On Thursday, March 22, Bitsy had her first radiation treatment for lymphoma. She received a 0.25 unit dose of radiation, which lasted just a few seconds. It took a short time, but it certainly felt like the longest few seconds of the HappyCavy Humans’ lives! What a nerve-wracking day it was!

Bitsy finished her course of antibiotics for her UTI on Monday. It’s great that Bitsy is now UTI-free, but next she will have to take a regimen of medicine to get her body “in shape” for radiation.

On Wednesday, the day before Bitsy went to see the oncologist, she was prescribed with the following medications.

– Carafate (1 ml), to protect the intestinal lining
*to be given every 12 hours, 1 day before radiation and 5-7 days after

– Acidophilus probiotic (1 capsule), to promote gut health
*to be given every 12 hours, 1 day before radiation and 5-7 days after

– Ranitidine (Zantac) (0.5 ml), to protect against ulceration
*to be given every 12 hours, 5-7 days after radiation

– Metoclopramide (Reglan) (0.4 ml), to regulate digestion
to be given every 12 hours, 5-7 days after radiation

Thankfully, Bitsy is really good at taking medicine. Just a kiss, a cuddle, and a quick towel wrap and she’s ready to drink down pretty much anything the Humans need to give her.

So on Thursday, Bitsy took the drive across town for her first radiation treatment. The Humans that accompanied her were very nervous. Nobody really knows what the effects will be, and treating guinea pig lymphoma with radiation is risky business. The radiation could destroy the lymphoma and have little side effects, or the side effects could kill Bitsy quicker than the lymphoma itself.

However, the vet experts working with the HappyCavy family have made it clear that radiation will give her the best chance for long-term survival. And — while side-effects like nausea, vomiting, and gut statis are very real and very dangerous — the medicine Bitsy has been taking to prepare for radiation will help tremendously with her recovery.

Bitsy’s First Oncology Appointment (Radiation Treatment)

March 22, 2012 – Cost of Care: $75

What Was Done: Radiation, 0.25 gray unit whole body treatment

Bitsy and the HappyCavy Humans arrived for the first treatment at the oncologist’s office at 12:30pm on a warm Thursday afternoon. The office staff cooed over her: “What a cute piggie!”, they said. They all wanted to get a look at this gorgeous guinea pig with the adorable fuzzy face. Bitsy loves attention, and the friendly atmosphere put her at ease.

As the Humans sat in the waiting room, they filled out the paperwork and disclaimers they were given at the front desk. The paperwork reminded them of the possible side-effects of radiation and of the uncertainty of the outcome of the treatment.

Sign, initial, sign. The paperwork was complete.

*Nervous glances around the waiting room*

Then, promptly at 1pm, Bitsy and the Humans were ushered into a separate consultation area. Then in comes the doctor: Dr. Juliana Cyman. The doctor is clearly a compassionate vet. In fact, she began her own oncology practice after her disenfranchisement with the sales-type nature of conventional veterinary offices. It is apparent that she wants very much to see Bitsy get better. Her friendly personality and emphatic voice put everyone in the room at ease, even Bitsy! While the doctor was talking to the Humans, Bitsy rearranged the blanket in her pigloo and took a short nap.

After the doctor spoke with the Humans for a few minutes, she turned to have a look at Lady Bitsy. Dr. Cyman listened to Bitsy’s heart beat, palpated her tumors, took measurements, and turned to the Humans. It was time for “the talk”.

Preparation for Treatment

The kind doctor once again patiently described the risks and the possible advantages. The HappyCavy family is lucky to live close to a great exotics veterinarian, and even luckier to have a local vet oncologist who is willing to perform radiation therapy under the direction of other exotics experts. The oncologist reminded the Humans that, if the effects of the radiation caused a significant loss in her quality of life, it would be in Bitsy’s best interests to pursue euthanasia.

The worse possible outcome could be very grim, but the possibility of complete remission is a realistic and very attainable end result. Plus, Bitsy could help future guinea pigs with the information gained from the use of radiation for her lymphoma treatment. And we all think that’s pretty neat!

After about a half hour talking with Dr. Cyman, it was time for Bitsy’s treatment.

Bitsy was placed in a small plastic box, and nested into her orange towel from home. She was swiftly taken to the radiation room where and fitted with more medical equipment then set on the radiation machine: a linear accelerator with electrons.

With the Humans watching from the waiting room, the doors to the treatment room slowly closed. An “X-Ray In Use” sign flashed on for a second, then off. Bitsy was done.

