Hi everyone -
Robin reminded me that I had not updated the blog to reflect what has been going on with Unix, so I have to assume that there are others out there who would like to know as well. Luckily, we caught the blockage in time, and Unix survived the treatment, and should live a normal, healthy life. He is prone to these issues, so we have to change his food and keep him on a prescription food from now on. That is too bad, as we were happy to not have to feed prescription $$$ anymore now that Ellie has passes away. Guess that was a short lived pleasure. Oh well.
He is home now, and is really lovey. He missed us, and we missed him too. That was a hard 5 days without him!
I also wanted to say HAPPY HALLOWEEN to all of you out there. As I write this, I am sitting here, in scrubs with a stethescope around my neck, and a surgery bandana on my head! Goodness, these clothes are cozy. We had our Halloween parade at school today which was a lot of fun. The kids were all great, and we went as a group and walked around the block through the neighborhood. All in all, it was an enjoyable experience.
I also should note that I may take a couple days off from the blog next week. I have minor surgery on Monday to have an implant done in my mouth. Wheeee.... I can't wait. Soft foods here I come! I hear that it is not too bad of a procedure, so we shall see. My Dr. gave me Valium to allow me to be sedated for the surgery, so I hope that it does help. I don't think that I have ever taken Valium before, so I am nervous that it won't work. The Dr. Also told me that if I think it won't work, then it won't! That is not good!!!!!!!
That's all for now... Happy Tricks or Treats, peeps!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Zoo Boo and a visit with my niece, Alyssa, and my rant on BS vet charges
By the way, that Holly Hobbie Costume was mine when I was her age - I 'think' my mom made it for me :-)
Ok, I will start with the good stuff - I saw my niece Alyssa on Wednesday. The poor kid has two parents who are not fit to be people, much less parents. She has moved from place to place to place, and I just hope that she still has a chance to be a good person - she has not been shown how to be that yet!
Also, We went to the zoo today with Lanie and our close friends Chris, Sara, Andy and Ryan. It was a perfect day, not too warm, not too cool, and not too many people (when we got there at least!) We were even treated to a really nice elephant show! I hope that you enjoy the pictures!
I don't have any updates on Unix at the moment, but will be sure to let you know as soon as I have any information. He is still at the vet today, and will likely be coming home tomorrow. Part of me wants to hold a huge party and have a raffle or something for a 50/50 to help pay for this! I mean, it would go for animal welfare, right? In all honesty though, I have checked into insurance which is so costly, and I am also going to write a letter to the editor of the Rochester paper (as I mentioned in another post) to comment on the unfair additional costs of the care that he received. Get this - this is directly from the bill:
EMERGENCY EXAM $85.00
TRIAGE $5.00
KIDNEY PANEL EMERGENCY $64.70
RADIOGRAPH $110.00
CATHETER-PERIPHERAL $42.65
IV SET BASIC $16.00
IV NORMASOL $10.00
FLUIDS/FLUID PUMP $37.40
HOSPITILIZATION FELINE/EXOTICS 33.60
PROFESSIONAL TREATMENT CLASS 3 $52.30 NURSING CARE MANAGEMENT $15.00
ANESTHESIA LEVEL 2 $140.25
HYDROMORPHONE INJ 2 MG/ML $1.33
MIDAZOLAM $4.53
KETAMINE HCL 100 MG/ML $1.88
UR. OBST. CATHETERIZATION $95.30
INJECTION SERIES $23.35
MEDICAL WASTE FEE $2.00
BUPRENORPHINE $8.30
DIBENZYLINE $20.58
ORAL MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION $13.17
DVM EVALUATION $33.60
So, I bolded some of the above information because these are the charges, in particular, that I don't quite get... $13.17 to put a pill in his throat? Isn't that what should be covered under the HOSPITALIZATION fee? What the hell is Nursing Care Management? I didn't know that there were NURSES in there - just techs. Also, why are we paying a fee for a Vet evaluation AND professional treatment? I mean, don't those seem to be the same thing? I will be calling them shortly to ask them to go over each and every charge on the invoice to have them explain exactly what we paid for. The other charges, in comparison to taking him to our vet, are at about 3x the normal cost. THAT is robbery. Just because he got sick at night, people have to pay more to help their pet? I mean, if I realize at 10pm that I need milk, does Wegmans charge me 3x as much for it? There are NO other after hours options for animals, and it seems to me that if we just did nothing, we could be actually brought up on animal cruelty charges for letting our cat suffer until we could afford to care for him! Maybe it seems like I am on a rampage, but well, I am pissed. When I send my letter to the D&C, I will put a copy in the blog.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
$$$
Update - so far, some crystals in Unix's urethra have cost us over $800, and we have not even seen him through the first 24 hours. We transferred him from the emergency clinic who was charging us by the minute I think, to our own vet. Unix is a mess at the moment and has tubes sticking out of every possible orifice the poor guy. Hopefully the move to the new vet will save us a few hundred dollars, but only time will tell. We should know more later or tomorrow, but they do expect him to survive what has happened.
