A little Piri update

Today is day 9 of Zeniquin, Piri's latest antibiotic which hopefully will rid of his ongoing battle with urinary tract infection (UTI). He's been on different antibiotics since early June (Baytril for 1 week and then Clavamox for 2 weeks) and the bacteria inside his stomach just doesn't want to seem to go away. 

Back in June, his urine culture indicated that the bacteria was sensitive to Baytril but it proved ineffective. Doctors were worried that Piri wouldn't do well on Clavamox, but he did superbly well until day 13 when he ended up throwing up twice. We stopped his treatment a day shy of completing it, which was deemed ok by our primary vet. Still, the bacteria remained. 

And so now he is on something called Zeniquin, which is supposed to be stronger. And this time our oncologist wants him to get a urine culture while he is still on Zeniquin. He will go in on Monday so they can collect his urine. 

Piri struggled a bit with Zeniquin in the beginning but about two days ago it seems like he's beginning to get a handle on it, although this morning he made like he was going to throw up but didn't. He has since gone back to sleep and looks comfortable, but then again Piri's been so stoic even during the roughest of times that sometimes I'm not even sure if he is comfortable or just looks that way. 

Along with UTI we have an issue with his pancreas.

His liver enzymes levels are still up (normal levels are 200 and Piri's was in the upper 300). It's been hard to give him bland food as the antibiotic has his appetite going in and out. Trying to balance a cancer diet, kidney diet and now a pancreatitis diet is becoming even more challenging. Each diet needs something, which the other restricts. But we try and make do.

Lately Piri's been eating boiled chicken tenderloins in the afternoon and when he takes his Zeniquin at 4:30 pm (thank goodness this is just a once a day pill), he eats it with his K/D prescription food, which, surprisingly, he prefers above all else (and I went through a ton homecooked meals and canned food before figuring this out --  different flavors from Fromm, Lotus, Castor & Pollux, Weruva, Taste of the Wild, Solid Gold). In the end, he just wanted his prescription food. 

He's been taking it on some days with supplements like Spirulina, milk thistle and also turmeric powder although since yesterday even if he smells just the tiniest scent of any of his supplements he won't eat his food. 

But, you know, we still plug on and make do with what we can.

And his cancer. 

Well, all we know is that from a check up in June, his cancer hasn't grown back in his mouth. Lately though Piri's been coughing a lot more and we're not sure if it's the antibiotic that is causing that or maybe his cancer did indeed spread to his lymph nodes. 

Piri is not a candidate for chemotherapy anymore because of his pancreatitis (which either has been caused by the high fat foods he was eating - high fat (but not like spam and hot dogs, aka - bad junk food) is encouraged for dogs with kidney disease and cancer - or possibly from the chemo drug), but even if his pancreas levels go back to normal we don't plan on putting him through the chemo treatment anymore. 

And so it's just a waiting game for us.. and making sure that he is comfortable and loved. And rechecks here and there to see if his cancer has grown back in his mouth. And booster shots for his melanoma vaccine every six months (he is due for his first booster in late October/early November).

Having senior dogs is a blessing but it can also be heartbreaking and hard. But they certainly deserve all the love and  care in their golden years. 

I love you, Piri. Hang in there, ok?

On the dinner table: steamed Korean squash leaves

Take a few Korean squash leaves (you can grow them or buy, just the leaves, at your local Korean grocery store) and steam them until they get soft. These leaves are totally edible. We like to wrap them in rice, meat when we have it on hand, with a little seasoning paste and vegetables (like scallions) and include it as part of our dinner. 

My mom loved having these and other vegetables - the earthy, wild ones found mostly in the mountains (I definitely acquired her taste) - and I was recently re-introduced to them by our friend. They grow Korean squash in their sprawling backyard, which grew in such abundance. 

Beating summer

I have always loved summer but lately the harsh sun and mosquitos have been driving me nuts {and wire grass too but that's a whole other story}! We have a few things to help us beat summer, and they are all natural too! 

 // Ark Naturals Flea Flicker Tick Kicker -- Piri is actually on Frontline and so we like to think that he is protected. It is indeed harsh chemicals on his body and many owners I know choose not use Frontline or similar products on their dogs, older dogs and also dogs who are sick. For us, Piri has been on it for years and so we decided to keep him on it but also got this product for extra products on days when we are out in the woods and trails or away on the lake or beach. 

 // Badger Anti-bug Sunscreen -- A must! It does leave a white residue {it's a natural product afterall} and so applying very little at at time has been a great trick to applying it for us. 

 // Honest Bug spray -- I was looking to get the Badger anti-bug spray but they were sold out at Whole Foods and so instead I picked up the one from the Honest Company. Slightly greasy but bearable. We would love to try the Badger product after we're done with this bottle -- hopefully it won't be until next summer!

What are you using to keep the sun and bugs away? 

Spotted: Cute Wall at Mosaic District

When our schedule lets us, we like to head over to the Mosaic District on Sundays to pick up some produce at their farmers market, do shop eye shopping and grab a meal at a few of their restaurants whose outdoor seating is also dog friendly.

