Cancer

It all starts with a single cell.  One cell with the ability to produce endless of copies of itself as well as endless proteins and hormones.  This cell loses its ability to self-regulate: that is, it loses its ability to undergo programmed cell death ("apoptosis").  This cell also loses its ability to be eliminated by the body--it becomes immune to the repeated attempts by the body to tell it to self-destruct.  It becomes immune to signals from the body to stop growing.  It develops the ability to signal nearby blood vessels to grow into its new-formed colony, supplying it with an endless amount of oxygen and other essential nutrients.  

Sounds like a great plot for a horror movie, does it not?

This renegade cell can come about in any number of ways and the way most living beings avoid the transformation relies on genetics.  That is, one inherits the ability to stop these cells before they start from their parents.  Assaults to our cells come in many forms and occur thousands of times a day.  Living from day to day is like playing a game of russian roulette--your body could undergo one insult one day and that one insult could be the one that becomes cancer.  Conversely, your body could undergo thousands of insults per day and you may never develop cancer.  Again, this all depends on the tiny DNA cellular repair mechanisms and their efficacy, which you inherited from your parents.  This is why cancer can be traced through families--if your mother or father had cancer, the chances are higher that you inherited a less-than-optimal DNA cellular repair mechanism and thus will develop cancer.

Cancer does not come about due to the multiplication of a mutated cell.   Cancer comes about because the body lacks the correct repair mechanism to fix a problem in a cell that occurs during the exact right spot in the DNA and in the exact right time in the cell replication cycle.  Every day, hour after hour, our bodies are manufacturing the proteins and hormones needed to function.  If a mutation occurs in a section of DNA that codes for a hormone, for example, that hormone is made with an incorrect ingredient.  No big deal, it is just eliminated.  After all, what's one hormone molecule when compared with the amounts needed to elicit a metabolic response, right?

The sad thing is this: Most of our cancer patients are the best of the best.  They are fed the best foods, they are on the best exercise schedules, they drink the best water and have some of the best owners.  And yet, because they are breeds in which defunct cellular repair mechanisms are passed down generation after generation, they still continue to develop cancer.  Most of my patients are fed organic raw food diets, are exercised multiple times a day, have hundreds of hours of training and obedience under their belts, and have the kind of owners lonely dogs in shelters can only dream of.  There is no reason we should be seeing the rates of cancer in these dogs other than genetics.  Mind you, we do see a select population.  We see only dogs that owners opt to treat, and since we are a tertiary referral hospital, we see only owners that have the finances to do so.  However, there are a few dog breeds that are grossly over-represented. 

I can't describe how gut-wrenching and horrific it is to break the news to owners who have always done the right thing for their pets.  Their pets are taken care of, their pets are adored, their pets are a part of the family.  We have to break terrible news to owners of old, loyal family dogs that have been there experiencing life right alongside their owners.  We have to break the news to owners of young puppies with entire doggy lives ahead of them.  And every single one doesn't deserve the diagnosis.  For every single one of them I want to pound the table and scream, "It's not fair! Why THIS dog? Why THIS cat? Why couldn't it be a vicious dog?  Why couldn't it be a nasty cat?" 

And unfortunately, the answer is that life isn't about being fair.  Life is about living and experiencing and enjoying and savoring and appreciating and being in the moment.  There's no use in dreading the inevitable, and so one should take extreme measures to live life to its absolute fullest.  

Go out and do what makes you happiest, and give your doggy friend or horsey friend or kitty friend a pat on the head and appreciate them for what they bring to your life.

Tour de Lentil

Yesterday I set out to accomplish my first bike race ever--although race is hardly the term I would use for the journey.  The ride is 65 miles through the Palouse of Eastern Washington.  That is, it's extremely hilly.  EXTREMELY hilly.  When I set my mind to something, I get it done come hell or high water.

We biked down to the start of the race, which was held in Reaney Park.  The start time was advertised for 9am, and when we arrived at 8:15 (via bike, I might add), there was a long line to register.  The start time came and passed, and there we stood in line.  When we got our T-shirts and "map", we set about standing around until we decided just to leave.  This is a very unofficial/very casual bike ride.  There were five of us, two on mountain bikes (ouch!) and three of us on road bikes.  Tami and Dave (road bikes), Kristen and Evan (mountain bikes), and me (road bike). The first 20 miles was fairly easy--long uphill grades and long downhill grades.  There really isn't a lot of flat in the palouse.  We stopped at a small church and refuled on cold water, bananas, bagels and grapes.  One of our mountain bikers (Evan) was already hurting--he hadn't wanted to don the spandex padded pants for the ride and was feeling the effects of lack of training and padding.  He stuck with it though.

