Copper's Lymphoma is Back

Yesterday afternoon I noticed a lump underneath Copper's left eye, fearing the worst, I contacted his oncologist for a check-up. She confirmed that after 69 days in remission, his lymphoma has returned. This is very dis hearting news to say the least. I had hoped that he would stay in remission for a longer period of time.

The vet discussed the options with me today, and they are very limited. Since the current chemo drugs are not working we are turning towards the rescue treatment, using CCNU (lomustine) capsules. My biggest concern is that the treatment he is going on is hard on his liver, and since he is also taking anti-seizure medication, his liver will be taking a beating! To counteract this, he will be taking Denosyl and Milk Thistle. We will also be keeping a close watch on his liver for we do not want it to have problems.

We are also going to look into the cost of alternating the CCNU with the chemo drug adriamycin. The adriamycin helped get him in remission before, but he is at his limit with this drug becuase it affects the cardiac system. They have an antidote drug they can give him to counteract this, however it is expensive. They are going to give me an estimate when we go for our appointment on September 10th.

Our biggest concern is the amount of time he might have left. Dr. McDonald said that the rescue usually works between 60 and 80 days, and his liver issues are something we have to consider as we move forward.

Copper also has to contend with megaesophagus and low blood platelets. Hopefully neither of these two problems will progress as we work on the lymphoma.