On Wednesday, 10/21/2015, after a week of uncertainty, the specialist vet called me to let me know that Callie has small cell lymphoma (a type of cancer). She is only expected to live for 18-24 months.
On Friday, I decided to go with the recommended chemotherapy medication in addition to the prednisolone we started on 10/15/2015. The order for the Leukeran was placed this morning and should arrive in a few days.
Some history:
Callie has been throwing up about once a week this summer. The previous summer, she threw up about once every 3 weeks. A few weeks ago, she refused to eat more than a few bites for 3 days, at which point I took her in to see our regular vet. They did blood work and couldn't find anything wrong with her, so they wanted me to take her to a specialist for an ultrasound. She started eating again after the vet visit, so I put it off for a few days until my work schedule calmed down. The ultrasound revealed inflammation in the small intestine, so they did an endoscopy. The initial results were inconclusive, so we had to wait for the more detailed test. Given how long this has been going on in a low-grade manner, I was shocked with the diagnosis came back as cancer (as opposed to IB).
The prednisolone seems to be helping her feel better, and she wants to eat again. She is especially thrilled with the Pill Pockets (chicken flavor) which hide her pill every night.
I've been taking lots of pictures of her, since I know our time together will be limited now. She is my perfect angel, and I'm having a hard time grasping the thought that she will be taken from me much too soon. She is only 11.
