A Doctor Kind of Day

Today my mom goes to the oncologist to discuss the "game plan." This is truly a field for the competitive-minded: if you're not into sports, go into medicine. Cancer, especially. It's a game of sorts, a race to figure out who's going to win. Round One: we thought we won, but cancer threw a sucker punch and came back, despite the year-long drug she was taking to fight it and, in theory, ward it off, keep those nasty cells from forming. Well, they formed, and here we are. Round Two: surgery, a success. Now on to the rest of the game plan. I can almost picture her doctor, donning his white lab coat and terrycloth headband, chalkboard in hand as he gets down on his haunches, shouting "Let's Do This!" If he says "no chemo," I will be one of the most surprised people on the planet. I'm figuring on that path. Talk about a fight ...

Now my dog is sick too. He threw up twice in three days, both times at dawn, with nothing in his stomach. This morning, while he didn't puke, his lethargy was almost creepy. He didn't want to go outside, he didn't want to go down the stairs, and when he finally did he went one slow step at a time, as if he was 187 years old. When he finally came to the bottom of the stairs, he sat down ... and if there's one thing about Jack, he does NOT like to sit on concrete. He finally got up and walked like an old man over to the grass. The trip back up the stairs was the same -- one slow step at a time. I figured I would just keep an eye on him, until I noticed that, later on, he pooped in the yard, and when I went to pick it up, I saw that it was bloody. Our appointment with the vet is 6:20 p.m. At least he's eating OK -- you know that there is something seriously wrong when a Beagle won't eat. Jack's my "first baby" -- I wouldn't hesitate calling a doctor for him at a moment's notice, just like I would for my kids. I just hope it doesn't break our feeble bank.

What a day ... It didn't help matters that my morning-children woke up at 6:30 a.m., a horrible hour for me to even think about functioning. Busy kids, a cancer battle, a sick dog ... I can't wait until lunch is over, when we hit the sack, read some stories, and escape into a nice little nap ...