SO LONG "GOOSE"

Lucy lost her six month battle with Lymphoma today. I adopted her on December 8, 2007 and let her go on June 30, 2009. Words just cannot express how I'm feeling. It's been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let this photo taken less than an hour after her passing do all my talking for now.

Lucy The Boxador R.I.P
Photo © Lydia Marcus 2009
Photographed June 30, 2009 in Encino, CA

LUCY'S LIFE

I saw an oncologist on Monday to find out about possible chemotherapy treatment for Lucy's recently diagnosed Lymphoma. Lucy has been sick since January, but it's only been a couple of weeks since she was finally diagnosed with the Lymphoma.

After hearing the three chemo options for her (that range from about $350 a month for oral chemo to $4200 for a five drug cocktail that's administered over a 5 week period), I've decided not to pursue chemo. Apparently chemotherapy is not a cure for Lymphoma (or other cancers) in dogs, it only temporarily treats the symptoms. The cheapest chemo averages only extra months, the middle chemo (around $3000) just six months, and for the most expensive chemo, the average prognosis is survival of one year before the lymphoma returns. At that point, you can redo chemo (which is less effective for the second bout) or just let the dog go.

If spending the money meant that Lucy would live a normal life and live for many more years to come, I may have considered it. But for the possibility of just one extra year (a period of time that may only have her feeling so-so), the chemo is not really something I want to pursue. As much as I love and adore her, I've already accepted that she's not going to be around long. Right now, the only thing I can do is continue to give her twice daily prednisone and occasional steroid shots (that really seem to give her a nice pick me up for a couple weeks), plus continue to give her a tasty diet and treats for as long as she is able to eat.

Right now it's just a waiting game as I continue to just be grateful for the time we have left together. Good days where she has a little pep in her step, a smile, and a healthy appetite fill me glee, bad days where she is lethargic and sad looking and not wanting to eat just makes me sad on a very heavy level.

I just have to take it a day at a time and keep thinking that when one door closes, another opens. There is a dog out there that will take over her spot, but never her place in my heart.

Photo credit: J. Herbert
Photographed May 18, 2009 in Encino, CA
© Lydia Marcus 2009

DOXIE LOVE

Meet my doggie "nieces" Mathilda and Talullah, blue Dachsund sisters that are two months old. Their human mommies are very close friends of mine. They just brought them home yesterday. They're the first blue doxies I've ever seen!

Talullah (on the left in the Polaroid below) is the one that seems the most photo savvy - she stared straight at the camera in practically every shot. Mathilda (on the right) seems to be more shy (or maybe less interested) in the camera. Talullah is larger but a lot more easy going and gentle. Mathilda has an obvious Napolean complex and is a raging little scrapper!


Sheryl & Denny (aka Shirley and Lennard) with their new doggie babies.








Photos by © Lydia Marcus 2009
Photographed in Lake Balboa, CA on June 7, 2009

PURPLE CALALILY TRIO

This is a perfect example of what makes Time Zero film so special and irreplaceable. It's why I have 13 boxes of it stockpiled in my fridge and literally wait for special things to photograph with it. There is nothing quite like TZ blue - it is just dreamy. Something about TZ makes images look like paintings. I love calalilies and these were a present. Since they only live a few days or so after they're cut, I thought this was the best way to immortalize them. The blue backdrop is courtesy of my swimming pool.

Photo by © Lydia Marcus
Polaroid SX-70 Alpha / Polaroid Time Zero Film
Photographed in Encino, CA

THE DIAGNOSIS

My apologies for being an erratic blogger, but my mental energy is really consumed with taking care of my dog Lucy right now.



On the previous post I wrote about Lucy's experimental drug therapy with Pamindronate. Well it turns out that was the 1st and last Pamindronate treatment she will ever receive.

Here's what happened since the treatment:

The vet wanted Lucy to take Pamindronate instead of the steroid shots and Prednisone pills we had been giving her. About 4 days after the Pamindronate, when all the last bit of steroids had left Lucy's system, she got VERY sick again. Stopped eating and drinking and just pretty much didn't want to move from Friday night until Monday when we got her back to the Vet. Spoke with our Vet over the weekend, and she said to put Lucy back on the Prednisone. She said that although her blood count was getting better as far as the Calcium numbers, clearly she was not faring well without the steroids in her system.

Saturday night, my Dad discovered a lump on the side of her neck. So Monday we returned to the Vet and did a biopsy. After six months of not knowing exactly what was wrong with her, we finally get the diagnosis - Lucy has Lymphoma. All the visible signs of illness go back to January when she first started vomiting and not eating for days on end, but I have a feeling the Lymphoma was lurking way before those symptoms arrived.

