Surgical Drains

I think everyone who has ever had a surgical drain can only think about them with a shudder because they are so awful. I hated mine. It was awful. And full of really nasty looking stuff. When they took it out, it hurt so much that the surgeon even apologized several times after.

We have two cats. Boots is the good cat. He likes to cuddle. He likes to have his ears scratched. He likes to sleep on me at night. He wants attention. He is very nice.

Then there is ZDpot a/k/a Evil Kitty. Why do we call him Evil Kitty (or EK for short)? Because he is the food stealer, fight starter, etc. And he basically does what he damn well pleases - he refuses to listen to reason.

Evil Kitty got out this week. Well he is an outdoor cat and he failed to come home at night, which is not that unusual. What is unusual is that he failed to come home for breakfast - this is the cat who never passes up food. I was worried. I asked the neighbors. He finally wandered in 48 hours later. With a big gash on his right hip. And some other wear and tear. I took him to the vet. They were even impressed with the size of his gash. He is having surgery this afternoon. He will probably get a surgical drain, and a collar of shame.

This will be so much fun. He is not the most cooperative cat in the world. I cannot see how he will deal with a surgical drain. This is not going to be fun. I am sure it will be even less fun than the surgical drain I had.

Determination only

Yesterday, I was talking to our cat feeder and her husband as they were walking their extremely large, muscled dogs past our house. We need to catch up on the latest cat issues (they are on a diet) before we leave on vacation.

While we were chatting, their dogs were looking at our lawn very intently because they know we have cats who are often outside. They can't chase them because they are on leashes. One of them is actually scared of the cat they have at home. But they can look. And bark a bit until they are stopped.

Boots is my little tag along. If he can find me, he will follow me. He loves me because I feed him, and because I found him when he was lost outside when we moved last year in January. And I stick up for him when Evil Kitty picks on him.

We were chatting and Boots had to follow me. Using sheer determination he walked up the hill until he was within ten feet of me and two large dogs. He just gave them a little stare down and then, while ignoring them, focused on me until the conversation ended. Once the cat sitter and her husband left with the dogs, he waited patiently for me to walk back to the house in hopes of a snack. He doesn't like dogs but its more important to him that he hangs out with me at all times.

Sometimes you have to pull yourself through life with determination only as Boots does. He wants to hang with me and he just ignores the bad part - the damn dogs. I do this too. I use determination only to get through life. I ignore the bad stuff and just push through. I can't let myself worry too much about the bad stuff a doctor might say to me, I am just determination to get through. Then I get to go home and hang out with Boots.

Redundant

Today is a copy of many previous days. I am tired. I am in pain. And, damn it, I have a dentist appointment this morning. I hate the dentist. This is actually the periodontist who is aggravated with me because the insurance company screwed up and they still haven't been paid for my last appointment in January. (Don't blame me, blame the insurance company.)

I should go to the gym. But I don't think it will happen. I could go back to sleep right now... but then I would sleep through the dentist. This is my life.

I didn't even do that much yesterday. I took the cat to the vet, went to my knitting group, and then picked the cat up from the vet.

My life is redundant, either that or I am stuck in a vicious 'Groundhog Day' rerun.

What Do You Do When You Don't Feel Well?

I guess on the short term when I don't feel well I stay in bed or on the couch. I sit around doing a lot of nothing. And eat and drink what I want. Or what I feel will make me feel better...

If I don't feel better I call my doctor eventually... If I think its that important. I hate calling the doctor. I will not go to the ER unless I am (literally) dripping blood.

I often pretend I am feeling well when I may not be. Because if I didn't do that I would spend entirely too much time sitting around.

But today I am not feeling that bad. Even though I painted part of the living room yesterday. I mean I am tired and soon I will get my act together and take a shower and get dressed. I have nothing on my calendar until 1 pm today. So I can be lazy for a bit.

