"Buster" News & Other Chatter

I have a few other things to include in this post besides "Buster" news, so it's going to be a little of a mix this time. Please bear with me...

We took "Buster" back last week to have his staples removed, so he no longer has to stay in a pen/crate. So where does he sleep now??? In the pen!!! He seems to like his new "home." LOL He is quite the boy!!!

Yesterday, Stosh and I took him back to Greenville for a consultation to see if chemo would do him any good. His liver mass came back as benign, but the bowel tumor and lymph node were both malignant. The oncologist said he was a good candidate for chemo, and I asked, "When can he start?" She replied, "How about today?" I said, "Let's do it!!!" So we had to leave him there all day, as he needed another abdominal ultrasound before the chemo could be administered. We came home and then went back to Greenville to pick him up at 5:30.

Cats do amazingly well with chemo, usually no upset stomach or diarrhea as humans experience. He received an injection of Zofran for nausea, as a precautionary measure, and they also sent him home with medication for nausea to be given every 12 hours. This same med will also help keep his appetite strong. There is no guarantee that the chemo will help his type of cancer, but we are praying that it will give him more time. I was over to check on him this afternoon and to feed him again. Nothing wrong with his appetite yet! He has to be secluded for 48 hours and not allowed to be around "Sweet Pea" during that time. They cannot share the same litterbox, and after the 48 hours is over, his litterbox must be emptied and washed with soap and hot water. We were instructed to use rubber gloves to scoop his litter clumps, as the chemo is excreted through the urine and stool for 48 hours. It all has to be double bagged in plastic bags and removed from the home immediately.

Today, he met me when I opened the bonus room door. He cried and cried, as he wanted out. I told him one more day, and then he could come out. Poor little fella, he doesn't understand why he's being kept alone...first the pen and now alone in a room. I stayed there with him for awhile, and he ate quite well and then curled up to take a nap.

I stayed with him last night until my daughter got home from work. Obviously, the vet hospital had kept him in his carrier all afternoon with no access to a litterbox, and when I went to move him from the carrier to his pen, the beach towel in his carrier was wet. So when my daughter arrived home, we gave him a good bath! He smelled nice and clean when we got done with him! I never gave a thought to wearing rubber gloves, so I was exposed to the chemo! So far, so good...no symptoms do I have...yet! The paperwork they sent home stated that more is excreted through the stool than in the urine.

"Buster" and "Sweet Pea" have been bosom buddies since 1995. I'm sure you all remember "Sweet Pea" from previous posts a couple of months ago when she had her surgery and radiation treatments. She is clear of all cancer at this time. Next week, she will have chest x-rays as part of her monthly check-up. If her cancer does happen to return, it more than likely will show up in her lungs, the oncologist said. This veterinary specialists' place is really state of the art! They have a high success rate, so we are shooting for 3 out of 3 now, since "Buster" is the third cat we've had there in the past couple of months. The other two are doing very well yet! I will keep you all posted on his progress. Please keep the prayers going out for him. Thanks!

"SWEET PEA"



A HEAVY RAIN ON JULY 10th

Talk about rain!!! Well, we finally got some last Thursday and then again Saturday night. It rained so hard late Thursday afternoon that the street drains couldn't even handle it all! It flowed down my street like a little river! We certainly could use even more, though! I really do love a rainy day! It just seems to make the earth feel so clean, and everything just looks so much greener and healthier after a good rain. You will notice in the first pic below that the water is covering almost the entire width of the street. In the second pic, you can see how it was rushing up against the tires on the red SUV.






SUPPER WITH MY FRIEND, RUTH

Today on my way to Buster's house, I made a stop at my bank's drive-thru. When I pulled in behind the car in front of me, I saw that it was Ruth! I tooted my horn and waved, and she waved back! Then she gave me the motion to wait a minute. So I got out of my car, walked up to her car, and we chatted a few minutes, holding up the line, while we made plans to meet at 4:30 for supper. We ate at McAlister's Deli...they have really good sandwiches!

You all remember Ruth from when we went to MacDonald's that day for our free chicken sandwich! I did a post about her at the time. Well, today she found a way to get a cheaper coke than the $1.80 they wanted to charge. She questioned them over the price and was told that she could get a child size drink for 90 cents! And we even got free refills! She knows how to save a dollar, that's for sure! LOL


STARBUCKS, HERE WE COME!!!

Tomorrow, Diane, from Do Drop Inn, my friend/neighbor, and I are heading to Starbucks and out to do a little shopping!!! More about that on my next post!


BY THE WAY...

If you haven't checked out the Election 2008 video that I added at the bottom of my blog, you can do so below. You see, my son is running for President as a "write-in" candidate! It started out as a joke but has now blown up into a big thing with the news media! LOL




STILL IN THE OVEN HERE!!!

We are still in the 90's here all week yet. Hot and humid! But now that the 4th is over with, it won't be long before Labor Day is here, and then Old Man Winter won't be far behind! Always something to look forward to!