Jill's Journey

I decided that maybe Jill would warm up to Barney a little bit more if we snuggled up tonight to read the journals he came with.  So we curled up on the couch to read these beautiful stories that so many people have written before us.  Oh tears.  All these stories really hit home and just reinforced how lucky we are to have found this community.  It’s a community no one ever wants to be a part of, but if you find yourself in this situation, how lucky are we all to have each other?  We all have friends and family to talk to about everything we’re going through, and I have a WONDERFUL support system in my friends and family, but no one really knows what its like unless you’ve been in the situation yourself.  To watch your little one hurting and healing.  To be proud when they take their first steps again.  To be proud when they poop for the first time after surgery.  To feel pride when they jump on the bed for the first time again.  These are really only things we can all relate to.  Reading this journal only reinforced these feelings.  While some of the stories were hard to read, I took comfort in knowing that, at the time these pawrents were going through these hard times, they, no doubt, had this community to turn to.

ANYWAY…….Jill was really getting into the stories as well:

She liked the stories all right, but when I got to the beginning of journal #2, well she just became enamored.  See, that’s where we get to a description of Jerry, her new hero:

I can’t believe I hadn’t told her about Jerry until now! What was I thinking!?  I’m glad she now has another Tripawd to look up to.  I left the page open to Jerry’s page for a while so she could look at him and it seems she has bonded and fallen in love with him:

So the question is……..she’s bonded with Spirit Jerry apparently, but where does that leave us with Barney?  I figured, well the picture shows Jerry with Barney, so surely she’d like Barney now???  Maybe she wants a picture of her Hero with his Barney and her and Barney?

Nah.  This was as close to Barney as she wanted.  Maybe tomorrow she’ll be more interested…………………

Jill Here.

Yesterday I went back to see the fine folks at the Animal Medical Center for my chemo #2 appointment.  Mom told me I did really great on my test last Sunday and this is how they reward me?  Hmph.  I’m getting much more comfortable at AMC and I dont really miss my Mom too much when I go there, because I get to see my favorite vet Dr. Amber, she lets me give her the biggest hugs ever:

Now comes the bad part.  My very nice Nurse Maria (shes my favorite) who took care of me all day told my Mom my stupid veins are all squiggly or somethin’ because they just could not get that darn catheter in!  They need to give me my doxyrubeeekin (me thinks thats how you spell it) and it MUST GO IN THE VEIN she says! From now on, you tell those vets to take a JUG STICK!  WHAT!?!?  That sounds scary to me………Jug stick?!?! Where is my jug and will it hurt me???  Mom says no it will be ok, I have been through worse and gotten through it like a champ!

So off to home I go with all these new bald patches where they tried to get that catheter in (which they finally did by the way and I got my doxyrubeeekin).  I am very sleepy from all this activity and I just want a belly rub.  I was real thirsty when I got home so I had a large gulp of water and then went to bed on the couch next to Mom and passed out for the night.  Aunt Belle was really nice to me, even though she is a puppy, she knew to leave me alone.  Hopefully I will feel up to playing with her today.

Mom says, for her version of events, you can read it on the forums here:

https://tripawds.com/forums/treatment-and-recovery/jills-chemo-2-and-some-information-for-future-doxorubicin-patients/

Love,

A Very Sleepy Jill

………and he is just in time!  Today we celebrate Jill’s 2-month ampuversary!  He came for the PAWTY!  As you will soon see, I’m not sure she is so thrilled about this.  He does have quite the distinctive smell.

Barney came rollin’ into NYC last night.  Upon opening the box, the critters were very inquisitive.  What is this thing?  Why is it here?  He is he dropping his r’s and saying wicked pissa?  Why is he wearing that HIDEOUS dress?

Belle fell instantly in love with Barney and began ripping him apart (though I think Barney may weigh more than her) and trying to violate Barney (video to come at a later date).  It seems Belle’s love affair with her Lampchop is over.  Poor lampchop looking so sad in the background.