However, one cat is not feeling well. I am not sure what to do because he can't tell me what is wrong. He clearly is not feeling well because he isn't walking much, he's moping, he's not eating, he's not drinking much, and he's just sitting.

He went out Tuesday night (to my displeasure). He did not appear until yesterday late afternoon. He came out and walked around a little bit and went back to sleep near the foundation of the house. I went inside and made him a quiet little space with his food dish, water bowl, litter box, and favorite pillows. Under protest, I brought him in and put him in there. He immediately jumped up on the table so I put his pillows there. He stayed there for a few hours and used his litter box. Then he came back out to the living room and slept on the sofa for a while.

This morning he was sleeping downstairs on the futon. I brought him some water which he didn't appreciate. He did come upstairs to eat a little and then has been sleeping again. He doesn't want attention. He protests when I pat him. He insisted on going back out - I hoped he was going to be a bit more energetic but he's not. He sitting back by the foundation again.

Damn. I think he needs to go to the vet. But at least its not me going to the doctor. He clearly is not feeling well.

Life in the new house

We are adapting to the new house. I really like having a lot of my life on one floor and fewer reasons to go up and down stairs. My body likes that as well. On the other hand, it means I am closer to the kitchen and other noise sources (what did you think I meant - midnight snacking?). When my husband stays up later than me or gets up earlier - both frequent occurrences - there isn't a flight of stairs protecting me from kitchen clean up or breakfast making sounds.

On the other hand, the cats like having us closer to their food dishes. They can hear us in our bedroom from anywhere on the first floor which means they come and beg for food as soon as they think its breakfast time. Or if I get up in the middle of the night, it must mean time for a snack - because I am on the same floor as the kitchen.

Overall its a good place for all of us. We aren't quite ready to entertain yet but are getting closer. The unpacking fairy hasn't shown up in the middle of the night to help us when we weren't looking so we have a ways to go. But I can now find most of my clothes and am getting my craft room/office set up the way I want it. I have also reconnected with my kitchen stuff - I have made bread in my bread maker, found the cuinsinart parts, and the crockpot. Tonight I making pulled pork for dinner (with homemade barbecue sauce, cornbread, and braised cabbage on the side) - this make me happy.

If you see the unpacking fairy, please send her our way. Thanks.

Now I can relax

The past few weeks have been horribly stressful for me. I have been sick basically since mid-December. We did not really celebrate Christmas and New Years. And the move was very stressful as well between the lawyers, realtors, and bankers and numerous delays. Anything that could have gone wrong seems to have. Finally we got moved into to our new house.

Before his big adventure

But we were short one cat. Our cat, Boots, got out while at the cat sitter last week. I have looked for him numerous times, put up signs, notified animal control, shelters and rescue league. This morning I had a few minutes and was near our old house and wanted to see if maybe he had made his way back there. But the new owners were having appliances delivered in big trucks which would scare him too much so I left.

Then I had a doctor appointment and decided to make one more trip down to the cat sitter's neighborhood. I called Boots and he came running. I grabbed him and put him in the car. I had a can of cat food and the cat carrier with me so I could feed him if I found him. I also gave him water.

After his big adventure

He is skinny. He is a little more skittish. And he is exhausted. I need to check his paws to make sure they are okay but otherwise he seems fine.

I was extremely stressed about him being gone. I did not want to give up on him but was also concerned about what if we never found him. I could not forgive myself for that.

Stress is hard on me. I can't sleep when stressed. I have enough problems sleeping with insomnia and pain I had started skipping meals because of stress. I am happy to lose a few pounds but that's not a good way to do it.

Now I can relax and focus on unpacking and taking care of me again. I know I just posted this all on FB so if you read it there already you can ignore this whole post. This just shows how stressed I was.

One heck of a week

I haven't been blogging because I've been a little busy, to say the least. Yes I still have a cold. It keeps lingering which doesn't help anything. And it means I can't go to the gym and work off the stress.