The next 10 miles was slightly more challenging--longer steeper uphills and downhills.  The day was starting to warm up, and the breeze was at our backs which meant the slow uphill climbs were essentially windless.  We  rolled into the small town of Colfax with our group still intact and gobbled bagels and peanut butter and grapes.  I still felt fabulous and was happy I'd been training and riding my bike to school so often.  Tami decided to call it a day here--both she and Dave are from a very flat part of Washington and she just wasn't ready for all the hills.  I can totally sympathize--the first time I rode my bike to school here I almost puked.  And that was after an entire summer of riding in Boise at least four days a week.  Tami and Kristen switched bikes here, which made things much easier for Kristen.

Kristen, Evan, Dave and I set off after our short break....on the wrong road.  And added six miles of a VERY steep and long uphill grade.  Thank goodness we realized we were off course because we would have ended up halfway to Spokane!  We turned around and returned to Colfax.  (Evan was spent, and called for a ride.  He hadn't conditioned, and still managed to put in a full 36 miles on a mountain bike!)  I tried not to be upset at the misdirection and chalked it up to part of the adventure.   After all, we'd been hearing about the horrible hill out of Colfax.  It couldn't be worse than the grade we'd just done, right? Wrong.  Holy shmoly.  The "real" hill was much steeper, although not as long.  My quads burned with the effort, but I made it up in good time.  Just towards the top, a hearse came around the corner.  I laughed and called back to Kristen and Dave, "They're coming for us!"

The 17 miles between Colfax and Palouse (the town) was torture.  Every time I was sure we'd finished climbing we'd round a corner and up and up the road would go.  I was starting to feel exhausted, but knew I couldn't quit.  Finally, about five miles outside of Palouse the road evened out a little and gave way to more gradual grades and flat spots.  Thank Goodness, I wasn't going to be able to much more climbing without food!  We came into Palouse and I decided we should stop at a cafe and get some lunch.  I was famished, and no bagel was going to sate my hunger.  I wanted real food!  The cafe ended up being brilliant and brought us incredible fruit smoothies and croissant/ham/green tomato basil sandwiches.  Dave and Kristen broke the news they were going to stop here, and couldn't believe it when I said I was going to finish.  I set off knowing the 15 miles between Palouse and Pullman is mostly downhill or flat.  I was right, and only had four minor/moderate climbs before the road gave way to glorious downhill.  When I rolled into Pullman to claps and cheers, Evan and Kristen were waiting for me at the finish line with a mint/chocolate chip blizzard.  It was perfect!

All in all, I ended up doing about 72-3 miles.  The ride was a 100K plus the additional six mile "detour" and the 2-3 miles to the starting line.  I love cycling--not only does it spare the achilles from tightening from inadequate stretching if you're running, but it builds mondo upper body, calf and quad strength.  It also does a fabulous job of making one appreciate the distances covered!  All great for endurance!

A Real Farm and Other News

Sunday was a very busy day for my little Reid Road Rental farm--we increased our animal population by three!  A friend of mine lives in downtown Moscow, Idaho, which sounds like a teensy weensy town.  By most standards, it really is, but for around here, it's a good sized town with a well-established downtown area and a decent permanent population.  This friend was keeping a miniature horse and two goats in his yard in downtown Moscow, and because the pygmy goat had been raised inside for the first part of his life, he is very attached to humans and spent the better part of many days calling for the humans.  So, I acquired two loaner goats for the year to eat down my weeds and keep me otherwise entertained.  They've been a blast so far, and have settled into their new job quite well!

Another friend of mine was looking for a place to put her horse until October, and so her horse, Olive, has taken over my upper pasture.  She is also doing a good job of getting rid of the weeds!

My other news is this: I am going to try REALLY HARD to do our first 50 this season.  I'm looking to do the second day of Old Selam in Centerville, ID.  It's going to take some fancy scheduling and bribing of fellow students to take care of my patients for the weekend, but I think with some luck (and baked goods!), I may be able to pull it off.  As of now, we will be preparing as if we're doing the ride.  Unfortunately, I may not find out I can't do the ride at the last minute, so keep your fingers crossed for me!  I feel like Jasper is very ready for the challenge, and just can't accept that the ride season is over for us with so many great rides left.  If we absolutely cannot do this ride, I may try to do a 50 at the Halloween ride in Oreana, but we'll see.

