Blanket Check-in/Update

TPCShauna

<font color=green> Most Cheerful Creativear<br><fo
Joined
Feb 24, 2005
Messages
4,224
Hi all!

This is a blanket check-in/update for all of the swaps I am in or hosting.

I have been, and most likely will continue to be, MIA because DH and I both have a stomach flu. His is worse than mine and I had to take him to the hospital on Saturday afternoon after he collapsed. They gave him a couple of bags of IV fluid as he was extremely dehydrated. He is doing a bit better but we are both still struggling. This is an especially difficult time because I am still having serious problems with my knee and can barely walk to take care of both of us.

I'll be at home for the next couple of days but may or may not be on much. I also have a research paper due this week and a final next week so I'm busy studying for that.

If you have questions about specific swaps, please post them on that thread and I will answer as soon as I am able.

Thanks all!
 
Hugs Shauna
Sure wish I was close enough to come over and help or send a kid over to help w/ things...

If you need me to do anything please let me know.. I'll be in/out...
 
Thanks. I sure could use a kid to play with Gracie right now. Neither of us has the energy and she's the energizer puppy.

I appreciate the offer to help. I'll definitely let you know.
 
aw hugs shauna. to you and your dh. hope you guys are feeling better real soon. dh,ds and i all had it over the 4th of july. oh goodness it was awful. 4 days of it. just icky really.
rest up and plenty of fluids.
 

Not pleasant - I hope you're soon on the mend :hug: Could you egt a toy on a string for Gracie?
 
Holy moly, when it rains, it pours!

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes. I'm feeling much better today. DH is well enough that he can sit up without being exhausted.

Unfortunately, we are now dealing with pet problems. Gracie was laying on my chest/shoulder last night, turned around and saw her brother (one of the cats.) Before I could stop her, she jumped 5 feet across the room and came down wrong on her back left hip.

Now, her breed are jumpers anyway and she is constantly bounding off and on the couch but that's her jumping from 2.5 feet onto carpet. Even though she gets distance (about 4 to 5 feet) she doesn't come from much height. When she jumped last night, she was about 4 feet in the air and launched herself across the room.

She didn't cry but she wouldn't put any weight on her leg. I felt all along the leg and nothing seemed broken but she was wincing as I stretched her leg out so we took her to the vet this morning. Our vet thinks she bruised or strained it a bit so she gave us some pain meds and anti-inflammatories for her and told us we have to keep her from jumping. Easier said than done but we will make it happen so she doesn't have permanent damage.

Right now, she is passed out on the couch. The biggest benefit of the meds will probably be to keep her knocked out so she won't be awake enough to jump. :sad2: I just feel so guilty that I didn't stop her from jumping. I'm usually fast enough but I just didn't do it this time. I feel so bad. :guilty:

As if that isn't enough, both of our cats had their dentals scheduled for today so we dropped them both off this morning while we were there for Gracie. First off, I NEVER leave them there for treatment. We always stay with them in the examining room because they are scared and they are happier when I am with them. Unfortunately, I can't do that with their dentals since they have to go under general anesthetic so I've been a nervous wreck about dropping them off AND about them being put under.

Half an hour after we get home with Miss Priss, we get a phone call from the vet doing Arkhe's dental. Apparently, he has something called a neck lesion which is essentially a large cavity. They had to pull a tooth, stitch it up, give him pain meds there and we have to give him more pain meds at home. They discovered this because they touched the tooth near the cavity while he was under general anesthetic and he "chattered" which meant that it was really painful. I kept telling the doctor I didn't understand how he could have had this crazy painful thing for what had to be quite a while since his behavior has been completely normal, good appetite, etc. and she said that he wouldn't necessarily have changed his behavior. He is also supposedly missing several teeth and his lower jaw is not fused properly. She said we could wire his jaw and hope it will fuse but that it typically won't so I decided not to put him through that stress. She said it's not painful to him, it is not normal but is not uncommon. She thinks he might have some periodontal disease but can't tell since they don't have a dental x-ray machine. However, that is the most common cause of teeth going missing so she is guessing that is what is wrong. Phelia's dental was mostly OK but he is also missing one of his tiny, little front teeth.

I am mortified that I have potentially allowed my babies to be sick and/or in pain. I kept telling the doctor that I take good care of them and I really do. I play with them, cuddle them, take them to the vet regularly, they get monthly baths, I clip their nails, I groom them, and I love them. I am so upset that something like this could happen as I feel as though I am neglecting them. The vet said no, that she could tell we take good care of them and they are healthy but just have teeth problems.

We now have to try to brush their teeth which they won't allow me to do and get them to eat special dental health chew treats which they won't do. However, it's the only way to keep them from getting worse. I feel like a horrible kitty mommy. :guilty: :sad1:

To top this all off, I now am covered in head-to-toe hives. I think it is from the stress of dealing with my knee injury, kidney stone, being sick, Gracie getting hurt, being worried about the kitties' dentals, my paper and final and getting the completed page swap sent.