During this week we have had all kinds of fun:

• The buyer of our old house's lender wanted documentation that doesn't exist. We had to jump through hoops to get a letter from the town on something that no one has ever asked for, ever. Our broker came through on this. But it cause a lot of stress, starting New Year's Eve.
• The buyer of our old house's broker is an idiot. They didn't understand there was any reason to do anything helpful, or have someone keep on top of things while they went out of the country for the holidays.
• The seller of our new house's broker is also an idiot. Although the seller was legally required to ensure that the house was maintained and snow removal was taken care of after they moved out a month ago, nothing was done. The broker blamed the seller for not making plans and then dumped it all on the seller's attorney to get it taken care of. I met her and I could tell she was more concerned with how she looked than actually touching anything. She never even tried to call a plow service, she made the attorney make the calls. And the attorney bitched about it at the closing.
  Because we had a storm last week which snowed and switched to rain and sat on the driveway untouched, it turned into a glacier that my husband spent hours salting, sanding, and chopping yesterday until a plow finally showed up. I told them we would go to the closing but not sign anything until we had proof the driveway was clear (so the movers could get into the driveway today). We were late to the closing because we needed to go see the plowed driveway ourselves.
• Finally, we took our cats to a cat sitter for the duration of the transition. One of our cats, Boots, got out some how. We found out yesterday morning that he has been missing since Wednesday afternoon. While my husband was shoveling snow yesterday, I was walking around near the cat sitter looking for him. I am going to head out this morning to go look for him in another neighborhood near by where there might have been a sighting. 

But finally we own a new house and are moving in today. The POD will be dropped off this morning by 10. The movers are coming between 8-830. Verizon is coming between 11-2 and the hutch we purchased will be delivered between 330-4. But I need to go find the cat.

Oh, my lymphedema arm is not happy with all this moving business. I might have actually carried things and am feeling it in my arm. And all my sleeves are packed so I have to wait until I can unpack to find one. but I have been doing my exercises which helps.

And my cold is still hanging in there. Yes I will go to the doctor if I am still sick on Monday.

Life with the new cats

Last April our 20 year old, much loved cat died, basically of old age. We were very sad and got new cats in late May, who have been settling in nicely, and us with them.

Boots is the very nice, if somewhat skittish, cat who needs a lot of attention. He is gray and white with 'boots'. He has warmed up to me, and after being gone for a week he really wants to snuggle. And have his ears scratched.

The other cat has had a variety of names. He came to us called Penguin, as he looked all black with a bit of white on his chest. But he had very thin fur and the white was his skin showing through. We started calling him Peanut because he was so small. And his fur grew in and he is really a black and dark brown tabby. Then my husband said he looked like a cat from his childhood which his mother had named Zdpot (which is what you take for the 'ackers'). He is a lot less cuddly and has a tendency to bite.

Our cat/house sitter didn't put up with his crap and smacks his nose when he tries to bite her. She also calls him TD for 'The Devil'.

 

Yes that is clean laundry he is sitting on. Can you see it in his eyes? He as a tendency to leave us little gifts and came with ear mites which he shared with Boots. Both came out of foster situations, but they show signs they will be friends, or frenemies, as cat are. They chase each other around an then smack each other and the sleep in a pile of paws and tails.

 

And they are a nice welcoming committee when we come through the door. What I need often.



 

Transition

I miss our cat. I missing having a cat. I like have a warm fuzzy kitty to snuggle with as I sit around and recover from whatever my latest overexertion has been.

My husband has told me not to say things like 'we are thinking about getting a cat' because then we are instantly offered one, or two or three... This has already happened.

I grew up with cats. I lived without cats for a long time because I didn't live where cats were allowed. I met my husband and he came with a cat. We bought a house and the cat ruled until mid-April. It was a very difficult time when we had to put him down but he was not doing well at all. But he was a great comfort to me when I had health issues.

