I am happy to hear that he is doing better. Fawkes had us all especially worried today. Our thoughts are with you and Fawkes, Gina.

Thank you for the update, Peggy! That is good news to hear, thoughts and prayers are still it you both, Gina.

What a HUGE relief! Thanks for letting us know, Peggy

Thanks for posting Peggy - and can I just say, to you all here at GC, MAN YOU GUYS KNOW HOW TO PRAY!!!

If I hadn't been there last night to witness it myself, I would think it had never happened. When I picked Fawkes up, he was munching on a carrot and looking at me like I was out of my mind for being sick with worry all day!

She said they turned the oxygen off around noon - I got there at around 5:30pm and he was doing just fine. She said he had been out & about, drinking out of his water bottle & picking through the veggies I had left for him.

She also said that she had noticed about a 30% decrease in the size of his main tumor. I had thought that it looked smaller, but since I see him every day, it was a gradual change for me. Now keep in mind that this is just since last Thursday that he had the Elspar injection, so it has not even been a full week yet.

He will start back on his prednisone on Friday evening, on the lower dose.

Another note - when we were discussing what could be causing the cough, she said that if I had made him aspirate the pred & we did an x-ray to try to see it, the aspirate pnemonia would be indeciferable from any tumors that he may have in the area. Just food for thought...

Also, she said that typically in lymphoma, the tumors are discrete, meaning they will move around freely - so if one were, say, pushing on the wind pipe, it could possibly be manipulated a bit to ease the discomfort. However, Fawkes' main tumor is fixed, it doesn't move, and has been like this since the beginning. His smaller tumor does move around. More trivia...

We dodged a bullet last night, here's hoping the treatment will continue to shrink the tumors so we don't have to go through that again!

Fawkes is resting now - when we got home, he explored the rept for a few before returning to his slipper pouch, where he is currently insisting he sleep by himself (just since last night). I have not put his magnets in there because I'm worried that they'll snap together on him - I've snapped them together on myself several times, and it does not feel good - I actually have a scar from the first time (I have been much more careful since then)!

Hoping his wheel will get here in the next couple days so he can get to spinning!

Wow......what a great day!!!!!!..............................yes the power of prayer is amazing!! Thanks for making my day!!!

Gina, I am so sorry to hear you are going through this yet I am overjoyed to hear that Fawkes is doing well without the aid of oxygen and is playing and eating normally. You are a wonderful glider mom and it shows! Many hugs are sent your way!


Jen

Go Fawkes GO!! yahooooooooo!!

Gina, I'm so relieved that Fawkes is doing better. I hope he continues to improve. Many hugs and prayers for you both.

Thank you for such great news! I needed that smile. Prayers continue for Fawkes and you!

I couldn't get online to even look until just now-been so worried all night! What a relief! Go Fawkes!

Well, last night we had another scare...

I came home from work and went in to check on Fawkes. He was in the Elfin House with his family, which was great because he had been sleeping by himself for a couple of days. He was breathing normally at the time. I grabbed a few yogies & stuck my hand back in the pouch to pass them out to the group - he snagged one & started munching - and then I heard it...he started coughing & gasping for air!

I pulled him out of the pouch & called Dr. Kate. She said the depo shot would not be fully effective until Fri (today), that was really all we could do - she had nothing left to offer him.

I was at the point of deciding to put him down last night because he was literally gasping for breath & sometimes not getting any.

Dr. Kate told me to give him a couple drops of his cough syrup and put him back in his rept & then leave him alone - not to go in there, let him see or hear me at all for about an hour - then to go back in & see if he was still having trouble. She wanted to see if my emotional state was contributing to his stress level & ability to calm down.

I did what she asked.

When I went back in an hour to check on him, he was breathing normally & running in his wheel. I sat there & talked to him & then picked up the phone to call Dr. Kate.

The longer I was in there, the louder his breathing got, and eventually, he started gasping again. So I left, and sat outside the door very quietly listening - again, he calmed right down and started running in his wheel like nothing was wrong.

This is what I think is going on:

I think that the "attacks" are stress reactions to ME, primarily because I have been forcing him to take meds that he doesn't like. I also think that the reason he had such a long attack the other night is because I never left him alone. I was with him all night, trying to get him to calm down & sadly, I was just making it worse.

I am supposed to start giving him his pred again tonight, and this seriously scares me now that I have come to this realization.

I don't know what to do - obviously the treatment was working if Dr. Kate noticed a 30% decrease in the size of that tumor. And for it to continue to work, he needs the pred. We need the tumor to keep shrinking in order to stop the airway restriction.