We need to change this accent and dress situation QUICKLY.  So Barney got a change of attire and Jill had a little chat with the purple monster and I do believe by the time he departs NY, he’ll be offering me some CAWfee.  Being that Barney was sent here for Jill, I really did try my best to get her to warm up to him, I did.  But. She really isn’t too fond of his, um, Eau de Doggie.  I left them to snuggle today on the couch and am hoping when I get home from work today they will have bonded.  She will need all the love he carries with him for tomorrow as she has chemo #2.  I am so proud that we get to host Barney.  I can’t wait to show him the sites of the BIG  CITY!!!!!

Here are some pics of Jill and Barney “bonding”:

OH DEAR GOD WHAT IS THAT ODOR

Hi Everypawdy!  Just a short post here – Took Jilly Bean today for a blood test to make sure her White Blood Cell count is ok to have her second round of chemo on Wednesday, because as you know it was too low last time.  Anywhoo…..It was the first time being back at our regular vet since she got her stitches out, which was two weeks post amputation.  They were all so excited to see her hop around the waiting room.  The vet tech came to take her to the back to do her blood work and next thing I know, two of the nurses came out asking if I would take their pictures with her hugging them……clearly all this poking and prodding REALLY bothers Jill.

I’ve been looking for a project to spice up Jill’s blog and MANY THANKS to my friends in the chat room for coming up with the following idea (I take absolutely no credit).

OK, so here is the mission!

Before Jill’s one-year ampuversary on 12/12/13 (god willing) I would like to have her receive a get well postcard from ALL FIFTY STATES (state themed postcards please)

I will post them all on her blog and then once we get them all make a map of them!  Jill’s Grandpaw and Grandmaw have GENEROUSLY agreed to donate $1 per postcard we receive ($1 a state, so please don’t send me 100 per state lol) to tripawds.com! *UPDATE* Jill’s Aunt Farrah (her human aunt, my human sister, not her Aunt Belle the puppy) has agreed to match Grandpaw and Grandmaw’s donation!  So that’s $2/postcard!!

So please help us and send her your best wishes for a speedy and easy recovery!

You can send the postcard to:

Jill Berse

c/o Erica Berse

333 W 56th Street, Apt. 9J

New York, NY 10019

WE CAN DO IT!

Jill Here.  Mom is too busy to type right now, she is making some bean dip & catnip.  Yeah.  Right.  I love my mama, but a gourmet chef she is not.  She pours a mean bag of iams though!

I was so excited to wake up today because Mom told me we were gonna have a big pawty for the superbowl!  We love football and I was so excited to cheer on the boys in the green and white.   Then my Mom tells me, “Jilly honey, I am sorry to tell you they wont be in the superbowl tonight.”  Say what!?  She says “they stinks”.  Hmph.

So we decided to play all day and watch some puppy bowl and the kitten halftime show instead!  This was my first time watching the puppy bowl with Aunt Belle and she had a grand ole time:

She was pretty good at gettin’ the hang of playing some football, which is a relief, because when she was just a wee little puppy, we tried REALLY hard to get her to understand, since we are a football lovin’ family, but well, here’s how that went:

So as you can see, this is a VAST improvement from her first superbowl.  I am so proud of her and we are having so much fun!  Mom says she is so proud that I am running around playing today like I haven’t been through nuthin’ at all.  I dont know what she means really.  I feel just fine so what exactly have I been through?  I’m not gonna question her, I’m just going to keep taking these extra treats she keeps giving me………..

Jill Here.

I am coming to you live from the Animal Medical Center in NY, NY.  They usually don’t let you have a computer in here, but I’ve been sitting around with nothing to do since 8am.  It’s pretty rude actually.  No one has rubbed my belly in a few hours.  The food is not as good as my food at home and it smells funny here, not as good as my Mama.  But I digress.

Today started out with my mama rudely awakening me and putting me in that case again.  I clung on to her for dear life (never know when they’re going to take another appendage off your body), but she eventually got me in there.  Off we went for a nice taxi ride.

Next thing I know, Mom is gone!  They are poking, prodding, weighing.  What the!? She didnt even say goodbye.  Rude.

Few hours go by, lots of the nice people rub my belly and I give them all lots of hugs and still nothing is happening.  Nothing.  Nothing………..

