CHEMO & CANCER TREATMENT FOR MILEY
Donation protected
On January 23rd, my sweet Miley had surgery to remove a suspicious growth on her nose. This past Monday, we got the pathology results back and learned that it was a Grade 3 Mast Cell Tumor. This was not at all the news we wanted as this indicates an aggressive tumor that is highly prone to spreading and typically has vascular invasion. After meeting with the specialist at Countryside Veterinary Medical Group on Tuesday and going over all of our options, Miley received her first dose of IV chemotherapy. She is scheduled to receive oral chemotherapy on February 18th. My hope is to alternate between IV and oral chemotherapy to best combat any of the cancer cells that may have spread, but much of this will be determined based on costs, which are already adding up quickly.
Her surgery to remove the tumor was $750. The consult with the specialist was $150, and the first dose of IV chemotherapy was another $150. There was also an additional $75 in meds that were sent home to deal with any of the potential side effects. The estimate we have received for the oral chemotherapy is $370 per dose. All future doses of chemotherapy, whether IV or oral, will also require $65 of additional bloodwork, which was not needed this first time since she had just had it done with the surgery.
The $1500 that I was granted in Care Credit will be exhausted after her second round of chemotherapy. My $600 income tax refund is also going in full towards her treatment, but this will only buy us a few more rounds. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot more that I can squeeze out of my already tight budget.
The recommended treatment regimen is every 2-3 weeks for six months. My plan is to complete the first two rounds and re-evaluate every few weeks based on both costs and how she is doing, but we may very well have to shorten this and/or extend the time in between treatments. Although there is benefit to doing both the IV and oral chemotherapy, we may also elect to do more of the IV as this is less expensive.
Anyone who knows me knows that Miley is my world and I would do anything for her. Right now, this includes asking for help. The good news in all of this is that Miley is not currently showing any physical symptoms of illness. Her energy and appetite are both good, and so far, she is tolerating the chemo well. Just this afternoon, we were outside playing in the snow, and it would have been hard to tell by watching her that she just received a cancer diagnosis and treatment a few days ago. For this, I am incredibly grateful, and I can only hope that we will be able to continue creating memories such as this for some time. Ultimately, my goal is to keep her happy and healthy for as long as I am able. Any additional rounds of treatment that I can provide her will help with this. All donations will go directly towards her care.
Her surgery to remove the tumor was $750. The consult with the specialist was $150, and the first dose of IV chemotherapy was another $150. There was also an additional $75 in meds that were sent home to deal with any of the potential side effects. The estimate we have received for the oral chemotherapy is $370 per dose. All future doses of chemotherapy, whether IV or oral, will also require $65 of additional bloodwork, which was not needed this first time since she had just had it done with the surgery.
The $1500 that I was granted in Care Credit will be exhausted after her second round of chemotherapy. My $600 income tax refund is also going in full towards her treatment, but this will only buy us a few more rounds. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot more that I can squeeze out of my already tight budget.
The recommended treatment regimen is every 2-3 weeks for six months. My plan is to complete the first two rounds and re-evaluate every few weeks based on both costs and how she is doing, but we may very well have to shorten this and/or extend the time in between treatments. Although there is benefit to doing both the IV and oral chemotherapy, we may also elect to do more of the IV as this is less expensive.
Anyone who knows me knows that Miley is my world and I would do anything for her. Right now, this includes asking for help. The good news in all of this is that Miley is not currently showing any physical symptoms of illness. Her energy and appetite are both good, and so far, she is tolerating the chemo well. Just this afternoon, we were outside playing in the snow, and it would have been hard to tell by watching her that she just received a cancer diagnosis and treatment a few days ago. For this, I am incredibly grateful, and I can only hope that we will be able to continue creating memories such as this for some time. Ultimately, my goal is to keep her happy and healthy for as long as I am able. Any additional rounds of treatment that I can provide her will help with this. All donations will go directly towards her care.
Organizer
Kristen Wentworth
Organizer
Hudson Falls, NY
