and it has them both very upset. Obviously, Mommy is hurt, but we can't see where, or who did it, so NO ONE is allowed to be near Mommy. Not Michele. Not Cleo. No one is allowed near me. So we are not allowing visitors to the house. Also, the boys are wild with Michele, jumping, running and just being the active dogs they are. With me... I hold my hand up and say no... they settle as much as two terrier breeds can settle. But they create unique challenges too. I can't walk them on a leash, because I don't have the strength right now to control them. Putting them out on tie out chains is just as much fun though because in their excitement, they pull away as I am trying to put the lead on them. Yep... Bully breeds can be a great upper body work out.

But regardless of how much work they create, they have been a blessing. I feel their love and concern every day. I watch them as they learn how to interact with me without hurting me. I love how they comfort me and protect me. If you ever wondered if there is some greater power in this world, look into your pets eyes. That constant love and forgiveness is all the proof I ever need.

October 2011

September and October were really busy at house. See... in August someone came in our yard and stole the lawnmower. I didn't really think anything about it being missing because mom borrowed it constantly, so when she called two days later and asked to come pick it up, I was startled. Two days later, the leaf blower was gone. Now, let me explain something. We have dogs. Big dogs. We had, at that time, a Shepard mix, a Chow mix and an American Stafford-shire Terrier ( often confused with a Pitt Bull). So, someone came in the yard past three huge dogs and stole lawn equipment on two separate days. Of course I called the police and the insurance company.

The insurance company sent out an adjuster. Three days later, we get a notice that our policy was being canceled because we own restricted breeds. We never knew that our 10yr old Shepard, the 11yr old Chow and the 4yr old AmStaff were restricted. Immediately we start insurance shopping. The only companies out there that will insure you with "restricted" breeds are State Farm and some company that doesn't operate in our state. State Farm offered to insure us, but only if we did some massive renovations on the house. So we started calling window companies and subcontractors. Meanwhile, I began tearing up our 12 yr old Jasmine that was growing up the walls, and pulling the vines off our outbuilding. Lucky me... in the vines happened to be a great deal of poison ivy and I was covered in a rash.

September started with tearing up the exterior of the house. We replaced facia boards, replaced all the windows in the house, replaced exterior shingles, built new supports for the porch. We had exterminators out to treat for termites. The house was repainted. The window frames were replaced. The stove broke and it was replaced. The fridge broke and it was repaired. I battled the poison ivy and had rash after rash.
Finally I had to visit the doctor because the rash just would not go away.The doctor assured me it was not poison ivy. It was Mastitis and she gave me antibiotics.

Since I had just turned 40, she also sent me for my first mammogram. I have no history of breast cancer. We have had two grandmothers die of other forms of cancer, but there have been no other cases. Also, I am large breasted and I frequently have fibrous lumps form and go away. So I went for the exam. The next day, they call back. I have some abnormalities, so we need a biopsy. It's probably nothing is what the nurse tells me. Did I mention that it is now October, which just happens to be Breast Cancer month? I go in for my biopsy. On October 12 I got the call to come for my results. It's breast cancer. Not just any breast cancer... it's Inflammatory Breast Cancer.

I have never heard of this cancer at this point. How does a person go from poison ivy rash to mastitis to breast cancer? I thought breast cancer was a lump in your breast and I do my self checks regularly. This is insane! I don't even feel sick, so how on earth can I have cancer???

Michele of course looks up IBC on the internet. It's rare. It's fast moving. It's average life expectancy is 5 years.  What??? 5 years? That can't be right.... I'm supposed to be that crazy old cat lady and I am destined to not even make it to age 50?