Big C, little c

When Cheyenne was a puppy, several friends offered some good advice on raising and training her. One friend told me to regularly rub her body, feel for any changes, sore spots or lumps. That was some good advice because it turned out that Cheyenne is a very lumpy girl. Through the years, I've lost count of how many lumps her veterinarian has tested.  Always, the result was fatty lump.

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a new crop of lumps on her chest and one on her shoulder. As usual, I made an appointment with the vet to get them tested. That appointment was yesterday and, sadly, the results were not fatty lumps this time.  Cancer is present in the lump on her shoulder. 

Every single time, and there have been very many, that I've sat in the examining room with Cheyenne waiting to receive the test results of her lumps, I've worked hard to keep calm and not let fear and worry take control of my mind. In that small room while we wait, time drags on. I fill the minutes that seem like hours by petting her and loving on her. I had grown accustomed to her vet walking through the door and smiling at me and telling me the lumps were fatty.  Yesterday, though, she came through the door and said she wanted to get one more sample from the lump on her shoulder.  My heart sank into my stomach and my stomach sank to my knees. 

And then Cheyenne and I waited for eternity to hear the results.

So, yeah, one of her lumps contains cancer cells.  On Friday, she is having surgery to remove that lump and also to remove a couple others that her doctor doesn't like because of proximity to her lymph nodes, their shape, or their continued growth and therefore large size.

The good news is that we caught it early.  Very early, thanks to my friend's sage advice to regularly check for changes in Cheyenne's body. 

Keep my girl in your thoughts on Friday, please.  I'll let you know how it goes.