Rusty, Mother's Day, and Bad Judgment

Yesterday Rusty was running around like usual, hopping up on our laps and begging attention. It's weird to think that he's so sick when he acts just like he always did. Mike and I were going to go away for Memorial Day weekend, but we agreed that it wouldn't be a good idea now. "It's too soon," I said. But after that I realized that Rusty had been living with his condition for who knows how long. It's just that Mike and I are finding the extent of it now.

Yesterday I also got a call from the vet. Rusty's blook work looks fine, so we know his kidneys and other stuff are still working. She's going to look into some alternative treatments for his teeth, something that might help him without needing to use anesthesia. I still have to call back sometime - I forgot to ask if his course of Enalapril was a temporary thing or if I'll need refills for the rest of his life - and I have to find some baby asprin to give to him that's not flavored like cherries or oranges or grapes. But things are looking okay.

Last night we went out with my parents, my sister, and her fiance to celebrate Mother's Day. We went to Applebee's. I always get the same thing there, but hey, why mess with what works? Karen and I gave my mom a beauteous necklace from Overstock.com. I like it because it has Black Hills Gold, like her engagement and wedding rings, and it also has a sapphire, which is the stone in the fancy necklace my dad gave her for their thirtieth wedding anniversary last year. She liked it a lot.

After that we went to Michael's to pick up some beads. Mike still hasn't gotten a gift for his mom for Mother's Day, but yesterday he got the idea that I could make her something as part of the gift. At first I was going to make her a necklace, but then a bracelet seemed safer.

I mentioned the sale to my sister and the fiance, so when we got there we spotted them there as well. So I got to chat with my sister for awhile without my parents around, which was nice. She showed me a long scratch on her hand that was actually a test line that the fiance did with his new tattoo gun (his birthday gift from my sister - romantic, eh?). He's going to give her a tattoo in the web of skin between her forefinger and thumb. The tattoo...a pentagram! Just like the one he has between his forefinger and thumb! Let's count the ways this is a bad idea!

1. A hand tattoo? Jeez. At every job that doesn't allow tattoos she'll have to worry about covering it up. Forearm tattoos can be covered up easily enough with a long shirt, and wrist tattoos can be covered up with a shirt or funky bracelet, but that's an extremely tough spot to put a band-aid. Even your knuckles would be easier to cover than the web between your forefinger and thumb.

2. She's getting the same tattoo as her fiance? The one she knew for a month before getting engaged to? Um...maybe you should know a dude for at least six months before emulating his tattoos. They've known each other for five months, tops.

3. The subject matter. I know that pentagrams go along with her religious beliefs, but I don't know if she's going to be able to handle the flack she'll get, living in a Wisconsin suburb and all. And she and Jamie are even thinking about moving back to the little country town where my parents live...that'll be even tougher. I'm not saying that people are right to give her trouble, I'm just saying she should know what she's in for. She should just look before she leaps, is all.

So yeah.

After we got home I tried making Mike's mom's bracelet using this cool crocheted wire technique. Unfortunately the pearls I got were drilled the wrong way and wouldn't lie correctly, and between my tiredness and my PMS I was too frustrated to mess around with it too much. So I abandoned it, and this morning I made this instead. I know it's pretty generic, but I hope she likes it anyway.

Today we're going to go to Stemper's, the Catholic supply store, to find another gift for his mom. Stemper's is actually a pretty cool place because it has things for normal people, but it's also the place where local churches to to get their supplies, so they have a ton of interesting stuff. Hopefully we'll find something. Nothing like doing it at the last minute.

The news was not good

Well, I finally got Rusty back from the vet, and the news was not good. He has pretty advanced cardiac myopathy, which means that his heart muscle is swelling and stiffening. They said his heart is already pretty enlarged and his cardiac function is reduced. Also, he has fluid in his lungs. Anesthetic is out of the question at this point because he'd probably have a heart attack or stroke. They also did blood work, so on Friday they'll call me back and also discuss what can be done about his heart and his teeth. They gave me a medication called Enalapril and he'll also need to take baby aspirin.

Ugh. Sharing the news with Mike was not fun.

I have no idea how long he can go on with his heart like this. Or his teeth like this, for that matter. I suppose it'll be things to discuss with the vet on Friday.

Rusty came home and ate and ate and ate. After all, he hadn't had food since last night. I think he's much happier being home.

The Waiting Game

I dropped Rusty off around 8 AM this morning.

I called at 10 AM. They hadn't done the echo yet.

I called at 12:15. They hadn't done the echo yet, and were out to lunch until two.

I got a call at 3:20. They had finally started the echo procedure, but found out that Rusty was "wiggly." Duh. Apparently the fact that it was written in his chart and the fact that I had signed permission for them to sedate him weren't enough of a tip-off. Did they not believe me that this cat can writhe? They had given him sedation, but called to see if they could run additional tests while he was asleep. When I asked how long it would all take, and how long it would be until I found out his results, they said it all depended on how quickly he took to the sedation.

I hate waiting.

The Echo

This morning I woke up at 5:18 AM. I perused my usual websites for a bit, and then at 5:40 I called in sick to work. I was too wound up to go back to sleep, so I sat on the couch and watched TV very quietly...after all, Mike was still asleep.

Mike woke up around quarter to seven and started getting ready for work. The cats were feeling restless and cranky since they hadn't eaten since 10 PM last night. Mike and I had emptied their bowls and carefully swept up every bit of kibble. I had fed Cider, our oldest cat, some Fancy Feast last night to ensure that she'd get through the night with a full belly, but the other cats just had to tough it out.

After Mike left for work I got dressed and put Rusty into the carrier. We set off to the vet. When we got there they outlined the procedures Rusty would undergo today...an echocardiogram, maybe an ECG, maybe sedation to get him through it. I signed a form that gave them permission to perform any necessary procedures without my consent and asked when they'd know the results. They said they weren't sure, but they'd call me once they knew. With a trembling lip and welling eyes, I left.

It's really hard to explain this whole echocardiogram business to people. They don't understand why we're so worried when Rusty is pretty much healthy. Here's the deal. Rusty has some plaque on his teeth, and needs some dental attention. Unfortunately, they can't just give him the anesthesia because he also has a slightly irregular heartbeat. They're afraid he wouldn't survive the anesthetic. So he needs this echocardiogram and ECG to see what's going on with his heart to see if he could withstand the anesthetic.

If the results of the testing are fine, he'll get the dental work done and everything will be okay.

If the results of the testing are borderline, we may risk the dental work anyway.

If the results of the testing are bad, that's very bad. Rusty cannot go on with his teeth the way they are. Eventually they'll rot, and bacteria will find their way into his bloodstream. Because of his FIV he won't be able to fight the infection, and he'll surely die. So even though he only has minor problems right now - a slightly irregular heartbeat, some plaque - if the test results aren't promising he may have to be put down.

I'm going to have my phone glued to my side all day today. If you have time, say a little prayer for Rusty, or send some good energy. He'll surely need it.

GNOM!

juneauandshoe
Originally uploaded by Lucky Haskins.

Mike and I walked into the living room and noticed Juneau playing with her newest toy...

...my flip flop.

Lovely. This was my favorite pair of flip flops, one I'd gotten the fall I moved to Illinois. I wore them through my second experience being dumped, my move back into my parents' house, and my third experience being dumped, and...

...actually, come to think of it, those weren't happy shoes.

Juneau can have 'em.