The radiation will take several days to do its work as it kills off the tumors. Once Bitsy’s body starts absorbing the “dead” tumor cells, the side-effects will begin to show. Nausea, vomiting, and gut upset are the three biggest concerns. Because of this, she will continue to stay on a medicine regime until March 27 to help ease any negative reactions she might have. She will also have a visit with the HappyCavy exotics vet in a week to check on her progress.

Updates on any side-effects will be posted on this page. Please check back to stay updated on how Bitsy does during her post-radiation recovery!

Updates On Bitsy’s Progress

MARCH 23 – 26:
Bitsy has been tired but is still eating and drinking normally. Her mood seems chipper and there is no discernible change in her health. The tumors have not yet started to shrink, however, the Humans were told that it may take 5-7 days for her body to begin absorbing the dead tumor cells. Once her body begins the absorption process, the side-effects of radiation will become more noticeable.

MARCH 26 – 30:
Bitsy is still not showing any side effects after her treatment with radiation. However, her back lymph nodes have become swollen. Bitsy will be going to the good doctor on Friday for a post-treatment follow-up appointment.

Bitsy’s Post-Radiation Follow Up Appointment

March 30, 2012 – Cost of Care: $171.70

What Was Done: Blood test, exam, refill of Carafate, Reglan, and Zantac

Bitsy’s follow-up appointment began as a rather routine visit. Bitsy made the trip to the vet so he could check on the status of her tumors and to also perform a blood draw. The blood test results will give the HappyCavy family a snapshot as to how Bitsy responded to the radiation, and what, if any, changes were made to her tumors.

The good doctor spent a lot of time with Bitsy to make sure he got the most accurate readings for her post-treatment progress. The office just loves Bitsy, and the Humans are so thankful to have such a great exotics vet to treat the HappyCavy guinea pigs! All the attention and affection helps calm the Humans’ nerves, and Bitsy seems to be getting more familiar with her vet visits. But she really isn’t 100% comfortable until she’s back in Portland, sleeping and eating comfortably in the HappyCavy home.

The most eventful portion of Bitsy’s most recent visit was when she had a small amount of blood drawn from her neck to begin the blood test. It took just a few minutes to get the blood they needed, but after that, the sample area wouldn’t stop bleeding. About 45 minutes later, the good doctor came back to the exam room where the Humans were waiting. Bitsy is a very vocal guinea pig, her whelping and scared cries left the Humans desperate to see Lady Bitsy return to them.

The doc explained that Bitsy’s radiation treatment had probably lowered her platelet count, cell which aid blood clotting. This makes sense, since it took such a long time to stop the bleeding. But nobody will know for certain until the results are available tomorrow.

One thing is for sure, Bitsy was NOT happy to spend such a long time away from her Human parents. She came back looking disheveled, mad as could be, with a bit of blood still seeping from the needle insertion point where the doctor had applied surgical glue to stop the bleeding. The Humans grabbed a few paper towels, paid their bill, and drove home as quickly and safely as possible to get Bitsy to a place more comfortable than the doctor’s office.

During her appointment, the doctor confirmed that the lymph nodes in her neck had grown and that the lymph nodes in her groin area had also grown. The doctor said that Bitsy’s oncologist would most likely perform a second dose of radiation at 0.5 gray units. Bitsy hasn’t displayed any ill side-effects from her first treatment (aside from a little sleepiness), but her tumors have continued to slowly grow. The hope is that if a larger dose of radiation is supplied, Bitsy would be able to get those nasty tumors into remission without any side effects. So while at the vet’s office, the Humans got the pre- and post-radiation treatment drugs they needed, in the hopes that Bitsy’s blood test will show that she is able to undergo a second round of radiation.

The next step is to wait for the blood test results to plan Bitsy’s next move.

WHEW!! What a day!

More Updates

MARCH 31:

The blood test results are back! The results confirmed a slightly low platelet count and elevated white blood cell count. The elevated white blood cell count — which was slightly higher than Bitsy’s first blood test — indicates that the radiation had little effect; however, this result also brings good news in that her bone marrow was not damaged by the radiation treatment.

As suspected, Bitsy’s platelets were low, which caused her post-blood-draw clotting issue while at the vet yesterday.

On Monday, the good doctor will consult with our oncologist for how to proceed with Bitsy’s next radiation treatment.

APRIL 1 – APRIL 6 :

Her tumors continue to get bigger, fortunately the growth is very slow. This will give her a chance to recover from her first radiation treatment and build up a stronger immune system to undergo a second radiation treatment scheduled for Thursday, April 12.

*paws crossed for good results!*

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