After looking at the bill from the emergency vet though, I think I may have to write a letter to the editor of the local Rochester paper. I saw charges on there that seem really strange - facility fee, nurse fee, exam fee, room fee, triage fee, fee fee... I mean, I think I saw a breathing fee on there too! Seriously though, when your cat or animal has an emergency, it is already traumatic on the whole family - then to be hit with fees that are well beyond reasonable, then it only makes it worse. When I told our vet what we were being charged, she gasped - and that is coming from an all cat vet who already charges more than some other vets... that is not a good sign
After looking at the bill from the emergency vet though, I think I may have to write a letter to the editor of the local Rochester paper. I saw charges on there that seem really strange - facility fee, nurse fee, exam fee, room fee, triage fee, fee fee... I mean, I think I saw a breathing fee on there too! Seriously though, when your cat or animal has an emergency, it is already traumatic on the whole family - then to be hit with fees that are well beyond reasonable, then it only makes it worse. When I told our vet what we were being charged, she gasped - and that is coming from an all cat vet who already charges more than some other vets... that is not a good sign
Friday, October 24, 2008
Unix update
Unix is in surgery now at 11pm on a Friday. He is having his bladder drained, and has a massive blockage, which if we had not brought him to the vets, he would have most likely died from tonight. The vet feels as though we caught this in time, and that he will survive, and has stated that he is otherwise healthy. The vet just called as I was writing this and asked me if I gave permission to let Aubrey put the 'deposit' for the procedures on my card - the 'deposit' is $400. I can't even imagine what the actual cost of the services will be. I guess it is time for me to find a night job or weekend job to help pay for our family. Teaching alone isn't going to cut it if we keep having these kinds of emergencies coming up. It unfortunately seems to be more of a rule and an exception these days.
They want to keep Unix for at least 48 hours on a catheter, and chances are we will bring him to our own vet tomorrow. I am grateful that we didn't wait to take him though. Chances are, even if he were alive in the morning, he would not have survived the damage to his kidneys, liver and heart. We are not out of the woods yet, as he could still not survive the draining procedure, and he could also have this happen again.
If you have male cats, please research their diets. Apparently, magnesium can cause this in cats. Additionally, I have read a LARGE number of people who had fed their cats a Purina diet have had this happen. Unix does not eat Purina, but I am unsure about the magnesium levels. You can be sure that I will check them tomorrow, and will focus on a very careful diet for ALL of our cats. The upfront cost for GOOD food is worth it in the long run.
They want to keep Unix for at least 48 hours on a catheter, and chances are we will bring him to our own vet tomorrow. I am grateful that we didn't wait to take him though. Chances are, even if he were alive in the morning, he would not have survived the damage to his kidneys, liver and heart. We are not out of the woods yet, as he could still not survive the draining procedure, and he could also have this happen again.
If you have male cats, please research their diets. Apparently, magnesium can cause this in cats. Additionally, I have read a LARGE number of people who had fed their cats a Purina diet have had this happen. Unix does not eat Purina, but I am unsure about the magnesium levels. You can be sure that I will check them tomorrow, and will focus on a very careful diet for ALL of our cats. The upfront cost for GOOD food is worth it in the long run.
