Heidi & the stress of uncertainty
May 8th, 2009The dog who is normally a wonderful stress reducer, has become a stressor.
The pathology report showed they didn’t get it all so we are looking at options but the reality is that although this is not the worst kind of mast cell tumor, it could recur at any time no matter what I decide to do. How’s that for stressful uncertainty?
Several things are helping reduce the stress…
• Supportive vet, trainer, friends & family. Having a supportive network of people has been shown repeatedly to be one of the best stress reducers around.
• Giving her benadryl — though not a cure it will make the histamine levels (released by the cancer cells) go down so she is more comfortable…and as a stress reducer, it makes me feel like I’m doing something.
• Facing her possible death and grieving now…frees me to stay in the present moment with her…for today she is fine.
• My daily meditation practice and I did a mini-retreat a couple of weeks ago–got me back to feeling like myself which is usually a good thing
So the reality for us is that this tumor will probably be what kills her, but that could be in 6 months or 5 years. There’s just no way to tell.
