I didn't think that Harley would take such a drastic turn of health, but she did, and she did it her way. On Thursday when I took the dogs out to eat breakfast on the back porch Harley didn't want to go outside, I just attributed it to Sydney who likes to feed them in the house versus me, I sit at the patio and watch them outside. She eventually went out but turned her nose up to the food and started eating grass- nothing new. I sat at the computer and she took her regular place on my left side of the couch, but she was getting up and down pacing until she had a massive vomit of grass and water, Sydney said he would clean it up while I took her outside. There she started to eat more grass and vomited 3 more times during the day. On Friday she again rejected her food but drank water as usual. I saw her pace and then watched her drag her curled up back paw. I knew then she would not last the weekend. I stayed home and she continued to pace and throw-up. She became more relaxed and stayed at my side refusing to go outside unless either Sydney or I ushered her out. Once out Saturday she refused to come in the house, She either was on front or back porch. I told Sydney that he needed to put July 2018 on her grave marker and he could put in the date later. I went to work Saturday night and Sydney has been calling me through FB messaging face time. I asked him where Harley was and he said she was over by the old fencing that is piled up on the side of the house. Later he sent me a message that he went to check on her and she was dead. I immediately headed home after talking to him. Sydney had shown me his headstone, and we both held each other and cried. The sun was up and Sydney and I were outside digging her grave. I caught myself grunting in pain with each shovel of dirt I brought up. We each took a set of legs and laid her in her 3 foot deep grave. Sydney covered her and I went in to take a muscle relaxer pill. I took him a cold bottle of water and Sydney was drenched in sweat and dripping from his chin and nose. I hate summer, and he does too. Sydney said that he wanted to read passages from the Bible and he read Psalms 23. We cried, hugged, and he came in to take a cool shower. I don't know why Harley chose to stay outside, but she did it her way, and I respect that in humans or animals. Earlier Sydney was in his room with Rachel and Elisha in his room crying, he said he missed her already, I felt bad for him and it left me teary watching him in mourning; after all, 15 years of unconditional love, you just can't get that from any human.
I went to my pulmonology appointment and the node has not grown, Dr Issa said I was to repeat the CT in 6 months and if it is ok then repeat in 1 year after that. He said nodes need to be followed for an initial two years in case they are slow growers. For now, I'm good.
I had the growth on my jaw removed from the dermatologist and I am to go back in a week. The growth was sent off to the lab to make sure it is not cancerous. The ladicaine wore off about a half hour ago, ouch. But it burned like a fire ant going in, then he did a punch biopsy and it was over in less than a minute. It's all I could do not to laugh though, he resembled a skinny version of Mr. Magoo!
