Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Gigi Update

So many of you have expressed concern and asked that I keep you posted on how our little dog Gigi is doing, so I wanted to bring you up to date.
She has been taking chemotherapy for almost a month now and is doing remarkably well. Her doctors are very pleased with her progress thus far. As of now, we have seen no side effects except for a little fatigue. For a Miniature Pinscher, that is not saying much as they are very hyper little dogs…even at 13 years old! She is still so full of energy and life. She always is ready to go for her evening walk as soon as she finishes her dinner and is relentless until we take her. She also does not let us forget that she expects her morning ride on the weekends! Another thing that amazes us is that her hearing has improved dramatically! We thought she was going deaf due to “old age”…, which part of it is, but as it turns out, was a symptom of the brain tumor.
Having thought her last day was over a month ago, with the veterinarian giving us little hope, we feel so blessed and grateful to have had another month to spoil her even more…and she is loving every minute of it!
Gigi seems to be the million-dollar dog! She had a stroke 5 years ago that left her back legs so weak she had to put all her weight on her front legs for months...she recovered from that, has had two eye surgeries, part of her colon removed and been hospitalized three times for pancreatitis…so hopefully she will bounce back from this too.
My mother is very superstitious and has always warned us "not to brag too soon", that it might jinx things, so I hate to become too optimistic. On the other hand, my husband, who is so positive about everything, says we should remain encouraged and not let ourselves think negatively. I think I am somewhere in between and will remain cautiously optimistic. We will not know if the brain tumor is shrinking for another month, when we take her back to the oncologist for a CT scan.
Thank you so much for your kind notes and thoughts. They have really meant a lot to me this past month.

8 comments:

  1. Oh Dana! The tone through this note sounds so positive and I am so happy to hear little Gigi is OK and responding to the chemo well. She has the best love and attention she will ever get. I will remain my positive thoughts your way and hope for the best to come. Thanks for the update. :) That is the cutest picture ever!

    xoxo Noel

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  2. Go, Gigi, Go!!!!! Yay!!!!! Gigi!!!

    Awesome news!!! That little lady isn't ready to give up on everything life can offer. I had tears in my eyes reading about all she has gone through. She is a trooper, for sure.

    Gentle hugs to Gigi and also to you. I'll keep you all in my prayers that she pulls through completely.

    Bonny from BC

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  3. I will keep you in our prayers, I know how hard it is to say goodbye to a precious pup...stay positive and cherish each day!:o)

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  4. Still praying for precious little Gigi. She sure looks great in that picture!!

    Love, Heather

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  5. How lovely it was to open this post, Dana. I'm with your husband - a positive attitude can never do any harm.

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  6. Hi Dana,
    Wonderful to hear that little Gigi is tolerating his treatment well. What wonderful parents you are! I enjoyed visiting Laurelines too.

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  7. Dear Dana~
    What a little trooper Gigi is!! I love that you are feeling better and I will keep her close in my prayers and shower her with love~
    xox's

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  8. Thank you, thank you, all so much!! We are so pleased with how well Gigi is doing. She is a little trooper and does not give up easily...so neither are we! :)

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