I admit to looking at pet adoption websites. My husband thinks I might go out and adopt a cat without him. I would never do that but I like the idea of keeping him on edge. We have made a deal that we will get two cats (he wants) or three cats (I want) at the end of the summer when our travels are done for the year.

Shere Khan left some large paws to fill. He would bring us his captured mice from the kitchen. Or the time he walked into our next door neighbors house and went upstairs and slept on the bed in the master bedroom. Or he would go visit the neighbors for treats and snacks. Or he would walk around another neighbor's house and their dog would go nuts inside. These are all true stories. (He really did go into our neighbor's house and sleep in the master bedroom.)

But I am plotting to what cat I would want to adopt. Double paws, short hair, larger sized sound good so far. As my health declines, having a cat has been more important. I want to be greeted at the door and have someone to snuggle when I have a bad day. But I will be patient, and plot for the ideal cat.

Other people's health

Sometimes my health does not take center stage in our house. Today is one of them. My husband is having a colonoscopy. He had a 'bad' one a few years back and now is on every three years. He spent a lovely afternoon and evening making little trips to the bathroom. But now he is sleeping and we will leave in an hour. I will bring a peanut butter sandwich he can snack on the way home.

Later today I will also call the vet. The cat has been looking a  little skinnier than usual recently. He did celebrate his 20th birthday (with extra treats) back in November. This is the equivalent of dealing with a 110 year old so we know he will not be around forever. However recently he has been exhibiting some fairly dire symptoms.

We are hoping for the best but not very optimistic. He was my chemo buddy. My husband got him shortly before we first met in 2002. He is an important member of the family.

 

Today I will be the caregiver for them both.

Cats Help Researchers Develop Treatment for Breast Cancer

A couple of years after my breast cancer diagnosis, a friend called and told me her cat, Abby, had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Abby was fairly young, about 6 (the cat, not the friend) and she felt lumps on her stomach when picking her up. She took her to the vet and was told the not so good diagnosis.

For cats, there is no chemo or radiation. They basically can  have a surgery that can best be thought of as a kitty mastectomy and that's about it. For Abby, even after the surgery, she lasted less than a  year before it became obvious that the cancer had spread and was causing her lots of pain and very difficult decision was made.

That was my first knowledge of feline breast cancer. And then I did some research and found out it is a fairly common killer of female cats.

But now, cats are being used to help find a breast cancer treatment. Cats are more closely related to humans than mice. I don't even know if mice get breast cancer. Usually for clinical trials they are bred to have certain conditions so they are more appropriate for the potential trials.

The cats get an injection before surgery and then again a month later. They are then monitored to see if there is a recurrence - which is usually what kills them now. The hope is they will live longer, healthier lives.

So in my (tiny, non-medical, chemo impaired, fibro fogged) mind, it would make sense to do research for breast cancer on animals that actually get the disease in hopes of curing them as well as humans. I am not in favor of animal testing as a rule but in this case, they are hoping to cure the cats from something for which there is no current cure.

I am a cat lover and am typing this while being supervised by my 20 year old cat. I would hope this would be a treatment for them and us.

My cat doesn't understand me.

Many people may say 'my spouse doesn't understand me' or 'my family doesn't understand me'. I am an exception - well I always was a rule breaker so I'll always be the exception, never mind all my health crap.

First I need to state the cat was in no way harmed by the writing of this post. I was pestered to nearly to death from my point of view. The vet just said his blood work is very good and he should be good for another 19 years. Yes, 19 years. My husband does understand me pretty darn well (sometimes its scary). Its just the cat.

You say, train the cat. Have you ever tried to train a cat? They are above that. Have you ever tried to train a deaf cat? A deaf, mostly blind cat? A deaf, mostly blind, cat who is 19 and can't smell either? Its not possible.

