Food

Thank goodness for the feeding tube. Bullwinkle is still super skinny -- I can feel every vertebra in his back -- but at least he's getting some food and a substantial amount of water into his little body. Just being able to get pain meds and antibiotics into him (without a significant power struggle) is worth the price of admission alone -- my ever-present anxiety level is significantly lower than it has been.

He is much, much better. I don't know how much of that is simply the food and water, and how much (if any) is the reduction of the tumor. His pain level is still significant, I think -- he starts whining about 10 hours after the last dose, but for an 8-hour period or so, he's a pretty happy camper. In terms of quality of life, his is greatly improved over the last few weeks. It may even be better than at any time since his biopsy on January 21. I told Dr. Kelly that I didn't care how long he lived, I just wanted him to have a decent quality of life while he was alive. Of course, now that he seems to be getting better, I have great hopes -- and want him to live longer too. :-)

That's the good news. The not-so-good news is that it's still very difficult for him to eat -- at this point it's still a case of the mind is willing but the body is weak. He's very interested in food, but it's difficult for him to get any substantial amount past his mouth on his own. (But it's not for lack of trying.) And ... to my great dismay, I noticed when he did a big yawn tonight that some parts of his tongue were white. I think that's not such a great thing.

Here he is trying to eat. I know it looks really tough & painful -- I think it is. But it's soooo much better than where he was a week ago. He wasn't even trying then.