Hi all.  Well, for the first time in a long time, I have not-so-good news to report.  Max had his 2-month x-rays on Saturday (Halloween), and unfortunately, a single met was discovered on his right lung.  John and I were absolutely stunned.  We were 1,000,000% positive his x-rays were going to come out clear, just like all the others.  He has been so active lately, running, chasing, wrestling, dragging us around by the leash, you name it; we had not seen any symptoms of the met, so again, we were absolutely stunned.  I believe Tika’s Mom put it best when she once said, “It’s a kick in the gut.”  It was and still is.

The second kick in the gut came yesterday, when we found out Max’s main oncologist no longer works at the hospital.  We weren’t given a specific reason, only that it was “very sudden.”  So, that translates to me that he was either laid off/fired, or quit.

The third kick in the gut came this afternoon, when we found out the oncologist from the University of Michigan (Dr. Barbara Kitchell) that had done the initial consultation for Max back in November 2008 is also no longer at the hospital.  Luckily, she is still doing consultations via e-mail/phone, and we requested Max’s case file be sent to her. 

John and I are aware we have a lot to be thankful for, and there are some positives here:

•  Max didn’t have lung mets when he was first diagnosed; he has gone almost 11 months without a tumor reappearing (we are well aware a lot of people on this forum were not as lucky when their pups were diagnosed)
•  Max is not showing any symptoms of the tumor yet, he’s still acting like his old self
•  His blood work all came out good (as usual)
•  We believe the metronomic protocol did work for Max (to an extent), which is why only one tumor has developed as opposed to many
•  Dr. Kitchell is still willing to consult for Max’s treatment, so the world didn’t quite come to an end (but it was close!!)

Dr. Kitchell is recommending one more round of carboplatin this Saturday, then follow-up x-rays in one month.  At that point, we will have some choices to make.  If the tumor is the same size or smaller, we can opt for surgery to remove it (since the best way to get rid of cancer is to remove it).  This comes with some prerequisites though:  a bone scan and CT scan of the lungs need to be completed first; if no micro-metastasis shows, then we can go through with the surgery.  This is the sticking point for us – we’re not sure how much we want to put Max through, especially since his time is a bit more limited than we thought.  The surgery can be done two ways, depending on exactly where the tumor is located:  either through the ribs, or a sternal split (like open heart surgery).  The sternal split is definitely out for us.  So, we’ll cross that bridge when (if) we come to it.

On the flip side of all this, our fun time with Max is accelerated somewhat.  So, that means that our Northern California counterparts (Cemil, Codie Rae, and everyone else up there) may get a visit from us a little sooner than we originally predicted.  We’re now thinking of doing our Carmel trip at the end of December, or early January.  (We’ll be in touch on that one!)

So, not great news for the Hollenbecks, but again, not the end of the world either.  And as a plus for some, we’ll be posting on the Angel Exchange for Max’s K9 Immunity .  We don’t need it at this point, so it’s up for grabs.  I’ll post what I have on the Exchange, and whoever wants it is more than welcome to it.

Okay, this is finally the end of my post.  I’ll update again in about a month or so.  Hope everyone and their babies are doing well.

Di & John & Max & Linda