Monday, we had our first appointment with Dr. Lyons at the City of Angels Veterinary Cancer Group. He looked at the MRI she got at Animal Medical Center in New York City and did an exam. He essentially agreed with the neurologist Jordan saw at AMC. We talked about the benefits and risks. Basically, because of where the tumor is in her brain, surgery is not an option. Radiation can shrink the tumor and increase her longevity. He told us she needed a CT Scan in order to map the radiation. Apparently, it's all computerized, and the computer needs a CT Scan in order to do it. So, we left her there and picked her up several hours later. It's hard being out here and trying to balance an intense work experience (shooting three movies) with a very intense medical experience (daily radiation). Tomorrow is the first radiation appointment and it will be the longest, since they will do the radiation mapping as well. After that, she will have an appointment Monday through Friday for about 45 minutes. We plan to drop her off and wait most days except the days when we are shooting. Some of the shoot days, she will stay overnight at the hospital and others we are sending our friend (and Production Assistant) Emily to drop her off and pick her up. She will have 16 days of radiation. After that, we need to wait about a week and a half before she can fly. She'll have a follow up appointment in order to get the "all clear" from Dr. Lyons. I will fly home before her treatment ends in order to take care of the other dogs and Colten will stay here with Jordan.
Of course, Jordan does not understand anything that's going on. She continues to be herself, although she's definitely sleepier and a lot less coordinated, both side effects of the anti-seizure medication she's on. When the radiation begins, she will be put on steroids as well. Another side effect is "excessive hunger" and she has become food crazy. She has not been sleeping very well since we got here, she wakes up a lot and gets really fussy. She has slept on or near my head the last two nights which hasn't made my sleep very good either. All three of us seem to still be on East Coast time, so Colten and Jordan have been waking up at about 6 am. I fall asleep at 9 pm. I took a nap today so I could stay up until 11 pm to watch the premiere of Lost. Jordan is sitting by my side in "my chair," a cool recliner in the den where I sit because it's cat-free. She had a good game of fetch with the soccer ball, her favorite toy, today (see photo). Like I said, her energy is good and she's acting like herself.
I feel confident about the treatment because Jordan is so strong. She's really fierce and she has weathered so many medical things in her life with ease and grace. She is just so tough! That gives me hope that she'll get through this. Tomorrow they shave her head, and her hair may not grow back. We'll take some photos for sure.
We started the blog in order to be able to update our friends, Jordan's friends and fans, and anyone else who may be curious about this special little creature. We welcome your comments, especially any stories or thoughts you have about Jordan. We will read them to her every day!