How do I make sure he gets his pred without scaring him into a coughing fit?

I am so sorry that your going through this. Is there any one else that can medicate him so he quits associating the meds with you.

Otherwise you will have to medicate him and then leave the room so he will calm down. Does he eat mealies or anything you would put the prednisone in?

I really wish I could help you.

Gina, we have a little girl, Sweet Pea that has seizures so I know what you are going through with Fawkes not being able to breathe. It's the scariest thing to see!

Ask your vet if he can have valium before the meds to calm him down. Sweet Pea had to have it a couple of times.

I wish I could give him the meds for you. I know how stressed out and scared you are.

HUGS

I think Feather's idea is a good one, but I also wonder if there is a way you can put yourself in a calm relaxed state before trying to medicate him. (Sorry if this sounds impossible, but I watch "The Dog Whisperer" on TV.) It seems your mental state, or energy, can be easily transmitted to your pet.

Maybe you should take the valium.

I'm so sorry you have to go through this. Mine have never had lymphoma, but they've had other long term problems and had to be medicated.
Keep up the good work, hang in there.

I'll try it Linda, I'm just so scared to even get him out right now. I put the magnets back in his pouch this morning since he is finally sleeping with his family again in the Elfin House.

Luckily, the dose of pred that he is supposed to get tonight is only half of what he was getting, so hopefully it won't be as big of a problem. I am still just so worried that it will trigger another attack, no matter how small the dose.

I will try to do the magnets without removing him from his pouch - hopefully it will reduce the stress if he doesn't see me & gets to stay in his hiding place.

I sure need one!

He is not eating any bugs right now, not even the moths he once went crazy for. If I had something that I could count on him to eat, then I would definatly put it in food - but his eating is just so finicky that I don't want to risk turning him off of food again by "tainting" the flavor of the few things he is eating - does that make sense? He pretty much will only eat veggies and yogies right now...

Of course I haven't tried pudding since the whole herbal ordeal...I could try that & see if he likes the junk food enough to eat it on his own. The pred is raspberry flavor, so I bet it would taste pretty good in the pudding..hmmm...

Good idea!

I'm sitting here trying to think of things I'd give mine when they got picky. I know they love corn and watermelon. Fortunately, mine still like mealies. I'm really sorry I can't be of more help.

I'm sure your fridge is overstocked with yummy glider stuff.

What do you think about warming some of his favorites (NOT the bugs! lol).
Maybe the added aroma will stimulate his appetite.

I just talked to my mom - I had her go stand by Fawkes' rept & listen quietly for a bit since I'm at work & can't be there to check on him.

She said she didn't hear anything - so it looks good for now.

I'm still so nervous about tonight's meds, I hope I can chill out so Fawkes doesn't pick up on my energy...

would your mom or someone be willing to give fawkes the medicine? I know you don't want to trust it to someone else but if you are willing then maybe you can get back to where fawkes doesnt stress when you are around and you can take care of his other needs just a thought here let me know if I'm crazy

I will call you on my break at 2:30 Linda - TY

Well, I think simply getting the meds will probably trigger an attack. They were making him cough a little bit before the full blown attacks started.

My mom is deathly afraid of the gliders - there is no one else. Even if mom sucked it up enough to do it, I don't think I'd trust her to do it right. I'm not trying to be mean, but medicating a glider is a lot different than medicating a dog or cat. They are very wiggly and their bites/scratches hurt a lot more. They can aspirate a lot easier - you can't hold them on their backs. I think mom would hold him wrong, get bit, and drop him...the instant pre-play is already running in my head...

ok just thought I would ask. I realize that it is different as I had to medicate ariel for 5 months. But I was just hoping that there might be someone to help. I would if I was closer but I dont think my arms will reach that far lol.

Gina you had mentioned Dr. Kate gave him an injectable steroid the other day and it lasts for a few days. Can they not just give him that instead of you having to force the oral one. You could take him in and they could give it this way YOU are not the bad person giving the meds he does not like. Plus he would get them every few days and not every day. If they are giving it SQ then maybe they can show you how to give it as it is fairly easy to give a shot SQ and he gets it all and you will not have a fear of aspirating him. Just a thought.

I am not sure, but I believe the depomedrol can only be given every 3-4 weeks. My cat has to have it for her asthma & I think that's what her vet told me. I will ask Dr. Kate, but I think its something that stays in the system for a long time. Plus, the pred is something that is supposed to work hand in hand with the Elspar. I don't think you can switch out one steroid for the other in this treatment.