January 25^th was Rusty’s 2^nd anniversary of his amputation! Every day that we have with him is a blessing.  Two years ago we had almost no hope that he would still be with us; that he is, is a testament to the fight that he has put up against this terrible disease, two outstanding Dr.’s and the love and support from dozens of his supporters. He thrives on the love of his human friends as much as seeing his doggie friends.  He has maintained a great attitude throughout his ordeal; even on the days when he is sick he doesn’t complain and seems apologetic that we have to clean up after him.  It has been challenging at times for us, we are both in our 70’s, but extremely rewarding seeing how he deals with his cancer, amputation and all of the related issues; we have learned a lot about life from him which we will be forever grateful.

The past two months have been relatively quiet medically for Rusty; we saw Dr. Macy on the 5^th and he was pleased with the improvements in Rusty’s liver and kidney functions.  Between the medications and four meals a day, all of his test results were in normal ranges, with the exception of the liver ATL which has been elevated since his chemo treatments.  He also gained almost two pounds.  Dr. Macy has been checking with his colleagues around the country regarding the treatment of “Fanconi Syndrome”.  So far he has not found anyone who has treated this condition; he is still optimistic that with treatment this will not have a long term impact on Rusty’s liver and kidneys.

Dr. Macy had us up the dosage of the potassium citrate which immediately put Rusty into intestinal distress with vomiting and diarrhea; Dr. Macy said I guess we have pushed the limits of what his stomach can handle.  After “resetting” his stomach and resuming the regular dosage of meds Rusty has been doing very well and his weight is holding steady. 

Chuck & Rusty