It looks like the pathology report won’t be back until Monday 10/28, how ironic……that’s Charley’s 3 Year Ampuversary.
We tentatively scheduled Charley’s surgery for Thursday 10/31 with the same surgeon that did his amputation 3 years ago, pending the pathology results. Depending on the path report and the surgeon’s physical exam of how operable the tumor is, Charley may need an MRI on Friday and then surgery the following week. Worst worst case scenario is that the tumor is inoperable.
We are still praying and hoping that this is an operable soft tissue sarcoma and not a return of the osteosarcoma.
Hugs and chocolate Labby kisses,
Ellen and Charley xoxo
I wish the news was better to share, but unfortunately it’s not. I was waiting until Monday, 10/28, to post happy news about Charley’s big 3 Year Ampuversary, but I guess that wasn’t in the cards.
We just left the oncologist after Charley’s 3 year follow up for osteosarcoma…. and I just got done crying, for now.
Dr. Buss found a 3 cm hard lump that’s moveable close to Charley’s amptation site. He aspirated it and he doesn’t like the look of the cells and it’s definitely a cancer. He thinks it’s either a soft tissue sarcoma or an OS met. We’ll find out tomorrow when he gets the pathology report back.
Best case scenario, it’s a soft tissue sarcoma and we can have it removed with clear margins and that’s the end of the story. Worst case scenario, it’s an OS met…and we have much bigger issues.
We go back Wednesday morning to meet with the surgeon as long as it’s a soft tissue sarcoma. It would be an aggressive surgery to remove it since it’s close to his amp site and a lot of the tissue has already been removed, but we are willing if it’s a possibility. We are not giving up on Charley now, just like we didn’t give up on him over 3 years ago.
The positive news if there is any is that Charley’s chest rads appeared clear, but we’re waiting on confirmation from the radiologist.
Please keep Charley in your thoughts and prayers. I’m devastated…
Posted in History/OSA diagnosis on Sep 17th, 2011
My husband and I knew we wanted to get a chocolate Labrador retriever puppy and we spend a lot of time researching breeders. When the litter of 8 chocolate lab puppies was born, we had the pick of the litter for a male puppy. When the puppies were 5 weeks old, my husband and I went to pick out our puppy “Charley”. After only a few minutes, one pot-bellied ball of fur “picked” us. We went to visit Charley every week until we got to bring him to his forever home at 8 weeks old. We watched a brown ball of puppy energy grow into a well-mannered companion and a deeply loved member of our family over the last 2.5 years. We had big plans for Charley and we were looking forward to spending our lives together, since a lab is technically still a “puppy” until 3 years old, until our dreams were shattered when we received the news that Charley had OSA. We still have big plans for Charley, but our journey has been altered.
In February of 2010, at 23 months of age, Charley started limping after playing with my husband. We took him to his regular vet after a few days and insisted on x-rays. The vet and radiologist suspected bone cancer in the mid-humerus and referred us to an oncologist. The oncologist diagnosed an aneurysmal bone cyst, which is extremely rare in dogs, in Charley’s mid-humerus. We followed up with x-rays at the oncologist’s every 1-2 months and the cyst was resolving. Charley had not been limping, in any sign of pain, or on any NSAID’s for 6 months. In August of 2010, Charley had a slight limp and his x-rays showed a lytic area in the proximal humerus of the same bone the cyst was resolving. Charley was treated with antibiotics for a bone infection and x-rays 2 weeks later showed an improvement. We continued on antibiotics and had another x-ray in 5 weeks and the proximal humerus looked more lytic. A bone biopsy was performed and OSA was diagnosed in his left proximal humerus on 10-19-10, and our roller-coaster ride began. Charley had his left leg and scapula amputated on 10-28-10. He has completed 5 rounds of Carboplatin chemotherapy with no side effects. Charley celebrated his 10 Month Ampiversary on 8-28-11. Charley has adjusted very well to being a tripaw and can do everything on 3 legs that he did on 4 legs!
I believe that Charley “picked” us for a reason. Maybe Charley knew that we would love him unconditionally as a member of our family and we would help him fight for his survival? Maybe Charley is here to teach us a lesson about courage and resilience? Maybe I won’t ever know? I do know that Charley is and always will be my hero, my brave baby boy and the love of my life. I hope and pray that Charley will be with us for a long time to come. I now consciously try to live in the present and to find joy in the small things in life that Charley gives to me everyday… sloppy lab kisses, unconditional love, loyalty and a silent understanding. Whether Charley’s life will be long or short is yet to be determined. What I do know is that Charley’s life will be surrounded by lots of love, cuddling, hugging, kissing, playing and spoiling him completely rotten.
We love you baby Charley! Your mommy and daddy love you more than you will ever know. You have stolen a piece of our hearts forever. xoxoxo