Ernie had her follow up at the vet. Walker had to take her, as I'm still on the wonky schedule at the office. He called me as soon as they got home, and he sounded....shaken. Ernie must be feeling better, because he said she was not very well behaved this trip. The vet, a very diplomatic gentleman, told Walker that Ernie gave him a urine sample he didn't ask for. Walker said she was making noises he had never heard from a cat before, and she spit on him several times on the drive home. I bet next time he puts her crate in the back seat.
The vet said Ernie is responding well to treatment, but he also warned that we need to be realistic. She is well over twenty-two years old. If we give her the special diet and daily fluid injections, she could live up to a year. If we stop the injections, she would live maybe a month before her kidneys shut down. She's much less tolerant of the fluid injections, but we do give her some "juice" every day. She's figured out this move where she bobs her head down really fast, which will dislodge the needle if I'm not holding it in. So I hold it in, even though the extra pressure slows down the fluid drip and the process takes twice as long. She hasn't fussed to the point where I feel like we should stop the injections. At least not so far. We're taking it one day at a time.
By the end of this week, I should be back to my normal work schedule. Which means I go in later in the afternoon, but I have to stay later, too. This time of year I love my schedule, as I have lots of time with Diva during the day. It's also starting to get light out when I get home, so I sometimes take my bike for a trail ride after work. Most of the year I can't do that ~ too dark. I love summer.
I haven't done a weigh in for a couple days, mostly because I haven't been great about sticking to my plan. A while back a neighbor's mailbox was run over in the middle of the night, so Walker and Bro went over and put in a new one for him. He thanked them with a packet of tickets to a fund raiser breakfast at the VFW. Holy cow, that breakfast was good! The food was pretty well salted, though, and I generally try to avoid salt. So I knew I'd be holding water weight for a couple days. Then Bro made lasagna for dinner - not exactly lean or green as my diet recommends. But ~ today at the office my coworker told me I look skinny, then when I put my keys in my pocket my pants slid down to my hips. While mooning the office staff is really bad for them, it was pretty good for me. I think it signals progress. I've also learned the hard way that if I need to pick something off the floor, I need to squat, not bend over, or I'll be flashing whoever is nearby. My tops are loose, too. With all the parts of me that should be covered falling out of my clothes, I think some shopping may be in order. But not too much - I have a ways to go yet.
Ohhhhh, I hope Ernie continues to improve. Congrats on your weight program. Wish I could say my pants were getting loose. I wouldn't care much if mine did fall! Lol.
ReplyDeleteI hoe Emie gets better all the time but as the vet said be prepared. I know cats live longer than most dogs but we have never had one that lived past 20. You just might be right on that balloon flower. Does yours start from a bulb. The bud that is sending out the largest buds and they are kind of balloon shaped. I can't be over ambitious for 2 more days. Joe waters the flowers but he would not pull a weed so my work is cut out for me.If that bud is not open I will see if I can get a close up of it.
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