Missy is much better.
Me, not so much.
First off, I want to thank all of you who've commented and PM'd and offered me support. I love you all so much, and I'm not sure how I'd get through all of this without you.
My regular vet had a day off yesterday. (She had early morning surgeries before her regular appointments, but managed to do the call anyway. She's a wonderful person.) So Dr. Shevak (spelling?) called with the update.
The IV fluids -- and tastier food -- worked wonders for my girl. She was eating, drinking, and being very responsive. Also, she peed copiously (which she hadn't been doing at all when she was first admitted). I was afraid she'd stay hidden under her towel most of the time and not do as well (it was hers, and I'd rubbed it all over me before leaving), but she interacted very well with people. (No doubt the food helped, but I know the staff are really loving.) The doctor said she was extremely "vocal". (Yeah, I just bet she was :D )
As for the latest blood testing, Missy's kidney function numbers, which have been borderline normal for her when she was doing OK, are even better. Her calcium and phosphorus are also better, although the calcium is still a bit higher than Dr. Yank would like, which it has been. It's been creeping up slightly with each visit, which is not a good trend.
The vet I spoke to felt that Missy was safe to come home, although she absolutely must keep eating and drinking. (Although too little eating and a lot more drinking would be a bad sign; it could mean she was getting dehydrated again.) But she also said that it might be a good thing for Missy to stay for another day and night; she thinks Missy may do a little better still. B and I decided to do that. It's only going to add a hundred bucks to the slightly-over-a-thousand (*wince*) the hospital stay has already cost.
I'll be picking Missy up today, after my afternoon appointment in the area. I'd have to drive down there anyway, and the appointment is with my therapist; under the circumstances, I don't think canceling that one is a particularly good idea.
More about said circumstances: I've barely slept the past two nights. I take two antidepressants for chronic anxiety, which also help me to get to sleep, but sometimes I have a hard time getting myself to take them in the first place, in which case I end up taking them in the morning and getting a nap later on. (Skipping them entirely is not an option.) The past few days, as Missy seemed less and less OK, I didn't even get the nap. I think I'm afraid of the dreams I might have.
And there's one more shoe that may drop this morning. The results from two more tests will come in this morning, and when Dr. Yank gets in this morning she'll be calling with the results. That should be between 10:30 and 11:30. (It's 10:40 now.) If the results go one way, we won't know for sure about a couple of possibilities. One is hyperparathyroidism, which is treatable.
The other is lymphoma. That's a type of cancer. For Missy, treatment would not be an option. Her life expectancy would be four to six weeks at the most, possibly sooner, since we wouldn't want her to suffer unpleasant side effects. There wouldn't be any point.
If the results go the other way, lymphoma is a certainty.
I'm not religious, but I'm praying anyway, to anyone who might be listening. It's 10:46.
I was washing dishes when my feelings, which I've been largely suppressing, bubbled over and I completely lost it. I was crying uncontrollably and having bronchospasms. (Bronchospasms are the bronchi, the air passages that go to the lungs, spasming open and shut. It's the form asthma attacks take for me; they don't require an emergency room visit, but are disabling and damned unpleasant.) Thank god B hadn't gone to work yet and was there to help me calm down.
I've pulled it together. I'm sure now that I can hold it together, get to my appointment -- which should help a lot -- and pick Missy up and bring her home. Regardless of the results, she will be coming home today.
B's missed a day of work already, and we really need the money. But he told me that if I'm in any doubt at all that I can function, CALL HIM and he'll come home. I think I can do it, though.
Now I just have to get through that call.
It's 10:56. I need to get ready.
First off, I want to thank all of you who've commented and PM'd and offered me support. I love you all so much, and I'm not sure how I'd get through all of this without you.
My regular vet had a day off yesterday. (She had early morning surgeries before her regular appointments, but managed to do the call anyway. She's a wonderful person.) So Dr. Shevak (spelling?) called with the update.
The IV fluids -- and tastier food -- worked wonders for my girl. She was eating, drinking, and being very responsive. Also, she peed copiously (which she hadn't been doing at all when she was first admitted). I was afraid she'd stay hidden under her towel most of the time and not do as well (it was hers, and I'd rubbed it all over me before leaving), but she interacted very well with people. (No doubt the food helped, but I know the staff are really loving.) The doctor said she was extremely "vocal". (Yeah, I just bet she was :D )
As for the latest blood testing, Missy's kidney function numbers, which have been borderline normal for her when she was doing OK, are even better. Her calcium and phosphorus are also better, although the calcium is still a bit higher than Dr. Yank would like, which it has been. It's been creeping up slightly with each visit, which is not a good trend.
The vet I spoke to felt that Missy was safe to come home, although she absolutely must keep eating and drinking. (Although too little eating and a lot more drinking would be a bad sign; it could mean she was getting dehydrated again.) But she also said that it might be a good thing for Missy to stay for another day and night; she thinks Missy may do a little better still. B and I decided to do that. It's only going to add a hundred bucks to the slightly-over-a-thousand (*wince*) the hospital stay has already cost.
I'll be picking Missy up today, after my afternoon appointment in the area. I'd have to drive down there anyway, and the appointment is with my therapist; under the circumstances, I don't think canceling that one is a particularly good idea.
More about said circumstances: I've barely slept the past two nights. I take two antidepressants for chronic anxiety, which also help me to get to sleep, but sometimes I have a hard time getting myself to take them in the first place, in which case I end up taking them in the morning and getting a nap later on. (Skipping them entirely is not an option.) The past few days, as Missy seemed less and less OK, I didn't even get the nap. I think I'm afraid of the dreams I might have.
And there's one more shoe that may drop this morning. The results from two more tests will come in this morning, and when Dr. Yank gets in this morning she'll be calling with the results. That should be between 10:30 and 11:30. (It's 10:40 now.) If the results go one way, we won't know for sure about a couple of possibilities. One is hyperparathyroidism, which is treatable.
The other is lymphoma. That's a type of cancer. For Missy, treatment would not be an option. Her life expectancy would be four to six weeks at the most, possibly sooner, since we wouldn't want her to suffer unpleasant side effects. There wouldn't be any point.
If the results go the other way, lymphoma is a certainty.
I'm not religious, but I'm praying anyway, to anyone who might be listening. It's 10:46.
I was washing dishes when my feelings, which I've been largely suppressing, bubbled over and I completely lost it. I was crying uncontrollably and having bronchospasms. (Bronchospasms are the bronchi, the air passages that go to the lungs, spasming open and shut. It's the form asthma attacks take for me; they don't require an emergency room visit, but are disabling and damned unpleasant.) Thank god B hadn't gone to work yet and was there to help me calm down.
I've pulled it together. I'm sure now that I can hold it together, get to my appointment -- which should help a lot -- and pick Missy up and bring her home. Regardless of the results, she will be coming home today.
B's missed a day of work already, and we really need the money. But he told me that if I'm in any doubt at all that I can function, CALL HIM and he'll come home. I think I can do it, though.
Now I just have to get through that call.
It's 10:56. I need to get ready.