Scared, and confused, again
It seems like I write this kind of story more often this year than any other. In October of 2007, Obie, our 9 year old kitty died from Lymphoma. In August of 2008, my lifelong kitty friend Ellie died of Chronic Renal Failure at age 16, and today, our sweet boy Unix was rushed into emergency treatment for what we believe to be a urinary blockage, which is often fatal in cats. He is at the overnight vet now with Aubrey, and I am waiting to hear what is happening with him. He has never in the 9+ years I have known him, growled. Not once. Today, he screamed out and growled at us. He cried out, howled and growled. He is in a lot of pain, and was licking at his bottom when we got home from dinner tonight.
I will write more when I know more, and I hope that I have positive news, and not more sadness to share. I can't believe that we are again this year going through trauma with another cat. For those of you who read this and don't understand the value of a cat in the family, the concern doesn't even make sense to you, so there is no sense in having you read the post at all. For those of you who have the understanding, you know what we are going through now.
I am particularly frustrated at the moment. He has been on antibiotic after antibiotic for UTI's (Urinary tract infections) - every vet we have seen has put him on the same thing. It seems to me that a cat with recurring UTI's ought to be looked at a bit closer, don't you think? I mean, one UTI, ok, put him on antibiotics. 2 UTI's, do it again, but watch really closely - 3 or 4 in a row? Seems to me that something is wrong. I should have been a vet - it seems as though I can't have true faith those out there who are... I understand that they are overwhelmed in their craft, but if I don't do MY job well, there is someone else out there who can come in and take my place... why should it be any different for anyone else? Maybe I am wrong but right now, I am so scared, frustrated and just praying that Unix will be OK, and that we can AFFORD to make sure that he becomes and stays that way. I have read so many stories about people who had cats with the same condition that I think Unix has, and they had to put their cat, their family member to sleep because of the cost to help them... and the vets that they saw would not help the animal because of this... the $$$
I can't judge my new vet, because I can only hope that their practice would be more caring and helpful if the need arises, but I have seen all too many vets who won't even look at an animal without the credit card being placed on the counter. Shit, I don't tell parents that I won't look at their child and teach them until I see a paycheck! What the hell has the world come to... nobody does anything for anyone else until they know that THEY will be paid ... pathetic. When you DIE, you can't take the $ with you, you know. What will GOD say when you get there? Will He ask how much $ you made, or will He ask what YOU did to help others? And, by others, I mean ANY living creatures.
Maybe I am on a rampage now, but I have seen perfectly save-able animals die because the owner or whoever did not have the $ or did not want to pay to save the animal, and the vet took the easy route.
Please send a warm thought or a prayer in Unix's direction. He really needs it.
I will write more when I know more, and I hope that I have positive news, and not more sadness to share. I can't believe that we are again this year going through trauma with another cat. For those of you who read this and don't understand the value of a cat in the family, the concern doesn't even make sense to you, so there is no sense in having you read the post at all. For those of you who have the understanding, you know what we are going through now.
I am particularly frustrated at the moment. He has been on antibiotic after antibiotic for UTI's (Urinary tract infections) - every vet we have seen has put him on the same thing. It seems to me that a cat with recurring UTI's ought to be looked at a bit closer, don't you think? I mean, one UTI, ok, put him on antibiotics. 2 UTI's, do it again, but watch really closely - 3 or 4 in a row? Seems to me that something is wrong. I should have been a vet - it seems as though I can't have true faith those out there who are... I understand that they are overwhelmed in their craft, but if I don't do MY job well, there is someone else out there who can come in and take my place... why should it be any different for anyone else? Maybe I am wrong but right now, I am so scared, frustrated and just praying that Unix will be OK, and that we can AFFORD to make sure that he becomes and stays that way. I have read so many stories about people who had cats with the same condition that I think Unix has, and they had to put their cat, their family member to sleep because of the cost to help them... and the vets that they saw would not help the animal because of this... the $$$
I can't judge my new vet, because I can only hope that their practice would be more caring and helpful if the need arises, but I have seen all too many vets who won't even look at an animal without the credit card being placed on the counter. Shit, I don't tell parents that I won't look at their child and teach them until I see a paycheck! What the hell has the world come to... nobody does anything for anyone else until they know that THEY will be paid ... pathetic. When you DIE, you can't take the $ with you, you know. What will GOD say when you get there? Will He ask how much $ you made, or will He ask what YOU did to help others? And, by others, I mean ANY living creatures.