I overhear this nice doctor lady say something about “no chemo today” “white blood cells too low” “neutrophils 390, should be 2,500-12,000”.  I think she is talking to my Mama, because on the other end of the phone I hear a hysterical person.  Um, MOM…….maybe if you would’ve TOLD ME there was a test today, I would’ve studied and then I wouldn’t have FAILED.

More belly rubs…..so my mom brought me here for belly rubs?  All the nice nurses and doctors say no chemo today Jill, we will see you in two weeks instead.

I think I can have my chemo today.  Don’t they know I am supurrrrrrrrrcat?!?!?

Jill Here!

Hi Everypawdy!

My Mommy came home last night with a very excellent surprise.  My Aunt Belle is here to visit with us for SIX WHOLE WEEKS!  Aunt Belle is Mommy’s sister, my Grandpaw and Grandmaw’s baby girl.  I love her so much.  Sometimes she can be a little bit of a pain in my butt, because she likes to chase my tail and pin it down, but we have a lot of fun playing together.  Its silly that she is  my aunt because she is just 1 1/2 years old and I am 8 years old.  When I first met her I was a little bit afraid of her because she barks barks barks.  I realized after a while that that was just because she wanted to play with me.  I try to make her feel comfortable at my house because I know she misses her Mommy and Daddy a lot.  My mommy says Grandpaw and Grandmaw went to a place called Flahridah, she says some of you may know it better as Floordiduh.  I heard its warm there and they should have taken all of us because here it is cold cold cold!  It’s a good thing my aunt Belle came to snuggle with me.

I am so excited to have a long visit with aunt Belle.  She likes to eat my food though, instead of hers.  So between my fat brudder and her, I may not get near that food bowl at all!  Here are some pictures of me and my favorite doggy and a video of her being a pain in my tail.

xoxo,

Jill

Aunt Belle. No Bigger than a size 8 shoe!

Me and Aunt Belle love to facetime with each other when she is at her house

Napping Together

Jill Here.

Guys.  My fellow Tripawds.  I need your help.

My Brudder Jack has taken over my spot next to Mommy on the blankie.  It was a really bad night last night.  I tried to get him off it, but he is a fat tub of lard and I can’t moves him.  I tried to fight him but heres the thing.  My Mommy’s friend bought me this new toy to play with and it has this stuff in it that makes you feel reallllly good and fun and makes me wiggle all around.  Well my brudder took that from me too and wont give it back and now all he does is lay on MY blankie next to MY mommy and play with MY new toy.

Mommy says I have to let him for now because I’ve been getting all the attention and when we go to bed I get to snuggle with her anyway.  But doesn’t he know it’s my blankie?  Here is my evidence, you be the judge:

Fat.

Wow! One month already?  I can’t believe how fast that went!

She is doing so great – I honestly don’t even remember what she was like on four legs and I don’t think she does either!  I think the best lesson I’ve learned over the last month is to take my lead from Jill.  She’ll let me know when she’s ready to do things.  Her hair is growing in pretty slowly, but her scar looks AH-Mazing.  I love that little stump of hers and give it little kisses when it starts to twitch and it calms right down.  She has so much energy and, as discussed in one of the forums, I swear her fur is the shiniest and softest I’ve ever seen it.  I really think it’s from getting that NASTY NASTY cancer outta her.  I know we have a far road to travel and I still catch my breath whenever I hear her make any sort of noise that might be a cough (it never is…), but she just seems to be doing so great so far.  I refuse to get my hopes up this time though, because I think I got a little full of myself after we amputated her toe and I thought we were in the clear!

So onto another month where we’ll have another round of chemo on 1/29 (this time will be the doxorubicin, I have to look that up everytime I need to spell it!).  I’ve heard that one causes more side effects, so we’ll see, but so far she handled round one like a pro.  She is just such a good little kitty.  All she really cares about is whether or not someone is rubbing her belly and she’s happy.

Here are some pics from her one month photo shoot and a picture of her scar at one month.  I’ve also included a video I took last night to show how lightning fast she is on three legs when I shake the bag of treats.  Well, oopsie, she jumped a tad bit too soon to get on the couch, but that didnt stop her, she got right back up and onto the couch for her treats!

Until next time,

Erica and Jill (and Jack!!)

Scar? What Scar?

I just love this pic of her for some reason, really shows her fun personality