still good...

shortly after my last post, sway was given another PCV.
she remained at 23%
i was silently hoping for a raised # since her retic count had spiked weeks earlier but i guess this is gonna continue to be an odd case.
i cant be disappointed, instead thankful.
im blessed that she is doing as good as she is, and its absolutely clear that she continues to improve.
23% is relatively low, but its remained stable for 65 days now and that is a benchmark im very proud of.
she is such a good dog, i love her so much, the best.
will put new pictures up soon.
my computer crashed 2 weeks ago and i just got it back up and running last night.

guarded relaxation

sorry for the lack of updates-
she hasnt been PCV tested since the retic count sprung up,
...and we're only testing her every 2 weeks which really goes to show how much her count has stabilized.
it has been good for her lately.
she continues to show slight improvements every day and i am just so thankful.

these next couple of weeks should ideally reveal a % increase,
and we are just gonna keep working hard and enjoying each day as they come.
sway is now able to get herself on and off the bed, jump in/out of the car, go all the way down the stairs, trot, even run a little.
she is continuing to gain weight as well, appetite is still strong.
things are good :)

its crazy cuz things were just so intensely hectic for months, and now days come and go without incident and all i can do is thank God.
i havent been posting much since things have been pretty calm,
but dont wanna lose sight of keeping this up to date with even the slightest of goods...cuz everything is important.
the impression that this disease is only peppered with bad experiences would be false and hopefully this site can reflect that.
AIHA/IMHA can be beat, i know so ... dogs have done it and hopefully sway will get to the point where this thing just fades into our past.

regeneration?

sway has been pretty even keel since my last post about her standing up.....
shes eating well and continuing to improve in many different aspects.

on saturday we had a full blood panel done, as well as another urinalysis in order to test the levels of her protein leak.
i received the results last night and am damn happy to report that not only is she still holding onto a 23%, but her retic count is up to 7.24!
that is key because a # that high shows the bone marrow has started regenerating its own cells...
its still a guarded optimism (due to the PCV being the same), but after 5 difficult months this is the start of what ive been praying to seeeee.

not only that, but the new urinalysis showed the protein leak has been drastically reduced.
...meannnnnnnning the looming fear of kidney failure is no longer blinking red and in my face!

oh yea, and she gained 4 pounds :)
at this point my only prayer revolves around seeing that PCV go uppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp

my verse on wonderwall...

is about finding sway,
i just recorded it about 2 hours ago.
check it out, its the song that plays automatically when visiting this page.
the version i recorded on is a cover of "wonderwall" sung by ryan adams ... the original was done by oasis.
liam gallagher (lead singer of oasis) said the song is about an imaginary friend who's gonna come and save you from yourself.
its one of my favorite tracks ever so i had to put a verse on the front of it.

standing up

is what sway did today!
i dont know how ... but when i went home for lunch she had completely moved to the other room and was laying on the floor mattress.
there is no other way she could have gotten there.
this is a huge deal because she hasnt been able to get herself up from a laying position in almost a month.
i walked in and was immediately overjoyed when i saw where she was at.
she was also very receptive to my excitement...tail wagging, etc.
i really believe she knows she achieved something significant, its grrrrrrrrreat to see her body finally giving her a break!

a little strength returning

first off, sways PCV was around 22% on saturday.
its still holding in the general area so thats very promising.
we WERE going thru transfusions on a weekly basis so the current holding pattern has really been a blessing.
as of today it has been 26 days since her last blood transfusion...

within the last 48 hours she's started to eat alot better as well.
i took sway to dr. woods' office on wednesday (durabolin shot) and they were all very happy to see her walking around on her own power and showing the curiousity to inspect the food hallway.

you can tell that some of her strength is slowly returning...
its very subtle but she is now able to support herself when she walks down a decline, and for the most part she can turn without her legs buckling.
her walk is still rather slow, but its a revelation compared to where she was.
i might post a video of her walking tonight, its inspiring to watch her bouncing back in any form.

still makes me stress...

sway continues to have a love/hate relationship with her foods...
its challenging and envokes alot of worry when she refuses to eat for days at a time.
she was refusing again yesterday but to my suprise today she ate and wouldnt stop.
hot dogs, AD & yogurt, all down the hatch.
it really seems like they relate foods to how they are feeling that day, and if a pill or a certain medication makes them feel bad, they begin to deny that food with which it came.
mixing the options up is a way to stay ahead of the curve, and doesnt allow the animal to single out any specific food for denial.
thats the advice i was given & thats how it seems to be going with sway.

my friend patrice and i have been emailing back and forth about how our dogs are doing, and she sent along a really appropriate quote that could be applied to any kind of setback...
its good-

Courage need not Roar. Sometimes it's the quiet voice at day's end saying "I will try again tomorrow"