Medical Update: Losing half a family now..

Its 8:58 pm


     Chilly Saturday night in SE Michigan.....cold and grey,spring is having a hard time gaining a toehold in getting us a little warmer weather.
  The grass outside is still trying to kick start itself into action but finding the road a little tough...but the robin air force is having no problems finding and eating all the grubs they can handle. At anytime we have anywhere between 10-14 birds in the backyard on the perch looking for tasty treats.


  This week was a rugged one yet again for our household. Tuesday saw me take Lori's cat,Ginger,to the Lilley Veterinary Clinic for an exam. I had noticed that she had suddenly started drinking a great deal of water as of late and became concerned that it might be tied to possible kidney failure. Twice I was in the middle of making an appointment for Ginger when a sudden crisis brought about by Lori's cancer,had me hanging up the phone to attend whatever issue was popping up.
  Finally I able to make the connection and scheduled the visit.



Now normally before I have to take one of the cats to the vet,I have to hide the carrier in a bathroom the night before,otherwise I will have to scurry around trying to catch said cat and if its Derek,that is a not a fun time,he hates the carrier and while he has never once attempted to bite or scratch me,he does fluff up and hisses. Its better to have it in the bathroom so once they see it,they understand and will go inside.
  Our appointment was at 11:00 am,there was no one waiting and we were whisked in. Ginger was a total lady and after coming out of the carrier,sniffed the room and curled up under my feet.
  She weighs 7.1 pounds...I can feel the fear in my gut,its going to be kidney failure....we wait and wait and then meet Dr. Aubrie King. She is young (or I'm old) but compassionate. She tries to divert my fears about Ginger saying there is a "host of other things that it could be and we have options".
  We decide to do a blood work-up. Lori and I talked about how we would handle the cost of this if it went south. We don't have very much money,especially now with her being off work and my hours being cut. We love our cats but we also know our limitations. That said,I went ahead and asked for the blood test.
While we were waiting,I had Ginger's nails clipped. She purred and headbutted me..she was a good girl when she got her nails clipped.



20 minutes later Dr. King came back....and said "I'm very sorry,its the kidneys after all. You were right".
And its a early stage 4 failure,Dr. King said she will be treating Ginger as a hospice case. I can't believe this,as I told a co-worker,you can't make this stuff up...I have to tell my own advanced cancer stricken wife that now her kitty is also going to die as well.
  But for now she is going to come home and I have to do hydration for Ginger as well. She also gets to eat wet catfood which neither cat has had since we have had them. This portion has unleashed a inner monster as Derek has discovered that he loves Fancy Feast. The routine is this...I put food down in bowl for Ginger,I let her eat as much as she is able. I have to put Derek in the spare bathroom or else he would push her off the food.
Normally I would just cover the leftover food for Ginger but since the smell of the food is too strong for Lori to handle,whatever Ginger doesn't eat,Derek gets. He cleans every morsel off the floor...
 I also agreed that we should give Ginger a B-12 shot and Dr. King gave that to her as well. 156.00 later,I loaded Ginger up and we headed the 2 miles home.
  Lori was resting upstairs when we got home,I set up the gravity I.V. and then told her what was going to happen. I feel like a bringer of doom and destruction as of late...I am forever telling someone in Lori's family or her co-workers what is going to happen...and also to her as well. It really wears on my heart and soul..
I explained to her what the vet said....and that we'll take her back in a month to be rechecked. Personally I don't think it will be that long....this weekend I'll start to build a box and find a fitting place in our yard to bury   Ginger.
 
Its 1:37 am on Wednesday...

   Been trying to find time to post this....but the past few days have been rugged. Lori's pain is increasing and I spent several hours trying to get her Norco (pain med) refilled. Finally got done with help from our visiting nurse.She has lost 15 pounds in two weeks.....


Please keep the cards coming....they are a huge boost.


Lori Sullivan
45249 Lemont Road
Canton,Mich
48187

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