I just started my Oncology rotation on Monday, and am having a surprisingly great time.  I knew it would likely be a depressing rotation, but prior to this had no interest in cancers or their behaviors.  It's been an interesting couple of days, however, and am looking forward to the challenges of the next two weeks.  I'm thinking about doing an informational post about cancers and the many ways they can arise, but will gauge that goal with my coming workload.

SLOOOW Ride

Since Jasper is off for three weeks after doing two successful days at Pink, Wayne and I decided to take out big girl Callie and his new horse, Obsidian, for a nice trail ride on Sunday.  We brought Obsidian with us to Pink so she could start to get a feel for camping without having to compete, and she did awesome.  Since she is such a dominant mare, she seemed relatively unconcerned with being left at the trailer completely alone.  She ate and drank and did not get excited with all the activity going on in camp.  If I didn't know this was her first camping trip, I'd be sure she was a veteran.  Wayne took her for a trail ride both days and although she saw fit to spook at many of the stumps and rocks, she handled everything really really well.

The girls do well together, although Obsidian thought Callie walked waay too slow and had a hard time settling down behind her early in the ride.  It was so different riding Callie after putting so many miles on Jasper--she's so laid back and smooth and HUGE.  We had a nice time, though, and I think Obsidian is going to make an excellent horse for Wayne.  She needs to learn a few trail manners (ie putting her nose a few inches up the rear of the horse in front isn't going to fly for long...), but she's smart and willing and really comes alive on the trail.

This is my last week of vacation before returning to school and starting two weeks of Oncology.  It's another challenging rotation and I have definite weaknesses in this area, so I've been studying and trying to commit the hundreds of chemotherapeutic drugs to memory so I don't look like such an idiot.  I'm looking forward to getting back to the farmhouse and to the daily rhythm of life, but know I'll soon be missing my vacation days so I'm trying to appreciate them now.

Official Ride Times

The official ride times have been posted, and are as follows:

Day 1: 30 miles

Start: 7:30 am

Finish: 1:52 pm

Place: 28th

Overall Ride Time: 5 hours 32 mins (not including 50 min hold)

Average Pace: 5.4 mph

Day 2: 25 miles

Start: 7:30 am

Finish: 12:09 pm

Place: 23rd

Overall Ride TIme: 3 hours 49 mins

Average Pace: 6.5 mph

I'm quite happy with this--my plan was to ride much more conservatively on Saturday to save enough for Sunday.  Considering how much energy Jasper had left at the end of Sunday, I'll consider my goal to have been reached!

I'm still anxiously awaiting the posting of photos from day two--Jasper was eating up ground and I think we may have actually gotten our first extended trot picture!  Finally!  His day 1 photos are pretty good, he didn't spook at the photographer for the first time in history.  We're in a shadow, though, and I'm holding out hope for day 2.  I think I'm going to do a cluster of ride photos from the season with a larger one in the middle, and I'm hoping day 2 proves to be the one worthy of enlargement.  We've agreed to turn the office/library into our endurance wall of fame, and will frame and hang our photos (and potential other mileage awards, etc) there.  I think I could stare at pictures of my pony all day...

Pink Flamingo Day 2

I slept like a baby on Saturday night, and was out as soon as my head hit the pillow.  I set my alarm for a bit later on Sunday, as I had spent 45 minutes twiddling my thumbs on Saturday morning while I waited to leave.  Not having to apply boots put me waay ahead of schedule!

Once again, we left the trailer 15 minutes after open trail time and made our way over to the start.  We had another blazing fast start with me on foot, and I had walked not 20 yards before remembering I hadn't brought my vet card from the previous day and thus had no card.  Back to the start we went while Wayne ran over to registration to get a fresh card.  I ended up mounting there, and Jasper and I set off at a surprisingly brisk pace through camp.  Once we got out of sight of camp, Jasper started spooking at all the rocks and stumps on either side of the road, so I knew he felt good and fresh.