There are two human beings who live in this house. The other human, my husband, owned the cat before I cam along and he proved he is capable of feeding the cat. Now, the cat insists I be the one to feed him. If I want to sleep in, the cat wants breakfast around 7am - I should feel privileged - in his younger years the preferred dining time was 5 am.

Once my husband heads downstairs, he waits about thirty seconds before he tries to figure out if I am awake. He will come over and look at my face. He will walk across me. He will settle down on top of me.When the cat wants, he sleeps for hours on end. When he wants something he has no problem waking me up.

The problem is my cat doesn't understand me. Here are the issues.

I need sleep in my life. Uninterrupted sleep. Uninterrupted sleep without being poked, prodded, or walked on by the delicate 15 lb pointy paws of the cat.

I have multiple ailments which cause things like fatigue, insomnia, and require sleep for healthy healing. He disagrees. I am supposed to live my life the way he wants.

Right now he is standing on my right shoulder with his front paws and his back paws on the pillows behind me. This is slightly better than when he stands on my left shoulder which has more pain issues. I can stand this for a few minutes before I shove him off.

He likes to sleep on my knees which I keep elevated by a pillow so my back is more relaxed when I sleep so I have less pain. He squishes my knees down making my knees compress and makes my back hurt. So I wake up in pain. Without enough sleep. That makes me cranky.

He just doesn't understand me and will continue to stand on my shoulder until I get up and go feed him.

Life with the damn cat

Today he is the damn cat. Last night he woke me up throwing up next to the bed. This morning he was annoying enough to get me out of bed - I thought he wanted breakfast. No, he wanted to go outside and eat grass so he wouldn't throw up inside. I didn't understand. He threw up inside. Then I let him out and he ate grass.

He is an indoor cat and he has a plant pot that is growing grass for him on the window sill. But grass is better on the outside. However he can be very determined.

He is also approaching the ripe old age of 19. He can't hear - we can tell because he is no longer capable of walking quietly. Nor can he tell how loudly he meows at us. He can't see. We can tell this because I can wave my arms at him across the room and he can't find me. He can't really smell. We can tell this because he can't find food unless it is right under his nose.

He also has swollen ankles on his back legs where it looks like some kind of arthritis but it doesn't seem to bother him much. His coordination is bad - we can watch him slide off the edge of the coffee table, miss the edge of the sofa when he tries to get up on it, and all sorts of other things that impair his dignity.

He was REALLY mad at us when we left him on vacation. He had a live in baby sitter who fed him and took care of him. He stopped eating for a few days and left a few presents around the house.

But he is very cuddly. Its now fall. I can tell because he sleeps next to me  and I appreciate it now. When it was hot out, I didn't appreciate it as much.

He was also my chemo buddy and whenever I am not feeling well, he follows me around to take care of me with his snuggles.

That is life with the damn cat. It definitely has its ups and downs.

Today I am a normal person

First I overslept (but still have time to blog - a tiny bit). I forgot to take all my pills last night so I have to figure out which ones I should take this morning vs which ones I should skip but I have to wait 1-3 hours before I can take any of them after my synthroid. That was after I put my pill box back together after dumping three days worth on the floor and having to sort them all out again. I think I am still missing two pills but as long as the cat doesn't eat them I can cope.

I wanted to leave for work early  but that doesn't look like its happening. I have showered. I have not eaten breakfast - I will do that when I arrive at work. I did make lunch for both of us. I have not yet brushed my teeth or my hair but my gym bag is packed.

Last night I was running around the back yard in my PJs at 10 pm with a flashlight looking for the damn cat who got out the basement door. This  morning I get an email from my next door neighbor that she has a raccoon on her back porch. I would generally not worry about the raccoon but since my cat is 18 years old, blind, deaf, and can't smell, he wouldn't know a raccoon until he walked right up to it.

Damn. I am now really late. Off I go as a normal person.... or as normal as I can ever be.