After a day back on the prednisone (and a steroid shot at the Vet), the lump in the side of her neck has become smaller right away. The steroids kind of suppress the lymphoma but doesn't completely take it or it's symptoms away.

We have an appointment with an Oncologist next week. The Pamindronate didn't really work out BUT had we not tried it and taken her off the steroids, the Lymphoma would not have shown itself - so ultimately this is a good thing to finally know what has been wrong with her since January 09. I don't know what the long term prognosis is - we may start chemo - but just taking it a day at a time. At least with the steroids in her system, Lucy's personality comes back, and she enjoys eating and playing with her Kong toys. She doesn't have as much energy as when she was healthy - our walks are pretty brief - but at least she isn't lying around looking like she's at death's door. I will continue to update Lucy's story as I know more. And when I find myself in the mood, I'll continue to post some new images of my beloved Polaroids and some digital too.

Lydia & Lucy photo by J. Herbert
Photographed May 18, 2009 in Encino, CA

LUCY THE TROUPER

Today Lucy got her first treatment of the experimental drug Pamidronate, used to treat high levels of calcium in the blood that may be caused by certain types of cancer. Lucy's increasingly high calcium levels have been making her sicker and sicker since the beginning of the year. The high calcium levels indicate that she has cancer in her body but where it is and what kind, we don't know. The cancer itself is not treatable by the Vet, but the Pamidronate will hopefully bring her calcium levels to a more normal level so that she can have a good quality of life. The Pamidronate is being given in place of the steroid shots and Prednisone pills that have been keeping her stable so far.



Lucy did remarkably well at this all day procedure. My Dad took her in at 8am and then we switched off shifts every couple hours throughout the day. In the end, Lucy didn't leave the vet until 4:30pm - a whopping 8 and a half hours being hooked up to an IV drip - 4+ hours of the Pamidronate followed by 4+ hours of just basic fluids to flush her kidneys. We have to repeat this treatment every 3 weeks.



Dr. Svenja Viete checks Lucy's heartbeat.



Photo by © Lydia Marcus 2009
Photographed May 26, 2009 in Van Nuys, CA

AERO CRUISIN' AMERICANA

Photo by © Lydia Marcus
Photographed February 10, 2009 on Route 66
Cool Springs, Arizona
www.coolspringsroute66.com

LYDIA & LUCY THE BOXADOR

My dog Lucy has been very sick since the beginning of the year. She vomits and stops eating for days and gets very lethargic. Plus she's lost a lot of weight.

The vet has gone down the line testing for various illnesses. Finally she's figured out the culprit is cancer or lymphoma but doesn't know where it is occurring in Lucy's body. The only thing that shows up in blood work is that she has very high calcium levels and each time we test her, they're higher and higher.

As a temporary fix for her symptoms, Lucy is on daily Prednisone, gets occasional steroid injections, and even takes a pill to stimulate appetite. She also has to be given occasional Pepcid pills for her upset stomach.

This week, Lucy's appetite and personality has returned with a force thanks to upping the dosage of Prednisone and the steroids.

A few days ago the vet told me Lucy has anywhere from a couple weeks to six months to live. The calcium will shut down her kidneys eventually.

But in the meantime, the vet is going to try a new injectable cancer drug on Lucy to see if it can bring the calcium levels down - the very thing that is making her so sick. If the drug works, maybe I'll have Lucy around a little longer.

Whether that will her snap out of this illness or not remains to be seen. I'm trying to deal with acceptance - that Lucy is probably not going to be around a very long time. She's only 3 and I've only had her in my life for a year and a half. That's what makes this so hard. It just isn't how life should be. Every other dog I've had in my life has lived to be 12 or 13. That's a long time to enjoy their company and love. I don't want to let go of Lucy yet, but I will if she starts to suffer.

Right now, I'm enjoying her personality and quirks and special Lucyness for as long as the shots and meds allow. Because I'm the one always taking photos of everyone else, I realized that I really did not have a good photo of me and Lucy. So I asked Jon, one of my closest friends, to come over today and shoot some shots of me and Lucy. Jon isn't a photographer, but I'm comfortable with him and Lucy adores him, so I figured with a little direction, he'd get a great shot. This one is my favorite.

Photo by J. Herbert
Photographed May 18, 2009 in Encino, CA

A FACE IS LIKE A WORK OF ART, IT DESERVES A GREAT FRAME

My Dad and Lucy The Boxador.

