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→ JUMP TO POST-RADIATION UPDATES ←
After a 2-month fight with lymphoma, Bitsy passed away May 18, 2012. She will be greatly missed from the Happy Cavy herd. RIP Lady Bitsy.
THIS IS PART #3 IN A 4 PART SERIES:
PART 1: Bitsy And Guinea Pig Lymphoma
PART 2: Bitsy Goes for Radiation Treatment
PART 3: Bitsy’s Guinea Pig Radiation Therapy, Part II
PART 4: Bitsy’s Cancer Treatment: Prednisone & Elspar
PART 5: Bitsy Has Crossed The Rainbow Bridge
Bitsy just returned home after her 2nd dose of cancer therapy. Sweet fuzzy thing is tired and a bit grumpy 🙁
— HappyCavy (@happycavy) April 12, 2012
Bitsy had her second round of radiation therapy Thursday, April 12. Her first round of radiation therapy didn’t have any discernible effect on the her health or the size of her tumors.
Visit expenses are listed to give you an idea of health care treatment costs for guinea pigs.
Bitsy’s Second Appointment (Radiation Treatment)
April 12, 2012 – Cost of Care: $75
What Was Done: Radiation, 0.5 gray unit whole body treatment
Bitsy got 0.25 gray units of radiation during her last treatment, so this time the vet oncologist increased the dosage to 0.5 units.
Bitsy and her Humans spent about 45 minutes at the office, with the actual treatment only taking a few minutes after the staff had set up the treatment room. After her treatment, Bitsy was bouncy and happy to see her Humans waiting patiently for her in the waiting room. She continued to get “oohs” and “aahs” from the office staff, she’s just such a cute guinea piggie!
During the post-therapy consultation, Bitsy was asked to check in with the oncologist on Monday and to schedule a checkup with the HappyCavy family doctor within a week. By that time, the tumors should show a reduction in size.
The Humans were also told that if this radiation treatment is not successful and does not result in the shrinkage of her tumors, another treatment would not be possible as her lymphoma is most likely radio-resistant. Let’s hope this isn’t the case and that her tumors respond to this dose of radiation! *paws crossed*
Poor, sweet, little Bitsy! She was very grumpy after she got home from the oncologist’s office, but she settled in quickly and took a long, restful nap to recover from the long day behind her.
Please keep Bitsy in your thoughts and let us hear from you in the comments. She loves hearing from her supporters!
Future updates will be added to this post, so please check back for updates on little Bitsy’s progress!
More Updates
APRIL 13 AND 14:
No signs of tumor shrinkage or any side-effects. Lady Bitsy‘s tiredness has worn off and she is back to her happy self.
April 14th marks a full 48 hours after the radiation treatment. At this point, the tumors cells should be dying or dead and the size of her tumors should begin to get smaller. We will keep our friends updated on Bitsy’s progress here and on Facebook and Twitter.
APRIL 14 TO 18:
Still no side-effects (good news!) nor significant tumor shrinkage (not great news). While the oncologist advised that tumor shrinkage may be noticeable within 24 to 48 hours, the Humans assume this is a catch-all answer applied to dog and cat patients. It’s just a waiting game, we think.
Bitsy’s Follow Up (After 2nd Radiation Treatment)
April 19, 2012 – Cost of Care: $157
What Was Done: Checkup, Chem-27 CBC (full blood test)
Bitsy visited the HappyCavy family doctor for a re-check exam following her second radiation therapy session. She was given a thorough check-up and had a full Chem-27 CBC test (blood test) performed. The tumors have not noticeably shrunken, yet they have also not grown. The blood test will give us a better idea of what is going on inside Bitsy’s white, fuzzy guinea pig body.
The next day, April 20, the blood test results arrived. It showed significantly elevated white blood cell count and increased CPK (creatine phosphokinase) levels. This indicates that the radiation had little effect on the lymphoma and that Bitsy has experienced some slight muscle damage as a possible side-effect from the radiation. On a positive note, Lady Bitsy‘s liver enzymes, red blood cell count, and iron levels seems to be within the normal range.
Fortunately, Bitsy’s has been relatively healthy and she is in very good spirits
Over the next several days, the Happy Cavy Humans and Bitsy’s doctors will be working together to develop a strategy on how to move forward. Decisive, quick action needs taken to determine whether another radiation treatment is necessary or multi-drug chemotherapy is the best option.
Poor Bitsy. She’s the reason I happily stumbled across this little website a month ago. I have a piggy with kidney stones and didn’t know where to turn. A google search turned up sweet Bitsy and I have been following her story ever since. Get well, sweet girl! I also have 4 sister piggies just your ages and they too are very loved and spoiled.