Of mice and men... and slackers

We bought our house and moved in 7 years ago, in late February 2005. The house had been empty since the previous June when the older woman who lived here, moved to assisted living. She had lived here alone for about five years after her husband passed away. She may have lived here without other people but she was not the only resident.

We had a house inspection and a pest inspection. We were told we had mice and they found one dead ant. The house came with cans of ant killer out on the porch. That should have been a sign. We have ants every summer. Very aggravating.

However we also have mice. The pest inspector told me it would cost $400 to demouse the house. I said we would try the cat first. We had no idea if he would do anything about a mouse but we decided we would let him have first dibs. In the first two weeks of moving in, one night he deposited a battered mouse on the bed as we slept. I pulled the blankets over my head and my husband disposed of the remains. (My husband asked what I would have done if he wasn't there and I said I would have slept in the other room.) We thought we had a mouse-solution. He pulled his weight and earned his kitty treats for his mouse deterrent efforts for several years.

We still have mice every year. The cat is now 17. He has had a variety of ailments which include loss of some mobility in his back legs - he can no longer leap up on the kitchen counter (which is a good thing) but he also is not as fast as he used to be. He also has lost most of his sense of smell, vision, and hearing. He doesn't care about the mice. We call him the slacker.

This week I noticed little surprises in the silverware drawer. So I washed it all, cleaned out the drawer, informed my husband. Then the next day I found more surprises in the silverware drawer. This time my husband washed all the silverware, emptied the two other drawers and put a trap in one. Yesterday morning we had a present in the trap. I thought that was it. But my husband had to put out the traps one more time. He did not tell me he put one next to the pots and pans in the cabinet. I found it when I went to put the pots and pans away this morning. It was not empty. I said 'eek' and went back to bed until he rectified the situation. (I really did say eek.)

What did the slacker kitty do when I left him in the kitchen with one of the bottom cabinets open with a mouse in it? Nothing. No treats for him.

This is a picture of slacker kitty doing what he does best these days. The black and white cat on the top is the cat I had as a teenager who lived to be 24. And the one who caught mice and all sorts of other free range, fresh meat to supplement her diet.

I'm cranky

I'm cranky this week. I have a lot going on and am feeling stressed. This is what is making me cranky:

1. Blogger was down for most of two days. I find this one of the most epic cases of mismanagement. Yes it is a free service we use to host our blogs but it is part of Google's money making tools (where they are trying to take over the world) but they just severely shot themselves in the foot. Apparently there were some upgrades and maintenance issues and things went wrong and the Blogger service was done for parts of Thursday and most of Friday with no real updates or explanation. I am ready to move my blog to a provider which actually runs parallel servers to ensure these issues don't happen. Its not the problems with service but the lack of communication through the issues. Just imagine if the Google search engine was down for the same amount of time. Anyway, I couldn't blog yesterday and I always blog (unless I am in a part of the world without internet) and it upset my routine and made me cranky.


2. On Wednesday I posted about my wonderful series of doctor appointments and how much fun I had with them on Tuesday (but you couldn't read it because Blogger was down). They were so much fun and then my doctor called me Wednesday night and I couldn't get hold of her to call back until Thursday morning. When doctors call you at home at night it is always stressful. Apparently my blood tests, EKG, and chest x-ray were normal (or as normal as I can be) but my PCP spoke with my endocrinologist and they want me to slightly adjust my thyroid hormone levels down to see if it impacts my heart rate and then have more blood work in six weeks. But if my thyroid level gets lower, its harder to lose weight or not gain weight and one of the things which stresses your heart is your weight. I also have an Echo cardiogram in a few weeks to see if this tells us any more information. So I am still in 'wait and see' for longer.


3. I am not looking forward to a series of shots under my knee cap. I was stupid and looked up what they do and then someone else told me how painful they were for her husband.


4. I am overscheduled. I have entirely too much to do in the next few weeks. I have personal stuff to do. I have volunteer work. I have doctor appointments. I have a lot of work to do. I have meetings. I have events for work. And it all has to be done in the next ten days.


