A few milestones have ticked by since the last update:

• It’s now over a year since Milo first got ill
• We’ve made it through the first round of his second chemo CHOP protocol
• The scan on the day that should have marked the end of that first round showed ‘a resolution of the intestinal mass and a reduction in size of the enlarged abdominal lymph nodes’
• The oncologist used the word ‘remission’ (even if it can’t be found in the report sent to my local vet)

That’s all good news. Though it comes against a background of some blood tests showing low neutrophil counts, which have led to delays in administering chemo, and more vet visits.

Insurance

ManyPets seem to have slipped back into taking months to process claims. The first claim for this policy was turned around in a couple of days (minus the excess), but everything since then has been queued up. I’m still waiting on a claim for a scan from the end of September. It’s not yet as long a wait as some claims from last year’s policy, but with the holidays almost upon us it’s not looking good.

Past parts:

1. diagnosis and initial treatment

2. first setback

3. back on track

4. second setback

5. easing the pace

6. counting the cost

7. fat boy

8. done CHOPping for now

9. scans

10. relapse