PUTTING IT DOWN IN WORDS.

The worst is yet to come. My heart is aching while penning this entry, I could go on crying forever. My sweet lovable pet, Sushi, is down with a suspected condition called Insulinoma. A rare tumor/mass in dogs which produces excess insulin and draws out the glucose from the system. This could possibly be one of the reason why she had 3 attacks prior to the most recent one which happened last Sunday. First it was in 2008, second Jan of 09 and also in Aug the same year. Every time it happened, Sushi will become feeble and weak and lapse into a "coma". It hurts us to see her this way.

On Sunday, she collapsed and we rushed her to Mt. Pleasant in the wee hours of the morning. We were racing against time, I had to go to a max. speed of 120km/hr in order to get us there within 10 mins, constantly checking if her eyes was still opened. Sushi had to be on drips immediately and thank god, she regained consciousness. She wasn't as responsive, but at least her eyeballs were undiluted. Glucose level stood at 19, which is an all-time low for adult dogs (healthy rate ranging from 80-200). Sushi is still currently hospitalized.

It has been 4 days since the last attack happen and the vet took multiple blood test and also an ultrasound to scan for existing tumors/mass. 2 were found near her pancreas and one on her spleen. So now, were are given 2 options: One, to go ahead with an op. to remove the mass or two, no op.

There is so many risks involved if we decide to give the green light for the operation. A dog, being small, might not be able to withstand the anesthesia and may die (knock on wood) even before the op. is done. Post-op. trauma may cause shock to the dog and die as well. Removing the masses does not guarantee 100% full recovery and if the tumor is malignant, there is a high possibility that it will grow back again. Post-op. care is the most difficult to handle because the incision is so big that if it is not taken care of, infection or even internal bleeding will happen.

I am not okay, and don't think I'll ever be in the coming months. To all those who have texted me or called me up, I appreciate your concern immensely. We are going through a very difficult situation and I seek your understanding if I were to be listness or unappreciative. Sushi is not only a dog to us, she is our companion and my best friend. Nothing else comes first.