KeithMukai on Nostr: I was able to bring KumaDawg home yesterday. Way drugged up and still suffering the ...
I was able to bring KumaDawg (nprofile…n07f) home yesterday. Way drugged up and still suffering the aftermath of her three seizures and of course the damn brain tumor itself.
Right now we're in a multi-day waiting period to see how much or how little of her conscious mind she can recover. She's here physically, but she's mostly a poorly functioning automaton:
It's both darkly funny and horrible to see how broken her mind is right now:
BUT this is still a big improvement from the night before. And the signs of recognition / interactivity are encouraging:
The next few days will be decisive. It was difficult to explain this part without breaking down:
I had INCREDIBLE anxiety yesterday before we picked her up. I know her time is limited no matter what and tried hard to keep my hopes guarded and realistic. But I couldn't help it: just please let her be herself again -- seeing us, responding to us, loving us -- even if only for a day.
The anxiety came on so savagely because I knew I'd be finding out soon that we might not even be that lucky. The robot dog, the automaton that's only vaguely aware of us might be as far as her recovery can go.
But the moment the vets brought her into the room to release her to us, she made eye contact and trotted directly for me. She was even hazier and more broken than she is in these videos (recorded a few hours later), but at least there was a glimmer of a chance.
And this morning we had another breakthrough: She wagged her tail when my niece came to greet her. ❤️❤️❤️
Whatever progress we get in the next 2-3 days is likely to be it. Hoping hoping hoping. And then it's the unknown of how long any of it will last.
Whole family had a good talk and a good cry last night. Whatever we get, we have to absolutely cherish.
Right now we're in a multi-day waiting period to see how much or how little of her conscious mind she can recover. She's here physically, but she's mostly a poorly functioning automaton:
It's both darkly funny and horrible to see how broken her mind is right now:
BUT this is still a big improvement from the night before. And the signs of recognition / interactivity are encouraging:
The next few days will be decisive. It was difficult to explain this part without breaking down:
I had INCREDIBLE anxiety yesterday before we picked her up. I know her time is limited no matter what and tried hard to keep my hopes guarded and realistic. But I couldn't help it: just please let her be herself again -- seeing us, responding to us, loving us -- even if only for a day.
The anxiety came on so savagely because I knew I'd be finding out soon that we might not even be that lucky. The robot dog, the automaton that's only vaguely aware of us might be as far as her recovery can go.
But the moment the vets brought her into the room to release her to us, she made eye contact and trotted directly for me. She was even hazier and more broken than she is in these videos (recorded a few hours later), but at least there was a glimmer of a chance.
And this morning we had another breakthrough: She wagged her tail when my niece came to greet her. ❤️❤️❤️
Whatever progress we get in the next 2-3 days is likely to be it. Hoping hoping hoping. And then it's the unknown of how long any of it will last.
Whole family had a good talk and a good cry last night. Whatever we get, we have to absolutely cherish.
quoting nevent1q…za9dMRI showed a large brain tumor. A main mass and an aggressive spread all down the meninges surrounding the right side of her brain.
She's on steroids now to try to reduce the pressure. If it happens to be the right kind of tumor (lymphoma), the steroids might actually help fight it. Won't know if it's making any difference until 2-3 days go by.
Have to wait until tonight when the anesthesia wears off to see how well her symptoms are being managed. Will a lucid Kuma come back?
There are some thin hopes for some treatment options but it all depends on where we're at in the next few days. We'll explore what makes sense, but based on what the neurologist said, I'm not pinning my hopes on successful treatment.
As things stand now: I just hope we get a few good days or weeks with her in okay enough shape. Make the most of the last of our time with her.
That has to be enough of a gift, if we're lucky enough to get it.
nevent1q…nuez