Maybe I am on a rampage now, but I have seen perfectly save-able animals die because the owner or whoever did not have the $ or did not want to pay to save the animal, and the vet took the easy route.
Please send a warm thought or a prayer in Unix's direction. He really needs it.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
A crane for all occasions
Catherine, Stacy and Trina at Stony Brook State Park - might I add, those are some mighty fine heineys....
I must add, being at this park the past two days reminded me of a dear friend who passed away a few months ago. The last (and I believe only) time I went to this park was with my mom, sister, and my mom's boyfriend at the time, Jimmy Burns. I remember that we took the mats out of the car to use as waterslide mats - Stonybrook has a lot of natural waterslides. Anyhow, after attending the calling hours the other night for David, I had to think a bit about those I love, and those who are no longer with us. If you read this post, take a minute to pick up the phone and call someone you have not talked to in a while. Life is too short to miss the opportunity to say hello to those you care about.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Poof
Why are kittens so stinky? They are so cute to hold, and then, out of nowhere, POOF - the gas at you, and you literally have to run, screaming from the room. How does that much stink come from such a little body?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
A smile that lasts forever
I had to think of this today, as my sister Loren and I attended the calling hours for a kind family member who passed away. I did not really know David too well, but I would know him anywhere. We met a large handful of times throughout our lives, and there are two things about him that always stood out - the uncanny resemblance to John Denver (at least in my opinion), and that smile. David had a smile that was sincere. It was honest and kind, and really, truly showed his love for his life, his family and his friends. I viewed a number of photos tonight, and he smiled in just about all of them, with that same, caring smile. He will be missed.
In regard to kindness as well, I just wanted to mention that TOPS Friendly Markets in the Arcade area employs some very caring and giving people. Thank you for caring so much about my Aunt Barb, and for being there for her during this time.
In regard to kindness as well, I just wanted to mention that TOPS Friendly Markets in the Arcade area employs some very caring and giving people. Thank you for caring so much about my Aunt Barb, and for being there for her during this time.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Thank you
Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. David is on his way to God now, as he passed away at 8:45 this morning. He was ready, and is now at peace. Please pray for Fredi, Stephen, Amy and Barb, that they have strength and courage during this very sad and difficult time.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Sad news
It has been a while since I have had sad news to tell. I received an email today from Fredi, my Aunt Barbara's sister in law. Her husband David (my aunt's brother) has fought with a brain tumor for the past two years. Though the cancer is no longer even present in his body according to the doctors, the treatment has rendered David unresponsive, and as of Thursday evening, he was removed from life support devises. He is now in Hospice, and it seems as though it is only a matter of time. I just want to tell my readers, well, ask (strongly) that they please say at least one prayer for David, Fredi, Amy, Stephen, and of course my Aunt Barb and Uncle Chris. They are all facing something that we all hope to never face in our lifetimes. I will pray that they all have strength and courage, and perhaps for a miracle.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Happy Saturday
See, now that I am trying to blog each day, I am running out of things to say! Hard to believe that I could run out of things to say, oh queen of loquaciousness!
Off to the casino today for the first time in probably at least 10 years.. not a gambler, but my friend Jen asked me to go with her - well, invited me to go, so this should be fun. We are taking a bus, going to the Seneca (I think... not even sure really!) Casino, and will be back tonight - wish me luck!
Ok, guess I am off for now - time to eat some Mickey Mouse pancakes, as requested my my daughter ;-)
Ciao
Off to the casino today for the first time in probably at least 10 years.. not a gambler, but my friend Jen asked me to go with her - well, invited me to go, so this should be fun. We are taking a bus, going to the Seneca (I think... not even sure really!) Casino, and will be back tonight - wish me luck!
Ok, guess I am off for now - time to eat some Mickey Mouse pancakes, as requested my my daughter ;-)
Ciao
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Brother to the kittens
Hi there - I just wanted to share this with you all - this little guy is the brother to our two little 'baby kittens' (as Lanie calls them). He is super cute, and I thought I would share! Enjoy (PS, he still needs a home)
Rats - foiled again!