I am itching like mad so I will just have to go to Urgent Care this evening after I get the kitties home. In the meantime, I get to just sit and feel guilty for all of my babies hurting. :sad1:
 
Shauna, you started the Pet Swap, what did you think was going to happen! :rotfl2:

I shouldn't laugh, but GIRL!

Hugs and prayers all the way around.
 
I'm starting to think y'all are right and I AM cursed. I guess I should stop hostessing so my life will be normal. :rolleyes1

Thanks for the well wishes. I need it right now. :headache:
 
:hug: Shauna:hug:

I know it's hard not to beat yourself up when your babies get sick - but don't!!! You take very good care of them. You wouldn't have been bringing the kitties in for Dentals if you didn't.

Take deep cleansing breaths - Innnn ---- Ouuuut.

Repeat after me...

I am a good pet parent, I am a good pet parent, I am a good pet parent

I hope the hives get better, baking soda or oatmeal in the bath water helps a lot...

Rhonda
 
holy moly shauna! you have had one heck of a year. i'm thinking you are probably ready for 2008 to be over. i feel so bad for you.
you need to stop, breath, and take one step at a time. really it will get better!! one day at a time sweetie. really. that's my life's motto lately!
 
What everyone else said. Stop, breathe, and take it one step at a time.

The very bestest pet owner in the world can miss something like cavities. I don't see how you could have know something was wrong if he didn't act different. That's how they tell you. Unless you are telepathic.

Just take care of them the way you have been and love them.

Don't forget to take care of yourself too.

PS-Don't quite hostessing, what is happening would still be happening regardless of your time here on the boards.

:hug:
 
I'm so sorry, Shauna! What a horribly stressful day!

You are NOT a bad pet mommy. I just took my kitty to the vet today too for his checkup. He is the sweetest boy at home, but there he acts like the devil incarnate and I would be mortified at what kind of owner they must think I am if my vet weren't wonderfuly understanding and reassuring. Anyway, while I was there I was reading the big bulletin board they have about Cat dental health and my understanding was that dental problems are incredibly common in cats. Of course you do everything right. It's just one of those things that happens.

I hope all the fur-babies heal quickly and that you are feeling better soon! :hug:
 
Sorry to hear that things aren't getting any better for you. We had to take one of our cats to have 3 teeth pulled last week, and it was traumatic for all! Even though they're hairier than the rest of us, they're still our babies!
 
Shauna-

Wow, your life is even crazier than mine. Here to hoping things are moving uphill for you now. If we can do anything else just let us know. If the complete page swap is too much right now you can mail it to me or someone else and they can swap it out for you.

Rebecca
 
Oh Shauna, you need a break!

I wouldn't worry about the kitties, they are in good hands. Some cats just have bad teeth, just like people.

If you need to mail me all the swap stuff I would be more than willing to take it. I got your back girl! We all do!
 
Big hugs Shauna!:hug: What a time you've had. It sounds to me like you've been a wonderful pet parent and your babies are very well loved. I hope you, DH, and your furry babies are doing better today.:hug:
 
Thanks everyone!

I'm back at work today and DH is finally feeling MUCH better. He's still at home but plans to be back at work tomorrow.

Gracie did about 30 super fast laps around the living room this morning before she got the tiniest limp so she seems to be doing much better. Her pain meds at least keep her pretty knocked out so she is sleeping and staying off of her leg a lot. We just have to keep her from jumping off the couch for the next couple of days and she should be completely well again which makes me incredibly grateful.

My baby kitties seem to be doing OK. Both of them were still super loopy from the anesthetic last night. Phelia just wanted to cuddle and get scritchies and Arkhe wanted to be left alone. This morning, Arkhe seemed to be in pain so we gave him his pain meds before I left for work. He should be pretty knocked out all day with that. He did let me pet him a bit this morning and he nosed me so he is getting back to normal.

I appreciate the reassurance from all of you. Yesterday was so incredibly emotional for me. I am always scared to allow the kitties to go in for their dentals with all the horror stories you hear about pets and anesthetic. I felt so helpless knowing he had all of these horrible things going on with him and happening to him and I couldn't be there. I was so upset when we picked them up that I just sat with him and cried.

I know intellectually that it is not a "fault" issue and that I didn't do anything wrong but I was still second guessing myself. All of my fur babies seem to be OK so I'm much more emotionally stable today. I also got some nice strong Prednisone from the doctor last night so my hives are much less itchy today which is giving me better spirits in general.

I'm working on finishing up my term paper which is due on Thursday. Fortunately, the class is over next week so I hopefully won't have too much more stuff to do for it. Since DH is feeling better, he can actually help me package the completed pages as I'm having a bear of a time fitting them in the boxes. All in all, I'm hoping everything will be done this weekend!

Thanks again, friends. All y'all have some strong yet soft shoulders and I appreciate that you let me borrow them from time to time. :grouphug:
 












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