The first loop was a 15 mile loop with a lot of hills.  Unlike the 22 mile loop from Saturday, the elevation changes were often dramatic and much of the trail was on dirt trails rather than roads.  It was promising to be a hot day, so I wanted to keep up a good pace so we could get in before the heat really hit in the early afternoon.  Jasper was extremely fresh on this loop, and kept pushing to go faster and faster.  He quickly understood that we would trot the uphills and flats and walk the steeper downhills, and was soon pacing himself.  He seems to thrive on technical trail, and ate up the sections where he had to pick his way through sticks and turns.  The loop was beautiful, and we had a wonderful time while the morning sun streamed through the trees.  We soon caught up with the last riders, and I was amazed at Jasper's energy.  Unfortunately I had forgotten to plug in my GPS the night before, so I had no record of how fast we were going at any time, but on some of the more gradual downhill roads I am certain we were trotting at 13-14 mph. 

During one of these downhill sections, the road ran next to a reservoir for a bit.  I was stunned at the beauty of the still water and the morning sun, and felt as though I was flying on Jasper.  His ears were forward and he was looking around enjoying the scenery, clearly enjoying himself.  I could in our shadow how extended and relaxed his stride looked. I think this was about the time I realized Jasper is definitely ready to do 50's and that he has some real potential.  I was so happy I could have cried many times during this loop--the indescribable joy of sharing breathtaking trails and feeling like a team with my horse was almost too much!  

We came into the hold in very good time, and finished the loop in 2 hours of actual ride time.  He vetted through with all A's, although the vet noticed he seemed to be stiffening up a little in his hind end.  He didn't seem terribly concerned especially since we'd gone the day before.  I had been a little worried since he hadn't drank as well as he had been during the first loop, but he definitely made up for it during the vet check.  I had also been careful to monitor his sweating, and since it was still cool and Jasper seemed to be going so effortlessly, I tried not to get too concerned.  I pulled his tack and gave him a nice but massage while he wolfed down hay as fast as he could.  I again had gatorade and ensure, and this time remembered to bring a sun hat and some paper towels to wipe my face down, which was nice.  

After about a half hour, we retacked and headed out for our final loop, which would be a repeat of the 10 mile loop from the day before.  The loop went by quickly with Jasper once again pushing constantly to go faster.  We got back in little more than an hour, and he vetted through with all A's and a comment from the vet about how great he looked.  I was so proud of him!  He looked a little tired, but not exhausted by any stretch.  On our way back to the trailer, he goosed at a pile of black garbage bags, so I knew he still felt good. 

Things I learned:

1. We're done with LD's.  Jasper is DEFINITELY ready to step it up to "real" endurance.

2. Since he did so well completely barefoot and we do all our conditioning rides barefoot, I should probably start booting him for some of our rides to get him used to it.  I'm also considering giving the gloves a try and playing around with glue-ons for next season.

3. Although I didn't pack mash or grain in our vet bag, once we step up to 50's I definitely need to.

4. Jasper is competitive. I need to work on this to keep it in check so he's not wearing himself out early in 50's (and beyond!).  However, I don't want to squash it completely as he really seems to enjoy "winning."  

5. My goal for Jasper is to accrue lots of miles and for him to be healthy, sound, and enjoying his job for as long as possible.  I would also like to eventually do longer distances, like 75's and 100's, so long as that falls within the first part of my goal.  

6.  I think we may be done with the bit.  I didn't even take it with us on the second day, I knew he wouldn't need it.

Pink Flamingo Day 1

I felt like I hardly slept a wink on Friday night, and awoke on Saturday morning with that heart-pounding light headed feeling that only sleep deprivation can provide.  My nerves were admittedly a little on edge--not only was this going to be our first two-day-in-a-row ride, but I was going to attempt to do it completely barefoot AND bitless.  

A friend of mine and I had arrived early on Thursday and taken our ponies out for a light leg stretching, and Jasper had spooked at every rock, stump and puddle during the short three miles.  I was concerned this trend was going to repeat itself on ride day and leave both Jasper and I exhausted.

On saturday I was once again the last to leave camp and hand walked Jasper out.  I was hoping to be able to mount once we were out of sight of camp, but this wasn't the case--the whinnies from lonely horses traveled quite a ways, and Jasper felt obligated to answer almost every one.  Just as I was anticipating being able to mount, the front-runner 50-milers started passing us at high speeds going back towards camp.  Jasper's heart rate again spiked to 150 and I had a frantic time-bomb on the end of the lead rope again.  The first loop was a 22 mile lollypop, and although the stick portion was short, we had left camp at the perfect time to see the fastest riders canter back into camp for their first hold.  I thought, "Oh, well," and figured the uphill walk would help warm us both up for the ride.  Eventually, he calmed down at the sight of the passing riders, and as soon as we made it up to the base of the "pop" I was able to mount and continue.  Surprisingly, Jasper was unconcerned with the logs and rocks and puddles anymore. 

