Thursday, June 04, 2009

Update on Sprinkles & Biopsy

I decided a post to update on my family's health would be good, so here we go. For starters, this evening I noticed I had a message on my phone, and when I checked it, it was the nurse from the dermatologist. The spot they removed was a normal mole -- no cancer, nothing abnormal. Hurray! Thank you all for your prayers and kind words. That was super scary, and I'm glad it's over. I'm going to continue getting screened every 6 months to a year (as you all should), and I'm going to stay pale... and healthy. :)

On to Sprinkles! I'm going to sum up what's happened thus far (for those of you who don't see my facebook status updates) and then move on to where we're at now. Also, I'm going to speak fairly frankly about what's happened with him, so don't eat and read this!

The evening of May 21st Sprinkles starting having bad diarrhea and vomited some. On the 22nd he spent the day at the vet. While his energy was a bit lower when I dropped him off, he thankfully was not dehydrated. They did run quite a few tests and $250 later he was diagnosed with a tummy infection (like a stomach flu) and was on a couple of antibiotics (pill form). He was also supposed to be on a prescription canned food for a while, but he wouldn't touch that, so I ended up having to cook chicken and rice for him.

About 4 days later, Sprinkles and I ended up back at the vet for the opposite reason as before -- nothing was coming out! A $30 enema later, he was fine with no apparent reason for the constipation. Frustrating but ok.

From that visit 2 Tuesdays ago to Tuesday this week, Sprinkles had high energy, was playful, and ate well. However, Monday night he started to have some diarrhea again. That Saturday he vomited a bit as well, so as much as I wanted to think he was healing, I knew something was not right, so I dropped him off at the vet on Tuesday. Now, I need to mention that Tuesdays are the only day my normal vet isn't in, so both times I had to see a different vet who I now know I really really don't prefer. Anyways, she diagnosed him with a sensitive stomach and sent us home with another $30 of meds to aid digestion and suggested a food for sensitive stomachs (although not a specific one -- just told me to find one that said that on the shelf, so I went with IAMS).

That brings us up to today, Thursday. This morning right as I was about to leave for work, Sprinkles had a bout of diarrhea and vomited. It all looked like the rice he ate the night before -- not really digested. Thinking that meant I should quit transitioning him slowly (since the rice wasn't agreeing with him), I gave him dry food for breakfast (and his meds). He gobbled it all up. I came back home an hour or so later and checked on him, and he was fine. Sometime between 9:15 am and 4:45 pm, he vomited all of his breakfast into the bathtub (convenient, eh?). I called the vet (the one I like spoke to me personally), and he said to bring Sprinkles in.

Have I mentioned that I was so worried the first visit to the vet that I sobbed at the reception desk when I got there? No? Yeah, this visit was much the same. I cried the whole time the vet talked to me. (OK, and I cried for about 45 minutes after I left the vet.) I'm worried, but more than that I'm frustrated! I just want him to get better and be healthy. The vet said that he was glad to see Sprinkles with such high energy. That's a good sign. If it was life threatening, his energy level would be way low. He thinks that Sprinkles has not gotten over the stomach infection yet, and that his stomach/bowel is very irritated by the food right now. He said that it's all working like a hose and just letting out (one way or another) what goes in instead of absorbing the food's nutrients and the medicines we're giving him. His almost $400 solution is that Sprinkles needs to stay at the vet for 48 hours on IV fluids and antibiotics. I am going for this solution. They are not going to feed him, so his stomach and such will have time to heal. He will stay hydrated, and they will observe him. I'll have daily updates and have him home by Saturday evening.

I cried a lot this afternoon from the worry and frustration but also from leaving Sprinkles. He's constantly with me when I'm home -- I mean at my feet, laying on me, following me, in my face, with me. It's weird to be here without him, and I don't like it. He'll also be alone at the vet for some hours in the night, and it makes me sad to think about him alone in a cage. The vet seemed confident that this is what Sprinkles needs to get better, and I have to trust that. I have to feel positive that Sprinkles' energy is still normal to high, and the vet says this is not life threatening but is something we have to fix asap.

So that's where we're at. I'm trying to look at this as an opportunity. I was able to clean the mess in the bathroom without puppy dog underfoot. I can work tomorrow and not have to come home between noon, when the kids leave, and 5 pm, when our staff dinner starts, to let him out and feed him. I can sleep in on Saturday without someone jumping on me. I also called maintenance to snack my bathtub while Sprinkles isn't taking up residence there.

I'm trying to ignore the lonely feeling and dread I'm feeling at going to bed without him lying on my feet. I was very comforted that the vet said, "You and Sprinkles are valued clients. I've worked with you for years, and I know how much Sprinkles means to you. I will do my best to care for him and help him." OK -- him saying that made me cry more (poor man), but it helped.

Again I am writing this knowing my friends and family will read it. Sprinkles needs your immediate prayers. He needs healing and to be able to get back to normal. My pocketbook needs healing from this -- lol. (I do want to take this moment to say that the Wellness Plan at Banfield is top notch. I would have and would be paying a LOT more without the plan, and the emergency vet would have bankrupted me.) I need my baby back healthy. Please pray for healing and a long term solution for his sensitive stomach. I think what's happening now is a relapse from the original illness, and we need prayers that when I get him home, I can feed him what he needs to settle his stomach and avoid another relapse. Please pray for him and me.

2 comments:

  1. Goodness! I hope and pray that this solution works and makes him all better! Hopefully in a few days he'll be back, better, and ya'll can put these few weeks behind you.

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  2. I am so sad to hear this but happy there seems to be a POSITIVE answer! I know what it is like being w/out your little dog who is your sidekick and it STINKS! I am sorry you have to go through this. I will pray for YOU, HIM and that Saturday night gets here REALLY fast!

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