May 13th, 2023
Tonight on NatGeo Wild at 9 ET / 6 PT, Layla is featured on the Critter Fixer vet show. If you've ever wanted to get to know her, tonight is the night! It is a can't miss and fantastically tasteful, full of heart. You can see the trailer on my Instagram stories @thebeaconscollective or @cancerrevengers, Facebook at the same.
Layla is doing very well, almost back to normal. We weaned her off steroids last Monday, May 1st. She was on dexamethasone, something 500% more potent than what they would give you or I for sciatica acting up or plantar fasciitis or some other nagging ache or pain. Working carefully with the Georgia team, we weaned her about 3-4x faster than is recommended. Reason is, we want zero interference with the trial drugs. So because of that, some side effects/withdrawal symptoms are extreme fatigue, nausea and vomiting. But she is officially off all interventional medicine and only taking her usual medications.
Last week she was super tired, taking 2 naps a day up to 2.5 hours each. She came home early at 1PM from school on Tuesday, 9:30AM on Wednesday, missing Thursday and Friday. Over the weekend she perked up and labs from this past Monday, May 8th, showed her adrenal gland, which the steroids essentially turn off, was back to within normal range, though at the lower end. I took her in at 8AM and it was standing room only for labs. We had an appointment and were 4th in line so when her name was called and she jumped to her feet and said, "FINALLYYY!!!," with the entire waiting room in a roar laughing, I knew we were good.
She went back to school for a half day on Tuesday, but stayed home on Wednesday, her choice, to "rest up" for her field trip the next day, which she vehemently told me I was not allowed to attend. She did about a half day there and then was chipper and off to school Friday for another half day. We hope to get her back to full days again shortly.
Enjoy the show tonight! And please, when she is being "prepared" by the guys to "examine" the cow, record your reactions to the sequence. Widescreen video please, and post to social media tagging @thebeaconscollective or @cancerrevengers, or send to me. I want her to see how everyone reacts, it'll be quite a mashup!
Thanks for the support all. Will have some others news coming in the next few weeks, related, but not related.