That first loop had a lot of elevation change and was primarily on roads.  The footing was excellent and Jasper was moving out incredibly well.  About halfway through the loop, we started to catch up with some of the slower riders.  Every time we'd see another ride, Jasper would perk his ears and start to speed up.  I had to hold him back to keep him from cantering, but we were soon passing small groups of riders.  When we got to a larger group and could not pass immediately, Jasper threw an enormous temper-tantrum with head tossing, prancing and side-passing.  I was not impressed, and realized I hadn't done him any favors by passing riders as soon as we came upon them.  As soon as I got him straightened out from his tantrum, I dismounted and walked--we were now going to watch all the riders we passed trot past us.  Jasper was not impressed, and did his best impression of a snorting, prancing show pony.  Once everyone had passed and he calmed down, I remounted and we set on our way.  Unfortunately, we caught up with the riders fairly quickly, and I again had a situation on my hands.  Instead of perking up at the sight of the riders, Jasper started to snort and head-toss immediately wanting to go much faster to catch up with and pass the riders.  Again, I dismounted and led him down the trail and allowed the riders to go on ahead.  I probably walked about 5 miles of this first loop, and much of it was (very) uphill, hot, and buggy.  When we reached the top of a steep climb and waited to catch my breath, I was feeling exhausted and emotional.  My legs were trembling from the effort of the climb, the attempt to keep Jasper from circling me on the hill, and the stress of having to deal with his excitement.  I considered throwing in the towel at this point, but knew we'd have to get back to camp anyways and so we pushed on.  I think our break had given many of the riders a chance to get further ahead, as well.  

The remainder of the loop was much better.  When we did catch up with riders, I asked Jasper to pull in behind them for a while before passing at a very slow trot.  He head tossed a bit, but I ignored him and he seemed to eventually understand that we were going to pass when I decided and not when he wanted to.  We made it back into camp with a first loop ride time of about 4 hours.  Not terrible for all the walking I did!  He vetted through with all A's and a comment from the vet about how excellent he looked.  He ate and drank extremely well during this loop, snatching bites during every walking break and drinking like a pro at all the water stops.  One of my goals for this weekend was to sponge more--I think it contributed to his excellent recoveries.

Unfortunately, since our ride time for the first loop had been a little long, it was quite hot during our break.  Wayne and Obsidian had gone out for a trail ride and so I was left self-crewing.  Although all checks were in camp, our campsite was further than I wanted to walk for a 50-minute hold.  I had packed my vet check bag that morning, and was pretty happy with what I did bring--I drank a cold ensure and gatorade and two bottles of water.  I took off Jasper's saddle and gave him a sponge bath once I had finished my "lunch."  We reapplied bug spray for both of us and sunscreen for me.  Surprisingly, we actually left the check on time!

The second loop was a quick 10-mile loop that I was familiar with from last year.  The total elevation for the loop is 400 feet, and I LOVE this loop because it's over before you know it.  It starts on the road into camp and turns off through a meadow.  A nice jaunt through young pines in the woods with a beautiful water stop at a cool stream and you end up on a "trail" that travels the periphery of another beautiful meadow.  Once through this the trail goes through more woods and ends up on the road a half mile from camp before you know it.  Jasper and I left the check alone and caught up with another rider on a small grey gelding that could amazingly do a 13-14 mph trot.  I thought we'd play leap frog for this loop, but she left us in the dust as I didn't want Jasper going that fast.  He was very good about this--much better than I would have expected.  He raised his head and perked his ears and watched them leave, and when I said, "Let 'em go," he relaxed and did just that.

We came into camp again and Jasper looked great.  He kept snatching bites of grass on the side of the road, and ate like a piggy while we were in line for pulse and the vet.  He drank deeply at the water tanks, and seemed to want to sample from each one.  He finished again with all A's, and again the vet commented how great he looked.  I was so proud of my boy!

Things I learned:

1. We have to work on passing and being passed by riders.  From now on, I will pull in behind a rider and make Jasper respectfully pace behind until he relaxes.  I'm not sure how to help him with being passed unless it's to start earlier in the pack.  Problem is, I don't want his little brain fried too early in the race.

2. Bring face wipes for the holds--being dusty and sweaty and having to reapply sunscreen and bug-spray was not a pleasant feeling.  Blech.

3. Bring a tarp to put my saddle on during holds.