5. I have knee pain, back pain, SI joint pain and don't feel like sucking it up and coping so I am whining.


6. I am not getting enough sleep. I wake up at night and have a very difficult time getting back to sleep. And last night just as I did get back to sleep the (stupid) cat knocked over my water glass all over the floor. He went back to sleep. I cleaned up the mess.

But otherwise I am fine and there were no cancer cooties to be found at my physical.

Prescription madness

A day of prescription madness. First stop at the meds therapist for a check on my sanity level and prescription analysis. She put directly into the computer two prescriptions for me. I did explain to her the last time I saw her the prescription wasn't there when I went to pick it up - but it was New Year's Eve, my husband and brother were waiting for me, there was a huge line at the pharmacy (and I had just fallen in the parking lot but I didn't tell her that). I figured it was a computer glitch or insurance being cranky or something and figured I would call her if I ran out before I saw her again. Well last night I went to pick up my new prescriptions, and only one was there. I explained my story to the pharmacy, they said the other prescription was actually in there but the second prescription from yesterday was not.

Then my back pain doctor called in a new prescription for me. I was all excited thinking I am getting off Lyrica - which I don't really like. But apparently when I picked it up, it was another anti-inflammatory. I need to call and find out if this is in addition to or instead of my other anti-inflammatory and refill my Lyrica prescription. I am so confused.

But I have had three doctors follow their scripts recently: my radiation oncologist says she doesn't want to seem me for six months and I look like I am doing well; my meds therapist thinks I am doing okay and I don't have to see her for two months; and my endocrinologist sent me a letter saying all my blood work came back fine. I still have an ultrasound coming up and I think I go back in six months.

Today I will call the pharmacy and two doctors to see if I can straighten out my prescriptions. But first, we need to take the fasting cat to the vet. I can't wait. He is soooo annoying and wants food. And he's begging. And he's pleading. And he's generally annoying. He hasn't had food since 7pm last night when we took it all away. I am sure I will be good and aggravated after dealing with the cat in the car before I get to spend time on the phone.

The value of pets

And I don't mean the medical kind. Apparently it took a study to realize that people grow closer to their pets during an illness. I know during chemo, the cat spent hours sitting with me as I zoned out in front of the TV, cuddling up. At the time, I thought it was just nice of him. But in reality, he was waiting to be fed.

Over the past few years, we have endured his medical ups and downs. He had diabetes and has now reverted for some unknown reason and is off insulin. But his weight keeps dropping. He is down to 13 lbs from a start of 19. He should be about 15-16 lbs. You may think this is fat for a cat but he is very tall and used to be able to reach his paws up to the kitchen counter from the floor. Currently his preference is to drink water out of the bathtub while it is running (but he wishes there was a way to do this and not get his feet wet).

Tomorrow, we have to take him to the vet for a fasting blood test. This means we do not expect much sleep tonight. He is used to having food around at all times. If the blood test results are inconclusive, he will need an ultrasound to look for a mass or something in his pancreas. We know what the word 'mass' means. Cats aren't supposed to go on the cancer roller coaster too. I may be jumping ahead but he keeps losing weight and is some what of a medical mystery to the vet. Sigh. I hate medical mysteries.

Anterior uveitis

No, I don't have it, the cat does. It is a relatively common type of cat eye ailment but eye issues are fairly rare for cats. Well, at least we think it is just that. There could be a tumor in his eye which would be a different story. Apparently eye tumors for cats are not that uncommon but are usually contained in the eye. If it was a tumor behind the eye, that's a far different story.

The guess is anterior uveitis and the only way to confirm it is to pack kitty into his carrier and take him to a cat ophthalmologist. He doesn't travel well and would not do well with any transport. So plan A is the shot the vet gave him yesterday followed up with eye drops three times a day. I have to call the vet on Friday morning to see if it looks better. If not, then we go to plan B which may include kitty transportation. I am not sure I can carry him and his box with my back the way it is these days. We will wait and see but at least its not my ailment.