Yup - not a good Blogtoberfest member - forgot again yesterday... not that I wasn't busy - I think I ran around from 7:30 in the morning until I got home, which was after 10PM! So, I think that is a good enough reason to not blog yesterday.
...not that I have anything really to blog about today, cause I don't. I am sick, still.... that is about all the news I have.....oh, and I am looking forward to the three day weekend coming up - I could use the break to try and recouperate from whatever this is that I contracted from my students!
...not that I have anything really to blog about today, cause I don't. I am sick, still.... that is about all the news I have.....oh, and I am looking forward to the three day weekend coming up - I could use the break to try and recouperate from whatever this is that I contracted from my students!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Shame on me
Not a good start for Blogtoberfest... I forgot to blog already (and got a complaint from one of my most valued readers! ;-) )
Ok, so here it is - I am blogging. Additionally, I am setting up another blog, but that one will be specifically for my students. When I have a minute, I will get that one started and link it to my school website.
The house needs to be picked up, the child needs a wipe, and the kittens are running around like screaming mimi's. Life is surely exciting around here!
I am also sick, again, for the gazillionth time this school year - another cold sore (I get them in my nose though - LOVELY), so this is a short and well, frankly pointless blog entry. Don't forget to VOTE! I am putting up two polls - one is MUCH more important than the other!
Ok, so here it is - I am blogging. Additionally, I am setting up another blog, but that one will be specifically for my students. When I have a minute, I will get that one started and link it to my school website.
The house needs to be picked up, the child needs a wipe, and the kittens are running around like screaming mimi's. Life is surely exciting around here!
I am also sick, again, for the gazillionth time this school year - another cold sore (I get them in my nose though - LOVELY), so this is a short and well, frankly pointless blog entry. Don't forget to VOTE! I am putting up two polls - one is MUCH more important than the other!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Blogtoberfest
...sounds like fun... so I joined! I will make an honest attempt to blog at least one time each day for the month of October.... do you think I can do it? I am putting up a poll - don't forget to vote!!!
Thanks to Big Cat, and my East Coast BFF Mrs. Dr. K's blog, you should hear from me every day! Woowoo!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Those smart Canadians
Hmmm.... apparently this is a campaign in Canada to remind hospital workers to WASH their HANDS... remind me not to get sick the next time I go up there!
The babies are home!
Unix looks on as Lizzie and Logan play
Lizzie and Logan playing again
Logan
So, we have two new kittens who moved in with us this past Wednesday. We have been trying to figure out names for them, and I 'think' that we have settled on Logan and Lizzie - I will let you know for sure when we make a final decision.
THIS JUST IN - just as I was writing this blog, I heard "SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH", and then Lanie says "Mommy! The kitten just went in the toilet!". Sure enough, she put the seat up to go and use the potty, and before she even got to sit down, Logan (the boy kitten) had run through the house, up on the bathroom stool, onto and in to the toilet, back out again, and into the living room. Great, now I have to clean up toilet water kitty! Ahh, the joys of having not one, but TWO kittens! At least Lanie didn't use the toilet BEFORE he jumped in!!!
It reminds me of the time when Inga was a kitten and she jumped into my plate of spaghetti and sauce! Goodness... THAT was a mess!
Logan, by the way, is still in the process of being weaned off of a bottle. The kittens were orphaned at a very, very young age, so they have been totally raised by people - they don't even know that they are cats! Anyhow, although we want him off of the bottle asap, it is so stinking cute to watch him drink his water this way (He does eat and drink normally too now, it is just that he still wants to suckle)
Anyhow, I am sick as a dog right now. Apparently I have some fun version of a pukie bug, so I am going to go and lay down again. I had to work through it yesterday, which was not fun - I thought I might pass out in front of my students! That would have been bad. When I got home at 4, I slept pretty much until 10 this morning. I could have stayed in bed all day in fact. Ugh, I don't like being sick.
So, above are some pics of the little meows now that they are home. Luckily, both Inga and Unix have really done very well with having new furballs in the house. There has been only a minor amount of growling going on, and no violence at all. I think that both Inga and Unix are actually happy to have some little 'kids' to play with.
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