When we started this journey a little over a month ago, our surgeon was already starting to prepare us for amputation. He had no idea what the cause of the lesion was, but he knew the bone was far too damaged. Given the initial pathology report of fungus or cancer, we all assumed cancer because fungal infections are fairly rare in our area. Turns out Sheba’s going to be one of those special cases. Always has to be different!
Reflecting on the past month, I’m not sure what sort of a commentary this is that we were far more comfortable treating cancer than we are with treating a fungal infection. My boss joked that I’ve spent my whole life in the cancer community (as a survivor of childhood leukemia, fundraiser, and later as an assistant in a radiation clinic), of course that would be too easy! Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m overjoyed that Sheba is cancer-free, but I also know that its very difficult to treat fungal infections, and just like cancer, we have to constantly be on the lookout for spread to the lungs or spine.
So here we are, Day 0. Waiting for the surgeon to call and give us a post-op summary. We probably won’t bring her home until tomorrow, unless she flips out in the dog run and they ask us to spend the night (I can’t believe this is even an option).