Chemo, What's it Good for?

Sydney has officially been on chemo for two weeks now. To be honest, it seemed to be going rather well. No major side effects, except for a slight upset stomach. This being evident from many of Sydney's actions and the intense rumbling we could hear coming from her stomach, none of which actually ended in vomiting, thankfully. We picked up a new medicine to help coat her stomach. That seems to have helped with the stomach upset, given that there is no more grass eating or excessive gulping.

We have really felt positive these last two weeks, and I have to admit that is no small feat given what we went through with Katie in the end. Sydney's first chemo blood work was done on Friday. We weren't even worried about how it was going to turn out. This girl has always handled every medical problem that has come her way, and there have been plenty of those. Needless to say, we were a little disappointed. Her red blood cell count has dropped slightly, so she is anemic. Her BUN (blood urea nitrogen) has gone up. It has only gone up slightly, but I am terrified that those numbers will only continue to deteriorate. After Katie, I have a firm grasp on what an increase in BUN means. Sydney's is only 6 points above normal, whereas Katie's was well over 100 points above normal in the end. Regardless, I have a sense of deja vu.

Because it is apparent that Sydney's body cannot handle her current does of chemo, we have cut her current dose in half and will recheck her blood in a week. I am hopeful that her numbers will return to normal, but it is difficult to remain optimistic. Additionally, we have to hope that this smaller dosage is enough to keep the cancer from spreading.

There are only three weeks until my blonde bear turns 15. I have never wished more for such a milestone. A lot can happen in three weeks, but no matter what, I know that we are so lucky that she has been our rock for so long.