Hearts, Disks, Ramps and Mittens-Or is it Mice and Kittens?

About the time you think all is well and you can carry on life with a little normalcy, the phone rings. On thursday Mom had what we thought was a routine check-up six weeks after her heart valve replacement surgery.  My younger sister and brother were so kind to drive her to her appointment in Marshfield, a two hour drive from here.  I couldn't believe it when my sister phoned to tell me they heard a funny sound near the valve that was replaced.  One Dr. said it sounded like a kitten mewing.  Another Dr. said he thought it sounded more like mice scratching. Mom quipped that since it was a pig valve she had that shouldn't it be oinking they were hearing?! All righty then....... so much for scientific analysis.  Don't get me wrong, Marshfield Hospital is the biggest and best around these parts for heart problems. To shorten this story,  Mom needed to stay overnight for a TEE test the next morning. That's the scope down the throat test for which she needed to be sedated. They admitted Mom to the hospital and it was decided that my sister and brother would come home and the next day my sister and I would return to Marshfield.  To make another long story short, we didn't make it home til Saturday, my Mom's 79th birthday.  What they found was a leakage near where the heart valve was replaced. To make this less complicated I'll just say they decided since she was showing no signs of heart failure or stress like difficulty breathing, swelling etc., they recommended not to repair it.  They felt Mom was still too vulnerable after recent open heart surgery to go through another difficult surgery.  We all felt somewhat relieved at that news but could be a problem in the future.  For now she is feeling fine and seems to improve with each day. She has gone home for a few days.  We hope to find her housing for the winter in an elderly complex near me. Oh yes, we celebrated her birthday on the way home from Marshfield when we pulled over to put fuel in the car.  At a Hardee's fast food joint with good burgers. Mom was delighted. No birthday cake though. I had planned a little get together here last Fri. for her birthday which didn't pan out. We were glad she didn't have to spend the entire day of her birthday in the hospital.

Now the second chapter of the last few days.   You didn't really think that would be the end of it did you!?   Upon my arrival home, my dearest hubby met me at the door with his story.  It seems Smokey, our diabetic dog was acting sick.  We've been watching him the last few days because he was throwing up in the middle of the night but then seemed okay in the daytime.  But right on cue, as soon as I left Thurs.  he  got much worse so Dave took him to the vet.  To make this long story short(this blog would take two days to read otherwise) the vet diagnosed him with a partially ruptured disk on his upper back. With abrupt movements(this dog is usually just one big abrupt movement ) the pain was causing him to throw up and finally just slow down. Not wanting to eat(his biggest pleasure) and wimpering and putting his head down. Totally not Smokey. Doc even said when examining him that no, this wasn't Smokey. Doc had a treatment he wanted to try but since Smokey is diabetic he couldn't use it. The next best thing was Tramadol twice a day.  And to take it easy and no more jumping off the bed!  Upon my arrival home Sat. afternoon, I was led to our bedroom to see the giant plywood and carpeted ramp Dave built beside the bed.  Not exactly a designer's choice when it comes to bedroom decor, but he did make it so I could fold it down.  He even put little wheels on it to make it easier to slide under the bed for storage. What a handy man I have. Also the best when it comes to caring for our two furry boys.

So we are carrying on here.  Taking it one day at a time.  Oh, I finished those hooked mittens!  That was before the phone rang on Thurs.  I actually had a few days to hook!  LOL  What more could I ask for~!~