Good News/Bad News

That's pretty much what these past few weeks have been like...a long, drawn out game of good news/bad news, with every bad news item being something that costs more money than I really should be able to afford to spend, and every good news item basically relying on my ability to have a sense of humor about it...because there really hasn't been much good news at all, other than the usual things in my life that I am grateful for and are always there: good friends, sweet children, my job and co-workers...and that overall "I'm a relatively privileged American and have a great deal more than most as my baseline" thing that keeps me from feeling terribly sorry for myself.

At any rate, it turns out at the end of it all that the worst news of all was actually good news in disguise. I went to the vet today to have more of Twyla's stitches removed, and the vet informed me that the huge bleeding tumor that "had to come out"...was merely a bad infection. However, the small, unassuming little tumor they accidentally found and removed in the process of removing the big, scary, bleeding one...was an early stage of cancer. Thus, my sweet puppy was saved by a big bleeding tumor. At least for now.

I mean, I'm trying to be realistic here...cancer doesn't always just go away when you remove the tumor. But the placement of this tumor (under her front leg at the shoulder joint) was such that I would never have detected it until it was large enough to impede movement...and the vet believes they caught it before it spread. There's still a probability that more tumors and more problems will crop up...but we have a reprieve. Twyla can recover...and I have time to weigh my options about treatment and perhaps research alternative cancer therapy for dogs.

I'm having a hard time dealing with the future right now, though. I just want to stare at that damn dog and marvel at our present state of unbelievable good luck. It was a sheep in wolf's clothing. Imagine that! hahaha.