However, I am the one with the three times a day wrestling session to get drops in his eye. He doesn't like them and has already communicated that to me. He is very laid back until he decides he doesn't like something - cat carrier, car rides, pills, eye drops, shots, etc - and then he is very difficult to deal with.

In addition to having the vet here to take care of kitty, yesterday I worked from home, went to PT, met a friend for a walk and went to my support group. Yesterday's PT was not as successful as the previous one. There was no reduction in pain levels. I had some relief after last Thursday's session but the pain has been slightly increasing. Yesterday did not ease up the increase and the discomfort is growing. The therapist tried an ultrasound modality and then an electronic stimulation. She tried the ultrasound last Thursday and I felt better after but yesterday she added the electronic stimulation and said that if it helped, they could see about getting me a machine for home that I could use in the middle of the night if I had significant pain. However, not every one feels relief with the electronic stimulation and I was one of them... Three weeks into PT I would have hoped for more relief. This is disappointing to say the least. But I will go back on Friday and then weekly for three more weeks.

My walk with my friend was very nice - we walked in a place neither of us had ever been to (cemetery along the river) and we hadn't talked in quite a while. Then I went to my support group and for some reason walked out of there feeling more depressed than going in. A support group is a place to discuss our pain points and issues but sometimes it rubs a little too hard and is emotionally upsetting.

Today I will try not to have such high expectations (but it was a full moon yesterday so perhaps that is why). I have to work this morning and want to go for a walk when the rain stops. Then I am going to work and to a meeting and won't be home until about 830 tonight so a long day for me.

Our new baby

No, its not a real baby. Its a car. (In case you had problems telling the two apart.) We are all excited. It was a stressful week between selling the old car and buying the new one. And trying to fit work in around this. We brought it home Thursday night and didn't drive it all day yesterday. Today we will drive it. We will go play mini golf.

Yesterday I worked hard but not as hard as Walter. He went for a bike ride, took down the old fence, sanded the metal fence posts and painted some, sprayed for ants, and then he had to recover. Me, I only worked at home for a while, got my hair cut (curly poodle look is ALMOST gone but unfortunately the gray highlights seems to be permanent), then I met a friend for a walk, and made us another healthy, yummy dinner. Then we played scrabble where I only lost by about 50 points. (What was I supposed to do with I, I, I, I, M, N, Q?)

Yesterday I also noticed my basil plants. Earlier this summer I bought a basil plant and put it in the window where it promptly died. Probably from lack of water but I am not sure. Then I bought four little basil plants and planted two in a pot together for inside and two separately in pots outside. The one in the front of the house is doing okay. The one in the back of the house is doing awesome. But the ones inside weren't doing too well so I brought them outside and put them near the one doing really well - based on the premise that if one was happy there, then the others should be. But then one of the two I brought out, immediately died. Then yesterday, look what I found??? Some furry woodland creature dug up my basil plant and KILLED IT!!! Grr! Maybe we need a outdoor cat to patrol the back yard 24/7.

Last night I was really trying for a good night's sleep. I can only really sleep on my back these days (because of my stupid gall bladder and bursitis) and was doing just fine until FIVE AM when a small furry resident decided to join us and knead his claws into my scalp (he was probably admiring my new hair cut but he could have waited a bit longer.)

Then he was a royal PITA and purred really loudly while we were trying to get back to sleep. Then he knocked over all my pill bottles (we think he thinks they are kitty treats). Then he sharpened his claws on the bedroom carpet. Then he threw up on the carpet. Then we threw him out of the bedroom. But by that point it was useless to try to get back to sleep.

Now also my back is achy because I slept in the same position for so long. Walter brought me coffee in the 'No Whining' mug and said it was a hint.