Blind Gabe: He's Got Cancer, Too

Well, it could have been worse.

Our internal medicine specialist in Helena, Dr. Britt Culver, last Monday put a scope down Gabe's throat to see what was causing his breathing problem, and quickly found the answer:  A tumor in his nasopharynx region, where the nasal passages enter the throat.  Essentially his nose is blocked at the back end, so not only can he barely breath through his nose, he can't drain any nasal fluids either.  And try eating and drinking with your nose closed.  Here's what the tumor looks like:

 

You can see what appears to be a small dark hole remaining near the center ... we think he can still get a tiny amount of air through that, but it's very difficult and judging from the sounds he makes, the little hole seems to close up on him frequently.

When our primary care vet, Dr. Jennifer Rockwell, called with the news early last week, she said Britt had indicated that something like 99% of these tumors are cancerous and of those, about 85% are adenocarcinomas.  That was very bad news, because the adenocarcinomas are very aggressive, spread quickly, and thus make the prognosis very grim indeed.

So all week we braced for the worst as we waited for the pathology report on the biopsy sample Britt sent in to Colorado State University.  On Friday, Jennifer called with the results.  It turned out to be better than we were anticipating:  His tumor is a fibrosarcoma -- a less aggressive cancer.  More good news:  It's a Grade 1 tumor, the lowest of three grades, so it isn't growing and spreading as fast as a Grade 2 or 3 tumor.  And finally, Jennifer said our radiologist in Spokane found no evidence in the X-rays of the cancer spreading to his chest or abdomen.  (Our clinic electronically sends the digital X-rays to the radiologist for review.)

During the week Jennifer had been in touch with our oncologist at Washington State University, Dr. Janean Fidel, who had treated blind Callie for her brain tumor.  With the pathology results, Dr. Fidel told Jennifer on Friday that she believed a combination of surgery and radiation could give Gabe a few more years of life.  But ... but ... they'd first need to do a CT scan or MRI to get a better idea of the location of the tumor to see how viable surgery was as an option and how they would do the follow-up radiation.  Thus until we do the advanced imaging, we don't know for sure what our treatment options are.

So this week I will be scheduling an appointment for Gabe to see Dr. Fidel at WSU ... and we'll go from there.  All in all, we have reason to hope for a more positive outcome than we did a week ago -- but please keep your fingers crossed. 

Meanwhile, Gabe is delighted to be back home.  I took the photo this morning of him in our living room.  Like Teddy, it looks as if Gabe got to us just in time.

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Speaking of Teddy, he's doing okay.  I'd like to say he's doing "great" but we don't have his glucose level regulated yet.  He's all over the map, like he was at the vet clinic, so we have been adjusting his insulin doses to try and hit the magic number.  He's been as high as 505 and -- as of this afternoon -- as low as 230, so we are still quite a way from the target 100.  But he's eating and drinking well, and in the best sign of all, he's starting to get bossy again.  [Imagine a tiny, high-pitched "Woof! Woof!"]

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Since I mentioned Callie in this post, I'd better say right now that she is -- finally -- really starting to become her old self again.  It's been a long slog but she's coming back, which is such a relief.

Comments

[Colleen & Sweet Kitty Erin]

I'm so glad Gabe's cancer is not as bad as you thought it might be & there is a good chance. Thank God Gabe & Teddy made it to the right place at the right time. Good to hear Teddy is eating, drinking & getting the attitude. Hope the glucose level is regulated very soon.

Ahhh, sweet Cassie, so glad to hear she is getting back to normal. Makes me so happy!!!

Many prayers for all 3 to continue on their road to recovery and for Gabe treatment is successful.

[sharon]

God bless his little heart (and throat)! Thanks for coming back and giving us updates - I miss your blog when you are away taking care of important things!!

[Lynne Parker]

Where does your strength of spirit come from? This seems to be a tougher than usual summer for you all.
Where does all of this damn cancer come from? (rhetorical question)
You are all in my thoughts.

[ginger]

Gabe looks like he doesn't have a care at all. I'm so grateful that the news wasn't near as terrible as it could have been. I'll send him, you & Alayne, as well as all the medical staff positive thoughts for guidance & a great outcome for him. He's so precious.
Thanks also for the update on Callie & Teddie. I know that Callie getting back to her norm has got to make you breath a sigh of relief.
Big hugs to all,
ginger, Tobias & Tlingit

[Angela]

All of my fingers and toes are crossed for Gabe - and of course for Callie and Teddy. Lots of prayers for all of you!! Hang in there!!

[boundforglory]

It's good to hear that Gabe's cancer isn't as bad as it could be, we're sending him thoughts of comfort and complete recovery.

As you said perfectly, it could be worse...for all the dogs ill at the moment but as each day hold segments of problems, each day also holds segments of gratitude for the good.

Looking forward to the updates....

[Toni]

I'm keeping everyone in my thoughts and prayers. Thank you for all you do for the animals in your care. You are true angels for these special babies.

[gayle]

Thanks for the updates. Great to have you back.

[Debbie]

I often worry when you take a blog break that something dreadful has happened....but at least, for Gabe, there may be hope...at least for more good time. He is such a sweet looking little guy.
Glad to hear Teddy is back to bossing you around...and Callie, as well. Keep up the great work!

[Janet in Cambridge]

Welcome back and thanks for all the updates!! I'm glad all these animals know where to go when they need help.

If the hole in Gabe's throat is so small, how *does* he eat and drink and breathe? Is there something short-term that will help open it up so it's a little easier or is it just small doses of each activity?

[Kathie Taylor]

I can see why you might have needed a bit of a break last week. Sometimes it's hard to absorb it all and just keep on going. You guys keep your chins up and I'll keep you in my prayers, as always. <3

[Carla Polastro-Nigro]

Dear Alayne & Steve, I wonder once again how you cope with such difficult situations... Your moral strenght is just unbelievable!

Please give Gabe a HUGE hug for me and thanks for the updates on Teddy & Callie.

[Lynn]

Here is praying for the best for Gabe. We lost our sweet boy Jonah to nasal cancer in May. I am so grateful that you have the resourses to give Gabe & all the others the best chance possible for a second opportunity to be cared for & loved unconditionally.

[Barb Ribinski]

You guys certainly have your hands full. I know how draining this all must be and glad you at least took a break from your blog. I'm sure everyone out there who reads your blog is hoping for the best for Gabe. And we're glad that Callie and Teddy are doing better. I doubt I'm the only one who includes you and the animals in my prayers. And I guess it's time for a donation to the medical fund to get these doggies well.

[Shirley * James/Portland, OR]

Thank you for the updates---I find myself giving a big sigh for these ups and downs---thanks Steve and Alayne for being angels to these animals. As a supporter we know you two ALWAYS go more than the extra mile to care for these exquisite creatures.

[Steve Smith]

Lynn, we'll have an update on Helen tomorrow.

[Lynn]

Thank you for the updates on Callie and Teddy. I hope that Gabe will also experience successful treatment and am so glad things aren't as bad as they may have been. Did you get any new information on Helen?