I'm back after a couple of weeks of a much needed break. The kids went back to school today, so I'm hoping that frees up more of my time in the mornings to keep myself more organized without the frequent interruptions.
Before my diabetes post, I thought I'd give a quick update on my mom. She'd finished up her second round of chemo and had started radiation to her pelvis and tailbone when I'd visited in early July. I'd taken her to have a repeat CT Scan of her abdomen and lungs to see if the chemo had had any affect. My sister called recently to tell me that some of the tumors on her lungs have shrunk, but there are new tumors on her liver. The doctor wants to try a different kind of chemotherapy now.
This is a total blow because my mom has been feeling the best she'd felt in a long time. Strong woman that she is, she was disheartened by the news, but decided to go to Reno to go gambling for a weekend of fun. So my dad packed up the car with family and drove her up there.
I want to thank everyone for the support and prayers they have sent. It really means a lot to me.
Okay. Now on to today's post. I recently read an article while sitting in the doctor's office waiting for my son to be seen for a check up. It was written by a doctor who'd bought her son a dog, something he'd always wanted.
After eight years with their dog, Tiger, the mom noticed that he had increased thirst (polydipsia) and increased urination (polyuria) and suspected the dog had developed diabetes. She'd taken him to the vet and sure enough, her suspicions were confirmed. The dog's health rapidly declined shortly after that. Tiger started to waste away in front of their eyes as he refused to eat, and then lacked the strength to even try.
Her son was devastated. One day, he begged his mom to buy Tiger some baby food. The boy was convinced that he could get his dog to eat it. Not wanting to discourage her son's hope, but not sure that the dog would eat the baby food, the mom went out and bought baby food anyway. After all, what harm could it do?
With baby food jar in hand, the boy smeared a small amount of the baby food on Tiger's lips. An amazing thing happened, the dog licked the food off which is all he'd had strength for. The boy repeated the process over and over. After a good length of time had passed, the dog had eaten the entire jar of baby food.
Several days went by with her son feeding the dog in this manner. Soon, he had gained enough strength to lick the food from the boy's palm. Tiger's energy level increased and he was able to walk again. Over the next four weeks, Tiger seemed back to his usual health.
This part is taken from the article itself--JAMA, July 23/30 2008 Vol 300, No.4 "A Piece of My Mind--Baby Food". I couldn't have paraphrased it so that you would get the same impact:
...Brent commented the other day, "Tiger is a really strong dog. I don't think he will die." But the physician part of me has seen a substantial increase in the dog's polyuria and polydipsia over the past week. My prognosis is significant progression of his disease and death within a short period of time. Yet the mother part of me wants with all my heart for my son's prognosis to be the correct one. So I tell him, "You have given us extra time to love your dog."
After reading this article, all I could think was "Wow!" I'd never thought about how diabetes would affect people's lives if a beloved pet had the disease. How about you?
Take Care,
Kathleen
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