There is also this wall you can check out and take a photo as well. Isn't it charming?

 // Films at the Park during summer months (also dog friendly!)

Adult braces

For years, my dentist(s) have been telling me to get braces, especially on my bottom teeth because I have severe overcrowding. Every time they told me of how when I grow old and grey my teeth will start to rot and I'll have to pull them out and get implants. Each time they told me this, I got scared, but maybe, just maybe, I thought they were exaggerating. Because that's what dentists do, right? 

Ha. 

Then about a year ago, while skyping with my parents, I learned that they both were undergoing very expensive, very painful, treatments on their teeth. They had to have multiple teeth pulled because their roots have rotted. They have implants, the ones where you literally screw it on to your gums. 

That freaked me out. I needed to get braces done stat.

But braces are expensive and we, well more Yangkyu, is the kind of person who don't like to live with credit card debt. And so, this year Yangkyu was able to allocate enough money into our FSA (Federal Spending Account) and I went on a search for an orthodontist. 

Yangkyu wanted me to get at least 2 or 3 consultations before settling on one, but I'm the type that can't drag on a process and ask for a second or third opinion. And so I settled on the first one I saw. She was nice, competent, trustworthy. She was compassionate and understanding {of my fears}, which was A+ for me and while her appointments were running slightly behind, she never rushed or cut me off and gave me {and her patient before me} plenty of room to ask all my questions and made herself available via phone as well. And she didn't push. She wasn't all up in my face asking for my business. And her reviews are great.

But, and there is always a but, I would have to extract three teeth. Three perfectly functioning teeth in order to get braces. 

My worst nightmare, really. 

I had three wisdom teeth pulled out several years ago and I thought my world was going to end. I will never forget my dentist tugging and yanking at my teeth. Sure I didn't actually feel the pain but I felt the rough tugging and yanking. I had my eyes closed the entire time but you know I have the world's most imaginative mind. 

I have to go through that again? 

See, the reason why it's three teeth is that there is no room on my bottom teeth to straighten out. And so extraction needs to happen - either on the left side or right side of my mouth {this is needed for practical reasons in order to ensure that my teeth align straight and I no longer have difficult cleaning problems which can lead to roots rotting and gum disease}. 

But if I extract a tooth from one side, I need to extract a tooth from the other side as well to balance everything out so that my teeth aligns in the middle as well. This is what I assume is purely cosmetic. To ensure perfectly aligned teeth. 

So why the third tooth? 

I had braces as a kid and I only got my top teeth done because it was just really really bad. I extracted one tooth from my left side. And that one only. For a long time, I didn't know why the middle of my top teeth never aligned with the middle of my bottom teeth. I just thought my upper teeth had shifted all these years, but it was explained to me during my consultation session that in order to balance my teeth, a second tooth from the right side should have also been extracted. 

Sigh. 

She left the upper tooth extraction up to me as it is purely cosmetic and not something absolutely needed to ensure that my teeth and gums will be straight for the purposes of having healthy teeth and gums. If I don't pull a tooth out from up top then I will just end up with mis-aligned teeth where the middle don't match. 

My orthodontist would probably like to have all three extracted so that she can produce a perfect outcome. I wasn't too sure, but the more I think about it, if I'm going to have to pull two teeth out anyway and spend thousands of dollars on braces and have them on for two years {and metal ones!!! I can do invisalign but I am not really an ideal candidate for it} then why not just go all the way. 

And so, it's been decided. 

I get records and x-rays done next week. From there I'll find out when my extraction date will be. 

I'm super nervous and I keep going back and forth on whether to cancel because anything to do with my teeth I just cry and turn into a 5 year old. 

Since my consultation day, Yangkyu's been encouraging and lending a helpful ear.

Last night in bed, I randomly asked a half asleep Yangkyu, "Do you think they'll let me take a big stuffed animal with me? I can squeeze it when I'm getting my teeth pulled." 

The night before it was, "Should I just grow old and become a toothless grandma? Will you still love me then?"

A friend posted on Facebook about a service dog that calms kids during dental visits. I told her I would need 10 of those dogs. 

I Googled "How to get over the fear of having teeth extracted" and reading people's suggestions that said, "You will be ok," definitely did not help. 

I told Yangkyu that maybe someone spared me the pain of delivering babies and that's why we are infertile. But since not experiencing that pain wouldn't really be fair, that someone instead gave me a lifetime worth of teeth trouble. 

At this point, Yangkyu is just hearing my nonsense through one year and letting it flow out the other.

Sigh. 

I know me -- I'll be a complete wreck until the very moment when I get that anesthetic shot and then finally tell myself, just suck it up, and I'll just go through the ordeal like a grown adult and then go back to being a baby afterwards before growing up again. It's always like this -- dreading something until that moment where I really can't turn back and then just sucking it up. But man, getting to that moment is just so darn excruciating.

This weekend is going to be a long and painful one.