This is VERY special Polaroid film called Image Wild Sides. I got it from polapremium.com where it's $16 dollars a pack (plus shipping). I never knew they made Wild Sides for Spectra cameras. I used to love shooting the 600 version in my One Step. I held onto my last pack for years and just tried shooting it and it was a total dud - what a disappointment. Well at least I have 3 boxes of the Image Wild Sides to shoot. They're dated 10/2008 but the color is perfect. I gotta get my hands on more of this stuff!

Photo by © Lydia Marcus 2009
Photographed May 10, 2009 in Encino, CA
Polaroid ProCam with Image Wild Sides film (sold by polapremium)

LETTING GO

SOLD!!!!!!!!! Enjoy the car Barry :-)

1995 Audi A6 For Sale. $3199 OBO
Smog certified until May 2011. Registration good through July 2009.





(More photos below)

I purchased this 1995 Audi A6 used from McKenna Audi in July 1999 when it had 53,000 miles.
I have loved and maintained this car for nearly 10 years. Mileage is currently 165,000. I work from home so the car has pretty low mileage for a CA car.

The only cars I have ever driven have been Audis. Once you drive an Audi you are hooked for life. This was my third Audi after two 5000S models. The only reason I'm selling the car is that I needed a wagon for the utility and have just bought a used 2004 Audi A6 Avant. So now my blue baby has got to go. Even for a 14 year old car, the luxury and driving pleasure and timeless Audi styling are still there. A joy to drive and own.

My Dad has always supervised the maintenance on this car and he knows how to keep things nice and running for years. He still has his 1966 Buick LeSabre convertible in original condition if that tells you anything. So this 1995 Audi A6 is in excellent mechanical condition inside and out.

1995 Audi A6
Europa Blue Metallic
Leather seats (light tan color)
Burled walnut wood inlays for dash, door panels and console
8-way power front seats with manual lumbar adjustment and memory functions for driver seat and outside mirrors
4 Wheel ABS (anti-lock brakes) and Four disc brakes including two ventilated discs
Dual Airbags (driver and front passenger)
Keyless entry. 2 keys provided. Each key can be programmed for a different driver so that you have two separate seat and mirror settings. There's also a third memory setting located on the drivers door.
Power Windows
Moonroof (sliding and tilting)
Tilt and telescopic steering wheel
Professionally tinted windows (3M with lifetime guarantee)
Full power (windows, moonroof, seats)
CFC free liquid air conditioning with climate control (Ice cold Air Conditioning including vents in the back seat!)
Anti-theft vehicle alarm system
Cruise Control
2 cupholders
Leather-wrapped steering wheel
Leather shift knob and hand brake
Ski Storage sack (run from truck through pass through in backseat armrest). I've never used it for skis but it has come in handy to transport some long items.

Audio:
Sony 10 CD Changer
Prewired for Sirius Radio (professionally installed antennae and power supply). Just buy a Sirius brand radio, plug it into the two connectors, and activate it. That simple.
AM/FM stereo cassette radio with anti-theft and 8 active speaker sound package

Fuel Economy 19 City / 25 Highway (21 gallon tank) Typically if you wait to fill up until the reserve light comes on, you will get at around 350 miles per tank under normal driving (without even using the 3 reserve gallons). On road trips, I have actually gotten 450 miles!) This is a very well tuned engine. My 2004 A6 is the same size but has a bigger engine and gets nowhere near this fuel economy. Something I will definitely miss about my '95 A6.

2.8 Liter, 12 valve, V6 engine

Car Fax report available. Car Fax shows it had one accident in 1999 (before I owned it) and since I've owned it, zero accidents or body work.

The first couple years I owned the car, I serviced it at Keyes Audi in Van Nuys. Then I switched to the Auto Gallery in Woodland Hills. Most recent service has been done at Ingolstadt West (an independent Audi/VW/Porsche shop) in Woodland Hills and through my Dad's personal mechanic in Reseda.

Recent maintenance:

new brakes on the front
new front tires
replaced both catalytic converters 2 years ago and new spark plugs (so it will pass smog for many years to come)
new belts
new water pump
overhauled radiator
replaced the seals on the moonroof
replaced the airbag sensor/monitoring system on drivers side steering wheel





















































Some road trips I have enjoyed in the A6:

White Sands, New Mexico


Capitol Reef, Utah


Arches National Park, Utah


A recent photo shoot for a lighting class I took:





Model not included with car ;-)