Vote for Kari!!

I entered Anna's husky in the Hallmark Christmas Dog contest! Please visit the website and vote for her!

http://www.hhofdogcontest.com/

Scroll down to Cast your Vote and click on that link. Do a search for Sakara and then please vote for her! You can enter a vote every day until 12/15/09! The grand prize is $1,000 which we'd like to give to the local dog park!!

Here's the picture I entered, taken by Anna two years ago.....

Ain't she a beauty? We love her and Alleyah! Thanks for your votes! Don't forget to watch the Hallmark movie Sunday night 11/29 "A Dog Named Christmas"......

It's a struggle to get this under control

Burt's sugar dropped suddenly last Friday while he was driving, he hit a tree and totalled the pickup. Luckily he was not hurt badly. He does not remember what happened. Last thing he remembers he was at McDonald's eating lunch. At today's doctor's visit they discovered a blood clot in his right arm. Whether it's from the chemo, the accident, or what they don't know. We go back Monday to see if it's still there, he may have to have the chemo port removed.

Here's hoping everything goes ok and it's gone by Monday.

Back to the chemo chair again....

Today is Burt's first day back in the chemo chair after three weeks off. The drug Gemzar, one hour once a week for 4 months. Three weeks on, one week off. Hopefully it'll all be done by mid-February. He needs to take it easy and not tire himself out. Especially with all the germs going around now. Why won't that man get a flu shot like everyone else???

Visit with the oncologist....

Visit went well! CT scan looks good, does not look like cancer has spread! Now Burt starts chemo again, the Gemzar, for four months. One day a week for one hour. Three weeks on, one week off. If all goes well he should be done by mid-February. Something to look forward to!

Radiation is done and over with!

Burt had his last radiation treatment this morning! The infusion pump with the chemo bag was removed yesterday. I think he had his first really good sleep last night! No more wearing the pump and carrying it everywhere. Whew!

Now we have three weeks off before starting the next round of chemo. He has to get a CT scan and a complete blood workup before that will start. Mean while, we will savor the freedom of no doctor's visits, no treatments......time to celebrate!

A cause for celebration!

Burt celebrated his 62nd birthday Saturday! We all went down to the SkipJack Cove for dinner. We were supposed to eat outside on the porch but of course, the weather would not cooperate, gave us a little rain showers. The old man looks good, huh? He's now officially a Senior Citizen! We forgot to ask for a 10% (senior citizen) discount on the meal.....

The kids all went together and got their father a CD collection of Oldies but Goodies, so when we got back to the house it was dance time!

A great day for everyone, wish those days happened more often, but when they do happen, we cherish them!

On a more serious note, tomorrow (Wednesday) Burt get's the last bag of chemo for the infusion pump! He has to wear it until next Wednesday and then no more pump! Radiation will end October 8th so we will have a real cause for celebration next week! He has two weeks off and then starts another round of chemotherapy, one hour once a week for three weeks and off a week. We repeat that one more time and hopefully....hopefully we will be finished with all this!!

An unwanted change....

Well, I guess it was bound to happen sooner rather than later. Taking the radiation and chemo, Burt's sugar is now sorta out of control again. Dr. S today told him he needs to take shots of insulin to keep his sugar under control. So depressing. We have all the stuff.... pen, needles, vials of insulin, but haven't used it yet. I wish he had to do the first one at the doctor's office. They just told him how to do it and how much to use and sent him home. I am not much help, don't like needles any more than he does but I guess I'm going to have to learn how to give the shots in case he can't do it himself at some time....

He's supposed to give himself the shots in the stomach, but there's not much fat there so he may have to use the thigh. Can't use the arm because of too many veins. The needles are not long, maybe 1/2 an inch.

Tomorrow is day 14 of the radiation so he's half way through. Only 14 more days to go if everything goes ok. Once he's done radiation, he'll have two weeks off, no bag, no pump, no chemo, no nothing. I really think he's looking forward to that!